Double Weapon and Multiple Attacks Question

[TabletopGamer]

Ok so say I have a Double Weapon such as the Qaurterstaff at level 1 I get two attacks per round one main hand and one off hand.

Now at level 6(Full BAB) do I get 4 attacks a round or three? Why would I get that number?

[ZeroSpace9000]

Assuming you've taken levels in a full BAB class, like Fighter, you would be making 3 attacks on a full attack, two main hand strikes and one off hand. If you wanted a second off hand strike, you would need to take Improved Two Weapon Fighting, which you would qualify for at level 6, again assuming full BAB.

[Allanimal]

First off, at level 1, you only get 2 attacks if you take a full attack action.

At higher levels, when your BAB is high enough, you get iteratives with your main hand weapon. Unless you take a feat, you only get one attack with your off hand.

[TabletopGamer]

Ah ok and that is why the TWF feats exist after the base to give more off hand strikes?

Thanks

[Gale]

Yes, if you want more than one attack with your off-handed weapon then you need to take a separate feat for each one. However, the penalties on the extra attacks the feats grant you are rather steep.
For example, Greater Two-Weapon Fighting gives you a 3rd attack with your off-handed weapon at a -10 penalty.
Hence why two-weapon fighting is usually not suggested unless you have considerably bonuses to ensure you can successfully land those extra attacks. Even then you still need bonus damage to those hits to make them worthwhile.

Typically, it's suggested to take the two-weapon fighting feat and buy Gloves of the Balanced Hand to get Improved Two-Weapon Fighting giving you the extra attack. All the other feats typically aren't worth it.
Still, I love two-weapon fighting on my Bard. The idea of having so many attacks a round from things like Haste and the Flashing Sun maneuver is really appealing. Especially with Dragonfire Inspiration giving bonus damage to them all.

[TabletopGamer]

Well I was thinking of that, since my character wields a Quarterstaff and could Two Weapon Fight and I was curious how it actually works, But three attacks as a full attack is not to shabby.

[Gale]

A Greatsword would still be a better option. It does 2d6 damage, the equivalent of two hits from a quarterstaff, and can be wielded with two hands giving you a 1.5 STR bonus to your damage. You also don't have to take a feat to use it and suffer no penalties to your attack rolls. In the end you end up doing 4d6 damage if all your attacks hit as opposed to 3d6 with a quarterstaff.
Hence why bonus damage is so vital to make two-weapon fighting work well. If you don't have any I actually wouldn't recommend doing it. Unless of course you lack Martial Weapon Proficiency or the Master's Touch spell. Then by all means go for it.

[Curmudgeon]

Well I was thinking of that, since my character wields a Quarterstaff and could Two Weapon Fight and I was curious how it actually works, But three attacks as a full attack is not to shabby.
Actually, because the penalties are steep (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/specialAttacks.htm#twoWeaponFighting), I would call three attacks at BAB +6 pretty shabby: -4 to your two "main hand" attacks, and -8 to your "off hand" attack. The Two-Weapon Fighting feat reduces the penalties to -2 each, but won't give you any extra attacks. As noted, you need a second feat (Improved Two-Weapon Fighting) for another "off hand" attack. And none of these things (higher BAB, double weapon, the two feats) give you any extra attacks unless you can make a full attack.