Theoretically wielding a two-handed sword with a shield.

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Now, I know this may sound weird, but if a character were strong enough and big enough, doen't it stand to reason that he/she could hold and wield a generally two handed sword with one hand? And with the other hand have another weapon or a shield?

 

Yes they could. After all, a two-handed sword is just a long sword that is, er, a bit longer. If someone has enough strength, they'd be able to wield a two-handed sword in one hand and another two-handed sword in the other.

/off topic a *little*/

Anyone who's read book 3 of A Song of Ice and Fire will notice that Gregor Clegane wields a two-handed sword in ONE hand. He's able to do this because of his incredible size (he's about 8 feet tall) and strength.

Admittedly, there aren't any NPCs in the game who are as tall as that, but surely with Strength scores above 20 possible, it stands to reason that someone would be able to wield a two-handed sword in each hand.

 

I doubt anyone below eight feet tall could effectively wield a two-handed sword one-handed. It would be unbalanced, and the wielded would have little control over it.

 

Still, I think that a high strength is more than enough to compensate for any balance problems. It's like a dwarf using a bastard sword or something... if they're strong enough, they can use it.

 

I'm reading it now

In Icewind Dale, you can wield a 2-handed sword and a shield, which was pretty cool. I'm not sure if I had to force it, or if it lets you equip both during the game at any time, but it works. In any case, BG2 crashes if you've tried the same thing.

Now let's think about this. If the character has strength 22, he is as strong as a fire giant. I have no doubt that a fire giant could use a 2-hander with one hand. Joril's Dagger is a 2-handed sword used by a frost giant as a dagger, and frost giants aren't as strong as fire giants. So, while there is the size difference, the strength is there.

So yes, it would definately be hard to weild a 2 handed sword in one hand, but I think that, say, a half-orc with strength 22+ should be able to pull it off.

 

A blade's balance really wouldn't matter if a character was strong enough. In addition to that, one could naturally assume that magic weapons may have their weight and/or balance changed due to the enchantments on them. I've read D&D books where ogres and half ogres use two handed swords one handed, and once your character has fire giant strength, they're a lot more formidable then a simple ogre.

Technically, the game does allow you to use a two handed sword one handed; Katanas are meant to be used as a two handed weapon, but BG2 allows you to dual weild them nonetheless, even though the weapon isn't balanced in such a way as to allow a person to weild 2 comfortably.

I think it'd be pretty cool to have a 22 strength character be able to use Carsomyr one handed. Sort of like The Mountain That Rides (although Clegane wouldn't be able to use the holy avenger because he's an evil son of a b****).

I think it's more a question of game balance then actual realism; having a theif dual weild carsomyr and the Ravager halberd could grow ridiculous pretty quickly.

 

Not only balance - imagine what kind of problems would arise trying to create animations for someone attacking with a halberd and a 2-handed sword at the same time!

 

Cool. It look something like Gandalf in the Return of the King when they are fighting the orcs at the city walls. His Staff of Power and the Elvish sword he has, I can really remember it though.
But think about it, the old man could dual-wield a two handed weapon. And I think the fighting moves are dead cool. Smite with the staff and slice the orc's legs off with the next stroke.

 

It's probably also done to make the game a little harder. Two-handed weapons inflict more damage than any other weapons and the only +6 weapons in the game are two-handed, so allowing a character wearing a girdle of Fire/Frost Giant Strength to wield a couple of +6 two-handed weapons might unbalance the game. Carsomyr +6 and the Ravager +6 would be a lethal combination.

 

I actually have a RL example. I have done medieval fighting for some time, and our current Duke does wield a two-handed sword with one hand. Now I will admit this is a big dude - he's about 6.5 feet tall and weighs about 280 pounds. That said he certainly isn't as tall or as strong as a giant, so certainly any character with a high strength should be able to do it.

However, I only think a two-handed sword (and maybe a quarterstaff) are the only ones that would really work with one hand. Things like a spear or a halberd are designed to be used with two hands. In reality they are offensive and defensive weapons, so regardless of how strong you are, your arm works on a fixed plane, and would require a second arm to wield it correctly.

