Do NOT FAQ anything in this thread.
Some people still have some questions about the Bastard Sword ruling. I think all of the questions have been answered, but there may be some misunderstandings related to ancillary rules which are causing confusion.
Lets see if we, the community, can answer these questions for those who still have them.
I would ask everyone here to play nice. If you feel the need to post about how everything is "clear" or people are just being "munchkins", instead please just go somewhere else and feel self-gratified that you win the internet.
I'll start with a lead off question that still seems to be floating around. "Can I treat a bastard sword as a one-handed weapon even when wielding it in two-hands?"
Does anyone have thoughts about when you might WANT to do this and IF you should be able to do this?
I guess that could effect a magus, right?
I guess that could effect a magus, right?
I am fairly certain that Spell Combat requires a free hand throughout the entire action, not just the spell casting part. So there would not be anytime during Spell Combat when you could have two hands on the Bastard Sword.
If I'm wrong on this then that could be an important distinction.
That's what I was thinking. I believe I had a Magus in my group once who used to cast with a hand free then grip the sword as a free action to deliver the attacks 2-handed.
And I believe he had no EWP.
The FAQ says that for abilities for which it might be relevant, you can freely choose whether you are wielding a one-handed weapon, a two-handed weapon, or a one-handed weapon in two hands.
For class abilities, feats, and other rule elements that vary based on or specifically depend on wielding a one-handed weapon, a two-handed weapon, or a one-handed weapon with two hands, the bastard sword counts as however many hands you are using to wield it.
In short, assuming you have the EWP feat or a similar ability which would allow one-handed wielding, and you have some other class ability for which how you wield the Bastard Sword would matter, choose the manner that's most advantageous to you. That appears to be pretty much the entire underlying point to this Bastard Sword FAQ.
An Alchemist dip could allow for one to have a free hand, while gripping a Bastard Sword with two hands.
So a couple of points on that. The design team has said that they don't plan to issue rulings on PC's with more than 2 arms. The reason is that the game has a core assumption that PC's have only 2 arms. Tables with PC's that have more than two arms have to work out the rules that govern that for themselves.
Second, Looking at the most recent FAQ it says that you can treat it as a one-handed weapon in two hands. Which if you then have a 3rd hand free would qualify you to use spell combat.
EDIT: Totally changed the second part of my post.
Not sure if serious ...
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The confusion seems to arise because every weapon has a intrinsic classification of size and effort to weild. This is required to determine the weapon’s HP and other properties. This is not to be confused with the handedness required to weild the weapon (a lance is a two-handed weapon that can be weilded in one hand if mounted).
The bastard sword is a two-handed weapon in the FAQ and a one-handed weapon in the CRB, so assuming the FAQ is not stealth errata but just poor wording, the bastard sword is a one-handed weapon, but the number of hands required to weild it depends on the wielder’s proficiencies.
The confusion seems to arise because every weapon has a intrinsic classification of size and effort to weild. This is required to determine the weapon’s HP and other properties. This is not to be confused with the handedness required to weild the weapon (a lance is a two-handed weapon that can be weilded in one hand if mounted).
The bastard sword is a two-handed weapon in the FAQ and a one-handed weapon in the CRB, so assuming the FAQ is not stealth errata but just poor wording, the bastard sword is a one-handed weapon, but the number of hands required to weild it depends on the wielder’s proficiencies.
The Bastard Sword is a one-handed exotic weapon. The language from the first FAQ potentially could be confusing (it liked the BS to two-handed weapons specifically). The recent FAQ states explicitly that the BS is a one-handed weapon.
A bastard sword is a one-handed weapon (although for some rules it blurs the line between a one-handed and a two-handed weapon).
The confusion seems to arise because every weapon has a intrinsic classification of size and effort to weild. This is required to determine the weapon’s HP and other properties. This is not to be confused with the handedness required to weild the weapon (a lance is a two-handed weapon that can be weilded in one hand if mounted).
The bastard sword is a two-handed weapon in the FAQ and a one-handed weapon in the CRB, so assuming the FAQ is not stealth errata but just poor wording, the bastard sword is a one-handed weapon, but the number of hands required to weild it depends on the wielder’s proficiencies.
FAQ: http://paizo.com/paizo/faq/v5748nruor1fm#v5748eaic9rb5
Bastard Sword: Is this a one-handed weapon or a two-handed weapon?
A bastard sword is a one-handed weapon (although for some rules it blurs the line between a one-handed and a two-handed weapon).
The physical properties of a bastard sword are that of a one-handed weapon. For example, its hardness, hit points, ability to be crafted out of special materials, category for using the Craft skill, effect of alchemical silver, and so on, are all that of a one-handed weapon.
For class abilities, feats, and other rule elements that vary based on or specifically depend on wielding a one-handed weapon, a two-handed weapon, or a one-handed weapon with two hands, the bastard sword counts as however many hands you are using to wield it.
For example, if you are wielding it one-handed (which normally requires the Exotic Weapon Proficiency feat), it is treated as a one-handed weapon; Power Attack only gets the one-handed bonus, you cannot use Pushing Assault or Shield of Swings (which require a two-handed weapon), and so on.
If you are wielding it with two hands (whether or not you have the Exotic Weapon Proficiency to wield it with one hand), it is treated as a two-handed weapon; Power Attack gets the increased damage bonus, you can use Pushing Assault or Shield of Swings (which require a two-handed weapon), and so on.
An unusual case of the handedness rule is an ability that allows you to treat a two-handed weapon as a one-handed weapon. For example, the titan mauler's jotungrip (which allows you to wield a two-handed weapon with one hand) allows you to wield a bastard sword in one hand even without the Exotic Weapon Proficiency, and (as the ability states) treats it as a one-handed weapon, therefore it is treated as a one-handed weapon for other effects.
So questions about size category for the purpose of hit points/hardness/ect. have now been clarified. This FAQ goes a long way (I think all the way) in clearing up questions about the Bastard Sword. But some still have questions about it so hopefully they will choose to air them out here and we can help provide answers.
From the point of view of a Magus, a Bastard Sword is a valid Black Blade selection, as it is a one-handed weapon. The Magus' EWP or lack thereof is beside the point. Even if he's not got EWP, a black blade can be a Bastard Sword. The magus that picks this as his black blade, but doesn't have EWP has simply taken part of his class ability off the table until he does get the EWP.
1. One wonders if this person is actually a new poster. The screen name was changed before you responded - it used to be BBT. Along with the goblin avy and the immediate appearance in Bastard Sword threads, it's a bit curious, wouldn't you agree?
2. The threads that have been locked all have a PDT statement as to why they are locked.
Why would you get a message to change your screen name and who would send it? The name didn't violate any rules or anything, so far as I can tell. Just weird someone would ask you to change it is all.
Why would you get a message to change your screen name and who would send it? The name didn't violate any rules or anything, so far as I can tell. Just weird someone would ask you to change it is all.
No, he misread the 'you may change this alias until you have posted 10 times' automessage that get's displayed to all new users. Go make an alias and post with it, you'll see the same message.
Holy crap. shennanigans.
Official Rules Response
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Posts removed. Do not create sock puppet accounts on Paizo.com (threads by that account and replies to it have been removed).
To BigDTBone, if you have read this FAQ, then you should understand that your two options are
* wield it with one hand, in which case it's treated as a one-handed weapon, or
* wield it with two hands, in which case it's treated as a two-handed weapon.
* And therefore there is no way to wield it with one hand and treat it as a two-handed weapon, or vice versa.
Thread closed.