Two-Weapon Fighting and Strength bonus

Johannixx

Mongoose
I can't seem to find any text in the book about off-hand attacks only getting 1/2 Str bonus to AP, which I naturally assumed would follow from the 1/2 damage to off-hand attacks. Does this mean that a character wielding two weapons gets to add his full Str bonus to both primary and off-hand AP values?
 
Johannixx said:
I can't seem to find any text in the book about off-hand attacks only getting 1/2 Str bonus to AP, which I naturally assumed would follow from the 1/2 damage to off-hand attacks. Does this mean that a character wielding two weapons gets to add his full Str bonus to both primary and off-hand AP values?

I think your natural assumption makes perfect sense. Adding STR to AP suggests that if you can only use half of your strength to strike a blow, then only half should apply to the AP bonus.
 
It would also follow, then, that a character could apply 1.5x his Str bonus to AP when wielding a weapon in both hands (provided the weapon's not light)
 
Johannixx said:
It would also follow, then, that a character could apply 1.5x his Str bonus to AP when wielding a weapon in both hands (provided the weapon's not light)

Makes sense to me.
 
Actually, the rule specifically states

"Every type of weapon has an Armour piercing (AP) score. The character weilding the weapon adds his strength modifier to this AP, if he is able to add his strength modifer or some multiple of it to his damage roll with the weapon."

So, whether your damage modifer is STR MOD x 0.5, STR MOD, or STR MOD x1.5, you only add your base STR MOD to the AP.

Good news for two-weapon fighters.

Bear in mind, the two-handed weapons generally already have high AP modifiers, and the light weapons generally already have low AP mods, so the "two-handedness/offhanded-ness" has already been applied to the AP.
 
Yeah, nice point -- I'd been using 1/2 str for offhand weapons but you've convinced me otherwise . . .

Fortunately, I've only been fighting unarmored picts so we haven't had to worry about it . . .
 
Well, considering my PC's are going to be fighting mailled asshuri mercenaries (DR 7, Maille Hauberk + Steel Cap), they'll most likely need all the armor piercing they can get. Of course, when Constantius comes out (DR 12, Plate Armor + Visored Helm), they'll likely need to mount a horse and find a lance, or just grapple him to the ground and let the thief sneak attack him to death.
 
Johannixx said:
when Constantius comes out (DR 12, Plate Armor + Visored Helm), they'll likely need to mount a horse and find a lance, or just grapple him to the ground and let the thief sneak attack him to death.

That's what I love about this system. :) Most PCs in D&D or other D20 games never grapple and have little reason to (unless they need someone alive). But in Conan, they might be forced to by a Hyborian Age tank. And I think that is a good thing.

Although players may need to be helped along -- if they attack a few times and find the armor DR is making their attacks useless, they may be pouting too much to realize there is a solution known as the grapple.
 
Yuan-Ti said:
Johannixx said:
when Constantius comes out (DR 12, Plate Armor + Visored Helm), they'll likely need to mount a horse and find a lance, or just grapple him to the ground and let the thief sneak attack him to death.

That's what I love about this system. :) Most PCs in D&D or other D20 games never grapple and have little reason to (unless they need someone alive). But in Conan, they might be forced to by a Hyborian Age tank. And I think that is a good thing.

Although players may need to be helped along -- if they attack a few times and find the armor DR is making their attacks useless, they may be pouting too much to realize there is a solution known as the grapple.

The other frequently unknown solution to various situations for D&D or other gamers is to...run! (Call of Cthulhu players excluded ;) )
 
slaughterj said:
The other frequently unknown solution to various situations for D&D or other gamers is to...run! (Call of Cthulhu players excluded ;) )

:D Sometimes you have to remind players before a session starts: "Remember, boys, sometimes it's okay to run."
 
Fortunately, my PC's are also period armored combat reenactors, so the thought of grappling a man in full plate and wedging a dagger through his visor slit won't be completely foreign to them ;)
 
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