How to fix TWF?

[Loki_42]

I have a character who's interested in pursuing TWF. I'm fine with that, but I've been on this forum long enough to know some of the issues with that combat style. Plus this character is already pretty feat intensive. I'm not the best at making fixes yet, so I'd like to ask the playground's help in finding a way to better balance melee against Two-Handers.

[RMS Oceanic]

The best field for TWF to gain an edge against THF is in bonus damage that's applied to each attack. More attacks = more bonus damage. The easiest for this is the Rogue's Sneak Attack damage.

I can't say much else unless I know what your proposed character looks like at the moment.

[yugi24862]

If your asking for builds, A dervish (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19870778/The_Dervish_Handbook) might be a good pick, as it lets you full attack and move in the same round.

If your asking about homebrew to fix it, a common fix is to wrap it into a scaling feat.

[Firechanter]

Nix the -2 attack penalties for characters with TWF feat if at least one of the weapons is Light. (Keep the usual penalties for two One-Handed weapons.)
As yugi said, roll TWF into one or two feats.
(Give the Ranger an appropriate replacement for GTWF.)

This is actually what Conan D20 does: _No_ penalties for TWF fighting, _and_ most classes (ironically, except Thief) already start out with TWF at level 1 for free, _and_ Improved TWF grants you a number of offhand attacks equal to your main attacks.
And what do you know, Two-Handed Fighting is STILL better! It's really hard to throw so many boons at TWF as to break the game.

Further modifications to bring TWF on par with THF:
Allow to attack with each weapon once as a Standard Attack.
Allow to combine primary and offhand damage of the same attack bonus for purposes of overcoming damage reduction ("Dual Strike").
Both of this as regular attack option available to anyone with TWF, _not_ as separate feat.

Results:
You get twice the bonus damage from sources such as Sneak Attack.
However, you still need to maintain and upgrade _two_ weapons, which logically is twice as expensive as one.
Also, you can't really use Power Attack, much less two-handed PA.

[Dsurion]

If your asking about homebrew to fix it, a common fix is to wrap it into a scaling feat.That, and/or to allow it to apply to any time the character attacks, not just on a full attack.

[gbprime]

Another thing to do is use light weapons and intelligence. 3 levels of swashbuckler adds INT to damage, and if you combine that with a Knowledge Devotion build, then you can get a decent amount of bonus damage without requiring any sneak attack or craven bonuses.

Swash INT + Knowledge Devotion + Sneak Attack + Craven... use all of that and your DM should reserve the right to drop a tarrasque on you. :smallwink:

[Dusk Eclipse]

Another thing to do is use light weapons and intelligence. 3 levels of swashbuckler adds INT to damage, and if you combine that with a Knowledge Devotion build, then you can get a decent amount of bonus damage without requiring any sneak attack or craven bonuses.

Swash INT + Knowledge Devotion + Sneak Attack + Craven... use all of that and your DM should reserve the right to drop a tarrasque on you. :smallwink:

Swashbuckler 3/rogue 10/Swash + 7.
Notable feats: Daring outlaw, savy rogue, Knowledge devotion

Use your rogue skill mastery special ability to select your favourite monster identification skills, savy rogue lets you take 12 on the skills you have skill mastery with you can get a decent bonus (lets be simple full ranks (15)+12 (savy rogue)+ moderate int (+3)=25 which nets you a +3 to damage and attack) with some more skill optimization I think you could reliably get the 36 needed to get the +5.


I once toyed with a build that used twin manyfanged daggers to get Int, Dex, Str, wis and character level to damage * 4, for each attack...which was about 6 attacks.

[yugi24862]

Swashbuckler 3/rogue 10/Swash + 7.
I once toyed with a build that used twin manyfanged daggers to get Int, Dex, Str, wis and character level to damage * 4, for each attack...which was about 6 attacks.

Add a gauntlet of heartfelt blows and you get CHA to damage aswell, shame you cant get CON to damage :(

[subject42]

Add a gauntlet of heartfelt blows and you get CHA to damage aswell, shame you cant get CON to damage :(

I've found exactly two ways to get CON to damage. The first is the mineral warrior template, but it's only 1/day. (Edit: That's CON to hit and hit die to damage. Sorry about that.)

The second is a 3.0 hammer that lets you get it.

Maybe you could do it with a totemist soulmeld somehow?

[Dralnu]

Make it one feat. Two-Weapon Fighting. You gain extra attacks when you have enough BAB for it. Now you don't spend more feats than 2HW's Power Attack.

Allow one off-hand attack when you attack as a standard action.

Create a "Twin" magical enchantment. Either +1 or a set price of gp. So long as you're holding a "Twin" magic weapon, you can activate it for a duplicate of that weapon to be in your offhand. If either weapon leaves your hands, the duplicate disappears. Now you don't have to pay double for your weapons.

Fixed.