What is funny is that PF and D&D have no idea that in real combat with a blade two-handed fighting is one of the weaker combat styles.
Speed kills in combat and the Sword and Board is right up there with the agile fencer style of combatant.If a big hulking brute swings a sword at a man with a sword and shield, that brute dies unless is strength is ungodly in comparison to the shield bearers. Because simply deflecting his blade means he is wide open for an attack and in real sword play that means you die.
But that is the game we play where the designers just figured a flat 1.5x for damage was wise for the two-handed and penalizing everyone who goes two weapon was wise because obviously the style that ACTUALLY is superior in combat would be Way Way Weaker.
actually, to damper my own argument, a two-handed blade is not exceptionally heavy, and any warrior worth his salt with a two-handed weapon would be able to swing- and recover- from that swing without being stabbed.
some would use a literal wall of swings (think along the lines of a barbarian swings a greatsword around like a wild man, or a scottish highlander's way of fighting.)
Then there are the more, "agile" two-handed fighting styles with curved blades such as the Falchion etc.
Then you have the "heavy swingers" Greataxes, large hammers. These require A LOT of strength to wield, but the problem here is, if you take that swing on your shield, that arm is most likely useless. and Then by the time you get back into striking distance (after getting out of the dang way) he is bring the weapon on a backswing.
though in a 1v1, the SnB fighter, just as in PF, has the advantage.
No two-handed blades are not very heavy, but they invest your momentum and strength to make a powerful strike. Any Shield user would move with both weapons at the same tie. Using the shield to occupy the sword with a block or deflection, mostly deflection as that forces your opponent to put more effort into the recovery and while blocking or deflecting stop inside their guard to strike. The idea of standing back and turtling up and just stabbing out from behind the shield isn't very effective.
The wall of swings is also not very effective because sure if you are fighting defensively you can use that but when you make the attack that is where the same problem as before arises. Unless your making thrusting attacks from a step forward, step back style and even then that will only prolong the fight, the two handed fighter using that will still likely die, just take a few more moments to do so.
Real two-handed combat is not only big motions like chopping wood.
Of course, there are many two-handed fighting styles but you cannot eny that when wielding a two-handed sword/axe/etc that the habit of making the big strike is not common. In D&D and PF that is all that attack style is, overwhelming brute force is why they kill people faster.
Honestly I would have liked it if they brought out a archetype that could have used a heavier shield for the Swashbuckler, because Opportune Parry and Riposte is a nice little sword and board strike and allows for an additional attack. I do wish we could use 1.5 dex on attacks, because speed and accuracy should matter for more then a dang bow or gun.