Two Weapon Fighting question

[Lazrahm]

Hiya. I'm a veteran 2nd ed DM just now getting into running a 3.5 game. I approve of most of the changes, but I have a few questions now and again.
This time, I'm wondering about Two Weapon Fighting. Now, I see in the book that when you have the Feat, both your primary and offhand attacks suffer a -2 penalty, providing that the offhand weapon is light.
No problem there.
However, my question lies in the Attack vs Full Attack Options. In the DM guide, it states that you're allowed to decide between using a Attack / Move cycle, or after using your attack, go into Full Attack. Now, herein lies my problem; a PC with 2 weapons, a Long Sword and a Short Sword, makes his first attack against an Ogre. Does he receive a -2 penalty at this point, simply because he's wielding 2 weapons, even though he has yet to decide if he's using his second attack? Or does he get this first attack penalty free, and the -2 applies to all further attacks he may make? But then, that doesn't quite fit with the rules as I read them. Anybody?

~Laz.

 

[dcollins]

Yeah, a general principle that you need to infer here is that if an option can affect later actions, the player needs to announce its use up front. (Not in the books, but it's the only way things make sense sometimes.)

So, if your player wants to have the option of the second-hand attack, he must announce that and take the -2 penalty up front. If he doesn't do that and uses the full bonus, then he should be disallowed from afterwards making a full attack with the second-hand weapon.

 

[Jeff Wilder]

He has to decide whether he might want to take the off-hand attack. If he wants the option, he has to accept the -2 to the primary attack. (It's the same for Rapid Shot.)

It's a good question, though, especially under non-revised wording, which, by a strict reading, instructed that penalties be totalled upon the attack (i.e., separately for each hand). Although it wasn't the intent of the rules, you could make a strong argument for not taking the -2 to the primary attack. I imagine 3.5E has cleaned up the wording.

 

[Lazrahm]

Excellent. Thanks for the input; that seems to be the way to go.
Oh, and I am using 3.5e, and they didn't clear that up. Heh.
Thanks again.

~Laz.

 

[noeuphoria]

And it should be noted also I think, that if he dropped the ogre with that first attack at -2, he still has the option to use the 'move-attack' cycle, he hasn't committed himself to a full attack.