Warforged and Slam Attacks

[Hypersmurf]

If you have shortswords in both hands and you're using your right arm to brace a door, you might use your left hand as your primary attack.

It's an attack with your off-hand, if your off-hand is your weaker or less-dexterous one.

I'm right-handed. If I'm hanging off a tree with my right arm, I can't suddenly write more intelligibly with my left than normal. My left hand is less dexterous that my right, whether or not my right hand is available at the time.

-Hyp.

 

[Caliban]

It's 'usually the left' because for most people, most of the time when the issue would come up, your left hand would be the off-hand. "weaker or less dextrous hand (usually left)" doesn't necessitate handedness.

That's pretty much exactly what it means. I'm not clear on why you are having trouble with this.

 

[Campbell]

I'd treat a Warforged character's battlefist like any other one-handed weapon. The language used in the writeup is fairly unclear. It explicitly states that a battlefist is a +1 weapon, and then goes on to state that it affects the Warforged's natural weapon. Additionally, it never states what sort of weapon a battle fist is. By RAW, I'm not sure that this writeup is serviceable.

 

[Jdvn1]

It's an attack with your off-hand, if your off-hand is your weaker or less-dexterous one.

I'm right-handed. If I'm hanging off a tree with my right arm, I can't suddenly write more intelligibly with my left than normal. My left hand is less dexterous that my right, whether or not my right hand is available at the time.

-Hyp.

That's fine, but that doesn't necessarily port to D&D directly. Are you saying you wouldn't allow an ambidextrous character?

 

[Jdvn1]

That's pretty much exactly what it means. I'm not clear on why you are having trouble with this.

Your primary hand is the one you use for your primary attack. That's all it means. It doesn't mean you're better with one than you are with the other. They're two different concepts. If you attack with both hands, it's tougher to do so you have to choose which hand becomes 'primary' and your other hand incurs penalties.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Are you saying you wouldn't allow an ambidextrous character?

I'd allow the Two-Weapon Fighting feat to cover it in 3.5, given that it removes the off-hand penalty for attacks with two weapons, and given that there is no longer a penalty for using skills with your off-hand. The only thing the TWF feat doesn't explicitly cover is an attack with your off-hand that isn't part of a two-weapon attack, and I'd allow the feat to stretch to cover that case if someone wanted an ambidextrous character.

-Hyp.

 

[Caliban]

Your primary hand is the one you use for your primary attack. That's all it means. It doesn't mean you're better with one than you are with the other. They're two different concepts. If you attack with both hands, it's tougher to do so you have to choose which hand becomes 'primary' and your other hand incurs penalties.

*shrug* I disagree. Especially since the rules don't say that anywhere.

 

[Jdvn1]

I'd allow the Two-Weapon Fighting feat to cover it in 3.5, given that it removes the off-hand penalty for attacks with two weapons, and given that there is no longer a penalty for using skills with your off-hand. The only thing the TWF feat doesn't explicitly cover is an attack with your off-hand that isn't part of a two-weapon attack, and I'd allow the feat to stretch to cover that case if someone wanted an ambidextrous character.

-Hyp.

I'd argue that TWF doesn't explicitly cover an attack with your off-hand that isn't part of a two-weapon attack because there's no need to, as is explained with my interpretation of the rules.

 

[Jdvn1]

*shrug* I disagree. Especially since the rules don't say that anywhere.

Well, it doesn't say anywhere that 'primary' and 'off-hand' are the same as 'left' and 'right'. It's merely an interpretation of the rules that doesn't assume things they don't say.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Well, it doesn't say anywhere that 'primary' and 'off-hand' are the same as 'left' and 'right'.

It says the off-hand is 'usually the left'.

People have a weaker or less-dexterous hand. It's usually the left.

For left-handers, it's the right... but they're unusual.

-Hyp.