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Message: <blockquote data-quote="mvincent" data-source="post: 3275504" data-attributes="member: 27034">This is subject to debate, but official publications* can help if you are undecided.From the <a href="http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20060905a" target="_blank">Rules of the Game</a>:"If, after you made two-weapon attacks with your sword and torch, a foe later provokes an attack of opportunity from you that same round, you can strike that foe with your longsword with no two-weapon penalty at all. (You also can use just the torch, also with no two-weapon penalty, though you still take the -4 penalty for an off-hand attack; you also still take the -4 penalty for an improvised weapon for a total penalty of -8.)"This indicates that one can be considered 'wielding' (i.e. threatening) with an off-hand weapon without needing to take TWF'ing penalties.From the 3.5 FAQ:"There’s nothing inherent in the full attack action thatrequires all the attacks to be made as the same kind of attack orwith the same kind of weapon.A character with a base attack bonus of +6 or better holdinga longsword, for example, could make a melee attack with thelongsword (using his full base attack bonus), drop thelongsword (a free action), use Quick Draw to draw a dagger(another free action), then throw the dagger (using his baseattack bonus –5). If the character had both hands free (forinstance, if he didn’t carry a light or heavy shield in his offhand), he could even use Quick Draw to draw a bow (freeaction), draw and nock an arrow (free action) and then shootthe bow (using his base attack bonus –5).This situation is actually improved if the melee weapon is atwo-handed weapon. A character can hold a two-handedweapon in one hand; he just can’t attack with it while it’s heldlike that. Thus, he wouldn’t even have to drop the weapon inorder to draw and throw the dagger. If Krusk the 6th-levelbarbarian had Quick Draw, he could swing his greataxe (usinghis full base attack bonus), then leave the axe in his off-handwhile drawing a javelin with his primary hand (free action), andfinally throw the javelin (using his base attack bonus –5). IfKrusk were drawing a ranged weapon that required two handsto use (such as a bow), he’d have to drop his greataxe."This indicates that you can pretty much freely switch between weapons.Whether off-hand penalties are still used is also still subject to debate, but the core rules and the RotG (above) seem to indicate they are, while some FAQ examples seem to imply that they aren't. This is made worse because ambidexterity no longer exists in 3.5.The most common compromise is to still impose the -4 off-hand penalty unless the wielder has the TWF'ing feat.*Obligatory disclaimer: please consider this post (and all other similar posts) as being solely directed at those that find the official publications useful.</blockquote>

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