 

Yea, it all depends on size categories. Technically, small creatures like Half-lings and Gnomes can't wield two-handed swords, and long swords to them are two-handed swords. Strength doesn't play a role in this, because the reason a medium creature can't wield a two handed sword in one hand is because it's like holding a long long rod in one arm. It's just too uncoordinated, unless you were to take a feat, monkey grip. Whole other story . Large creatures then, can use large weapons in one hand, (two handed sword is a large weapon). But, Giant weapons need to be wielded in 2 hands for large creatures, and so on. Pretty simple system

 

And besides, if they made that possible, they'd have to restrict something else for game balance.

 

omnigodly has the truth

@Aldeth
I wonder what was that greatsword like?
Because real two-handers used sheer weight of the blade instead of any sharpness to deal damage. They didnt even bother to sharpen the blades often. Hence the weight of the whole thing was too much for people to wield in one hand effectively.

Strenght doesnt matter. Size does.
Of course you need decent strenght to wield such big weapons one handed, but more importantly you must be able to control them. And if you are a gnome with 22 strenght you simply cannot fight well with a halberd in one hand eventhough you can easily wave it around (as much as you can because of your limited body).

This is how they did it in the 3ed. Weapon sizes and race sizes. Medium size race wields medium size weapon in one hand, large weapons in two,...
An Epic character (above 20th lvl) can choose a feat to be able to fight decently with a large weapon. ToB levels are high beyond that so it should be possible to access such a fighting style with fighters. With some serious penality to ofset for the ridiculous power of such chars.

 

Balance only means something at 'human' strength levels. A strength of 22-25 is extreme. Nobody in real life has ever aquired strength scores even remotely close to these.

Size means nothing. Take a fiberglass rod or some other light substance. Make a 6 foot 'blade' out of it. You'll find it very easy to wield because it's so light for you. The stronger you are the lighter things are for you.

Take a whip for example. Whips are 'huge' when it comes to length but they're light so you use one with one hand. You 'could' use one with two hands but you would be over-compensating.

 

There is actually a feat in 3ed. to fight with large weapons in one hand by second leve, (if you're a fighter because a Human Fighter by second level has, 4 feats ). In Bg2 and most other games, choosing feats and using them is difficult/impossible to implement, thus why they don't have the variability of paper and pencil. But in the end, I think gnomes and such CAN wield 2 handed weapons.

 

What is the point, with a 2 handed weapon it would be no where near as effective as a 1 handed weapon (with a shield) no matter what strength you possess

 

A character wielding Carsoymr +6 and the Ravager +6 would be a match for any character wielding a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. At the stage in the game where you get the +6 weapons, your THACO is so good you rarely miss enemies no matter what their AC is so it all comes down to sheer killing power. And two +6 swords is going to equal a lot more killing power than a sword and a shield.

 

@abomination

You're right on one part. Such super-human strenght can easily wield heavy weapons. But you're forgeting the other thing - weight of the char. A gnome with 25 strenght could probably lift a house. And wave a twohander tied on his little finger. But as soon as he waves it around it's gonna drag him along it and trip him. That's why size matters.
You could argue that he could possibly develope a special fighting style (more like Yoda without the light sabre, but with a BIG sword ). *shrugs* I doubt he'd have much oppurtunity killing enemies, when he'd be so busy not triping himself.

@david w
Agreed, at those levels their expertise it beyond anything we ever saw. In fact in 3ed you can dual-wield two twohanders AFAIK with a high level char.

 

*sigh*, in 3ed you can dual wield two great swords, (two handed swords, 2d6 dmg), at level 5 or 6, if you go level 1 human ranger, rest fighter levels... and get monkey grip, which takes a few feats to get... It's not epic to do this!! It's just semi-difficult

 

@ David W: Isn't the Carasomyr only +5? I know theres a +6 out there, but thats in a item pack...