Two-bladed Sword Question

[Marimmar]

Hi everyone!

I consider making a fighter specializing in the two-bladed sword and wondered about the following:

If I just make a single attack (not using it as a double weapon) with the two-bladed sword, do I get the times 1.5 strength modifier for wielding a weapon with two hands?

Thanks for the help!

~Marimmar

 

[Hypersmurf]

Yup.

-Hyp.

 

[Marimmar]

I see, thank you!

~Marimmar

 

[Maitre Du Donjon]

There is just the silly situation in which you're not sure if you're going to take multiple attacks in a round or not. How can you determine on your first attack if you use the 1,5 damage multiplier if you're not sure that you'll strike again or not?

Maitre D

 

[kreynolds]

There is just the silly situation in which you're not sure if you're going to take multiple attacks in a round or not. How can you determine on your first attack if you use the 1,5 damage multiplier if you're not sure that you'll strike again or not?

Easy. It's too late. You've already decided to use it as a two-handed weapon instead of a double weapon. For the rest of the round, you're now stuck with a two-handed weapon.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Same as "I shoot him. Is he dead? No? Then I use Rapid Shot!"

or "I back away 30 feet. So I don't draw an AoO, right, 'cos all I'm doing is moving? Right, once I'm away from him, I cast a spell!"

Can't do it. Make those decisions before you start, because once you take an action that relies on your not doing a certain thing later in the round, that certain thing is off-limits.

-Hyp.

 

[Li Shenron]

It's always a good thing to decide your full round worth of action at once. For example, the rule about AoO by moving away (the square you start in is not considered threatened if you do nothing but moving) depends of what you do of your standard action this round.

A flexible DM will surely let you choose the double-attack action with appropriate penalties (or the rapid shot) and later forgo the second attack for a MEA, but you'll already have had the extra penalties on the first attack.

 

[Grazzt]

Easy. It's too late. You've already decided to use it as a two-handed weapon instead of a double weapon. For the rest of the round, you're now stuck with a two-handed weapon.

Yep- what kreynolds said. Once the guy decides to use it as a 2-handed weapon instead of a double weapon, he is "locked" into that for that round.

 

[Maitre Du Donjon]

What about AoO's?

Would a fighter that has attacked at X1.0/X0.5 be forced to use his X1.0 attack if he got an AoO after his attack?

What if his first melee attack of the combat was an AoO? Would he get to attack at X1.5?

I know I know its silly and extreme, but i'm asking anyway.

Maitre D

 

[Trine]

What about AoO's?

Would a fighter that has attacked at X1.0/X0.5 be forced to use his X1.0 attack if he got an AoO after his attack?

Yup. Well, unless you go by the free-action to change grip thing that the Sage has been said to point out before. Note that he'd still have the TWF penalties on his attacks (they last until his next action, when he decides whether or not to use them again). (I don't really like the free-action grip changing thing, as it brings up things like "at the end of my attack I switch to holding two-handed... before I attack I switch to TWF..." etc.)

What if his first melee attack of the combat was an AoO? Would he get to attack at X1.5?

He wouldn't have been using TWF yet, so yes, he should get 1.5x.

I know I know its silly and extreme, but i'm asking anyway.

Maitre D

Not exactly silly and extreme. Quite valid questions.

Edit: I suck at the formatting.