“Prince zuko, I didn’t know you were skilled with broadswords.” Zuko- “I’m not. They’re antiques” he says desperately hoping nobody found out he originally wanted to play a dual wielder monk build before realizing it would never work
I feel like homebrewing that you can make your flurry of blows with dual wielded monk weapons isn't too broken. Not like monk is all that strong to begin with
@@DParkerNunya level 5 so fighter 4 monk 1: action-> attack(2)+ extra attack(2) + bonus action-> unarmed strike furry of blows(2) all unarmed so only 1d+6 but that is as strong as the rapiers. so 6 attacks but you use 1 ki point
@kennethgee2004 That's a level 4 fighter, level 1 monk. Just play a level 5 monk. Pick up Two Weapon Fighting from the feat at 4th level (or 1st if you're variant human). Technically, you could use daggers at this level to have 3 attacks with your action that all do 1d6+3-5 damage each, then your bonus action which can be a flurry for another 2 attacks that can deal 1d6+3-5 each. 5d6+15-25 each round. Rapiers can't be monk weapons, so I don't know why they were even brought into the mix. (Dedicated weapon allows 1 Rapier, not two.) I guess action surge is nice, because that means 4 action attacks, but you can't flurry at that level of monk, so you end up with the same number of attacks once per short rest, and it'll be with less damage total.
@@DParkerNunya rapiers are martial weapons so yes that can be monk weapons as monks can choose one martial weapon as a monk weapon. if I understood correctly that a monk special weapon cannot have the heavy or special property. but this is why fighter as you get a fighting style and then when you select monk you get to select daily your monk weapon.
I just watched your video on multi-class combos and now I want to play a dual wielding strength based (v) human fighter/barb. One level of each at level 2 Dual wielding fighting style Dual wielder feat War pick in one hand war hammer in the other (1d8 + Str + rage damage) piercing + (1d8 + Str + rage damage) bludgeoning That'll play pretty fun at low level even if you push back extra attack until level 6 and pick up reckless at 7, your third feat at 8, bear totem resistence at 9. This is totally going to be my next character.
It's nice to recap that when you talk about the fighter's combo action surge + multiattack you get already 4 atacks... and 1 more isn't that big deal, so we tend to look away from dual wielding... but that just happens once in a battle, and even once in a series of battles if we're talking dungeon crawling. In that level of play, having "only" 2 attacks regularly and getting 1 more it is, indeed, a big deal for a player.
My duel wielder is a brute (UA) fighter because brutes get to roll dice after each WEAPON attack they make which scales as you level since brute also gets a second fighting style choose mariner for ac boost with a swim and climb speed so you get to do 1d8+3 plus 1d6+3 plus 2d4 at 3rd level.
Not quite. Check out our video on Crossbow Expert for an explanation of why this doesn't quite work within the rules and doesn't confer any actual benefits (but since it doesn't provide any real benefits, it's fine to handwave it)
Right now I’m playing a 1/2elf dragonblood Sorcerer(4)/Fighter(3). Part of his backstory was he fought in fighting pits as an orphan. So he was able to weld a short sword (in place of elven blades). The party faced off with a Yanti at lvl 2. Jak nearly expended all his spells during the fight. His sister a rouge was fighting in melee and was nearly killed. Charging in he distracted the Yanti allowing her to excape. Landing the final blow, breaking his sword. he picking up the two scimitars vowing to never let that happen again. During down time in a city he trained with the two blades with a Bladedancer taking a lvl of fighter. Later he trained with Warmages to gain the warcaster feat. The scimitars he carries are magical and use his Charisma. Though the corse of the game thus far he is now training to be an Echo Knight (GM thought it’d be cool, original idea was Battlemaster). In his first fight as an Echo Knight he once again faced off with a Yanti. His movements round the battlefield and ability to attack from different angles annoyed the DM (that was awesome). I would not recommend this combo to any but experienced players. it is frustrating at times because so many abilities use the bonus action and doesn’t use many spells. I am thinking of continuing down the Fighter path to lvl 6 then going back to Sorcerer. I was thinking about taking the Duel welder feat mostly because Jak doesn’t wear armor. What are your thoughts?
Dual wielding variant human with dual weilder feat, picking TWF from ranger. Pick up hunters mark, and then lvl 3 pick up Hunter archetype for colossus slayer. Talk to your DM since 4th and 5th lvl are the same for martial classes and see if they will allow a multiclass while still allowing progression on the martial chart ( the 4th lvl ability improvement/ feat, and extra attack at 5th). If yes, then multi into fighter, pick up defensive fighting style for another +1 AC. Lvl 2 fighter action surge, then lvl 3 fighter battle master with riposte, disarm, and trip. A lot of dice rolling, and a fun way to control the field. Excels at one on one, but doesn't handle multiple enemies well. This is my current character in campaign I have been playing. It is a lot of fun, and has pretty high damage with the hunter's mark procs, colossus slayer, and battle master dice. Even get to use your reaction when the enemy misses you using battle master riposte since AOO are not common in the campaign i am in.
A str paladin with heavy armor and axes sounds quite cool. 3 attacks instead of 2 = more chances for crit smite. And after lvl 11 it's 1d10 bonus to all 3 attacks.
Regarding rogues: You did not mention Crossbow Master, which is the only way to get multiple ranged attacks per turn with this class (outside of multiclassing). The same basic principles apply, however - only one sneak attack per turn, using the second hand crossbow only if the first misses in order to get that SA damage dice, etc. But if you want to build a ranged rogue, it's probably best to run with a 5-level dip into fighter to get the multiattack. Rogue 1, Fighter 1 (take archery as fighting style), then run through Fighter 5 to pick up the multiattack (taking crossbow expert at level 4), and then run your rogue levels up as high as the campaign allows. You can maybe take the second level of rogue at some point before fighter 5, depending on how much you prioritize positioning in combat over either raw damage or HP (those d10 HD, tho). Whatever you choose, the archetype of dual wielding ranged weapons with sneak attack is very interesting, and it's certainly playable, if not completely optimal.
I will say I'm surprised you didn't bring up the swashbuckler subclass for the rogue. It has an ability that is very useful to duel wielding. (Fancy footwork) it allows rogues to not have to use said bonus action to disengage without having to take the mobile feat. Furthermore the rogue class becomes a absolute damage machine if paired with about a 3-5 lvl multi class into fighter. I currently have a Duel wielder that has 17 lvl's in rogue and 3 lvl's in fighter throughout my jouneys with him from lvl 1 to 20 he has always been able to deal an amazing amount of damage, take a fair amount of damage, and have enough versatility and tools to help the party where he is needed. All of this without losing out of combat features.
The only example but a good one is in the 1970’s Three Musketeers when an assassin uses two rapiers against one of the musketeers on the road to England.
The swashbuckler subclass is amazing for dual weilder. Extra chances to snake attack and fancy feet let's u poke twice and back petal. I belive the best feeling build is 5fighter (champ) the rest rouge swashbuckler.
What are everyone's thoughts on an Arcane Trickster Rogue with Dual Wielding and take Fighter Lvl 1 with Two-Weapon Fighting? What level would that be a good idea? At level 4 after becoming a AT Rogue or wait a little longer?
Can a Arcane Trickster Rogue with a dual wielder feat, dual wield with Shadow Blade and cast booming blade? This is to get around the fact that you can no longer stack booming blade using your shadow blade because booming blade has to be cast with a material component of 1sp or more, i.e. an actual weapon and not an illusory (shadow blade)
Have you done a video yet on how to effectively use tools (like thieves tools, smithing, etc.?). How about a video on what characters can do in their down time between adventures? Just a couple ideas ;)
@@kelb76 My artificer is the crafter of out team. we follow the crafting rules in xanathar's but ignore the recipe requirement for items that are on my infusion list or if it is a homebrew thing that my character has designed herself.
@@SirPanfred Training and seeking out instructors. Some aspect of leveling would naturally happen by just doing other would not or would be much slower without proper instruction. It's also useful if you can't get your whole party together, you can have a mini session without others feeling left out. Also specialize materials would not be readily available in anything short of a large city if even there. It's a good idea for a DM to read up on the history of stuff to get a feel for what was truly a common or a rare item. Even something like flint or a whetstone wouldn't be that common. Don't believe me go looking for it today outside, if those rocks aren't around you aren't likely to find it. Doing that research will greatly enrich the gaming experience for you and your players. Something else to consider for your next adventure is to limit currency. No working class person would likely ever so much as touch a gold piece let's along have a pouch of them. That's something only nobles would have. In dim times dim have nuts had fur less den they haves has today. (sorry attempt to spell out a Liverpool accent) Anyway just that's just some thoughts from an AD&D DM.
We've used weaver's tools to create more rope in field conditions (it has been quite useful, rope is actually pretty valuable utility stuff), and smithing, glassblower's and alchemist's tools to create all sorts of cool arrowheads (smoke, acid and alchemist's fire in small glass vial arrowheads for example). Card gaming proficiency has been used in making a local mafia to own our party some favors, and of course some money. For downtime, in our campaign we have a week-based daily activity of some sorts for individual characters, and roll some relevant dice to see how it goes. For example, a rogue might want to get to know the local criminal community and maybe get some good contacts. They spend a couple of weeks in town. For each week, they roll a couple of skills: insight once to figure out the right people to talk to, persuasion twice to get near the right people. The successes are tracked, and once gained enough successes they gain contacts and knowledge. I have personally had my fighter battlemaster take part in archery competitions. Ruleswise it's simple: roll and add attack modifiers as if shooting the bow, and then GM determines the challenge with 2d10+something. Successes have gained my fighter a lot of money and renown among those circles, but I also rolled a couple of 1's and now I have a sore loser noble as an enemy that hates my fighter's ass. Oh and also my fighter has used woodcarver's tools to make a local orphanage some toys, and he has gained a few NPC friends doing so.
Actually not totally. Seashbucklers are amazing and ducking and dodging around the battlefield and finding individuals to fight. You need your bonus action to das and disengage. Personally I have a dagger in my offhand for my swashbuckler, but almost never use it
@Pranay Talati good point, but also you can take the dash bonus action. Also, if you miss, then you might need it. Also that’s not the only way to play a swashbuckler, but I do see the point of a dual wielding swashbuckler. I personally find a single rapier more effective
Fun historical fact! wielding two rapiers was an historical style, just not terribly popular (it's incredibly difficult, and not always terribly advantageous. ) It was historically called "brace-rapiers", "case rapiers" or occasionally "Florentine fencing". It appears in a few historical treatises, and it's fascinating. Worth checking out.
Now, this has plenty of awesome ideas for some homebrewing. Like if you have two large shields that can interlock to become a giant barrier. Give full coverage, but half their movement speed. While not super useful in melee, this would be great when against ranged weapons and spells. Your party can get behind you as slowly move them towards the Archer's tower, the Warlock firing Eldritch Blasts at them to try and get them to hide, giving you more time. You got guys firing from both sides? Dig those shields into the ground and crouch down. Now you have half cover. Not too sure how this one would work, but maybe while the shields are acting as cover, let you slip them off and pull out another weapon. Better yet, slip them off then run at the enemy, letting your hurt Ranger hide for a second so the cleric can cure their wounds, or so the Wizard can stay guarded while using a concentration spell. Now cast Enlarge on him. What do you have now? A 12' Orc with 2 giant shields, basically becoming a makeshift bulldozer as he tears through the enemy lines, shield bashing enemies, proning them as the party comes in for the kill. This could be perfect for the character who is a huge brute, but not a violent one. The big and soft type. He's here to protect his friends, and protect them they shall.
Dual wielding has become more viable for other classes with the introduction of the Fighting Initiate feat, which allows a class to pick a Fighting Style from the fighter list.
