2-handed bastard sword?

In my game, bastard swords act like 2-handed or greatswords. I always thought they were a one handed weapon. Did this change or am I smoking crack?

 

Bastard swords are bigger than long swords, and smaller than great swords. They have also been known as hand-and-a-half swords. In D&D they could always be wielded with either one or two hands. More benefit is derived from using two hands, as they can be somewhat 'unwieldy' with one; more power and better control comes from using both.

In other words, it takes two hands to handle a whopper...

 

In D&D 3.5 (and hence in ToEE), they're usable (proficiently) by any character with martial weapon proficiencies (i.e., fighters, paladins, etc.). This allows you to wield them 2-handed at no penalty. If you go on to take the exotic weapon proficiency (bastard sword) feat, you can use it one-handed, and thus equip a shield (or another weapon) in the other hand.

 

Lord P -

Is there some type of benefit using 1 vs 2 handed? Other than the defensive bonus from the shield, obviously, or 2 weapon style like Fafhrd (bastard sword primary, short sword secondary). I know the 1st edition rules for this, but not the 3.5. One could expect better chances 'to hit' by the old rules, but damage was the same regardless.

 

well I'm not really sure if it's relevant but I've always had a charcter called Two Swords that uses a bastard sword in each hand (now its katanas) I like the damages they do (more than other single handed weapons) and with TWF etc you get good attacks and lots of them. She really carves up with EWP bastardsword, weapon focus, weapon specailization, Great cleave (and related feats), improved TWF, TWF, TWD. I never really noticed if using them 2handed was any better as I'd normally go for a greatsword if I wanted a 2hand sword with high damage.

 

My favortie character in PnP wields dual Bastard Swords and one of my favorite things about TOEE is that you can do that. Off-hand light weapon is less of a penalty but style still counts.

 

with improved TWF and masterwork katanas/bastard swords you don't have any penalty, well you do have a little but with all my gear atm and the console to get hanzo steel I've got +10 for each hand (at one point I think I was left handed because I had +5 primary and +6 secondary just cos of where I had the masterwork weapon equipted). I personally like TWF cos thats how I like to play "wacking each other with sticks"

 

No, and in fact it's a little worse, because a 2-handed weapon will get a (str mod)*(1.5) damage bonus. One-handed, you only get the str bonus.

 

Is this a change implemented in a mod or something? Masterwork weapons don't change the weapon to light if they aren't already, so you should still get the penalty. Or am I missing something?

 

The reason I was asking was in my game I gave my human fighter an exotic proficiency with the bastard sword and he will only use it two-handed. When I equip it, it takes up both hand slots and will not let me equip a shield.

I didn't know if a rule had changed somewhere or if I have a bug.

 

I used dual bastard swords since the game started and recently began replaying the game and have had no issue with dual wielding. I suppose it's possible you have a bug.

 

I'm not positive about the application of two-weapon fighting in TOEE, but in 3.5 DnD (which TOEE is supposed to be implementing) the Two-Weapon Fighting feat gives you an off-hand attack in addition to normal attacks and allows you to wield two weapons of the same size at -4 attack to each. You can use a light weapon in the off-hand and the penalty is -2 attack to each. Masterwork adds +1 to attack only. Improved Two-Weapon Fighting allows a second off-hand attack at -5 beyond the penalties already listed.

 

Which is why Cujo's post confused me. In the context I took him to be saying using masterwork weapons made up for not using a light weapon offhanded.

 

Have you tried equipping the shield first and then the sword? The game will use both hands, because that's kinda the default or something, if the off hand is free.