Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer Creatures
Frozen Sick
D&D Beyond Basic Rules
Basic Rules (2014)
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Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer CreaturesFrozen SickD&D Beyond Basic RulesBasic Rules (2014)Sign in to view your library & saved favorites.
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After consulting countless forums—and posting about it here, too—there is still no consensus on the interpretation.
There will always be conflicting opinions.
So, the only solution is the one I proposed:
The answer must come in the form of an official correction!
Which leads me to ask: How do we force the hand of those responsible for handling this?
You don't/can't
Find my D&D Beyond articles here
If you're looking to the internet for a "consensus" on anything, you're bound to be disappointed
Active characters:
Edoumiaond Willegume "Eddie" Podslee, Vegetanian scholar (College of Spirits bard)
Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric)
Peter "the Pied Piper" Hausler, human con artist/remover of vermin (Circle of the Shepherd druid)
PIPA - Planar Interception/Protection Aeormaton, warforged bodyguard and ex-wizard hunter (Warrior of the Elements monk/Cartographer artificer)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
Having it published in sage advice would at least create consensus on the officially correct ruling, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
I'm not sure there is, ultimately, as much confusion about it as it may seem looking at discussions. I think the vast majority of people arrive at the JC ruling after carefully parsing the wording of everything and there are a few people that don't, mostly trying to find some excuse that some things you can do with it couldn't possibly be intended (see below). For example, whenever I've seen it come up, it's usually one person with the alternate reading (or just general confusion) and a bunch of others trying to explain why the JC reading is correct.
I also cede that that particular reading gives us weapon swapping with a shield, which, regardless of how much I dislike it and feel it's well outside of the fantasy of a "two-weapon fighter", is also RAW.