It's even odd... When this has changed... Anyone can Dual Wield at base. Although, nothing in the rules stops you from holding two non light weapons during combat without Feats etc. Just avoid doing the Bonus Action stuff. Along with Interaction and other mechanics near this type of action. There are ways to dual wield without going through this unrefined rule.
@@wesleywyndam-pryce5305 Only with one at base... I use Extra Attack for both weapons or other Action types... Ditch that specific Bonus Action about Dual Wielding. There are better ways to do this...
Yep. Came here to say this. I played a college of swords bard and (though I didn't play it higher levels) I do think it scales really well because of the flourishes that let you add your bardic inspiration to the damage (which is awesome, because so very often this feature is underused).
came here to say this as well because you can though like Braulio Lopes I didn't get to higher levels, bestow because the extra attack, gives you three attacks ( like other classes dual wielding) but because bestow curse allows you to get an extra damage die per attack
@@freman007 Oh yeah you're right. Huh, it kinda makes me think of the multiclass possibilities of bard college of swords and paladin. That could be cool!
@@braulioservodedeus I am playing that build. You get to dish out a lot of damage even at lower levels (about 40 to 50 in one turn at level 5). Couple that with elven accuracy (my case) or lucky and you are dealing CRIT damage smiting and flourishing. Drow can cast faerie fire so... Also with this multiclass you can smite harder with less levels due to the bard's being a full caster. I just got elven accuracy so I haven't put it into play yet, but I am dying for the next adventure to get it going.
I just fired up a Sword Bard myself, and my DM even let me shift my spellcasting ability to Dex (for lore reasons too!) So far it's been an utter blast.
Furthermore, they can designate a proficient weapon as their spellcasting focus, which counteracts the melee/casting dilemma. On top of that, their Blade Flourish ability does not take a bonus action: it only requires that you land an attack that turn. As such, a dual wielding Sword Bard can get two chances to boost their AC, increase damage against mobs, or maneuver their opponents. The only downside is that this means you have to be a lot more choosy about using your Bardic Inspiration (1 bonus action), but since they are expended for the sake of Blade Flourish until level 14, it's something the player would need to be aware of regardless.
Evan Umenhofer what was the lore reason for switching to dex? Another thing swords bards have is being able to pick up crusader’s mantle. While CM only adds 1d4 per hit, it can also apply to your allies’ attacks as well. CM also doesn’t require a bonus action to switch targets either since it’s an aura spell.
Two rapiers was one of the few historical dual-wielding fighting styles. It was a called a case of rapiers and was very popular in Florence, hence it's other name: Florentine style.
@@worldsendgaming5236 the term Florentine to refer to using two weapons isn't historical. Case of rapier was a style, but it wasn't very popular anywhere. You can find historical examples of a case of rapiers designed to fit together and look like a single sword, and sit together in the same sheath. I think this would be a cool way to go in a D&D game. Most period masters did not recommend the use of a second rapier in combat in earnest. DiGrassi talks about the use of it at length in his treatise on Falsing.
I do remember hearing about a Rapier that was in a Scabbard that would split into two rapiers and I believe that it is what was originally called dual wielding
Taking that a few steps further: play a Half-Elf, then take the "Elven Accuracy" feat. Make it a Dex based Vengeance Paladin so you can use Vow of Enmity to get advantage on a target for 1 minute. Take one more level in Fighter for Champion. With all of this, your Paladin rolls three d20s when attacking with advantage, and crits if any of those dice are a 19 or 20. Under these conditions, you have a 27 percent of critting on an attack against the target of your Vow of Enmity.
My fighter/rogue is a dual wielder, took two weapon fighting style so I can add my proficiency to my offhand attack. It's fun having 3 attacks at level 4 if I burn my action surge plus sneak attack on one of those, I'm going swashbuckler too so the sneak attack is even easier to pull off.
the second attack still gets your proficiency bonus either way, what twf style gives you is letting you add your ability bonus to damage on your second attack
@@likeahorse it let's you do it on your bonus action, it's the fighters fighting style Edit: I see what you meant, I meant it as in it let's me add the proficiency to the damage 😅 sorry I'm half asleep currently
@@likeahorse aye I just re-read what I typed and laughed 🤣 sorry dude I'm currently running on over 70 hours of consciousness My brain went ability mod = proficiency for some stupid ass reason 😅
@@schwann145 Eh, Polearm Master(PAM) always wins. If you're going 1h+shield(+2ac), quarterstaff is great with style options of: +1ac, +2dmg/hit, or shield cover for allies. With 2h grab a glaive, now you have reach, die rerolls on 1&2''s, and the option of using GWM(-5hit/+10dmg) on each swing. And since PAM let's you gain an opportunity attack for mobs entering your range you will situationally gain a 2nd attack out of the feat on its own.
I think that a 20th level fighter getting ofur attacks with a two handed weapon but only increasing to five attacks when switching to two one handed weapons makes no freaking sense at all.
Lol you guys are missing the magic, literally. If you’re duel wielding magic weapons, and fishing for crits with elven accuracy NOVA DMG is real. The more dice the more you double, and wielding a secondary magic weapon really adds up.
Dungeon Dudes! coming from a student of HEMA, there is historical precident for duel wielding twin rapiers. there are different sizes of Rapiers made for different reasons and uses. Furthermore, there are more cases of use of duel wielding during the SMALL SWORD period of american and european history, that being between the 18th and 19th centuries. hope this helps in the future! lastly, i LOVE your work. i use your starting guide on dnd 5e as a starting point for teaching new players about this game. Keep up the Great work, and STAY SAFE!
Fun fact about the Dual Wielder feat: in addition to the main benefits for dual-welders, it allows sword and board characters to switch their weapon without having to use an action, which could be useful for an Artificer with lots of specialised magic weapons.
I was running a duel weilding swashbuckler rogue in my campaign before COVID hit. My GM allowed me to make a character that was a Jewish, middle aged CPA from Hoboken that guy sucked through a portal into Thune. He was a 1st place recipient in his offices squash team, hence his heightened reflexes and ambidexterity. He was.... So fun to play. A constant source of humor and kind of a badass. Oh, he was also pulled through wearing khaki shorts, tube socks, new balance sneakers, and a phany pack with a years supply of alka seltzer tablets. He was granted a single wish by a genie in his early adventures and instead of asking to be sent home, he wish for a but more holding space in his phany pack.... He's the best.
I assume you and your DM enjoy Isekai animes, and acquisitions incorporated. Also, you should totally find a way to get a Golem for your Jewish Rogue :)
My personal favorite is 2 levels of Paladin, then going College of Swords Bard the rest of the way. Smites and flurries combined with a full caster that can use their weapons as a spell focus is the best duel-wielding warrior.
Just two things which I'd like to add: 1) College of Swords Bard 2) At higher levels the dual wielding could be made stronger by utilising some interesting magic weapons' combos
That's actually a fair point. While most good magic weapons are going to take up attunement slots, and it is usually better to spread magical weapons around among those who use them, a character with two different special attacks/abilities would be pretty versatile.
I'm planning on making a STR dual-wield fighter and the way I wanted to do this is at lvl 1, he would just stick to 1 sword then during downtime in the campaign, he would practice with a 2nd sword until I can get the dual wielder feat at lvl 4. I thought of this as a way for my character to organically get better at fighting and as a small character development in the campaign.
I've found that a really good build is going Mark of Healing Halfling, Paladin 2, College of Swords Bard 18, with the Mobile and Dual wielder feats, Two-Weapon Fighting fighting style (from the bard, and Defensive from the paladin), Magical secrets of Find Greater Steed and Tenser's Transformation is absolutely amazing. You can share your Tenser's Transformation with your mount for essentially 10d12 extra force damage, and using your smites to deal that bit extra when you crit. You use the halfling racial ability combined with mobile to run in between the legs of your enemies and Defensive Flourish to get some crazy high AC. Alternitavely, you can go Mark of Shadow elf and pick up Elven Accuracy and Revenant Blade, if you like the flavor of it.
@@KINGTACO31 "While mounted on it, you can make any spell you cast that targets only you also target the mount." - Find (Greater) Steed. Tenser's Transformation has a range of Self.
@@Grorl Well, one thing about bards that i noticed is that you don't get a lot of spells that are directly useful in combat. I played it as a lightfoot halfling way back when, and having a strong set of spells to help the party in combat was something i missed until the later levels. It works fine past level 12, but until then i reccomend using a Dragonmarked race of your choice (i suggested halfling to keep the ability to run in between the legs of enemies and healing instead of hospitality to reduce overlap with the bard spell list).
The problem, even in concept, of dual wielding rapiers is that the primary benefit to a rapier is reach. As such, unlike a longsword, you wield it with your leading arm. Thus, assuming equal length weapons, your opponent enters your striking range if he does not take the same stance. Thus, for both opponents, anything held in an offhand, is too far away to threaten the opponent. This is precisely why the rapier/gauche combination, used the gauche for blocking and trapping, rather than striking. Its lack of length was not a deficit, since it wasn't a striker, and allowed it to be crossed behind the rapier for blocking. The treatises that instructed use of two rapiers did not suggest it as a superior option against a single opponent, but rather a last best option if you're forced to defend against multiple attackers. So, we can guess from this, that it was an act of desperation rather than a preferred technique.
Michael Hundt wrote about using twin rapiers and there are also spanish and italian treatises (Fiore afaik) depicting it, even though it was very rare and nowhere near as good as using rapier + dagger, cloak or shield.
@cak01vej google is your friend, and other posts here have already linked specific sources. also, its not really the kind of thing you should have to convince a DM of, unless you are in a specifically historical setting. as long as you have the requisite proficiency and feats, you can dual wield dwarves if you want. (results not guaranteed)
Well, kinda lack luster. 5e really nerfed dual wielding, especially considering the options for other styles like great weapons. Maybe I'm a little bias growing up in the 3e and 3.5e where you really had to commit but actually got some real results. 5e dual wielding is just, underwhelming.
But now... Most of the Fighting Styles are Feats and free for all Classes... But the same problems are there. You can still wield two non light weapons without Feats. Just don't use it for that Bonus Attack.
@@andrecosta8680 That's how 5e was written... Unfortunately. "Dual Wield" only refers to the Bonus Action attack. Not anything else. And "Light" only refers to that Bonus Action attack... In RAW.
He can also get this through polearm mastery though and use the great weapon style. That's why it's hard to justify dual wielding on classes that don't have the style.
Divine Favor would be a better choice, since you wouldn't need to change targets as with Hunter's Mark and only do 1 less average damage. Much more optimal.
Historically, dual rapier (or case of rapiers) style was taught in fencing school in Europe during the Renaissance era. Using two rapiers is harder then a rapier and a dagger, but it teaches you to use your non-dominate hand in combat more effectively. I, personally, think that dual rapiers would have been more commonly used then dual longswords or battle axes. That said, this is D&D. Cool factor is superior to historical accuracy. If I could make a dual pole-arm fighter, I would do it in a heartbeat.
I would say two rapiers is a bad idea, the good thing about a dagger isn't just that it gives you a defensive off hand weapon but they are good close in unlike a rapier which is near useless.
@SaviorOfNirn I was replying more in relation to the first comments talk of historic dual rapier use, I know very much how little it matters to actual gameplay. I tend to put roleplay ahead of optimal combat damage numbers and so unless I was playing some sort of master fencer/swordsman, I wouldn't use such a combination as dual rapiers.
I took alert for my variant human fighter/rogue that's dual wielding, I knew I was multiclassing at level 2 so I would lose the feat at 4th. Alert had saved my ass a few times so far in CoS from being suprised 😂
It gets worse as it goes on it's great at early levels but pretty poor later on as you only get one bonus action attack, fighter is not the ideal class for dual wielding.
