| 2 people marked this as FAQ candidate. |
Do you get any benefit from weilding a weapon with two hands if you have a strength modifier that is in the negatives?
Example: a creature with a 7 strength (-2 mod) uses a weapon two handed.
I would say he only takes -1 on damage, for having a weapon in two hands.
Well, by RAW, you take (STR mod * 1.5), which in this case means you deal less damage wielding it two handed. However, I would say that (STR mod + abs(STR mod x0.5)) is more in line with RAI.
For simplicity sake: RAW says you would take a -3 penalty to damage by wielding two handed. RAI likely says you only take a -1 penalty.
|
From the PRD
Two-Handed: Two hands are required to use a two-handed melee weapon effectively. Apply 1-1/2 times the character's Strength bonus to damage rolls for melee attacks with such a weapon.
From a RAW point, it does not say Strength Modifier but Strength Bonus (while Thrown weapons state Strength Modifier). I would not consider the - a bonus. But I agree on the RAI that Mauril suggested. aka: if you have a str modifier of -4 (Damned Shadows) then a two-handed weapon by RAW would be at a +0 for damage from str, while per Mauril it would go to a -2, which makes good sense.
You are right. It does say Strength Bonus. A penalty is not a bonus. So wielding a two-hander, by RAW, with a strength penalty actually has a +0 to damage, rather than the normal penalty. This sort of makes sense too, within the reason of character creation not letting a character go below a -3 stat modifier.
|
|
You are right. It does say Strength Bonus. A penalty is not a bonus. So wielding a two-hander, by RAW, with a strength penalty actually has a +0 to damage, rather than the normal penalty. This sort of makes sense too, within the reason of character creation not letting a character go below a -3 stat modifier.
As I said, in combat with Shadows (who do str damage) our paladin was driven in the negatives (str 3 at one point in the fight). This was after a long fight before then so the cleric could not cast a restore in between, so we managed to strip the paladin of armor so that he could move, and we where attacked again.
So there are times when going below -2 can happen..
Well, yes. We had the same thing happen to our fighter a few sessions ago. That's why I said that within the reason of -3 being the most a character can have at creation. Going beyond that would likely require some DM adjudication. I would tend to go with my RAI interpretation all the time though, not just when the stat drops below 6.
