D&D 5E Two-Handed Weapon + Shield

[Horwath]

I would rule that you can use it in one hand with disadvantage.
But, here's a feat fix:

Feat:
Monkey grip,
+1 str or con
You can wield any twohanded melee weapon as one handed, but you lower the damage die by one step:
1d12/2d6->d10
d10->d8
d8->d6

you can do this with heavy weapon as medium size, but only non-heavy as small size. But with this feat small characters can use heavy twohanded weapons in two hands with no penalty.

 

[leonardoraele]

You can carry a two-handed weapon with one hand, but you need both hands free to manage it properly when you attack.

 

[JohnnyNitro]

I realize that in the "real world", yeah swinging that big ol' sword is more than problematic--but what about an 18 STR Raging Barbarian?? There's really not a practical way to quantify that...

 

[Ancalagon]

Watching the video tells me it could be done but... I'm very dubious. The number of swings he can do is limited, his speed goes way down, his defensive options are curtailed (although there would be a shield in the off-hand right).

I would much rather fight that guy with the one handed greatsword that that guy holding it with 2 hands... or worse, a proper longsword or an arming sword and shield.

 

[Horwath]

Watching the video tells me it could be done but... I'm very dubious. The number of swings he can do is limited, his speed goes way down, his defensive options are curtailed (although there would be a shield in the off-hand right).

I would much rather fight that guy with the one handed greatsword that that guy holding it with 2 hands... or worse, a proper longsword or an arming sword and shield.

that's true

That's why the disadvantage is a good mechanic to describe it in d&d terms. It's doable but with a lot of work and not that precise.

 

[S'mon]

that's true

That's why the disadvantage is a good mechanic to describe it in d&d terms. It's doable but with a lot of work and not that precise.

Yes, that's my feeling.

Of course D&D does not model defensive use of weapons; realistically he should be granting advantage too, but then so should an unarmed target even moreso.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

that's true

That's why the disadvantage is a good mechanic to describe it in d&d terms. It's doable but with a lot of work and not that precise.

I'd stick with improvised weapon rules myself. The swings are a lot less powerful and effective as well as being slower.

Yes, that's my feeling.

Of course D&D does not model defensive use of weapons; realistically he should be granting advantage too, but then so should an unarmed target even moreso.

D&D doesn't tend to be granular enough to model the advantages and disadvantages of specific weapon vs weapon combinations. I'd agree that it probably would grant advantage to an attacker if used like that.

However, 5e also rules that the Quarterstaff, which is of a similar weight and even longer, is a one-handed weapon. That's a bit of a gripe of mine there.

 

[Ancalagon]

I'm NOT a good longswordsman (I mean the historical longsword, not the D&D one) *at all*, but my first impression when I saw that one handed wielding was "a longswordsman would *murderise* this guy". Granting advantage in certain tremendously unbalanced matchup could make sense.

I think a quarterstaf should be lighter than that 8 pound monstrosity incidentally. I agree that the one hand use is odd.

Incidentally, it's now believed that quarterstaves were used in the middle age not in the eastern style (holding it with both hand 2 feet appart in the middle) but rather like a greatsword (one hand near one tip, one hand about 1/4 of the way up). It essentially made the quarterstaff like a very long and very fast wooden sword. They did some tests with it and they found that a man armed like this could keep at bay two swordsmen, thus the defensive reputation of the weapon. What we see in movies is inspired by the "bo" wielding from the east and that can be an effecive style. But it's not how it was done in Europe... and I think that that style is just as cool if not cooler

 

[Horwath]

Bo staff is somewhat lighter that quarterstaff is. Thats why you can do more and faster spins whit it.

In DnD terms Bo Staff could be;

simple weapon,
1d4 blunt damage(1d6 versatile), finnese,

and yes, historical longsword is what greatsword is in D&D terms. A two handed weapon that can be used one handed in some maneuvers. Scottish claymore is esentially the same but tended to be little longer and heavier than a longsword.

D&D longsword is just medieval arming sword (side sword).

 

[jaelis]

and yes, historical longsword is what greatsword is in D&D terms. A two handed weapon that can be used one handed in some maneuvers. Scottish claymore is esentially the same but tended to be little longer and heavier than a longsword.

But a dnd greatsword can't be used one-handed (at least not by the rules) so wouldn't that make it more like the claymore? I thought the former dnd bastard sword was more like the historical longsword. The 5e longsword almost seems right with it's versatile property, except that nearly everyone uses it one-handed in practice.