Guys, at this point, I think the best way to fix the oversight is to make a video on a College of Swords Bard + Swashbuckling Rogue dual wielder character build.
It’s kinda funny because regardless of your class or build, you can almost always gain great benefits if your first class level is 1 fighter. It gives you so much that it’s really useful to most builds
Personally I like going Champion Fighter with my dual weapon Variant human with dual wielder feat, using 2 Rapiers With more attacks it gives you even more chances to crit with your champion increased crit range. Plus fighters done have much besides second wind for their bonus action so it gives you something to do . As for another feat I like defensive duelist, giving that extra AC as a reaction just helps to bridge that AC gap when not using a shield, in fact giving you more when combined with dual wielder and the defense fighting style.
I'm currently playing a duel-wielding hexblade. The worst part about it is that at higher level, being melee is detrimental to DPS and just BLASTIN everything is just... better
Yeah this does seem to be the case. If you want to to damage as a melee hex plade you Are better of picking up great weapon master, pole arm master and and the invocation life drinker. With Max charisma and elven accuracy. This can give you a surprisingly solid 50-70 dmg per round. But at that point you might as well just be a fighter.
@@peterlockbolvig7518 Yeah... Polearm Master gives sooo much more DPS, in the long run at least. Had to sacrifice so much to get the flavour of being a dual-wielder. And the Hex situation is the exact same as Hunter's Mark. Cause, they're practically the same spell. But still, being able to just whip out magic when the situation calls for it is just so nice.
paladin seems like a pretty good option for duel weilding since more attacks mean more opportunities for crits which you can then pump with your smites. and with improved divine smite that basically counteracts the bonus damage lost
@@downstairschannel6582 Bums me out because I'm currently playing a paladin who has ended up with two powerful magic weapons (our other melee person didn't want either of them, I asked), sort of stumbling bass ackward into being a dual wielder (as soon as I can take the feat)
I'll be honest with you, crossbow expert + hand crossbow achieves pretty much the same thing as dual wielding with the advantages of a more versatile range, the option of the archery fighting style and being able to use sharpshooter later if you like. They really dropped the ball with dual wield support; it should not have eaten your bonus action, or else should have been able to scale for more attacks.
@@kellyweaver8422 go swashbuckler. Can literally walk away as your movement and doesnt provoke an attack as long as you made an attack against the target. Doesnt state you have to hit either
@@Tank1711 swashbuckler doesn't completely solve the problem because you still give up the extra mobility that you would have with being able to dash with your bonus action.
Personally, I love going Gloomstalker till level 3 to get the Dread Ambusher ability and then fighter the rest of the way. You deal tons of damage, get your action surge, and you can jump around from target to target like the speedy whirlwind of death that you imagine you are when dual wielding (especially in early levels). Great video as always, my Canadian brethren!
@@NotYourAverageNothing Depends on how high level your campaign is going and how you choose to build your fighter. Because extra attack doesn't stack and fighter's also get it at level 5. You could also go fighter till level 5 and then take the 3 levels in Gloom Stalker. It's personal preference.
@@HiddenNerdySide How u choose the stats then? 14 on Dex and on Con ? I´m looking forward to build a lizardman-dual wielder which supposed to be awesome fast. And which Fighter subclass u would recommend?
@@rogerjolly1358 Dex fighter build works best for sure. I'd personally go Echo Knight or Battlemaster. They're the best fighter subclasses in my opinion by far and they both work well with Gloomstalker.
Coming back to this now and seeing "If your second weapon has the thrown property, you can throw it instead of attacking with it.", all I can think about is Eivor from AC: Valhalla stabbing a guy with her hidden blade and chucking a hatchet at a second enemy. Now I want to be a dual wielding barbarian.
An Elf, maybe Wood, fighter with 2 scimitars and pick up Elven Accuracy giving you +1 dex, which should round you up to 18 Dex and 3 die on advantage. Take Champion at 3 to crit on 19s or 20 to be a crit bot.
It is possible to do that All you need to is gouge out your eyes Put a blind fold on and rely on your ears for hearing and rely on your feet for vibration.
Wow even through reading the rules several times I didn't know dual wielding took a bonus action. That is weird since dual wielding has other drawbacks I don't think I like how that works.
Swashbuckler Rogue 8 / Champion Fighter 12 - Tons of chances for moderate Sneak Attack damage, plus some of the best features of both classes. Start with Rogue, add Dual Wielder as quickly as possible, and you're off. Take Defensive and Two-Weapon for your fighting styles and up your Dex to the max, and you'll have 19 AC without sacrificing Stealth.
Here's my tips: 1: Daggers. You get your damage from sneak attack, not weapon damage. Daggers will offer you more versatility. Not only are they cheap and easy to hide, they're throwable, and you can add SA damage to them when thrown if the appropriate markers are met. 2: Cunning Action. If you have already hit once with your main attack and applied SA, who needs an extra 1-9 damage? Use Cunning Action to hide, disengage, get in a better position, etc. Just because you can doesn't mean that you should. 3: Positioning. You are mobile. You are stealthy. You can hide every turn if you'd like. You can set the terms of engagement. Pay attention to the field and make sure you're putting yourself somewhere you can easily get yourself out of. 4: Why attack? Sometimes the best way out of a situation isn't to fight at all. Fewer classes are better equipped to handle those kind of encounters than you. Pay attention to the environment for things to abuse. Listen to what NPCs have said. Be the guy who dashes and disengages past all of them to flip the switch and drop them in the pit trap.
Damien Peters Fair point on using the environment and not going to the extra attack when it’s not necessary. I took the dual wielding feat so I’m using two rapiers, and I tend to try to abuse faerie fire as an arcane trickster to get myself advantage on my attacks to get that sweet sweet critted sneak attack. I appreciate the advice!
If you haven't picked a subclass then Swashbuckler is fun. Makes it so much easier to get sneak attack, and if you hit someone they can't attack you with opportunity. Making it real easy to move around the battle with out needing the mobile feat. Edit: oh you already picked a subclass.
@@joelsasmad Easy. Multiple chances for sneak attack a turn, and as a Swashbucker it's twice as many enemies you get a free disengage on. There's good logic behind it. All I'm saying is that the important part about dual wielding as a Rogue is getting that chance to land sneak attack. If you've already done that, assess the situation and rethink whether or not attacking with the off hand weapon is worth it because it very often isn't, especially as a Rogue.
That's what it says in the book. Each time you take the attack action, you can use a bonus attack to hit with the weapon in your off-hand. Unless you mean you have a house rule where every time you attack with your main hand you get a secondary attack.
Normal rules: Main Hand Attack + Extra Attack1 + Extra Attack2 + Bonus Action Attack Sytheakse's possible homebrew: Main Hand Attack + Bonus Action Off Hand + Extra Attack1 + Extra Attack Off Hand 1 + Extra Attack 2 + Extra Attack Off Hand 2 In other words, normal rules say 4 total attacks. Homebrew would have 6. A little broken.
What a horrible Homebrew rule. Hold on while my dual wielding fighter with three attacks also action surges for a total of 12 attacks in one round. But wait they also have Elven accuracy and are a samurai, so I also get advantage on all 12 of those attacks but I can also give up advantage on one of the attacks to get another attack which gives me another dual wielding attack for a total of 14 attacks 13 of which have advantage, and because of Elven accuracy they roll three dice for each attack with advantage. Hold on everybody while i roll 40 D20 for all of my attacks. Get ready for very likely 14d8 being thrown your way.. oh its a d8 cause i forgot to mention im using rapiers. The average of 14d8 is 60 damage, but rolling with 3 chances to crit each attack you can likely expect more damage. Lets just assume a modest +3 for ability modifier, that's 42 flat damage. Just hope i don't have a level into warlock for hexblade, cause hexblades curse would add another flat 52 damage to the flurry of hits which can now crit on a 19 or 20, not even mentioning casting hex... another 14d6 (another 56 average damage) Level 12 character so both weapons should be a +1, 14 more flat damage. Umm is that all? Think so. Unless i wanted to take the martial adept feat for tripping attack and getting auto crits on 13 of the attacks. All combined you have a fighter dealing an average of 210 damage on a single turn, at level 12.
Paladins less so because they have alot of bonus action spells You could bring the argument of cunning action, but for rogue it's actually a source of opportunities. You make your action attack. If you hit then the second attack is redundant, and just bonus disengage. If you miss then attack again for the second chance of sneak attacm
I have a dual Wielder Fighter/Paladin with a great sword on its back lol my character it’s well rounded with tons and feats, great vid I’m feeling really confident about my Dual Wielder fighter ^^
Was waiting for them to mention "wizard with Tenser's Transformation" and they never did :( I ran a bladesinger who used that along with a potion of speed to essentially turn an adventuring party into salsa with a pair of nonmagical shortswords. The new Spirit Shroud from Tasha's can be really lit too and will be a part of your repertoire a lot earlier, while still being fun when upcast at later levels.
theres actually a 3rd party feat in a book i have that i love. It requires having the dual wielder feat as a perquisite but it's effect is "When wielding a one handed weapon in each hand you may make 1 additional attack during your attack action. that gives a fighter a total of 4 attacks per turn (including the bonus action); and 7 with an action surge. really improves dual wielding in the game even if you have to take 2 feats in order to get it.
I've read that the dual rapier style was called 'Florentine', although there appears to be doubt about how much (If at all) it was practised. It is curious, though, that the one common, historic European two weapon style of rapier and dagger isn't allowed under 5E because rapiers aren't light. Unless one burns a feat. Extra training. Hmm....
@@Sceadusawol Right? It feels like a rapier with a mostly defensive dagger (With the chance for opportunity attacks) would be way more easy to use than dual hatchets, which is totally legal.
I have actually considered a whole raft of ideas for off-hand weapon fighting. If you give up the additional (bonus action) attack, could you add +1 to AC for the turn, instead, for example?
Me and my friends use a homebrew rule that only the offhand weapon needs to be light, and I’ve even gotten away with it in Adventure’s League once when our DM thought my Rogue having a rapier and a dagger made sense
Little known fact: you can dual wield non-light weapons without the feat, you just don't get the bonus action attack. Perfect for a longsword & quarterstaff wielding Gandalf type with War Caster feat. Nothing says you cannot use ANY one-handed weapon to attack, as two-weapon fighting does nothing but add the bonus action attack. If you have two separate magic weapons with good buffs, plus something better to do with a bonus action, then no point investing in stacking the fighting style & feat.
DW doesn't work very well in 5e. Some of your logic on what makes DW "good" is highly debatable. You could say that if you miss, at least you get a chance to hit with your other attack ...OR you could say that you NEED to hit 2 times in order to do full damage. So you're kinda calling the cup "half full", when it's just as much "half empty". In order to benefit from DW, you need to find a way for it to counter-balance having a shield (2-5 AC), AND having "Duelist" which gives +2 to all your attacks, or the powerful big 2H feats/styles, AND the issue of needing twice as many really cool weapon finds in order to fully upgrade your weapon kit. They kinda try to push Bladesinger into DW by saying "no shield" for blade dancing, but really that just makes a BS have to give up other possible advantages (like grabbing duelist from fighter), and it costs too much in feats to make it worth even looking at. 2 rapiers is very doable IRL. They are both fully 1H weapons. It's actually FAR more effective IRL than in 5e. IRL, any weapon which is meant to be used with 1H full time, is always drastically more offensively dangerous when you hold 2 of them. I'm all for someone using DW on a character. But it's very rarely anything other than a voluntary handicap in 5e RAW. DW in 5e could be good if it counted as 1 extra attack (which DOES stack with other extra attacks) as part of any action which uses 1 or more attacks (so no bonus action cost, and you could get 2 extra attacks with action surge). Then DW would be viable (from a min-max perspective). Otherwise, you're going to need some tricky spell-leveraging or unlikely situation in order to make DW anything other than a net loss in 5e. If someone wanted to play DW in a campaign I ran, I would actually volunteer to homebrew +1 extra attack per action for them, so they don't struggle to keep up with their party in a fight. There's probably exceptions, which make DW viable in 5e RAW, but they are few and far between.
