When Holding A Two-handed Weapon

[Tony Vargas]

Just curious, but how does one climb a rope with one hand?

The same way one casts a fireball that's a cube.

 

[Smurtis]

Can one hold onto a two-handed weapon and plant a battle standard? What about draw something, say a potion (or what have you). I'm thinking, no.

You can hold a 2handed weapon with 1 hand, but you can only WIELD a 2handed weapon with 2 hands. It's a free action to go from wielding to holding... it's a matter of simply letting go, or "dropping" the weapon with the 1 hand only... Now that you have a free hand, all rules would apply to use items that require a free hand, including the standard.

Once the standard is planted, it would be a free action to wield the weapon in both hands once more, since you're already holding the item with your other hand.

Makes sense to me if you just think it in a practical situation...

 

[Xyrlove Woodsoul]

Yeah, I thought maybe planting a battle standard while holding a two-handed weapon might be too awkward.
But I'm happy about the clarifications (the replies), because my party with 3, two-handed weapon wielders, just bought a bunch of battle standards, and magic flutes, whitstles, and stuff.

 

[Johnnii]

Has this been clarified regarding Swordmage Warding?

By the sound of it, you could just hold a greatsword in one hand, Wield it 2handed as a free action and make an attack, and then drop it back wielding it in one hand, effectively keeping your Warding to +3 AC.

I wouldn't do this kind of cheese, nor would I allow it, but it would be interesting to hear what prohibits it by RAW or RAI.

 

[Smurtis]

Has this been clarified regarding Swordmage Warding?

By the sound of it, you could just hold a greatsword in one hand, Wield it 2handed as a free action and make an attack, and then drop it back wielding it in one hand, effectively keeping your Warding to +3 AC.

I wouldn't do this kind of cheese, nor would I allow it, but it would be interesting to hear what prohibits it by RAW or RAI.

Wielding does not mean holding... no, it would not work. You need to be able to WIELD a weapon to gain the warding benefit... holding a weapon is like holding an item; provides no benefit...

You cant' wield a 2handed weapon in 1 hand, but you can hold it... Big difference, and does not conflict with RAW

 

[Tony Vargas]

By the sound of it, you could just hold a greatsword in one hand, Wield it 2handed as a free action and make an attack, and then drop it back wielding it in one hand, effectively keeping your Warding to +3 AC.

If you hate taking OAs and providing your allies with flanking, yeah, you could do that. A better choice would be to use a bastard sword. Hit two-handed for the extra +1 damage on your turn (and try not to provoke an OA or trigger an Interrupt while you're doing it since you're down 3AC), wield it one handed between turns, losing the +1 damage on OAs, but getting back the +3 AC.

 

[Jhaelen]

The same way one casts a fireball that's a cube.

By transforming space into a non-euclidian representation?

 

[Aulirophile]

Has this been clarified regarding Swordmage Warding?

By the sound of it, you could just hold a greatsword in one hand, Wield it 2handed as a free action and make an attack, and then drop it back wielding it in one hand, effectively keeping your Warding to +3 AC.

I wouldn't do this kind of cheese, nor would I allow it, but it would be interesting to hear what prohibits it by RAW or RAI.

Wouldn't work, you're Holding, not Wielding it when a 2h is in 1h. You can still use it as an Implement though, because Implements only need to be Held, not Wielded (which is why you can use a Staff 1-handed as an Implement).

You could use a Versatile weapon to pull it off though (and get a +1 to damage rolls).

 

[Tony Vargas]

By transforming space into a non-euclidian representation?

By playing D&D.

And, yeah, I guess a world where the value of pi is 4, and the pythagorean is "the hypotenues is equal to the longer of the other two sides" would be a pretty darn non-euclidian.

 

[mneme]

(and try not to provoke an OA or trigger an Interrupt while you're doing it since you're down 3AC), wield it one handed between turns, losing the +1 damage on OAs, but getting back the +3 AC.

In the interest of correctness, you're only down 2 AC when wielding your bastard sword. Two-hand wielding Swordmages don't lose -all- their warding, just 2 points of it! (i.e., the amount they'd gain from wielding a large shield if they were a heavy armor class).