Everything about dual-wielding in GURPS
Dual-wielding is cool, even though often impractical. However, both in D&D and GURPS it can be quite difficult to wrap your head around it rules-wise. I've decided to compile everything about dual-wielding here to understand it better and have it as a reference material.
While the typical character only has two hands, I will also try to discuss things in the context of characters with more hands.
Regardless of how many hands you have, only one of them is your primary hand. Being left-handed is a 0-point feature (p. B14). Any significant actions performed with your "off" hand are at -4, excluding things that are normally done with your off hand, like using a shield. Parrying with the "off" hand is at -2 due to this penalty.
ADVANTAGES
Ambidexterity (p. B39) removes the aforementioned -4 penalty for using the "off" hand, but does not allow you to take any extra actions in combat. It also has a note that if something happens to one of your arms or hands, assume that it's the left one. Why? If you get hit in the right hand, will your left hand get crippled? This note probably is for games that do not use hit locations, because otherwise it doesn't make much sense.
Arm DX (p. B40) improves the dexterity of one or two of your arms. However, since combat skills are reliant on bodily DX, this will not improve your combat skills.
Arm ST (p. B40) improves the strength of one or more of your arms. Unlike Arm DX, this will improve damage you deal in combat.
Extra Arms (p. B53) is where things start to get much more complicated. Remember, that regardless of how many arms you have, only one of them is a primary arm. Ambidexterity makes all arms primary, even if you have eight of them. If you have many arms, you can perform multiple noncombat tasks at the same time, as long as they do not require much attention. However, in combat you still can only attack once, unless you have Extra Attack. Having four arms, for example, could allow you to dual-wield two two-handed weapons.
Extra Attack (p. B53) is, again, something complicated, as there are some tricky interactions between this advantage and certain attack options. By default, it allows an additional attack per turn, but they must be made with different weapons: two swords in two hands is fine, sword and a punch is fine, two punches with two hands is fine, but slashing twice with the same sword is not. So, this is a good advantage for dual-wielders, and a single level of it is even within the realistic limits. However, it does not eliminate the -4 to DX for using the "off" hand.
If you are making an All-Out Attack, then all your attacks take the same bonus. You cannot make a Determined attack with your right hand and a Strong attack with the left hand. If you make an All-Out Attack (Double), you only get one additional attack, not one attack per attack. Thus, an All-Out Attack (Double) with Extra Attack 1 will result in 3 attacks, not 4; and an All-Out Attack (Double) with Extra Attack 2 will result in 4 attacks, not 6. It is not mentioned anywhere, but I assume that the same applies to Committed Attacks and Defensive Attacks. What about Telegraphic Attacks though? Can I telegraph an attack with one hand, but not with the other? You probably can. But that's just my assumption.
Regardless of how many attacks per turn you can make, only one of them can be a Rapid Strike. Only that attack takes the Rapid Strike penalties, and the rest do not. I guess if you have Altered Time Rate, you can make more Rapid Strikes, as you have more maneuvers, not attacks.
Multi-Strike (p. P49 or p. MA44) enhancement allows you to use the same weapon for extra attacks.
Single Skill (p. P49 or p. MA44) limitation limits your extra attacks to a single skill. However, this does not circumvent the requirements to actually have enough limbs or weapons. Thus, if you have two broadswords and Extra Attack 2 (Single Skill, Broadsword), then you will only be able to make two attacks, not three. Unless you combine it with Multi-Strike, of course.
Heroic Archer (p. MA45) halves the -4 penalty to shoot two arrows at once using Dual-Weapon Attack (Bow). Technically, this isn't dual-wielding, but it uses the same mechanics, so I will include it here.
PERKS
Akimbo (p. PU2-5) doesn't help you fight with two weapons, but lets you open doors, reload, and do other similar things without putting anything down. A cinematic perk.
Dual Ready (p. PU2-5) lets you draw two weapons with a single Ready maneuver. However, you should remember that Fast-Draw with your "off" hand is possible in the same turn as your normal Fast-Draw. This takes the normal -4 "off" hand penalty.
Off-Hand Weapon Training (p. MA50) eliminates the -4 off-hand penalty for one skill. This perk completely replaces the Off-Hand Weapon Training technique on p. B232, because that one is way too point-inefficient. Also, once you have accumulated five these perks, you can safely replace them with the Ambidexterity advantage. GURPS Power-Ups 2: Perks on p. 16 expands this perk with noncombat options, turning it into Off-Hand Training. This is basically "soft errata" for the Off-Hand Weapon Training technique.
One-Armed Bandit (p. PU2-6) lets you operate a lever- or pump-action long arm one-handed. Combine it with Akimo, and you'll be able to dual-wield pump-action shotguns.
Quick-Swap (p. MA51 or p. PU2-7) makes moving one weapon from one hand to another a free action instead of a Ready maneuver. Useful in situations where you get partially disarmed.
Unusual Training (Dual-Weapon Attack, Both attacks must target the same foe) (p. MA52) appears on many styles in GURPS Martial Arts. This one allows improving the technique even in realistic games, where the Dual-Weapon Attack technique is usually forbidden.
SKILLS
Cloak (p. B184) can be used as a shield. This is one of those actions that do not take the -4 off-hand penalty, but is the offensive use of the cloak penalized? Personally, I don't think so, but I haven't found anything concrete.