It's funny you just made this, the past few weeks I've been deliberating on the strongest dual wielding class I can make. Dont forget Warlock Hexblade as well. That combines with 2 levels of paladin gives you Devine smite, and a couple spell slots that recover on a short rest
@@firstnamelastname7298 I understand that your pact weapon and your Hexblade conjured weapon can be two different weapons, so you can have solid sword in one hand and creepy magic sword in the other.
Wouldn’t a Fighter Battle Master 3 (riposte) Rogue Scout 17 (sneak attack) work much better together to add sneak attack damage, fighting style, and 2 weapon/mobile feats? You’re limited to finesse weapons, but it lets you lean into DEX and opens up your ASI’s for feats (assuming you also go variant human to balance out the lost ASI). You can get 3 sneak attacks per round with this build. Also pairs well with the defensive dualist feat. Not to mention action surge in case that wasn’t enough. Here’s a link to the build if anyone is curious: www.dndbeyond.com/characters/30625143/rtZYgd
with my newest character (a bladesinger), I plan on using dual wielding with thrown weapons a lot - just to get something out of all those bonus actions that I would otherwise not use.
Dual wielding really seems to fall behind the other fighting styles in 5e. Mostly because all of the classes that get it also get key features they use with their bonus action- ranger with hunter’s mark and fighters second wind. I’m perpetually glad my group house rules the offhand attack is part of the Attack action
my favorite build so far was actually a horizon walker ranger with a two level dip in fighter so that at the 11th ranger level, even though that's high up, you could make 7 attacks using your action surge if you were fighting two or more enemies. i plan on making great effect with this build on a dwarf because having a teleporting dwarf armed with two hammers seemed like a great visual :)
If you're an Eldritch Knight or other spellcaster* who really wants to carry two weapons, there are ways to reduce your issues with drawing and stowing weapons to cast spells, if your DM is enforcing those rules (as they probably should, but some don't). First, a *Ruby of the War Mage* is a common item that allows you to use a weapon as a spellcasting focus. It requires attunement, but this way you can cast spells with unpriced material components without having to put away your weapon. (College-of-Swords Bards and Profane Soul Blood Hunters don't need the Ruby to use a weapon as a spellcasting focus.) This doesn't help you with spells that have somatic components but no material components, and it doesn't help you with spells that have priced material components, but most of the latter won't be cast in the heat of battle. Second, you can technically drop a weapon on the ground for free and then pick up the weapon as your free object interaction as part of your action or your movement, but only on your turn. That doesn't help you in situations where dropping your weapon would risk losing the weapon, and it doesn't help you cast spells on anyone else's turn, like when you want to cast _Shield._ Third, there's currently a multiclass dip that can go a long way: the *Psionic Soul Sorcerer.* Just one level gives you Psychic Sorcery, so you can cast spells without components, including material components. There are some limitations, but it works automatically on all cantrips and first-level spells, and it's a very high probability of success on other low-level spells. If you take the Wild Talent feat, that Psionic Talent die can keep growing with your character level so you can more reliably cast those higher-level spells without components. I cannot stress enough how fun and creative things can get when you don't need to use components. Totally changes the way you play and opens up so many options for sneaky shenanigans. That one level also gives you a cool kind of telepathy and a much-expanded set of early-level spells and cantrips. And if you take it as your first level before multiclassing as Wizard, you get that nice proficiency in Constitution saving throws for all your concentration rolls. * Off the top of my head: Rangers, Arcane Tricksters, Dexterity-based Paladins, Hexblade Warlocks, Valor Bards, Whispers Bards, Bladesingers, Circle-of-Spores Druids, Death Clerics, and Nature Clerics with _Shillelagh._
I am surprised to not find this as the top comment. Dual wielding is GUTTED in 5e. The core issue is that an offhand attack is a weak use of a bonus action.
Totally misread the video title for a second as "How to play a Dual Welder in Dungeons and Dragons 5e." I mean, if that HAD been the title, well.... I've still seen weirder prestige classes.
You failed to mention one of the best thing about dual weilding: having two different magic weapons attacking at the same time. Let's say you have the Dual Wielder feat: you can have a Flame Tongue longsword in one hand and a Frost Brand longsword in another. If you are a 11 level fighter, you can make 4 attacks including your bonus action, 2 of which can be with the Flame Tongue and the other 2 with the Frost Brand. Obviously you'd have to play in a game where magic items/swords are common enough, plus your DM will have to give you the magic weapons... but having two different magic weapon at the same time is not something to sleep on.
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It's much better if you can multiclass it with Fiend Warlock 7/9. First turn in case you couldn't anticipate and precast: cast Armor of Agathys, action surge cast Fire Shield, draw both Flametongue and Frost Brand with your item interaction. Grin viciously as you move towards your enemies. You are the TRUE MASTER OF THE HEAT AND COLD \o/ Enjoy. :)
I would argue that the eldritch knight is very cool to dual wield with and I feel the mechanics are smooth. Weapon Bond on to 2 handaxes, daggers, etc. and at the start of your turn throw one with your action, the second with your bonus, then action surge to cast a spell empty-handed. Next turn use your action to cast say a fireball then bonus action to summon one weapon back to your hand, repeat next turn, then throw both axes again. This would be a ranged damage dealer I admit but it feels competitive with other classes but I feel the challenge would be in obtaining powerful thrown weapons to stay viable at later levels.
Made a hexblade warlock/Gloom Stalker ranger (and later the same character but a horizon walker ranger instead) that was pretty fun, horizon walker makes you incredibly hard to pin down, especially in situations where you’re fighting a large group of enemies, plus if you pick up relentless hex, you can kick things into overdrive by sacrificing your off-hand attack. I imagine a fighter/horizon walker could do some incredibly impressive things with this setup using their action surge
You can dual wield improvised weapons. A gnome could be an imprivised weapon. A gnome can dual wield improvised weapons. A pixie can be an improvised weapon. A pixie can dual wield improvised weapons....
Actually talking about the ad, I loved using Hero Forge to create my character. My friend has a 3D printer, so it was only $7 for the download and then $3 for the resin used. Im really looking forward to painting it and bringing it to life!
For the EK, isn't the Weapon Bond class ability for summoning your weapons partly so the EK can just drop his weapon the time to cast a spell as an action then summon it back into its hand as a bonus action if necessary ?
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“Prince zuko, I didn’t know you were skilled with broadswords.” Zuko- “I’m not. They’re antiques” he says desperately hoping nobody found out he originally wanted to play a dual wielder monk build before realizing it would never work
I feel like homebrewing that you can make your flurry of blows with dual wielded monk weapons isn't too broken. Not like monk is all that strong to begin with
The new one dnd rules for Dual Wielding actually makes monks one of the best classes to do it, because it gives you 5 attacks at level 5
@@DParkerNunya level 5 so fighter 4 monk 1: action-> attack(2)+ extra attack(2) + bonus action-> unarmed strike furry of blows(2) all unarmed so only 1d+6 but that is as strong as the rapiers. so 6 attacks but you use 1 ki point
@kennethgee2004 That's a level 4 fighter, level 1 monk. Just play a level 5 monk. Pick up Two Weapon Fighting from the feat at 4th level (or 1st if you're variant human). Technically, you could use daggers at this level to have 3 attacks with your action that all do 1d6+3-5 damage each, then your bonus action which can be a flurry for another 2 attacks that can deal 1d6+3-5 each. 5d6+15-25 each round. Rapiers can't be monk weapons, so I don't know why they were even brought into the mix. (Dedicated weapon allows 1 Rapier, not two.) I guess action surge is nice, because that means 4 action attacks, but you can't flurry at that level of monk, so you end up with the same number of attacks once per short rest, and it'll be with less damage total.
@@DParkerNunya rapiers are martial weapons so yes that can be monk weapons as monks can choose one martial weapon as a monk weapon. if I understood correctly that a monk special weapon cannot have the heavy or special property. but this is why fighter as you get a fighting style and then when you select monk you get to select daily your monk weapon.
I just watched your video on multi-class combos and now I want to play a dual wielding strength based (v) human fighter/barb.
One level of each at level 2
Dual wielding fighting style
Dual wielder feat
War pick in one hand war hammer in the other
(1d8 + Str + rage damage) piercing
+
(1d8 + Str + rage damage) bludgeoning
That'll play pretty fun at low level even if you push back extra attack until level 6 and pick up reckless at 7, your third feat at 8, bear totem resistence at 9.
This is totally going to be my next character.
It's nice to recap that when you talk about the fighter's combo action surge + multiattack you get already 4 atacks... and 1 more isn't that big deal, so we tend to look away from dual wielding... but that just happens once in a battle, and even once in a series of battles if we're talking dungeon crawling. In that level of play, having "only" 2 attacks regularly and getting 1 more it is, indeed, a big deal for a player.
My duel wielder is a brute (UA) fighter because brutes get to roll dice after each WEAPON attack they make which scales as you level since brute also gets a second fighting style choose mariner for ac boost with a swim and climb speed so you get to do 1d8+3 plus 1d6+3 plus 2d4 at 3rd level.
By my reading of the Crossbow Expert feat, you can dual wield hand crossbows if you take it.
Not quite. Check out our video on Crossbow Expert for an explanation of why this doesn't quite work within the rules and doesn't confer any actual benefits (but since it doesn't provide any real benefits, it's fine to handwave it)
Right now I’m playing a 1/2elf dragonblood Sorcerer(4)/Fighter(3). Part of his backstory was he fought in fighting pits as an orphan. So he was able to weld a short sword (in place of elven blades). The party faced off with a Yanti at lvl 2. Jak nearly expended all his spells during the fight. His sister a rouge was fighting in melee and was nearly killed. Charging in he distracted the Yanti allowing her to excape. Landing the final blow, breaking his sword. he picking up the two scimitars vowing to never let that happen again. During down time in a city he trained with the two blades with a Bladedancer taking a lvl of fighter. Later he trained with Warmages to gain the warcaster feat. The scimitars he carries are magical and use his Charisma. Though the corse of the game thus far he is now training to be an Echo Knight (GM thought it’d be cool, original idea was Battlemaster). In his first fight as an Echo Knight he once again faced off with a Yanti. His movements round the battlefield and ability to attack from different angles annoyed the DM (that was awesome). I would not recommend this combo to any but experienced players. it is frustrating at times because so many abilities use the bonus action and doesn’t use many spells. I am thinking of continuing down the Fighter path to lvl 6 then going back to Sorcerer. I was thinking about taking the Duel welder feat mostly because Jak doesn’t wear armor. What are your thoughts?
Dual wielding variant human with dual weilder feat, picking TWF from ranger. Pick up hunters mark, and then lvl 3 pick up Hunter archetype for colossus slayer. Talk to your DM since 4th and 5th lvl are the same for martial classes and see if they will allow a multiclass while still allowing progression on the martial chart ( the 4th lvl ability improvement/ feat, and extra attack at 5th). If yes, then multi into fighter, pick up defensive fighting style for another +1 AC. Lvl 2 fighter action surge, then lvl 3 fighter battle master with riposte, disarm, and trip. A lot of dice rolling, and a fun way to control the field. Excels at one on one, but doesn't handle multiple enemies well. This is my current character in campaign I have been playing. It is a lot of fun, and has pretty high damage with the hunter's mark procs, colossus slayer, and battle master dice. Even get to use your reaction when the enemy misses you using battle master riposte since AOO are not common in the campaign i am in.
