Two Fisted Fighting Training

[Trismegistus]

In the description for this training skill, it says that you split the dicepool for your weapons when attacking with both at once. Does that mean that if you're attacking with two sword, you'd double your Sword skill and split it between the two attacks?

[Yagathai]

No, it means that if you have a 5 Sword, you get to split those 5 dice between those two strikes -- 1 and 4 or 2 and 3 or what have you.

[Trismegistus]

What's the advantage, then?

Also, if you had a sword and a dagger (Skills B5 and B2, respectively), I'm guessing you'd just go with the higher dicepool?

[Manicrack]

only one can be blocked

-Kolja

EDIT: Sword and dagger I would handle with higher pool plus 1D fork from lower pool.

[Trismegistus]

Wow. So, is there any reason not to invest in this as a warrior type? You'd always have an unblockable B6 strike, given the stats above.

[TimP]

Wow. So, is there any reason not to invest in this as a warrior type? You'd always have an unblockable B6 strike, given the stats above.

You'd have to put at least one die in each attack, meaning at worst a five dice strike (which is pretty normal). Plus, surely the defender gets to pick which attack he Blocks. Plus, you can always avoid, which evades any attacks for that particular action.

[Trismegistus]

Sure. Nothing's ever certain when the steel comes out. But it seems like this is a pretty powerful hedge. If you start forcing someone to block and avoid all the time just to stay out of harm's way, you can set them up for counters pretty easily. And that's, of course, assuming they're going to block/avoid. If not, six dice of doom.

[TimP]

Yeah, two-fisted fighting is GREAT until you meet the guy with sword and board and armor, and you're trying to pull double attacks every action (or every other action, rather). Sword and Board guy scripts Block/Strike, put 4d into your defense and 5d attack, take the weaker attack on the armor and *snick* two-fisted fighter is laying in the ditch gurgling blood.

Also, you would HAVE to put dice in each attack when using two-fisted. You can't leave one side of the split empty.

Tim

[luke]

For two-fisted training, you divide your weapon skill pool evenly. If it's an odd number, you can determine which weapon to favor.

-L

[Trismegistus]

Yeah, two-fisted fighting is GREAT until you meet the guy with sword and board and armor, and you're trying to pull double attacks every action (or every other action, rather). Sword and Board guy scripts Block/Strike, put 4d into your defense and 5d attack, take the weaker attack on the armor and *snick* two-fisted fighter is laying in the ditch gurgling blood.

Also, you would HAVE to put dice in each attack when using two-fisted. You can't leave one side of the split empty.

Tim

That's what I was looking for, I guess. As I'd read it, it seemed like the skill would give a lot of advantage, so I was looking for the counterbalance. But, it seems that you're probably better off investing in shield training, so says my inner munchkin. Thanks.

[Klaus Æ. Mogensen]

For two-fisted training, you divide your weapon skill pool evenly. If it's an odd number, you can determine which weapon to favor.
-L

What if you e.g. use a sword with a dagger? Is using the dagger covered by the main sword skill if you have two-fisted training? Or do you need a separate dagger skill (in which case, how do you handle different skill levels in sword and dagger)?

- Klaus

[zabieru]

You do need a separate dagger/knife skill. I'd go ahead and split the lower of the two, but that's not an official ruling.

However, I strongly urge you to consider your use of this skill in modeling sword and dagger fighting. Most of the historical stuff I'm familiar with (and granted, I'm a longsword guy primarily, so I could have missed exceptions, but in general this is what I've seen in the manuals) is better modeled by Shield Training with a parrying blade. If you're talking about shortsword and long dagger or something, just use one skill for both, prolly. If you're thinking about a rapier or sidesword and a parrying dagger, ask if that fighter is really making a double attack, or if it's a block-and-strike. If the latter, use Shield Training. If the former, ask how he's striking effective blows with a three and a half foot rapier and a three quarters of a foot dagger at the same moment.