Hand and a half weapons (bastard sword, etc)

[Yogibear41]

If you have the exotic weapon prof with the bastard sword or a similar weapon and use it one handed, is it still considered a two handed weapon for things such as applying power attack damage or gaining a bonus on sunder attempts? If not is there anyway to get it to qualify as such? (so that you can power attack and/or sunder as if using a two handed weapon while using it as a one handed weapon)

[Gurifu]

No and no.

[kardar233]

The Uncanny Blow stunt of the Exotic Weapon Master allows you to get two-handed Power Attack returns when you're holding an exotic weapon in one hand. The wording seems a bit ambiguous but if you read it the other way the second sentence doesn't actually have any effect.

[Ben Powers]

The Uncanny Blow stunt of the Exotic Weapon Master allows you to get two-handed Power Attack returns when you're holding an exotic weapon in one hand. The wording seems a bit ambiguous but if you read it the other way the second sentence doesn't actually have any effect.

"When wielding a one-handed exotic melee weapon in two hands" seems pretty unambiguous...

[bekeleven]

Generally when wielding a weapon with two hands is a problem with a build, the solution is to find a replacement for the other hand in whatever other task you needed, not replacing the hand on the weapon.

[Chronos]

Those things apply when you're wielding a weapon in two hands, not when you're wielding a two-handed weapon. So even a longsword will work, if you're wielding it two-handed (which is allowed; it just still does 1d8).

[Darrin]

If you have the exotic weapon prof with the bastard sword or a similar weapon and use it one handed, is it still considered a two handed weapon for things such as applying power attack damage or gaining a bonus on sunder attempts?


If you're holding it with one hand = one-handed weapon.
If you're holding it with two hands = two-handed weapon.

Any one-handed weapon can be gripped with two hands. This gives you a higher Str bonus (x1.5) on damage, and a two-to-one damage/penalty ratio when using Power Attack.

As far as Disarm/Sunder goes, the rules are ambiguous if a one-handed weapon held in both hands counts as a two-handed weapon. My gut says "yes", but RAW isn't clear. While you can get a better damage bonus by gripping a longsword with both hands, this does not explicitly change the fact that it is listed as a "one-handed melee weapon" on the table in the PHB.


"When wielding a one-handed exotic melee weapon in two hands" seems pretty unambiguous...

The second sentence says:

"If he has the Power Attack feat, he treats the weapon as two-handed for purposes of determining his bonus on damage rolls."

However, unless this refers to one-handed exotic weapons wielded in one hand, it's completely meaningless, because Power Attack already treats any one-handed weapon gripped in two hands as if it were two-handed. PHB page 98:

"If you attack with a two-handed weapon, or with a one-handed weapon wielded in two hands, instead add twice the number subtracted from your attack rolls."

So we have to guess if the designer was creating a new ability, or they forgot that's how Power Attack already worked. If they weren't creating a new ability for one-handed exotic weapons, then the second sentence shouldn't even appear. The text for Power Attack already specifies what happens if it's gripped in two hands. Since there is a second sentence, we could presume that it's there because the designer wanted a new ability that wasn't already covered by the Power Attack text.

More likely, the designer was just being sloppy and the editor didn't catch it.

[Ben Powers]

More likely, the designer was just being sloppy and the editor didn't catch it.

First rule of 3.5

[Coidzor]

If you have the exotic weapon prof with the bastard sword or a similar weapon and use it one handed, is it still considered a two handed weapon for things such as applying power attack damage or gaining a bonus on sunder attempts?

No, but that does sound like something that would make EWP Bastard Sword more worth a feat slot, come to think of it.

[Blackhawk748]

No, but that does sound like something that would make EWP Bastard Sword more worth a feat slot, come to think of it.

Hell id burn a feat for that. Personally i feel most Exotic Weapons need something to make them worth that slot besides Exotic Weapon Master shenanigans.

[bekeleven]

Like I said, I generally just use both hands on the weapon and supplement elsewhere for whatever else I need.

Two-weapon fighting? Greatsword + Spiked armor. You got your THF on my TWF! No, you got your TWF on my THF!

Shield? Animated or dancing.

Holding a wand? Spare Hand (MIC). Activating a wand? Wand Chamber.