A str paladin with heavy armor and axes sounds quite cool. 3 attacks instead of 2 = more chances for crit smite. And after lvl 11 it's 1d10 bonus to all 3 attacks.
Regarding rogues: You did not mention Crossbow Master, which is the only way to get multiple ranged attacks per turn with this class (outside of multiclassing). The same basic principles apply, however - only one sneak attack per turn, using the second hand crossbow only if the first misses in order to get that SA damage dice, etc. But if you want to build a ranged rogue, it's probably best to run with a 5-level dip into fighter to get the multiattack. Rogue 1, Fighter 1 (take archery as fighting style), then run through Fighter 5 to pick up the multiattack (taking crossbow expert at level 4), and then run your rogue levels up as high as the campaign allows. You can maybe take the second level of rogue at some point before fighter 5, depending on how much you prioritize positioning in combat over either raw damage or HP (those d10 HD, tho).
Whatever you choose, the archetype of dual wielding ranged weapons with sneak attack is very interesting, and it's certainly playable, if not completely optimal.
I will say I'm surprised you didn't bring up the swashbuckler subclass for the rogue. It has an ability that is very useful to duel wielding. (Fancy footwork) it allows rogues to not have to use said bonus action to disengage without having to take the mobile feat. Furthermore the rogue class becomes a absolute damage machine if paired with about a 3-5 lvl multi class into fighter. I currently have a Duel wielder that has 17 lvl's in rogue and 3 lvl's in fighter throughout my jouneys with him from lvl 1 to 20 he has always been able to deal an amazing amount of damage, take a fair amount of damage, and have enough versatility and tools to help the party where he is needed. All of this without losing out of combat features.
The only example but a good one is in the 1970’s Three Musketeers when an assassin uses two rapiers against one of the musketeers on the road to England.
Welp there goes my dual wielding barbarian...
The swashbuckler subclass is amazing for dual weilder. Extra chances to snake attack and fancy feet let's u poke twice and back petal. I belive the best feeling build is 5fighter (champ) the rest rouge swashbuckler.
Nyata from Log Horizon is a dual wielder with a pair of rapiers. He's a chef too.
What are everyone's thoughts on an Arcane Trickster Rogue with Dual Wielding and take Fighter Lvl 1 with Two-Weapon Fighting? What level would that be a good idea? At level 4 after becoming a AT Rogue or wait a little longer?
Can a Arcane Trickster Rogue with a dual wielder feat, dual wield with Shadow Blade and cast booming blade? This is to get around the fact that you can no longer stack booming blade using your shadow blade because booming blade has to be cast with a material component of 1sp or more, i.e. an actual weapon and not an illusory (shadow blade)
There's plenty of history with people using a rapier and a small together. Maybe not in battle, but definitely for competition.
I have a ranger/rouge who duel wields long swords, or a long sword and a dagger.
My fiancé’s favorite character is a fighter that duel wields a pair of katana and wears a set of dragon scale mail armor
Have you done a video yet on how to effectively use tools (like thieves tools, smithing, etc.?). How about a video on what characters can do in their down time between adventures? Just a couple ideas ;)
Oh yeah, I'd really appreciate some down time tips for Players and advice for Dungeon Masters!
I am trying to craft with my Artificer and neither I nor my DM know what we're doing.
@@kelb76 My artificer is the crafter of out team. we follow the crafting rules in xanathar's but ignore the recipe requirement for items that are on my infusion list or if it is a homebrew thing that my character has designed herself.
@@SirPanfred Training and seeking out instructors. Some aspect of leveling would naturally happen by just doing other would not or would be much slower without proper instruction. It's also useful if you can't get your whole party together, you can have a mini session without others feeling left out. Also specialize materials would not be readily available in anything short of a large city if even there.
It's a good idea for a DM to read up on the history of stuff to get a feel for what was truly a common or a rare item. Even something like flint or a whetstone wouldn't be that common. Don't believe me go looking for it today outside, if those rocks aren't around you aren't likely to find it. Doing that research will greatly enrich the gaming experience for you and your players.
Something else to consider for your next adventure is to limit currency. No working class person would likely ever so much as touch a gold piece let's along have a pouch of them. That's something only nobles would have. In dim times dim have nuts had fur less den they haves has today. (sorry attempt to spell out a Liverpool accent) Anyway just that's just some thoughts from an AD&D DM.
We've used weaver's tools to create more rope in field conditions (it has been quite useful, rope is actually pretty valuable utility stuff), and smithing, glassblower's and alchemist's tools to create all sorts of cool arrowheads (smoke, acid and alchemist's fire in small glass vial arrowheads for example). Card gaming proficiency has been used in making a local mafia to own our party some favors, and of course some money.
For downtime, in our campaign we have a week-based daily activity of some sorts for individual characters, and roll some relevant dice to see how it goes. For example, a rogue might want to get to know the local criminal community and maybe get some good contacts. They spend a couple of weeks in town. For each week, they roll a couple of skills: insight once to figure out the right people to talk to, persuasion twice to get near the right people. The successes are tracked, and once gained enough successes they gain contacts and knowledge.
I have personally had my fighter battlemaster take part in archery competitions. Ruleswise it's simple: roll and add attack modifiers as if shooting the bow, and then GM determines the challenge with 2d10+something. Successes have gained my fighter a lot of money and renown among those circles, but I also rolled a couple of 1's and now I have a sore loser noble as an enemy that hates my fighter's ass.
Oh and also my fighter has used woodcarver's tools to make a local orphanage some toys, and he has gained a few NPC friends doing so.
I’m surprised they didn’t mention the Swashbuckler subclass for rogues. That subclass basically recommends that you duel wield if you play it.
With a one level dip into Fighter to get TWF, my favourite build.
Actually not totally. Seashbucklers are amazing and ducking and dodging around the battlefield and finding individuals to fight. You need your bonus action to das and disengage. Personally I have a dagger in my offhand for my swashbuckler, but almost never use it
@Pranay Talati good point, but also you can take the dash bonus action. Also, if you miss, then you might need it. Also that’s not the only way to play a swashbuckler, but I do see the point of a dual wielding swashbuckler. I personally find a single rapier more effective
@@SorenSPG RAW you only need to attack the target (regardless of hit or miss) for it to not be able to op attack you
@@anthonylam02 Crap my bad. i forgot about that. thank you for reminding me. i still think that dashing/hiding can be more useful though
I'm going to stick with my dual-wield-chainsaw-shotgun-laser-earrings. They have built in cup holders.
Ah, a man of culture, I see
"Shotgun earings" hou can hear?
BECAUSE WHY NOT😂 god love joecat
SMITE!!!!!!
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Fun historical fact! wielding two rapiers was an historical style, just not terribly popular (it's incredibly difficult, and not always terribly advantageous. ) It was historically called "brace-rapiers", "case rapiers" or occasionally "Florentine fencing". It appears in a few historical treatises, and it's fascinating. Worth checking out.
This is cool and all, but when's the recognition of the best kind of dual wielding; DUAL SHIELDING!
Why hide behind a door when I AM THE DOOR!!!!
Honestly a magic shield with the thrown weapon feature would be sick
Now, this has plenty of awesome ideas for some homebrewing. Like if you have two large shields that can interlock to become a giant barrier. Give full coverage, but half their movement speed. While not super useful in melee, this would be great when against ranged weapons and spells. Your party can get behind you as slowly move them towards the Archer's tower, the Warlock firing Eldritch Blasts at them to try and get them to hide, giving you more time.
You got guys firing from both sides? Dig those shields into the ground and crouch down. Now you have half cover.
Not too sure how this one would work, but maybe while the shields are acting as cover, let you slip them off and pull out another weapon. Better yet, slip them off then run at the enemy, letting your hurt Ranger hide for a second so the cleric can cure their wounds, or so the Wizard can stay guarded while using a concentration spell.
Now cast Enlarge on him. What do you have now? A 12' Orc with 2 giant shields, basically becoming a makeshift bulldozer as he tears through the enemy lines, shield bashing enemies, proning them as the party comes in for the kill.
This could be perfect for the character who is a huge brute, but not a violent one. The big and soft type. He's here to protect his friends, and protect them they shall.
@@culo9999 Captain America was the OG
Found the Dark Souls player
Dual wielding has become more viable for other classes with the introduction of the Fighting Initiate feat, which allows a class to pick a Fighting Style from the fighter list.
It's even odd... When this has changed... Anyone can Dual Wield at base.
Although, nothing in the rules stops you from holding two non light weapons during combat without Feats etc. Just avoid doing the Bonus Action stuff.
Along with Interaction and other mechanics near this type of action. There are ways to dual wield without going through this unrefined rule.
@@absolstoryoffiction6615 you hold them but RAW you can't attack with them.
@@wesleywyndam-pryce5305
Only with one at base...
I use Extra Attack for both weapons or other Action types...
Ditch that specific Bonus Action about Dual Wielding. There are better ways to do this...
Dungeon dudes: Here's this cool tool to make a mini for your character
Me, who plays exclusively changelings: *Fuck*
There is a changeling face option in case you where wondering
You gentlemen neglected to mention that a College of Swords Bard can also pick dual wielding as a fighting style
Yep. Came here to say this. I played a college of swords bard and (though I didn't play it higher levels) I do think it scales really well because of the flourishes that let you add your bardic inspiration to the damage (which is awesome, because so very often this feature is underused).
came here to say this as well because you can though like Braulio Lopes I didn't get to higher levels, bestow because the extra attack, gives you three attacks ( like other classes dual wielding) but because bestow curse allows you to get an extra damage die per attack
@@braulioservodedeus but only once per turn.
If you can multiclass from fighter to Paladin you can smite off all melee attacks.
@@freman007 Oh yeah you're right. Huh, it kinda makes me think of the multiclass possibilities of bard college of swords and paladin. That could be cool!
@@braulioservodedeus I am playing that build. You get to dish out a lot of damage even at lower levels (about 40 to 50 in one turn at level 5). Couple that with elven accuracy (my case) or lucky and you are dealing CRIT damage smiting and flourishing. Drow can cast faerie fire so... Also with this multiclass you can smite harder with less levels due to the bard's being a full caster. I just got elven accuracy so I haven't put it into play yet, but I am dying for the next adventure to get it going.
Don't forget college of swords Bards. They Flurry with style and look good doing it!
I got a collage of sword bard and he is a beast, dps for days and spells
And they have the two weapon fighting style.
I just fired up a Sword Bard myself, and my DM even let me shift my spellcasting ability to Dex (for lore reasons too!) So far it's been an utter blast.
Furthermore, they can designate a proficient weapon as their spellcasting focus, which counteracts the melee/casting dilemma. On top of that, their Blade Flourish ability does not take a bonus action: it only requires that you land an attack that turn. As such, a dual wielding Sword Bard can get two chances to boost their AC, increase damage against mobs, or maneuver their opponents.
The only downside is that this means you have to be a lot more choosy about using your Bardic Inspiration (1 bonus action), but since they are expended for the sake of Blade Flourish until level 14, it's something the player would need to be aware of regardless.
Evan Umenhofer what was the lore reason for switching to dex? Another thing swords bards have is being able to pick up crusader’s mantle. While CM only adds 1d4 per hit, it can also apply to your allies’ attacks as well. CM also doesn’t require a bonus action to switch targets either since it’s an aura spell.
