Two-Handed Weapons and 1.5 x STR Mod...Too Much?

[Caliban]

These Do Not Stack. You get 22 + 17 = 39 AC.

-- Nifft

Yes, they do.

The +1 Large Shield gives a +3 Armor bonus.
The Shield spell gives a +7 Cover bonus.

 

[rangerjohn]

Caliban is right with the further explanation armor and shield armor bonuses are the only like bonuses that stack. So Caliban your saying every fighter should also be a caster?

 

[Viktyr Gehrig]

The two-handed weapons rules are a needed balance factor for using large weapons, I think.

What's frightening is, I am not aware of any rule that says that they do not apply to double weapons. Attacks with the "lead" head of the weapon add Str. Mod x 1.5 to damage, and the "off-hand" head add Str. Mod x .75.

More evidence of the superiority of the lowly Quarterstaff.

 

[Hypersmurf]

What's frightening is, I am not aware of any rule that says that they do not apply to double weapons. Attacks with the "lead" head of the weapon add Str. Mod x 1.5 to damage, and the "off-hand" head add Str. Mod x .75.

No. When used as a double weapon, you get 1 and 0.5. If you use only a single head (not using both), you get 1.5 for swinging two-handed, but otherwise using a double weapon is treated like TWF.

-Hyp.

 

[Viktyr Gehrig]

Where does it say that?

 

[Hypersmurf]

"You can fight with it as if fighting with two weapons, but if you do, you incur all the normal attack penalties associated with fighting with two weapons, as if you were wielding a one-handed weapon and a light weapon."

-Hyp.

 

[Caliban]

Caliban is right with the further explanation armor and shield armor bonuses are the only like bonuses that stack. So Caliban your saying every fighter should also be a caster?

Not at all. That's just what I decided to do in this case, since I was doing everything else I could do to max his AC. (And for a certain period of time we were fighting these fricken huge beasts with huge attack bonuses every other session, and it was the only way I could win the AC/attack bonus race. )

Even without Shield and Haste his AC still goes from 25 to 33, and up to 37 when moving (41 when fighting giants).

 

[mooby]

You're using two hands, therefore you have twice as much muscle behind each blow.

X2 Str damage is probably more appropriate, but that would be game breaking.

 

[Tyrion]

Not at all. That's just what I decided to do in this case, since I was doing everything else I could do to max his AC. (And for a certain period of time we were fighting these fricken huge beasts with huge attack bonuses every other session, and it was the only way I could win the AC/attack bonus race. )

Even without Shield and Haste his AC still goes from 25 to 33, and up to 37 when moving (41 when fighting giants).

Correct me if I'm wrong, but even if a fighter has no wizard levels he can duplicate the Shield and Haste effects with potions, right? In the last campaign I played my Barbarian often began by drinking a 50 gp Shield potion.

I'm not sure shields offset the power of 2-handed weapon fighting. With things like Animated Shields, Bucklers, and "miss chance" items such as the Ring of Blinking and Cloak of Displacement, a 2HW fighter won't miss a free shield hand.

 

[Tyrion]

You're using two hands, therefore you have twice as much muscle behind each blow.

X2 Str damage is probably more appropriate, but that would be game breaking.

However, you could think of it this way: .5 of the Strength bonus comes from your legs and body, and .5 comes from your arms. When you use both, it becomes 1, for the total 1.5 Strength bonus.