D&D 4E What place does dual wielding have in 4E?

[GAAAHHH]

I'm kind of hoping they continue not to call it "dual wielding."

Cheers,
Cam

How about Dual Welding? That could be tricky.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

I've been told that the warlord can focus on giving his allies bonuses or on giving them actions (as the sample powers we've seen do--an extra attack, an immediate charge, etc etc), but I've no idea where my friend got that info.

You got me on the Paladin and the Warlord. I'm betting the Cleric can choose between being more of a "Caster" Cleric or a martial one, though. I notice with the playtest Cleric that his high wisdom is optimized for healing and ranged damage, but his buffing would probably be much more effective if he had chosen to pump Charisma instead.

 

[D.Shaffer]

I highly suspect that two weapon fighting will center around the 'Follow up' mechanic we've already seen listed. IE, IF one weapon hits, you can then make a NORMAL attack with the other. Probably be an At Will power. Possibly a two weapon stance giving some defensive bonus too, as traditionally you used one weapon mostly for parrying when fighting with two weapons.

 

[Steely Dan]

I kind of assumed that there would be two basic builds, like the 3.x ranger and the 4e rogue.

So my dreams of a greatsword wielding ranger have been shattered once again?!

 

[Baka no Hentai]

So my dreams of a greatsword wielding ranger have been shattered once again?!

Not if he/she is a hill giant!

 

[JVisgaitis]

I've been mulling this over quite a bit. I'm thinking two weapon fighting will just be an exploit that you pick and that allows you to attack with both weapons (i.e. two attack rolls). I know that the miniatures game isn't exactly D&D, but seeing that you have creatures in there that can have two attacks makes me think that while it might be rare, you'll still have people with multiple attacks.

The way you balance it is that not everyone can do it (just like advanced grapple techniques) and its balanced against other exploits. This is my bet:

Dual Strike, Ranger Attack 1
Your melee weapons twirl and lash out to strike your target.
At-Will • Martial, Weapon
Standard Action Melee weapon
Requirement: You must be wielding two weapons and one of them must be a light weapon.
Target: One or two adjacent creatures
Attack: Melee vs. AC
Hit: 1 [W] damage + Strength modifier damage
Hit: 1 [W] damage + Strength modifier damage

My only hesitation with this is looking at the other powers, this seems too good for an at Will ability. We know that the powers will increase as the characters go up in levels, so this is probably a higher level version. Something to think about anyway.

 

[xechnao]

I see Two Weapon fighting as the most fancy style and my take would be that you gain a +3 bonus to your attacks but you are forced to always attack the highest of the defenses of your adversary even if the power you are using it with targets a different defense.

 

[Cam Banks]

I would start with being able to use the offhand weapon for defensive purposes or to harry the target. Let it act like a shield does, adding to AC, and being a backup if your primary weapon is disarmed or no use. Then, another power stemming from this allows you to immediately make an opportunity attack with your offhand weapon if somebody misses you. Once that's done, you move onto the style that emphasizes both weapons used offensively, and even then, it'd be an overall effect that you're looking for rather than a pair of rolls.

Anybody who thinks two weapon fighting is about whirling your blades about in the manner of General Grievous is kidding themselves. That's paragon stuff right there.

Cheers,
Cam

 

[Baka no Hentai]

I would start with being able to use the offhand weapon for defensive purposes or to harry the target. Let it act like a shield does, adding to AC, and being a backup if your primary weapon is disarmed or no use. Then, another power stemming from this allows you to immediately make an opportunity attack with your offhand weapon if somebody misses you. Once that's done, you move onto the style that emphasizes both weapons used offensively, and even then, it'd be an overall effect that you're looking for rather than a pair of rolls.

Anybody who thinks two weapon fighting is about whirling your blades about in the manner of General Grievous is kidding themselves. That's paragon stuff right there.

Cheers,
Cam

I like this idea, especially the bit about making an opportunity attack when the opponent misses. They could make this an encounter power at lower levels or an at will power at higher levels, I would think...

 

[Graf]

I've played many many characters who wield two weapons over the years, and I am vaguely aware that Drzzt is some FR angsty-but-good drow ranger, but I honestly don't know anything about him.

I can't imagine this.
I think you just broke my mind.

Drizzit -defined- roleplaying at one point. We had soooo many drow in the party at one point, the DM was like no more! (the next character? a half-drow)

You should read Goblins.