Two rapiers was one of the few historical dual-wielding fighting styles. It was a called a case of rapiers and was very popular in Florence, hence it's other name: Florentine style.
Krabi Krabong: AM I A JOKE TO YOU?
Florentine was use of a longsword and a main gauche/dagger i thought
@@worldsendgaming5236 the term Florentine to refer to using two weapons isn't historical. Case of rapier was a style, but it wasn't very popular anywhere. You can find historical examples of a case of rapiers designed to fit together and look like a single sword, and sit together in the same sheath. I think this would be a cool way to go in a D&D game. Most period masters did not recommend the use of a second rapier in combat in earnest. DiGrassi talks about the use of it at length in his treatise on Falsing.
“It was a called a” are you Italian?
I do remember hearing about a Rapier that was in a Scabbard that would split into two rapiers and I believe that it is what was originally called dual wielding
Best Dual Wielder: Paladin with 2 levels in Fighter (even better when you have improved divine smite)
My man knows what's up
Taking that a few steps further: play a Half-Elf, then take the "Elven Accuracy" feat. Make it a Dex based Vengeance Paladin so you can use Vow of Enmity to get advantage on a target for 1 minute. Take one more level in Fighter for Champion. With all of this, your Paladin rolls three d20s when attacking with advantage, and crits if any of those dice are a 19 or 20. Under these conditions, you have a 27 percent of critting on an attack against the target of your Vow of Enmity.
Isles, that’s gross.
@@goisles6728 thats kinda dirty but hell it sounds fun. its as fun as 10 dancing greatswords plus assassinate
Go Isles I sure hope my players don’t see your comment!
Hey guys you misspelled dual in the description. You can thank me later. That'll be $500
Maybe it's a dual wielder who likes to duel.
pssssh totally on purpose lol
@@Castheknotted hahaha!
My fighter/rogue is a dual wielder, took two weapon fighting style so I can add my proficiency to my offhand attack. It's fun having 3 attacks at level 4 if I burn my action surge plus sneak attack on one of those, I'm going swashbuckler too so the sneak attack is even easier to pull off.
the second attack still gets your proficiency bonus either way, what twf style gives you is letting you add your ability bonus to damage on your second attack
@@likeahorse it let's you do it on your bonus action, it's the fighters fighting style
Edit: I see what you meant, I meant it as in it let's me add the proficiency to the damage 😅 sorry I'm half asleep currently
@@Tank1711 you still don't add proficiency to damage, like ever
@@likeahorse aye I just re-read what I typed and laughed 🤣 sorry dude I'm currently running on over 70 hours of consciousness
My brain went ability mod = proficiency for some stupid ass reason 😅
Dr*Fergulous hexblade’s curse. I freaking love it.
I like Polearm Master as a way of weaponizing your bonus action a bit more than I like dual wielding.
A bit more is an understatement for me, personally
Well sure, because it's just straight better.
One feat vs one feat + fighting style, with equal outcomes?
@@schwann145 not even equal, since dw isn't compatible with gwm. Sad.
@@schwann145 Eh, Polearm Master(PAM) always wins. If you're going 1h+shield(+2ac), quarterstaff is great with style options of: +1ac, +2dmg/hit, or shield cover for allies. With 2h grab a glaive, now you have reach, die rerolls on 1&2''s, and the option of using GWM(-5hit/+10dmg) on each swing. And since PAM let's you gain an opportunity attack for mobs entering your range you will situationally gain a 2nd attack out of the feat on its own.
@@Kronosxviii1 you can now use a shield and spear aswell!
Damn, right after Tulok the Barbarian made a video on Ahsoka as well. Good timing.
Didn’t know he made that. I know where I’m headed next
I love Tulok’s builds
I think that a 20th level fighter getting ofur attacks with a two handed weapon but only increasing to five attacks when switching to two one handed weapons makes no freaking sense at all.
Especially when the highest you could would be a d8 for the one handed weapons versus 2d6 for the greatsword.
Extra ttack should be homebrewed to make it make sense with dual wielding
Lol you guys are missing the magic, literally. If you’re duel wielding magic weapons, and fishing for crits with elven accuracy NOVA DMG is real. The more dice the more you double, and wielding a secondary magic weapon really adds up.
Dungeon Dudes! coming from a student of HEMA, there is historical precident for duel wielding twin rapiers. there are different sizes of Rapiers made for different reasons and uses. Furthermore, there are more cases of use of duel wielding during the SMALL SWORD period of american and european history, that being between the 18th and 19th centuries. hope this helps in the future! lastly, i LOVE your work. i use your starting guide on dnd 5e as a starting point for teaching new players about this game. Keep up the Great work, and STAY SAFE!
Fun fact about the Dual Wielder feat: in addition to the main benefits for dual-welders, it allows sword and board characters to switch their weapon without having to use an action, which could be useful for an Artificer with lots of specialised magic weapons.
Under rated comment.
I was running a duel weilding swashbuckler rogue in my campaign before COVID hit. My GM allowed me to make a character that was a Jewish, middle aged CPA from Hoboken that guy sucked through a portal into Thune. He was a 1st place recipient in his offices squash team, hence his heightened reflexes and ambidexterity. He was.... So fun to play. A constant source of humor and kind of a badass.
Oh, he was also pulled through wearing khaki shorts, tube socks, new balance sneakers, and a phany pack with a years supply of alka seltzer tablets. He was granted a single wish by a genie in his early adventures and instead of asking to be sent home, he wish for a but more holding space in his phany pack.... He's the best.
I assume you and your DM enjoy Isekai animes, and acquisitions incorporated.
Also, you should totally find a way to get a Golem for your Jewish Rogue :)
As a jewish person, I love this mental image
@@matthewjennings7645 what a fantastic idea!
My personal favorite is 2 levels of Paladin, then going College of Swords Bard the rest of the way.
Smites and flurries combined with a full caster that can use their weapons as a spell focus is the best duel-wielding warrior.
Lol. "As long as you remember to use it."
Just two things which I'd like to add:
1) College of Swords Bard
2) At higher levels the dual wielding could be made stronger by utilising some interesting magic weapons' combos
That's actually a fair point. While most good magic weapons are going to take up attunement slots, and it is usually better to spread magical weapons around among those who use them, a character with two different special attacks/abilities would be pretty versatile.
I'm planning on making a STR dual-wield fighter and the way I wanted to do this is at lvl 1, he would just stick to 1 sword then during downtime in the campaign, he would practice with a 2nd sword until I can get the dual wielder feat at lvl 4. I thought of this as a way for my character to organically get better at fighting and as a small character development in the campaign.
I've found that a really good build is going Mark of Healing Halfling, Paladin 2, College of Swords Bard 18, with the Mobile and Dual wielder feats, Two-Weapon Fighting fighting style (from the bard, and Defensive from the paladin), Magical secrets of Find Greater Steed and Tenser's Transformation is absolutely amazing.
You can share your Tenser's Transformation with your mount for essentially 10d12 extra force damage, and using your smites to deal that bit extra when you crit.
You use the halfling racial ability combined with mobile to run in between the legs of your enemies and Defensive Flourish to get some crazy high AC.
Alternitavely, you can go Mark of Shadow elf and pick up Elven Accuracy and Revenant Blade, if you like the flavor of it.
How do you share tensers with your mount?
@@KINGTACO31 "While mounted on it, you can make any spell you cast that targets only you also target the mount." - Find (Greater) Steed.
Tenser's Transformation has a range of Self.
@@vindex57 ohh, actually insane then!
Oh. Shit.
Why mark of healing hafling, though?
@@Grorl Well, one thing about bards that i noticed is that you don't get a lot of spells that are directly useful in combat. I played it as a lightfoot halfling way back when, and having a strong set of spells to help the party in combat was something i missed until the later levels.
It works fine past level 12, but until then i reccomend using a Dragonmarked race of your choice (i suggested halfling to keep the ability to run in between the legs of enemies and healing instead of hospitality to reduce overlap with the bard spell list).
re: dual wielding rapiers. there are historical dueling manuals that have examples of, and instructions for fighting with a pair of rapiers.
Really?
I have heard dual wield a rapier and a dagger but I can't see two rapiers for anything beyond of a show.
The problem, even in concept, of dual wielding rapiers is that the primary benefit to a rapier is reach. As such, unlike a longsword, you wield it with your leading arm. Thus, assuming equal length weapons, your opponent enters your striking range if he does not take the same stance. Thus, for both opponents, anything held in an offhand, is too far away to threaten the opponent. This is precisely why the rapier/gauche combination, used the gauche for blocking and trapping, rather than striking. Its lack of length was not a deficit, since it wasn't a striker, and allowed it to be crossed behind the rapier for blocking.
The treatises that instructed use of two rapiers did not suggest it as a superior option against a single opponent, but rather a last best option if you're forced to defend against multiple attackers. So, we can guess from this, that it was an act of desperation rather than a preferred technique.
Michael Hundt wrote about using twin rapiers and there are also spanish and italian treatises (Fiore afaik) depicting it, even though it was very rare and nowhere near as good as using rapier + dagger, cloak or shield.
@cak01vej google is your friend, and other posts here have already linked specific sources. also, its not really the kind of thing you should have to convince a DM of, unless you are in a specifically historical setting. as long as you have the requisite proficiency and feats, you can dual wield dwarves if you want. (results not guaranteed)
@@Kronossphere but now I have to!
Well, kinda lack luster. 5e really nerfed dual wielding, especially considering the options for other styles like great weapons. Maybe I'm a little bias growing up in the 3e and 3.5e where you really had to commit but actually got some real results. 5e dual wielding is just, underwhelming.
But now... Most of the Fighting Styles are Feats and free for all Classes... But the same problems are there.
You can still wield two non light weapons without Feats. Just don't use it for that Bonus Attack.
@@absolstoryoffiction6615 do that wil be totally lackluster
@@andrecosta8680
That's how 5e was written... Unfortunately.
"Dual Wield" only refers to the Bonus Action attack. Not anything else. And "Light" only refers to that Bonus Action attack... In RAW.
It may seem less optimal, but I love the dual wielder oath of vengeance paladin. He gets the hunter's mark and divine smites per hit
He can also get this through polearm mastery though and use the great weapon style. That's why it's hard to justify dual wielding on classes that don't have the style.
Divine Favor would be a better choice, since you wouldn't need to change targets as with Hunter's Mark and only do 1 less average damage. Much more optimal.
I wish there were more payoff for dual-wielding.
Historically, dual rapier (or case of rapiers) style was taught in fencing school in Europe during the Renaissance era. Using two rapiers is harder then a rapier and a dagger, but it teaches you to use your non-dominate hand in combat more effectively. I, personally, think that dual rapiers would have been more commonly used then dual longswords or battle axes. That said, this is D&D. Cool factor is superior to historical accuracy. If I could make a dual pole-arm fighter, I would do it in a heartbeat.
You can dual wield lances with the dual wielder feat, though only when mounted
I would say two rapiers is a bad idea, the good thing about a dagger isn't just that it gives you a defensive off hand weapon but they are good close in unlike a rapier which is near useless.
You can carry two spears with the dual wielder feat. If you want two reach weapons, you could use two whips with the same feat.
@SaviorOfNirn I was replying more in relation to the first comments talk of historic dual rapier use, I know very much how little it matters to actual gameplay. I tend to put roleplay ahead of optimal combat damage numbers and so unless I was playing some sort of master fencer/swordsman, I wouldn't use such a combination as dual rapiers.
Variant human dual wielded fighter with the dual wield feat. That’s all.
I took alert for my variant human fighter/rogue that's dual wielding, I knew I was multiclassing at level 2 so I would lose the feat at 4th. Alert had saved my ass a few times so far in CoS from being suprised 😂
I see your variant human fighter and raise you a half elf swords bard+ hexblade
It gets worse as it goes on it's great at early levels but pretty poor later on as you only get one bonus action attack, fighter is not the ideal class for dual wielding.
