Which fighting style does your fighter use?

[Legend]

Double-bladed weapons overbalanced?

See, I always felt a bit pressured to go with something like a double sword or a dire flail. It's so-so at the beginning, but when you get up to level 20, you're making 7 attacks per round (with Improved and Greater Two Weapon Fighting). Users of other fighting styles don't have the benefit of putting in extra feats later on.

Consider this: At level 20, someone with a str of 18 using a greatsword does 2d6 + 6 (13 on average) points per attack, for four attacks. That's 52 points, if all the hits land. The same fighter decked out with two-weapon feats and using a double longsword would do 1d8 + 4 (8.5 on average) points per attack, for seven attacks. That's an average of 60 points. Am I missing something about greatswords that makes them superior to dual-wielding?

Honestly, I've kind of been wanting some extra feats for other fighting styles... Maybe one that lets you do double your str bonus when attacking two-handed, or something that increases your AC bonus while using a shield. Or even a feat that lets you move extra distance each round when going one-handed with no shield.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

Consider this: At level 20, someone with a str of 18 using a greatsword does 2d6 + 6 (13 on average) points per attack, for four attacks. That's 52 points, if all the hits land. The same fighter decked out with two-weapon feats and using a double longsword would do 1d8 + 4 (8.5 on average) points per attack, for seven attacks. That's an average of 60 points. Am I missing something about greatswords that makes them superior to dual-wielding?

Yeah. several things:

1. They don't cost an exotic weapon proficiency.
2. Barbarians don't get weapon specialization
3. DR comes off of each attack individually so against DR 10 the guy with doing 13 points of damage with his greatsword will do 3 points of damage but the guy doing 8.5 points of damage with his doublesword does nothing.
4. It doesn't cost any feats
5. Power attack is 2/1 in 3.5
6. More damage on AoOs
7. You don't need to increase your dex to use a greatsword effectively so you can put everything into strength and just wear fullplate to cover your AC weakness.
8. (And this is the big one) only about 1/3-1/2 of attack actions are actually full attacks. In the standard action attacks, the two handed weapon wielder does dramatically more damage than the dual wielder.

All that isn't to say dual wielding can't be optized. Two wounding or two bane weapons can be nasty. Dual wielding a sword and shield (w/ imp shield bash) gives the benefits of increased damage as well as the benefits of a shield. Two weapon fighting is great when you add sneak attack damage to both hits. And you can dual wield a quarterstaff and apply the Spikes spell to both ends. The same is true of Divine Favor, bardsong, prayer, and other bonusses. (And finally, 4 points of damage is enough to drop a kobold so doing 11 points with a 16 strength and a greatsword is overkill--and nothing stops the human fighter from having power attack, cleave, and two weapon fighting at first level which can mean three dead kobolds/round instead of two). However, it's very easy to get caught up in the "I'm TWF, I'm kewl, it was so i33t in 2e, Drizz't does it" factor of TWF and make a character who's only good for taking hits for useful members of the party. It's hard to go wrong with a greatsword and high strength.

 

[MDSnowman]

I voted for two-hander style... I play a Fullblade Wielding Fighter on sunday Nights... and anyone can tell you, Gara packs one mean punch.

On the other hand he's a meat shield... I can't remember the last time an enemy has failed to hit me with their first attack. I miss being missed . If I were to make a new character I'd go for single weapon style (parrying feats baby!) or simple Sword and Shield.

 

[Goddess FallenAngel]

Well, looks like my vote tied the one & two handed weapons category. Don't I feel special.

My favorite is actually mounted combat, but barring that I have to go with two-handed weapon - the scythe. I don't do broadswords.

 

[Pielorinho]

Blast from the past, dude! (Didn't realize it until I saw Hypersmurf's comment about the upcoming changes in 3.5 )

I'm doing sword & board fighting, but that's not only not a fighter, that's not even D&D. Rather, it's a mageblade character in Arcana Unearthed, and he's S&B mainly because his darling wife made him a longsword for his wedding gift. If she'd made him a dire flail, that's what he'd be using.

Daniel

 

[Greylock]

Currently playing my first PnP straight-up fighter, evah! I've always diddled about with variant chars before. Never a plain fighter, not even in CRPG's.

And like the guy who posted before me, he's wielding a shield and bastard sword, one-handed with exotic weapon prof. Hey, since I was gonna play my first fighter, I wanted to really get the full experience and went with the stereotype.

Otherwise, I've always been fond of dual-wielding.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Holy thread necromancy Batman!

I wonder if I should try this again, now that the new Power Attack has been tested out?

 

[Pants]

My Ftr/Wiz used a Bastard Sword
An NPC in one of my games uses a Scimitar and a Shield
My old Elven Ranger used both twin axes and twin swords (when his swords ended up being better than his axes... )
My old sword n' board Fighter from 2nd edition

Not my characters:
A Human fighter who used a Glaive with Combat Reflexes and Cleave, the veritable blender
A Human Fighter who used a battle axe and a shield
A human fighter with a Kusari-gama

 

[MDSnowman]

Sorry I'm the necromancer who brought it back

I can see why you didn't put single weapon style on the list... without a load of feats from Dragon or prestige classes (you know, like the horriblly nerfed Duelist in 3.5) one weapon style people get the short end of the stick. Sure they get a gentle nod in weapon finnese but it's not really good enough. Hence why I love swashbuckling feats.

 

[Greylock]

Holy thread necromancy Batman!

I wonder if I should try this again, now that the new Power Attack has been tested out?

Oddly enough, I wasn't planning this guy as a slaughter monkey. He just got to 3rd level, and that type of feat isn't on his short list. Oh, sure he's gonna get weapon spec and all, but I'm not seeing this guy as a weaponmaster, in the PrC way at least.

Wierd, huh ;p.

(Hate this av. Mind if I change?)