[Feat] Even Handed

[Matthew]

Seems like D&D is crying out for a Feat like this...



EVEN HANDED [GENERAL]
You can strike as strongly with your left hand as with your right.
Prerequisites: +1 Base Attack Bonus.
Benefit: Your Strength Bonus to Damage Multiplier with your Off Hand is increased from 0.5 to 1.0. Your Strength Bonus to Damage Multiplier with Two Hands is increased from 1.5 to 2.0.
Special: A fighter (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/fighter.htm) may select Even Handed as one of his fighter bonus feats.


See Also:

Weapon Mastery (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31267)
Mobile Two Weapon Fighting (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31316)

[Maerok]

I would think TWF or something would be needed as well.

[Matthew]

I considered that, but I don't want to restrict this Feat to Characters with Dexterity 15+.

[Lord Iames Osari]

I created something similar here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10489#25). I personally would drop the bit about THF becoming Str mod x2. THF is good enough as it is; it's TWF that needs a boost.

[Matthew]

Yeah, I remember that thread, but it wasn't my cup of tea. Too much emphasis on high Dexterity, which was a problem for building low level NPC Warriors using Heavy Shields and Short Swords.

The Two Handed Aspect just adds a bit of extra utility to the Feat, it hardly makes much of a difference, as even for Characters with Strength 30 you're only talking about +5 Damage [(+10 x 1.5 = 15), (+10 x 2 = 20)]. However, it does give Characters with Strength 12-13 (+1) a reason to use their One Handed Weapons in Two Hands after having their Shields Sundered (or whatever).

[Lord Iames Osari]

Well, low-level NPC warriors with short swords and heavy shields aren't likely to be using their shields as weapons, are they?

[Matthew]

Maybe, maybe not. It depends on a number of things. I do think the requirements for Two Weapon Fighting are too high to begin with, but in the case of the Roman Warrior NPC I'm willing to grant it as a Bonus Feat, but I don't want to have to grant multiple Bonus Feats. The problem arises when one has to designate a hand. Even though the Character can designate which is his Primary Hand and which is his Off Hand, the Off Hand must be the one to hold the Light Weapon, meaning the Short Sword, whether held in the right or left hand, gets only 0.5 Strength Bonus Damage.

In any case, I think Dexterity 15 is quite high enough for this Feat to be effective, which was my main problem with your Ambidexterity Feats.

[Arakune]

try this:

Even Handed [General]

You can strike as strongly with your left hand as with your right.

Prerequisites

+1 Base Attack Bonus, Two weapon figthing, Str 13.

Benefit

Your Strength Bonus to Damage Multiplier with your Off Hand is increased from 0.5 to 1.0. Your Strength Bonus to Damage Multiplier with Two Hands is increased from 1.5 to 2.0.

Special

A fighter (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/fighter.htm) may select Even Handed as one of his fighter bonus feats.

[Matthew]

So, why the Strength and Two Weapon Fighting Prerequisite?

I don't think they are really necessary, except perhaps for flavour. You also have to take into account that whole PHBII Shield Fighting Tree that doesn't need Two Weapon Fighting. If it's just a flavour thing, I can take it or leave it.