What to do with a spare hand?

[amethal]

My character, a 9th level binder, has a spare hand. What should he use if for?

He is a rapier specialist, so using two hands on his sword for extra damage is not an option.

He has a wand of shield (and ranks in use magic device) so a shield doesn't help.

I'm not interested on spending a feat on two-weapon fighting.

If he has a longbow in his spare hand (which is the best I can come up with), can he drop the rapier as a free action and make a full attack with the longbow?

 

[Hypersmurf]

My character, a 9th level binder, has a spare hand. What should he use if for?

I don't know much about binders... do they cast spells?

What light source does the party use?

Why a rapier?

-Hyp.

 

[Nail]

I take you want in-game uses for your spare hand.

 

[javcs]

I take you want in-game uses for your spare hand.

Hah! Nice one.

On topic, say a wand of Magic Missile or some other no-save attack spell.

Or just have have your binder giving his foes the finger all the time.

Hyp - Binder is from Tome of Magic.

 

[amethal]

I don't know much about binders... do they cast spells?

What light source does the party use?

Why a rapier?

-Hyp.

They don't cast spells. All their abilities are supernatural.

The party normally uses an ever burning torch carried by the wizard, or the glow from the duskblade's magical sword.

I have a +1 keen rapier, which is my only magic weapon. The vestige I bind to gives me a +4 unnamed bonus to dex and weapon finesse (rapiers and shortswords only), as well as various other benefits.

[As a 9th level binder, I can bind to two vestiges at the same time, so what I have been doing is binding to the +4 dex vestige all the time, and varying the second one depending on the day's anticipated encounters]

 

[Hypersmurf]

Hyp - Binder is from Tome of Magic.

Right. Which I don't have - so I don't know if they cast spells or not (thus requiring a free hand).

Edit - ah, but I do now.

Okay, so you don't need a free hand to cast spells, you don't need a free hand to hold a light source, and spending a feat on a finessable two-handed weapon like Elven Courtblade won't help, since your finesse only applies to rapiers and shortswords?

There's always the Einhander feat from PHBII, but I'm away from my books and can't recall if it sucks or not

-Hyp.

 

[javcs]

I suppose you could just get a self-loading crossbow with some other enhancements on it for that hand.
But I think that a wand of some no-save attack spell, perhaps one of the orb spells would be best.

 

[Harlath]

"I sense a great disturbance... As if a thousand double entendres cried out, and were suddenly silenced...."

Einhander feat (PHB II p94) offers several combat maneuvers. Does require tumble 6, though you may have that/have a gm willing to waive it. They aren't great, but it beats nothing.

 

[amethal]

"I sense a great disturbance... As if a thousand double entendres cried out, and were suddenly silenced...."

Einhander feat (PHB II p94) offers several combat maneuvers. Does require tumble 6, though you may have that/have a gm willing to waive it. They aren't great, but it beats nothing.

Bizarely, I do have 6 ranks in tumble, even though its not normally a class skill for binders (dabbled with a desert wind manoeuvre from Book of 9 Swords, which adds tumble to list of class skills).

For a tactical feat, its pretty strange in that only two of the three options are lousy.

A +2 dodge bonus to AC when fighting defensively (which presumably includes when using combat expertise, so merely taking -1 to hit gives you +3 AC) looks good to me.

As for the other two options, +2 vs attacks of opportunity after you've hit is distinctly underwhelming, and a feint as a free action using sleight of hand (I have 1 rank in sleight of hand, so get +7 [Dex 18, 5 ranks in bluff]) and no sneak attack or similar is well nigh useless.

 

[Hypersmurf]

A +2 dodge bonus to AC when fighting defensively (which presumably includes when using combat expertise, so merely taking -1 to hit gives you +3 AC) looks good to me.

Strictly, Fighting Defensively and Combat Expertise are completely separate - you can even do both at once, and the bonuses and penalties stack.

Unless the ability states that the bonus applies when fighting defensively or using Combat Expertise, it won't apply to CE.

Your DM may allow it regardless.

-Hyp.