Main-Gauche (p. B208) allows you to wield any weapon that is normally wielded with Knife or Jitte/Sai skill in the "off" hand. When wielded this way, you ignore the -4 penalty when defending (I think this is the first instance of clearly stating that you do after all parry at -2 with the off-hand weapon) and the -1 penalty to Parry that most knives have. Off-hand attacks are still penalized. GURPS Martial Arts says on page 58 that you can use Main-Gauche in your primary hand - you do get improved defense, but can still attack with no penalty. However, remember that Main-Gauche is an Average skill, while Knife is an Easy one.
Shield (p. B220) does not take off-hand penalties both for blocking and attacking with a shield. You can even dual-wield shields, but in that case the DB does not stack. You still get bet more Block attempts per turn and are protected against attacks from the front and all side hexes. I wonder if it's possible to dual-wield cloaks. That would look silly.
TECHNIQUES
Double-Ended Attack (GURPS Fantasy-Tech 2: Weapons of Fantasy, p. 6) is a variant of the Dual-Weapon Attack technique for double-ended weapons. The only question is why isn't a staff a double-ended weapon?
Dual-Weapon Attack (p. B230) should not be confused with the Dual-Weapon Attack attack option (p. B417). This technique lets you buy off the -4 penalty for performing these Dual-Weapon Attacks, but not the additional -4 off-hand penalty. This is a cinematic technique, unless the skill in question is Guns (Pistol). Why not Beam Weapons (Pistol) too? Why not Crossbow? I'd probably allow these as well.
Dual-Weapon Defense (p. MA83) lets you buy off a -1 to defend against Dual-Weapon Attacks. If you are wielding a long weapon, you can even do that with a single Parry roll, not two.
Ear Clap (p. MA70) works much better if you perform it with both hands at once.
Hands-Free Riding (p. MA73) is essential if you are dual-wielding on horseback.
Hook (p. MA74) is much more useful when you have another weapon ready to strike.
Off-Hand Weapon Training (p. B232) lets you buy off the -4 off-hand penalty, but it has been replaced by the Off-Hand Weapon Training perk (see above).
COMBAT
So, why dual-wield at all? It seems that you have to invest many points to be able to attack with both weapons at once, unless using All-Out Attack (Double), and to wield the weapons properly. Seems lackluster, right? Let's explore this further.
Dual-Weapon Attacks (p. B417) is an optional rule that might be cinematic, but is balanced enough for realistic campaigns. This one lets you attack with two weapons with an Attack maneuver instead of All-Out Attack (Double), meaning that you will not be defenseless. Nothing is said about this being compatible with Committed Attack, Defensive Attack, or Telegraphic Attack, but it probably is. Unlike Rapid Strike, Dual-Weapon Attack can be used with Move and Attack. Each attack gets a -4 to skill, and you off-hand attack is further penalized by -4, unless you have Ambidexterity or the necessary perk to eliminate that. The first -4 penalty can be bought off with the eponymous technique (see above). This is not a single attack roll, but two of them. For melee attacks, you must either hit the same target or two adjacent targets. If you direct both attacks at the same target, he defends at -1. If you are making a ranged Dual-Weapon Attack, then this -1 penalty only applies to parries. This penalty to defend can be bought off with the Dual-Weapon Defense technique (see above). If you have multiple attacks, only one of them can be a Dual-Weapon Attack, the rest must be single-weapon attacks (you can even combine it with All-Out Attack (Double)). As per p. MA83, you can use Dual-Weapon Attack with a bow to shoot two arrows at once, possibly at different targets. This penalty is halved with Heroic Archer.
You can also use Dual-Weapon Attacks to Feint or Beat with one weapon and attack with another. That's pretty good, if you eliminate the off-hand penalty.
Combinations (p. MA80) take reduced penalties when a combination involves two different weapons.
This option makes dual-wielding much better. However, even without it, there are some advantages. For example, since you have a weapon in each hand, you have a wider arc of possible attacks in tactical combat. You can attack to your front, right, and left without changing facing, and that can be important. The same applies to parries. Typically, you get only one unpenalized parry per weapon per turn. Now you can parry twice per turn with no penalties, and can defend from the front and all side hexes. The same applies to blocks when dual-wielding shields.
Main-Gauche not only gives you an unpenalized off-hand parry, but also a fencing parry which turns you into a nuisance that is difficult to hit. Dual-wielding weapons with different Reach values might come in handy as well. For example, if you have an axe with Reach 1 in your right hand, you will be heavily penalized in close combat, so having a Reach C weapon in your off-hand would be useful.
An additional very useful defense option is Cross Parry (p. MA121) - the bonus is nothing to laugh at, and it also allows you to parry flails and heavy weapons more effectively. Do not use it when fighting multiple opponents, though.
Unarmed attacks by default do not take the "off" hand penalty, but the Strong and Weak Hands optional rule in the Harsh Realism for Unarmed Fighters box on p. MA124 makes it apply.
Certain double-ended weapons allow using Dual-Weapon Attack against two adjacent foes. Such weapons include Qian Kun Ri Yue Dao, Three-Part Staff, and the double-ended weapons from GURPS Fantasy-Tech 2: Weapons of Fantasy.
Douglas Cole also wrote two interesting blog posts about Dual-Weapon Attacks:
And that's it, I think. I think I understand dual-wielding better now.
Very well done. Thank you!
ReplyDelete