greatsword & armor spikes

[weenie]

I remember reading somewhere on this forums, that you could use TWF with a greatsword and armor spikes as an off-hand weapon, but reading through the rules I don't really see how it is possible. So, have I missed something or is it really possible to fight with a two handed weapon and armor spikes at the same time?

[Tyger]

Armor spikes count as light weapons, so technically you can use them as "off-hand weapons" per the two weapon fighting chain, but I don't think that RAI.

That said, what you do see a lot of is a reach weapon (like a Glaive) wielded by someone with armor spikes, as the Glaive is used when the target is at reach, and the armor spikes when the target steps inside the reach of the glaive. Saves a feat.

[KillianHawkeye]

Armor Spikes
You can have spikes added to your armor, which allow you to deal extra piercing damage (see Table: Weapons) on a successful grapple attack. The spikes count as a martial weapon. If you are not proficient with them, you take a -4 penalty on grapple checks when you try to use them. You can also make a regular melee attack (or off-hand attack) with the spikes, and they count as a light weapon in this case. (You can’t also make an attack with armor spikes if you have already made an attack with another off-hand weapon, and vice versa.)

As you can see, making an off-hand attack with armor spikes is explicitly allowed (using the normal rules for two-weapon fighting). The fact that you don't need to use any of your actual hands to do this only means that they are still available for other uses.

I suppose this means that a creature with 3 or more hands (a prerequisite for multi-weapon fighting) would be able to make an attack with armor spikes in addition to all of its normal weapons. (Unfortunately, two-weapon fighting specifically limits you to a single off-hand attack in a round. Even improved versions of TWF only allow extra iterative attacks with a single off-hand weapon.)

So yes, it's perfectly legal.

[Matthew]

For an explicit confirmation that Great Sword/Armour Spike Two Weapon Fighting is possible, take a look at the D&D FAQ. It's by the same logic that a character armed with a weapon and shield can make an Unarmed Strike as an Off Hand Attack.