Question & Possible Feature Request - Styles

dreamrider

Possible dumb question, but no evidence found yet: Do the benefits of single weapon and dual weapon styles stack?

Not nearly as dumb question, and possible feature request: should they??

CrevsDaak

No and no.
If you put *anything* that isn't a weapon on the Shield slot, it will count as a shield, and by thus use your S&S style Proficiencies. If you put a weapon, you'll use the TW style, if you have a two-handed weapon in your mainhand, you'll use the THW style, and if you have only a one-handed weapon in your mainhand you'll use SW style.

dreamrider

That wasn't exactly the direction I was going with that. Especially the second part.

The benefits of TW and the benefits of SW do not overlap or conflict. I'm suggesting that if a warrior is prepared to commit some precious extra prof points to a 2nd style that logically could compliment his/her, initial style, should it be added to the game? Would it be a game breaker, given the extra point investment required?

For that matter, logically SW and S&S could potentially stack as well, if it were allowed, without any conflict of the benefits.

abacus

I really disagree...
The benefits of Single Weapon Style come from applying absolute focus to the movement of *one* weapon... If you're toting a shield or off-hand blade, then you aren't as focused on what the main hand is up to.

Edit: Imagine trying to play tennis with your right hand and simultaneously play badminton with your left.

molloy

But the whole point of single weapon style is to offer some benefit to those, who choose to forego the AC-bonus of a shield or the extra offhand-attacks. You get the single weapon style-bonus for having a free hand. If you use that hand otherwise, it's gone.

dreamrider

abacus said:

I really disagree...
The benefits of Single Weapon Style come from applying absolute focus to the movement of *one* weapon... If you're toting a shield or off-hand blade, then you aren't as focused on what the main hand is up to.

Edit: Imagine trying to play tennis with your right hand and simultaneously play badminton with your left.

Rather, imagine being an established world class tennis player, given the opportunity to legally carry a racketball racket in you left hand, work up the technique, and occasionally use it for a wrong side save, WITHOUT losing your main focus.

Heck, charge double points for the overlay style. That wouldn't be inappropriate, to my mind.

dreamrider

molloy said:

But the whole point of single weapon style is to offer some benefit to those, who choose to forego the AC-bonus of a shield or the extra offhand-attacks. You get the single weapon style-bonus for having a free hand. If you use that hand otherwise, it's gone.

I rather agree with the preceding poster that you get the single hand bonus for being able to FOCUS on perfecting the single hand play. But having done some fencing, I would argue that if you are already an accomplished classic competition fencer with your main hand, learning epee and dagger, even just as a defensive style, only makes you a better freestyle fencer. It isn't an obstacle. But it still takes significant effort to blend the two styles into your personal efforts.

The more I think about it, the more I think that allowing this, for double points applied on the complementary style, would be pretty cool.

Dee

Third Edition D&D has feats for this, in the "Two Weapon Defense" line. They require Two-Weapon Fighting, but the idea is pretty close to what you describe. Basically, when you're wielding two weapons, you get a +1 (or +2 for the Improved feat) shield bonus to your AC.

As for making it a part of BG (even as a mod), it would require a fair bit of code work to make it happen, and the balance considerations are such that it likely won't ever happen.

EDIT: What you could do as a mod is create a dagger that grants an AC bonus, and flavor it as a "main gauche". Combine it with a short sword "rapier", and you can pretty effectively get the same benefit for your character.

Flashburn

Or you could go into NearInfinity and modify "STYLBONU.2da" to change what bonuses the styles give, though you are limited to THAC0, damage, AC, speed factor, and critical hit modifier. Like Dee said, I've modified my two-weapon styles to give +1 AC for (**) and +2 AC for (***) to simulate the Two-Weapon Defense feats.

dreamrider

Thanks for considering.