A New Look at TWF [Variant]

[ArmorArmadillo]

When it comes down to it, the two weapon rules have always been kind of awkward. As written, it's a matter of being able to swing more blades around faster.
In more realistic terms, two weapon fighting is more of a "Two Blades as One" approach, in which attacks with the blades are single coordinated strikes, rather than individual attacks.

Twin Weapon Proficiency
You are skilled with swift coordinated attacks with dual weapons.
Requirements: Dex 15+, Combat Expertise
Benefit: You may wield twin weapons.
Normal: Your character takes a -4 penalty while wielding weapons with which he is not proficient.

Twin Weapon Mastery
The first weapon is only a distraction.
Requirements: Twin Weapon Proficiency, Base Attack +6
Benefit: As a full round action, you may make a single attack with twin weapons as at your full base attack. If you succeed on this attack, you may immediately attempt a Disarm or Trip as a Free Action.

Twin Weapon Supremacy
Weapon and weapon, hand and hand, steel and soul; all become a single steel wall of whirling death.
Requirements: Twin Weapon Mastery, Base Attack +11
Benefit: While using Combat expertise, you may double the shield bonus granted by your twin weapons.
Normal: You normally only add a bonus to your AC equal to the penalty to attack you take.

Dual Storm
You come from every direction with your furious twin weapon attacks.
Requirements: Twin Weapon Proficiency, Improved Feint
Benefit: While wielding twin weapons, you may Feint while taking a move action.

Twin Weapons: Twin weapons are two weapons, but attack as a single weapon. Both must be held to attack normally, if only one weapon is held, the weapons are treated as being one size category smaller (dealing less damage and imposing a -2 penalty to attack). Both weapons must be disarmed or sundered individually. The character may add his full strength bonus to attacks with dual weapons.
|Damage|Threat Range|Type|Defense Bonus

Dual Blades|2d4|19-20|Slashing|+1
Dual Flails|2d4|x3|Bludgeoning|+1
Dual Hammers|1d8|x3|Bludgeoning|+2
Dual Spikes|1d6|x4|Piercing|+1
Tonfa*|1d6|x3|Bludgeoning|+2
Twin Sai*|1d4|x2|Bludgeoning or Piercing|+3
Twin Kama*1d6|19-20|Slashing|+2
*Special Monk Weapon

Enchanting Twin Weapons: Twin Weapons are enchanted as though they were a single weapon. However, building twin weapons with special materials (such as Adamantine or Cold Iron) costs an additional 50%.

[SpartacusThe2nd]

that's cool.
Can I "steal" it and use it on my campigan I sure use those tweaks for my party.

[ArmorArmadillo]

Of course you can! As always, it's OGC, so it's as much yours as mine.

[That Lanky Bugger]

Hmmm, seems a little strange to me. I've got a number of questions for you, if you don't mind answering.

Why does merely wielding a pair of hammers give you the same sort of protection as a large shield?

Likewise, why would anyone not take a single -1 to their attack rolls with Combat Expertise if it means they're getting a +4 to their AC? Seems kinda broken, to me.

If the weapons are seperate, then what happens when only one is enchanted?

Why would anyone take Twin Weapon Mastery when they can take Improved Trip and Improved Disarm? Both can be used with standard attacks (and thus numerous times in a full attack action). The only benefit I can see is that you can attack and then disarm as one attack (which comes out to a net +1 bonus over attacking and then attempting a disarm with an iterative attack with Improved Disarm) or you can attack before you trip (instead of attempting it after a successful trip attempt).

I like the concept, but the idea of twinned weapons with their own seperate stats seems a little wierd. Might it not be better to just designate certain weapons as twinnable? IE, you could twin a dagger, light hammers, etc... It would cut down on the strangeness. Especially since the upsizing of weapons doesn't really seem to follow the rule of if one weapon is lost, it's treated as a size smaller.

For example, Twin Blades (if they're Twinned Short Swords, for example), might be treated as a Large-sized Short Sword, dealing 1d8 damage. That way if one of the pair is lost, it's treated just like a medium Short Sword (which is what it is).

[ArmorArmadillo]

Hmm...many concerns.

I'd see them as enchanted as a pair or not at all, at normal price or possibly with a slight addition to price to reflect the dual weapons.

I changed the way the double defense works, so that that is now the supremacy ability. However, it was ultimately modeled after Two Weapon Defense, which allows a similar ability.

I made the Trip/Disarm feat slightly better. I'd say the benefit to it is that you can make the attack before the Trip/Disarm, so you don't risk losing the attack. Also, the benefit is that it is one feat rather than two.

Certain weapons being twinnable is an odd concept; as I'm trying to move away from the "Holding Two Rapiers" view of Two-Weapon Fighting, instead to the view that Twin Weapons are specially weighted to be used as such.

[Closet_Skeleton]

Not very good for mix and matching...

[ArmorArmadillo]

Not very good for mix and matching...
What exactly do you mean by this?

[That Lanky Bugger]

What exactly do you mean by this?

Dual wielding a Rapier and Main Gauche, for example. Not all two-weapon fighting relies on the use of two precisely similar weapons.

[ArmorArmadillo]

Dual wielding a Rapier and Main Gauche, for example. Not all two-weapon fighting relies on the use of two precisely similar weapons.

I suppose; however, it would be relatively easy to make "Paired" combinations;
Also, you could make "off" weapons, which can be wielded alongside any 1-handed weapons as though they were twin weapons; adding a specific AC bonus while using the 1-handed weapon's Damage stats.