I have a build that does that but then goes barbarian from level 5 on. I love the idea of raging dual axes. 👍
Variant Human fighter with great weapon fighting style and the polrarm master feat. That is all :)
Guys, at this point, I think the best way to fix the oversight is to make a video on a College of Swords Bard + Swashbuckling Rogue dual wielder character build.
It’s kinda funny because regardless of your class or build, you can almost always gain great benefits if your first class level is 1 fighter. It gives you so much that it’s really useful to most builds
Fighter 3/druid 7. I'm dual wielding whips. It is very fun and I have ways to sneak in some extra damage to make up for the low attack dice
Personally I like going Champion Fighter with my dual weapon
Variant human with dual wielder feat, using 2 Rapiers
With more attacks it gives you even more chances to crit with your champion increased crit range.
Plus fighters done have much besides second wind for their bonus action so it gives you something to do .
As for another feat I like defensive duelist, giving that extra AC as a reaction just helps to bridge that AC gap when not using a shield, in fact giving you more when combined with dual wielder and the defense fighting style.
I'm currently playing a duel-wielding hexblade.
The worst part about it is that at higher level, being melee is detrimental to DPS and just BLASTIN everything is just... better
Yeah this does seem to be the case. If you want to to damage as a melee hex plade you Are better of picking up great weapon master, pole arm master and and the invocation life drinker. With Max charisma and elven accuracy. This can give you a surprisingly solid 50-70 dmg per round.
But at that point you might as well just be a fighter.
@@peterlockbolvig7518 Yeah... Polearm Master gives sooo much more DPS, in the long run at least. Had to sacrifice so much to get the flavour of being a dual-wielder.
And the Hex situation is the exact same as Hunter's Mark. Cause, they're practically the same spell.
But still, being able to just whip out magic when the situation calls for it is just so nice.
paladin seems like a pretty good option for duel weilding since more attacks mean more opportunities for crits which you can then pump with your smites. and with improved divine smite that basically counteracts the bonus damage lost
Add the Rogue's Sneak Attack to your Smite for more damage since both act the same in function.
Not to mention you can take the two weapon fighting style to also get rid of the bonus action lose
@@downstairschannel6582 As they say in the video, paladins can't easily take that style.
@@hewhogoesbymanynames yeah, took me a bit too realize that
@@downstairschannel6582 Bums me out because I'm currently playing a paladin who has ended up with two powerful magic weapons (our other melee person didn't want either of them, I asked), sort of stumbling bass ackward into being a dual wielder (as soon as I can take the feat)
I'll be honest with you, crossbow expert + hand crossbow achieves pretty much the same thing as dual wielding with the advantages of a more versatile range, the option of the archery fighting style and being able to use sharpshooter later if you like. They really dropped the ball with dual wield support; it should not have eaten your bonus action, or else should have been able to scale for more attacks.
No doubt it is broken. It doesn't scale at all. And if you are a rogue it costs you the use of your cunning action.
@@kellyweaver8422 go swashbuckler. Can literally walk away as your movement and doesnt provoke an attack as long as you made an attack against the target. Doesnt state you have to hit either
Plus after your attack you can use your object interaction to draw a one handed melee weapon for opportunity attacks and such.
@@Tank1711 swashbuckler doesn't completely solve the problem because you still give up the extra mobility that you would have with being able to dash with your bonus action.
Personally, I love going Gloomstalker till level 3 to get the Dread Ambusher ability and then fighter the rest of the way. You deal tons of damage, get your action surge, and you can jump around from target to target like the speedy whirlwind of death that you imagine you are when dual wielding (especially in early levels).
Great video as always, my Canadian brethren!
It's better to stop at Gloom Stalker 5.
@@NotYourAverageNothing Depends on how high level your campaign is going and how you choose to build your fighter. Because extra attack doesn't stack and fighter's also get it at level 5. You could also go fighter till level 5 and then take the 3 levels in Gloom Stalker. It's personal preference.
@@HiddenNerdySide How u choose the stats then? 14 on Dex and on Con ?
I´m looking forward to build a lizardman-dual wielder which supposed to be awesome fast.
And which Fighter subclass u would recommend?
@@rogerjolly1358 Dex fighter build works best for sure. I'd personally go Echo Knight or Battlemaster. They're the best fighter subclasses in my opinion by far and they both work well with Gloomstalker.
@@HiddenNerdySide And for fighting styles then Two Weapon and ranged?
And which Manouvers?
Coming back to this now and seeing "If your second weapon has the thrown property, you can throw it instead of attacking with it.", all I can think about is Eivor from AC: Valhalla stabbing a guy with her hidden blade and chucking a hatchet at a second enemy. Now I want to be a dual wielding barbarian.
I was just thinking about this! Leave it to the Dungeon Dudes to read my mind haha. Thanks for another great video!
An Elf, maybe Wood, fighter with 2 scimitars and pick up Elven Accuracy giving you +1 dex, which should round you up to 18 Dex and 3 die on advantage. Take Champion at 3 to crit on 19s or 20 to be a crit bot.
Fun fact. Dual Rapier is actually a fencing style.
A fellow Blood&Iron HEMA watcher, or perhaps a HEMA nerd in general?
I want to see the Blind Fighting Style made official!
It is possible to do that
All you need to is gouge out your eyes
Put a blind fold on and rely on your ears for hearing and rely on your feet for vibration.
dual bladed scorpion Or you could just take the Fighting Style! 😊
Blind fighting is listed as a fighting style in Tasha's. Makes it as official as is possible.
@@vitrify Blind Fighting + Alert feat = Devil’s Sight, except it would also work in obscured areas like within a Fog Cloud area of effect.
Now you have it... read Thashas Cauldron...
Wow, my next character that I’ll be playing in a few days is a dual wielder. Time to see what I did wrong lol
I like how every time I plan to develop a new character there was a video put out very recently on it lol.
Just want to add something odd here: Darts are not considered light.
Which makes no sense if you consider that daggers are.
It’s unfortunate that 5e doesn’t better support dual wielding better… I appreciate the video/tips though!
Wow even through reading the rules several times I didn't know dual wielding took a bonus action. That is weird since dual wielding has other drawbacks I don't think I like how that works.
Swashbuckler Rogue 8 / Champion Fighter 12 - Tons of chances for moderate Sneak Attack damage, plus some of the best features of both classes. Start with Rogue, add Dual Wielder as quickly as possible, and you're off. Take Defensive and Two-Weapon for your fighting styles and up your Dex to the max, and you'll have 19 AC without sacrificing Stealth.
UGH I could really use this. I have a dual wielding rogue and I feel like it’s often a hindrance because I don’t know how to play it efficiently
Here's my tips:
1: Daggers. You get your damage from sneak attack, not weapon damage. Daggers will offer you more versatility. Not only are they cheap and easy to hide, they're throwable, and you can add SA damage to them when thrown if the appropriate markers are met.
2: Cunning Action. If you have already hit once with your main attack and applied SA, who needs an extra 1-9 damage? Use Cunning Action to hide, disengage, get in a better position, etc. Just because you can doesn't mean that you should.
3: Positioning. You are mobile. You are stealthy. You can hide every turn if you'd like. You can set the terms of engagement. Pay attention to the field and make sure you're putting yourself somewhere you can easily get yourself out of.
4: Why attack? Sometimes the best way out of a situation isn't to fight at all. Fewer classes are better equipped to handle those kind of encounters than you. Pay attention to the environment for things to abuse. Listen to what NPCs have said. Be the guy who dashes and disengages past all of them to flip the switch and drop them in the pit trap.
Damien Peters Fair point on using the environment and not going to the extra attack when it’s not necessary. I took the dual wielding feat so I’m using two rapiers, and I tend to try to abuse faerie fire as an arcane trickster to get myself advantage on my attacks to get that sweet sweet critted sneak attack. I appreciate the advice!
@@damienpeters6004 But then why dual wield at all?
If you haven't picked a subclass then Swashbuckler is fun. Makes it so much easier to get sneak attack, and if you hit someone they can't attack you with opportunity. Making it real easy to move around the battle with out needing the mobile feat.
Edit: oh you already picked a subclass.
@@joelsasmad Easy. Multiple chances for sneak attack a turn, and as a Swashbucker it's twice as many enemies you get a free disengage on. There's good logic behind it.
All I'm saying is that the important part about dual wielding as a Rogue is getting that chance to land sneak attack. If you've already done that, assess the situation and rethink whether or not attacking with the off hand weapon is worth it because it very often isn't, especially as a Rogue.
I'm sorry dm overrule. Dual wielder for ranger/fighter in my games will give them an offhand attack per attack actions.
That's what it says in the book. Each time you take the attack action, you can use a bonus attack to hit with the weapon in your off-hand.
Unless you mean you have a house rule where every time you attack with your main hand you get a secondary attack.
Normal rules: Main Hand Attack + Extra Attack1 + Extra Attack2 + Bonus Action Attack
Sytheakse's possible homebrew: Main Hand Attack + Bonus Action Off Hand + Extra Attack1 + Extra Attack Off Hand 1 + Extra Attack 2 + Extra Attack Off Hand 2
In other words, normal rules say 4 total attacks. Homebrew would have 6. A little broken.
@@wolfofsummerbreeze or even 8 ;) It is kind of over the top, true. Still I like the idea of this whilring derwish of death.
@@wolfofsummerbreeze a lot broken especially with Champion 😧
What a horrible Homebrew rule. Hold on while my dual wielding fighter with three attacks also action surges for a total of 12 attacks in one round. But wait they also have Elven accuracy and are a samurai, so I also get advantage on all 12 of those attacks but I can also give up advantage on one of the attacks to get another attack which gives me another dual wielding attack for a total of 14 attacks 13 of which have advantage, and because of Elven accuracy they roll three dice for each attack with advantage. Hold on everybody while i roll 40 D20 for all of my attacks. Get ready for very likely 14d8 being thrown your way.. oh its a d8 cause i forgot to mention im using rapiers. The average of 14d8 is 60 damage, but rolling with 3 chances to crit each attack you can likely expect more damage. Lets just assume a modest +3 for ability modifier, that's 42 flat damage. Just hope i don't have a level into warlock for hexblade, cause hexblades curse would add another flat 52 damage to the flurry of hits which can now crit on a 19 or 20, not even mentioning casting hex... another 14d6 (another 56 average damage) Level 12 character so both weapons should be a +1, 14 more flat damage. Umm is that all? Think so. Unless i wanted to take the martial adept feat for tripping attack and getting auto crits on 13 of the attacks. All combined you have a fighter dealing an average of 210 damage on a single turn, at level 12.
So the best part of dual wielding is doing literally anything else. Got it lol
Oh, and I think the best classes for dual-wielding are Rogues for an extra chance at getting Sneak Attack, and Paladin for an extra Divine Smite.
Well with a rouge that when with assassin you can auto crit a surprised target with both weapons if you hit
Paladins less so because they have alot of bonus action spells
You could bring the argument of cunning action, but for rogue it's actually a source of opportunities. You make your action attack. If you hit then the second attack is redundant, and just bonus disengage. If you miss then attack again for the second chance of sneak attacm
I have a dual Wielder Fighter/Paladin with a great sword on its back lol my character it’s well rounded with tons and feats, great vid I’m feeling really confident about my Dual Wielder fighter ^^
Was waiting for them to mention "wizard with Tenser's Transformation" and they never did :( I ran a bladesinger who used that along with a potion of speed to essentially turn an adventuring party into salsa with a pair of nonmagical shortswords.
