Dual-Wielding Lances

[Jigürd]

I was looking through options for mounted combat (using
the good 'ol "Pixie mounted on bird/dog" idea) When I came up with an idea
that seems fairly good. Would it be possible to, as a Pixie
Two-Weapon Ranger, dual-wield lances while mounted for a
whopping 4d10 damage with Twin Strike (assuming you
hit with both attacks)? Then you could slap some
charge optimization on there to really make
the character really feel like "pint-sized heavy cavalry"!


Am I misreading the rules in any way? Any suggestions for making this character more effective?

[Epinephrine]

I was looking through options for mounted combat (using
the good 'ol "Pixie mounted on bird/dog" idea) When I came up with an idea
that seems fairly good. Would it be possible to, as a Pixie
Two-Weapon Ranger, dual-wield lances while mounted for a
whopping 4d10 damage with Twin Strike (assuming you
hit with both attacks)? Then you could slap some
charge optimization on there to really make
the character really feel like "pint-sized heavy cavalry"!

Am I misreading the rules in any way? Any suggestions for making this character more effective?

Can't use a lance one handed, as lances are versatile weapons. "Weapons: Because you follow the same weapon rules as a Small creature, you cannot use a two-handed weapon unless it has the small property. When you use a versatile weapon, you must use it two-handed but don’t gain the normal +1 bonus to damage for using it in that manner."

[allonym]

How do you intend to use Twin Strike on a charge? I guess you could use it once per day with Boots of the Mighty Charge, but a Barbarian can make much better use of that.

[Jigürd]

Can't use a lance one handed, as lances are versatile weapons. "Weapons: Because you follow the same weapon rules as a Small creature, you cannot use a two-handed weapon unless it has the small property. When you use a versatile weapon, you must use it two-handed but don’t gain the normal +1 bonus to damage for using it in that manner."

Lances have the Small property, at least the version in Mordekainen's Magnificent Emporium do.



How do you intend to use Twin Strike on a charge? I guess you could use it once per day with Boots of the Mighty Charge, but a Barbarian can make much better use of that.

Oh. I am an idiot. I guess I have been messing around with Barbarians so much lately, I thought all at-wills could be used on a charge. Derp :smallredface:. I guess he'll just have to move and attack like all the other children then.

[GPuzzle]

The closest thing I've come was doing a Barbarian/Ranger Hybrid with Throw and Stab, Howling Strike and Twin Strike with the Hurl Weapon Feat:

Throw Lance with Throw and Stab
Hold Lance with other hand
Charge + Howling Strike

Next round:

Retrieve Lance
Spam Twin Strike until thing is dead.

Repeat ad infinitum.

Also, most of my Encounter Powers were minore AKA I could spam Twin Strike with an extra 2d8+8 damage and Combat Advantage after Ruffling Sting which meant I did 1d8+4 damage and then 3d8+4 damage once per encounter.

Boring, but effective.

[Magnera]

Can't use a lance one handed, as lances are versatile weapons. "Weapons: Because you follow the same weapon rules as a Small creature, you cannot use a two-handed weapon unless it has the small property. When you use a versatile weapon, you must use it two-handed but don’t gain the normal +1 bonus to damage for using it in that manner."

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/weapons.htm#lance

The second sentence disagrees. :smalltongue:

[GPuzzle]

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/weapons.htm#lance

The second sentence disagrees. :smalltongue:

Wait, is that 3.5 or 4e?

[MrUberGr]

Pixie on a bird? whaaaaaaat? xD

[allonym]

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/weapons.htm#lance

The second sentence disagrees. :smalltongue:

This is the 4e forum. If you're going to be snarky, it helps to be right first :smalltongue:


The closest thing I've come was doing a Barbarian/Ranger Hybrid with Throw and Stab, Howling Strike and Twin Strike with the Hurl Weapon Feat:

Throw Lance with Throw and Stab
Hold Lance with other hand
Charge + Howling Strike

Throw and Stab has been errata'd so that a: you cannot target the same enemy with both the 'throw' and the 'stab' and b: instead of a charge, you "move your speed and make a melee basic attack".

Also, bear in mind that the extra 1[w] damage for a lance only applies when charging, so it is incompatible with Twin Strike.

[GPuzzle]

Really? I need to check the errata.
And uh, the attack at the bottom was the Encounter Nova: Ruffling Sting, Off-Hand Strike and Twin-Strike.

[Jigürd]

Also, bear in mind that the extra 1[w] damage for a lance only applies when charging, so it is incompatible with Twin Strike.

Crap, missed the "charge" part of the entey on the Mounted keyword. Well crud, It seems I'll have to make do with 2d10+1d6+STRmod rather than 4d10 at-will (Hurray for Barbarians :smallamused:). Is there any way to turn Twin Strike into an MBA, even temporarily, so this could at least work as a Ranger/Barbarian hybrid?

[allonym]

I do not believe so, no. As I said, you can use the daily power on Boots of Mighty Charge to use it in place of an MBA on a charge. There may be other extremely limited abilities, but I wouldn't hold your breath.

Being able to use Twin Strike as a Melee Basic Attack would be utterly ludicrous, really - you'd see Ranger|Executioners everywhere. It's already the best at-will in the game, do you really need to make it better?

[GPuzzle]

You know, a Half-Elf Fighter with Twin Strike with his dilletante (and that houserule of Twin Strike as an MBA) would be a freaking God. Stopping foes with Twin Strike as a Minor - hell yeah.