Dual Wielding

[HotSnow50]

Rather than looking at this as an attempt to min-max, I look at it as a way for players to make a character look and feel like they want him/her to. The very first Elf I made was fairly closely resembling Legolas, albeit at a VERY early stage when the badassery wasn't in place yet. Using two daggers to fight definitely changes the play style enough that a separate set of rules seems required but not allowing players to choose to use two daggers, or two axes like a Dwarf that wields two dwarven axes seems to be a shame.

How I've chosen to view it is, if you have the proficiency in the weapon you want to dual wield, and you intend to engage an enemy/enemies in that manner, instructing the Loremaster as to HOW you intend to attack will dictate the difficulty of the overall maneuver as opposed to focusing more on the D20-styled approach to dual wielding and I also increase the parry rating of the character by +1 while dual wielding.

As for damage, if the attack is to be made with two weapons like "stab stab" or "hack hack" then there are two separate rolls and two separate saves and two separate damages because there are two weapons and two instances of attack. I don't punish my players because they choose to attack in a certain way and I don't see why I should, it's not like they are going to be able to kill all the enemies like a badass because I allow them to use two of any certain type of weapon...

[Glorelendil]

Again, if you just refluff your buckler or shield and call it a a "dagger" or "short sword" then take the Fell-Handed mastery and call it "off-hand damage" then you've got dual wielding with no new rules or risk of introducing new imbalances.

[HotSnow50]

Again, if you just refluff your buckler or shield and call it a a "dagger" or "short sword" then take the Fell-Handed mastery and call it "off-hand damage" then you've got dual wielding with no new rules or risk of introducing new imbalances.

Sorry! I LITERALLY just joined the forums here, and tried to search a bit before so I wouldn't double-up, but didn't see that suggestion.

I LIKE THIS! I am totally going to use it. Thanks Elfcrusher!

The only modification to what you said being daggers have 0 encumberance (I know due to them being utility rather than weapons)... I am totally assuming that you said "refluff" to suggest that you could rework the buckler stats to fit a dagger and just use buckler mechanics, right? (I AM STILL NEW TO THE GAME, MIND YOU)

[Glorelendil]

Yeah, basically that. Use a buckler and take fell-handed (or is it grim-handed?) and say "I'm wielding a short sword in my offhand. It gives me +1 parry and a little bit extra damage."

Or take a shield and call it a sword.

[HotSnow50]

Yeah, basically that. Use a buckler and take fell-handed (or is it grim-handed?) and say "I'm wielding a short sword in my offhand. It gives me +1 parry and a little bit extra damage."

Or take a shield and call it a sword.

I don't see a Grim-Handed in the Core Book (2014), but I do see a "Grim," which is a Distinctive Feature:

Grim on page 98
"Your countenance is threatening, and betrays the harshness of your spirit."

And I also see Fell-Handed in the Core Book (2014) on page 104:

Fell-Handed
"You have learned to put all your strength into your blows in hand-to-hand battle.

Raise your close combat Damage rating by 1."

So, I'm assuming that by treating the off-handed weapon like a buckler for the +1 to parry, but reducing its encumberance by 1 to mimic a dagger and then taking the Fell-Handed trait but rewording it as "off-handed fighting" I can effectively create a game-safe skill that operates with a game-safe item...

I like it! DONE!!

[Otaku-sempai]

Honestly, I see dual-wielding mainly as a way of distinguishing a certain type of swashbucker-character: The kind represented by Dumas' musketeers or Fritz Lieber's Gray Mounser. Such a duelist might not even have a dagger or other light weapon in his off-hand; a weighted cape or light cloak might be used for defense, perhaps allowing the character to entangle his opponents weapon and even disarm him.