Multi-weapon fighting ideas?

[Grendyll]

What’s the best way to for a PC to qualify for multi-weapon fighting? Meaning what races/templates/abilities/items exist to gain 3 or more hands/arms? Preferably no racial hit die to deal with, only LA+1 or maybe +2. My campaigns don’t allow temporary buffs to qualify for feats. Items are also sketchy, although maybe grafts of some sort would work.

Off the top of my head I could think of the Insectile template from Savage Species and Thri-keen from MM2. Just wondering if there is better opt-fu for this one (but practical, not theoretical).

[Grendyll]

Wow. I didn't think this one would stump the optimization community :)

Wasn't there some 3E PrC that caused you to grow more arms (not sure if it gave you hands to manipulate items though)?

[hex0]

Pick up Incarnum and grow some Girallon Arms, would probably be the most painless way.

You can also abuse the TWF Style feats from CW by using two styles at once!

[Tr011]

Multiheaded from SS gives Superior Multiweapon Fighting (no penalty at all) for LA+2 and 2 RHD.
There's an insect-like Race in Dragon Compendium with 4 arms that doesn't need Dex for TWF Prereq.
Totemist can easily get tentacles.

[Greenish]

There's an insect-like Race in Dragon Compendium with 4 arms that doesn't need Dex for TWF Prereq.Diopsid, but they're designed to wield two two-handers (or two-hand one-handers, anyway) and don't do MWF worth anything.

Thri-Kreen are, off the top of my head, 2 RHD (monstrous humanoid) +1 LA race with decent racials on top of four hands. EPH has a higher LA version, but non-psionic thri-kreen can be found from Shining South (or maybe Unapproachable East).

Girallon's Blessing (SC) gives you a pair of extra arms for hour/level. http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/spellcomp_gallery/92231.jpg

[deuxhero]

I thought they were MM3

[Inferno]

Despite gaining 4 bonus arms, the insectile template in Savage species specifically says it doesn't provide extra attacks, so it's pretty meaningless.

[Grendyll]

Multi-headed and Incarnum stuff might work, I’ll look into those.
I have never heard of the Dragon Compendium. Is that a WOTC sourcebook?
As mentioned, as a DM I do not allow temporary buffs to qualify for taking feats (and could not in good conscience ask for it as a player), so using the spell girallon’s blessing would not work for me.

Despite gaining 4 bonus arms, the insectile template in Savage species specifically says it doesn't provide extra attacks, so it's pretty meaningless.
The statement in the insectile template about extra attacks is clarifying that it does not receive 4 claw natural attacks as one might expect. It clearly gives additional arms that end with appendages that can grasp and manipulate objects. I think it qualifies the creature for the Multi-Weapon Fighting feat. Once taken, that feat would allow 1 additional attack with each weapon held in the “off-hands”. So an insectile creature holding 6 weapons could freely declare any one of them as the “primary hand” weapon (getting full bab iterative with it), then make 1 additional attack with each remaining hand (albeit at -4 to-hit with all attacks). The multi-weapon fighting feat does not include rules similar to 2WF about the off-hand weapon being light reducing the penalty from -4 to -2, but I don’t think that is a hard sell to a DM (I would allow it), as long as all of the “off-hand” weapons were light (only 1 big weapon allowed in the bunch). I would also consider creating (as a DM) and asking (as a player) for an adaptation of the Over-sized Two Weapon Fighting feat for the multi-weapon scenario (allowing many non-light weapons to be wielded at -2 penalty instead of -4).

[Geigan]

The Obah Blessed template from Dungeon 136 gives you either 2 extra arms for +2 LA or 4 extra arms for +3 LA. Each version also comes with some varied ability score bonuses to try and make up for the lost levels as well as a grapple mod and the first of the MWF feat line for free. Pretty much meant to be multi-weapon fighters. It can only be applied to creatures with 4 arms or less, though getting six arms and such through other means would probably incur horrendous lvl adjustment anyway.

[Elric VIII]

Here's an inetesting way to go about it:

1. Be Dragonblooded (Siverbrow Human w/ 1 flaw or Fighter level).
2. Take Dragon Tail feat, take TWF, take Prehensile tail.
3. TWF becomes MWF since the Prehensile Tail counts as a hand (feat specifically syas this).
4. ????
5. Profit.


I don't remember the book for Prehensile Tail.

[Greenish]

I don't remember the book for Prehensile Tail.Serpent Kingdoms.

Dragon Magazine Compendium (vol. 1) is, as the name suggests, a compendium of various Dragon Magazine content. It's printed, it's a book, it has "official" stamped on the cover, and is often lumped together with rest of Dragon Magazine content as a no go. It doesn't contain anything particularly broken, though, if memory serves.

[Person_Man]

Here's an inetesting way to go about it:

1. Be Dragonblooded (Siverbrow Human w/ 1 flaw or Fighter level).
2. Take Dragon Tail feat, take TWF, take Prehensile tail.
3. TWF becomes MWF since the Prehensile Tail counts as a hand (feat specifically syas this).
4. ????
5. Profit.


I don't remember the book for Prehensile Tail.

I prefer variant Kobold (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20060420a) with the Prehensile Tail feat.