The new Spirit Shroud from Tasha's can be really lit too and will be a part of your repertoire a lot earlier, while still being fun when upcast at later levels.
theres actually a 3rd party feat in a book i have that i love. It requires having the dual wielder feat as a perquisite but it's effect is "When wielding a one handed weapon in each hand you may make 1 additional attack during your attack action. that gives a fighter a total of 4 attacks per turn (including the bonus action); and 7 with an action surge. really improves dual wielding in the game even if you have to take 2 feats in order to get it.
What book and feat is this?
@@valintinesmith7807 its a 3rd party book just called "5th edition feats" by tpk games. The feat is called two-weapon mastery
@@caosisaac Not surprised there's a book of feats from third party, they really dropped the ball on feats in 5th.
Hero Forge!
Finally, they get some recognition.
Thank you for advertising Hero Forge, it seriously needs some love.
I've read that the dual rapier style was called 'Florentine', although there appears to be doubt about how much (If at all) it was practised.
It is curious, though, that the one common, historic European two weapon style of rapier and dagger isn't allowed under 5E because rapiers aren't light.
Unless one burns a feat. Extra training. Hmm....
They could easily have made it so that only the off-hand weapon needed to be light. I don't know why they didn't do that.
@@Sceadusawol Right? It feels like a rapier with a mostly defensive dagger (With the chance for opportunity attacks) would be way more easy to use than dual hatchets, which is totally legal.
I have actually considered a whole raft of ideas for off-hand weapon fighting.
If you give up the additional (bonus action) attack, could you add +1 to AC for the turn, instead, for example?
Me and my friends use a homebrew rule that only the offhand weapon needs to be light, and I’ve even gotten away with it in Adventure’s League once when our DM thought my Rogue having a rapier and a dagger made sense
Florentin is traditionally a rapier and dagger.
I'm pretty sure this channel has been dual wielding since day one. ;)
Hexblade warlock with pact of blade can really benefit from dual wielding
@@elliotbanbury6442 You can have one summoned and one bonded weapon. It works.
Little known fact: you can dual wield non-light weapons without the feat, you just don't get the bonus action attack. Perfect for a longsword & quarterstaff wielding Gandalf type with War Caster feat.
Nothing says you cannot use ANY one-handed weapon to attack, as two-weapon fighting does nothing but add the bonus action attack. If you have two separate magic weapons with good buffs, plus something better to do with a bonus action, then no point investing in stacking the fighting style & feat.
Thanks guys! As a duel wielding fighter, and even as a DM, I always feel like I'm not getting the rules right. Thank you for your tips!
Double rapier scene from The Legend of Zoro 😂
Are those Rayla's sword/dagger/hooks in the back??? Pretty cool lol
Whoa, nice catch.
DW doesn't work very well in 5e.
Some of your logic on what makes DW "good" is highly debatable. You could say that if you miss, at least you get a chance to hit with your other attack ...OR you could say that you NEED to hit 2 times in order to do full damage. So you're kinda calling the cup "half full", when it's just as much "half empty".
In order to benefit from DW, you need to find a way for it to counter-balance having a shield (2-5 AC), AND having "Duelist" which gives +2 to all your attacks, or the powerful big 2H feats/styles, AND the issue of needing twice as many really cool weapon finds in order to fully upgrade your weapon kit.
They kinda try to push Bladesinger into DW by saying "no shield" for blade dancing, but really that just makes a BS have to give up other possible advantages (like grabbing duelist from fighter), and it costs too much in feats to make it worth even looking at.
2 rapiers is very doable IRL. They are both fully 1H weapons. It's actually FAR more effective IRL than in 5e. IRL, any weapon which is meant to be used with 1H full time, is always drastically more offensively dangerous when you hold 2 of them.
I'm all for someone using DW on a character. But it's very rarely anything other than a voluntary handicap in 5e RAW.
DW in 5e could be good if it counted as 1 extra attack (which DOES stack with other extra attacks) as part of any action which uses 1 or more attacks (so no bonus action cost, and you could get 2 extra attacks with action surge). Then DW would be viable (from a min-max perspective). Otherwise, you're going to need some tricky spell-leveraging or unlikely situation in order to make DW anything other than a net loss in 5e. If someone wanted to play DW in a campaign I ran, I would actually volunteer to homebrew +1 extra attack per action for them, so they don't struggle to keep up with their party in a fight. There's probably exceptions, which make DW viable in 5e RAW, but they are few and far between.
It's funny you just made this, the past few weeks I've been deliberating on the strongest dual wielding class I can make. Dont forget Warlock Hexblade as well. That combines with 2 levels of paladin gives you Devine smite, and a couple spell slots that recover on a short rest
Hexblades also get to change their attack/damage mod to Cha for two different weapons.
@@xdecatron2985 wai wha they could dual wield? their pact weapon!?
@@firstnamelastname7298 I understand that your pact weapon and your Hexblade conjured weapon can be two different weapons, so you can have solid sword in one hand and creepy magic sword in the other.
@@Teaandephemery i was planning on using my sword patron on one hand and another one the pact weapon on the other but yea yours make sense
5wchvv
Wouldn’t a Fighter Battle Master 3 (riposte) Rogue Scout 17 (sneak attack) work much better together to add sneak attack damage, fighting style, and 2 weapon/mobile feats? You’re limited to finesse weapons, but it lets you lean into DEX and opens up your ASI’s for feats (assuming you also go variant human to balance out the lost ASI). You can get 3 sneak attacks per round with this build. Also pairs well with the defensive dualist feat. Not to mention action surge in case that wasn’t enough. Here’s a link to the build if anyone is curious: www.dndbeyond.com/characters/30625143/rtZYgd
with my newest character (a bladesinger), I plan on using dual wielding with thrown weapons a lot - just to get something out of all those bonus actions that I would otherwise not use.
Dual wielding really seems to fall behind the other fighting styles in 5e. Mostly because all of the classes that get it also get key features they use with their bonus action- ranger with hunter’s mark and fighters second wind. I’m perpetually glad my group house rules the offhand attack is part of the Attack action
The biggest reason it falls behind is no way to deal +10 damage per hit like Great Weapon and Sharpshooter have.
my favorite build so far was actually a horizon walker ranger with a two level dip in fighter so that at the 11th ranger level, even though that's high up, you could make 7 attacks using your action surge if you were fighting two or more enemies. i plan on making great effect with this build on a dwarf because having a teleporting dwarf armed with two hammers seemed like a great visual :)
If you're an Eldritch Knight or other spellcaster* who really wants to carry two weapons, there are ways to reduce your issues with drawing and stowing weapons to cast spells, if your DM is enforcing those rules (as they probably should, but some don't).
First, a *Ruby of the War Mage* is a common item that allows you to use a weapon as a spellcasting focus. It requires attunement, but this way you can cast spells with unpriced material components without having to put away your weapon. (College-of-Swords Bards and Profane Soul Blood Hunters don't need the Ruby to use a weapon as a spellcasting focus.) This doesn't help you with spells that have somatic components but no material components, and it doesn't help you with spells that have priced material components, but most of the latter won't be cast in the heat of battle.
Second, you can technically drop a weapon on the ground for free and then pick up the weapon as your free object interaction as part of your action or your movement, but only on your turn. That doesn't help you in situations where dropping your weapon would risk losing the weapon, and it doesn't help you cast spells on anyone else's turn, like when you want to cast _Shield._
Third, there's currently a multiclass dip that can go a long way: the *Psionic Soul Sorcerer.* Just one level gives you Psychic Sorcery, so you can cast spells without components, including material components. There are some limitations, but it works automatically on all cantrips and first-level spells, and it's a very high probability of success on other low-level spells. If you take the Wild Talent feat, that Psionic Talent die can keep growing with your character level so you can more reliably cast those higher-level spells without components.
I cannot stress enough how fun and creative things can get when you don't need to use components. Totally changes the way you play and opens up so many options for sneaky shenanigans.
That one level also gives you a cool kind of telepathy and a much-expanded set of early-level spells and cantrips. And if you take it as your first level before multiclassing as Wizard, you get that nice proficiency in Constitution saving throws for all your concentration rolls.
* Off the top of my head: Rangers, Arcane Tricksters, Dexterity-based Paladins, Hexblade Warlocks, Valor Bards, Whispers Bards, Bladesingers, Circle-of-Spores Druids, Death Clerics, and Nature Clerics with _Shillelagh._
How to play a dual wielder in 5e:
Dont.
*roll credits*
I am surprised to not find this as the top comment. Dual wielding is GUTTED in 5e. The core issue is that an offhand attack is a weak use of a bonus action.
@@TheSmeckledorf and... It never scales. And Polearm mastery just does it better.
That's because polearm master is a flat out broken feat.
Totally misread the video title for a second as "How to play a Dual Welder in Dungeons and Dragons 5e." I mean, if that HAD been the title, well.... I've still seen weirder prestige classes.
You failed to mention one of the best thing about dual weilding: having two different magic weapons attacking at the same time. Let's say you have the Dual Wielder feat: you can have a Flame Tongue longsword in one hand and a Frost Brand longsword in another. If you are a 11 level fighter, you can make 4 attacks including your bonus action, 2 of which can be with the Flame Tongue and the other 2 with the Frost Brand.
Obviously you'd have to play in a game where magic items/swords are common enough, plus your DM will have to give you the magic weapons... but having two different magic weapon at the same time is not something to sleep on.
It's much better if you can multiclass it with Fiend Warlock 7/9.
First turn in case you couldn't anticipate and precast: cast Armor of Agathys, action surge cast Fire Shield, draw both Flametongue and Frost Brand with your item interaction.
Grin viciously as you move towards your enemies.
You are the TRUE MASTER OF THE HEAT AND COLD \o/
Enjoy. :)
@ That wasn't the point of my comment but I apreciate the character built thx :D
I would argue that the eldritch knight is very cool to dual wield with and I feel the mechanics are smooth. Weapon Bond on to 2 handaxes, daggers, etc. and at the start of your turn throw one with your action, the second with your bonus, then action surge to cast a spell empty-handed. Next turn use your action to cast say a fireball then bonus action to summon one weapon back to your hand, repeat next turn, then throw both axes again. This would be a ranged damage dealer I admit but it feels competitive with other classes but I feel the challenge would be in obtaining powerful thrown weapons to stay viable at later levels.
Made a hexblade warlock/Gloom Stalker ranger (and later the same character but a horizon walker ranger instead) that was pretty fun, horizon walker makes you incredibly hard to pin down, especially in situations where you’re fighting a large group of enemies, plus if you pick up relentless hex, you can kick things into overdrive by sacrificing your off-hand attack. I imagine a fighter/horizon walker could do some incredibly impressive things with this setup using their action surge
Has two weapon fighting been subpar like this in other dnd editions?
In 3/3.5 it ate up A LOT of feats to not make it subpar.
You can dual wield improvised weapons. A gnome could be an imprivised weapon. A gnome can dual wield improvised weapons. A pixie can be an improvised weapon. A pixie can dual wield improvised weapons....
Broke: dual wielding ranger/fighter
Woke: dual wielding sword bard- go remind them why almost every JRPG out there has Dancer as a class!
I'm quite sure Hero Forge is coming out with Hero Forge 2.0 soon (within 6 months). Their kickstarter for the 2.0 recently ended.
Actually talking about the ad, I loved using Hero Forge to create my character. My friend has a 3D printer, so it was only $7 for the download and then $3 for the resin used. Im really looking forward to painting it and bringing it to life!
For the EK, isn't the Weapon Bond class ability for summoning your weapons partly so the EK can just drop his weapon the time to cast a spell as an action then summon it back into its hand as a bonus action if necessary ?