I believe you do add your proficiency. If you want the damage bonus from ability score as well, you need to get two weapon fighting style from Fighter or Ranger.
A lot of new players think that Proficiency bonus also gets applied to damage. When they get on DDB they think there’s a bug because the character sheet obviously does not do that.
Also, a lot of new players think that when the rules for two-weapon fighting say that you don’t add your Ability modifier to the damage rolls that it also applies to the Attack rolls.
I can appreciate specificity for the sake of posterity. It will potentially help the next person so us old salts don’t have to keep answering the same questions over and over.
So Am I Running the fighter class correctly,? sorry if its a total Noob qeustion but hey we all start somewhere.
1st level fighter takes "two weapon" proficiency/skill, uses two "light" swords (e.g. short sword and scimitar) gets 1 normal attack and 1 bonus attack - two attacks per turn, under Fighter two weapon fighting:
"When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier [usually STR for melee weapons] to the damage of the second attack." this is pretty clear - ability mod, NOT ability + proficiency
Under combat: Two-Weapon Fighting When you take the Attack action and attack with a light melee weapon that you’re holding in one hand, you can use a bonus action to attack with a different light melee weapon that you’re holding in the other hand. You don’t add your ability modifier to the damage of the bonus attack, unless that modifier is negative. [or unless your first level fighter has two weapon fighting style] If either weapon has the thrown property, you can throw the weapon, instead of making a melee attack with it.
So Saga Tympana your guide 'could' be ammeded as:
Off hand attack roll: d20 + proficiency + ability
Off hand damage roll: weapon dice [+ ability if fighter with two weapon skill/style?]
Yes Leif_the_Red406, if you have the "Two-Weapon Fighting" fighting style then you do indeed add your ability modifier to the damage of the off-hand bonus action attack.
For the sake of clearing up the nomenclature for you, the "Two-Weapon Fighting" fighting style is just that: a Fighting Style, which some classes get access to at certain levels. It is not a skill; the only things in DnD 5e specifically called "skills" are your Acrobatics, Animal Handling, etc. which are derived from your Ability Modifiers of the related Ability (Dexterity for Acrobatics, for example) plus your proficiency bonus if you have proficiency in said skill.
So, the rules say that the bonus action attack doesn't add your ability modifier. Does that mean you still add your proficiency modifier?
The attack roll is unchanged, it works just like a normal attack roll. It's the damage roll that does not get your Ability Modifier(it doesn't get your Proficiency Bonus either, but damage rolls never did). If you have the Two-Weapon Fighting fighting style(from a class that grants one or more Fighting Styles), then you get the Ability Modifier added on your bonus action damage rolls.
Hi, got a question about attack roll: Main hand uses d20 + proficiency + ability when checking whether it hits, does offhand use the same? My DM told us offhand only uses d20 for hit. I would appreciate if someone linked to a resource that explicitly states how offhand hit chance is handled. Thank you in advance.
Hi, got a question about attack roll: Main hand uses d20 + proficiency + ability when checking whether it hits, does offhand use the same? My DM told us offhand only uses d20 for hit. I would appreciate if someone linked to a resource that explicitly states how offhand hit chance is handled. Thank you in advance.
The bonus action attack you get from two weapon fighting works exactly the same as any other attack. Modifiers to attack rolls are detailed here. The only way in which the offhand attack is different is that you do not add your ability modifier to the damage roll, unless it's negative.
Hi, got a question about attack roll: Main hand uses d20 + proficiency + ability when checking whether it hits, does offhand use the same? My DM told us offhand only uses d20 for hit. I would appreciate if someone linked to a resource that explicitly states how offhand hit chance is handled. Thank you in advance.
The only time you don't add your proficiency bonus to an attack roll is if you are not proficient with the weapon you attack with.
Hi, got a question about attack roll: Main hand uses d20 + proficiency + ability when checking whether it hits, does offhand use the same? My DM told us offhand only uses d20 for hit. I would appreciate if someone linked to a resource that explicitly states how offhand hit chance is handled. Thank you in advance.
Your DM is incorrect, unless he is house-ruling it. The only modification to the attack stated in the text is in regard to the damage roll, not the attack roll.
So, the rules say that the bonus action attack doesn't add your ability modifier. Does that mean you still add your proficiency modifier?
I believe you do add your proficiency. If you want the damage bonus from ability score as well, you need to get two weapon fighting style from Fighter or Ranger.
You never add your proficiency bonus to damage, so no.
You do add both your proficiency bonus and your ability modifier to the attack roll of your off-hand attack with two weapon fighting.
Main hand attack roll: d20 + proficiency + ability
Main hand damage roll: weapon dice + ability
Off hand attack roll: d20 + proficiency + ability
Off hand damage roll: weapon dice
SagaTympana: I like your mathematical expression like descriptions. Very clear!
I think it was rather unnecessary because, I understood the original question to be: Does that mean you still add your proficiency modifier(to hit)?
A lot of new players think that Proficiency bonus also gets applied to damage. When they get on DDB they think there’s a bug because the character sheet obviously does not do that.
Also, a lot of new players think that when the rules for two-weapon fighting say that you don’t add your Ability modifier to the damage rolls that it also applies to the Attack rolls.
I can appreciate specificity for the sake of posterity. It will potentially help the next person so us old salts don’t have to keep answering the same questions over and over.
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So Am I Running the fighter class correctly,? sorry if its a total Noob qeustion but hey we all start somewhere.
1st level fighter
takes "two weapon" proficiency/skill, uses two "light" swords (e.g. short sword and scimitar) gets 1 normal attack and 1 bonus attack - two attacks per turn,
under Fighter two weapon fighting:
"When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add
your ability modifier [usually STR for melee weapons] to the damage of the second attack." this is pretty clear - ability mod, NOT ability + proficiency
Under combat:
Two-Weapon Fighting
When you take the Attack action and attack with a light
melee weapon that you’re holding in one hand, you can
use a bonus action to attack with a different light melee
weapon that you’re holding in the other hand. You don’t
add your ability modifier to the damage of the bonus attack,
unless that modifier is negative. [or unless your first level fighter has two weapon fighting style]
If either weapon has the thrown property, you can
throw the weapon, instead of making a melee attack
with it.
So Saga Tympana your guide 'could' be ammeded as:
Off hand attack roll: d20 + proficiency + ability
Off hand damage roll: weapon dice [+ ability if fighter with two weapon skill/style?]
So is the above correct?
Yes Leif_the_Red406, if you have the "Two-Weapon Fighting" fighting style then you do indeed add your ability modifier to the damage of the off-hand bonus action attack.
For the sake of clearing up the nomenclature for you, the "Two-Weapon Fighting" fighting style is just that: a Fighting Style, which some classes get access to at certain levels. It is not a skill; the only things in DnD 5e specifically called "skills" are your Acrobatics, Animal Handling, etc. which are derived from your Ability Modifiers of the related Ability (Dexterity for Acrobatics, for example) plus your proficiency bonus if you have proficiency in said skill.
The attack roll is unchanged, it works just like a normal attack roll. It's the damage roll that does not get your Ability Modifier(it doesn't get your Proficiency Bonus either, but damage rolls never did). If you have the Two-Weapon Fighting fighting style(from a class that grants one or more Fighting Styles), then you get the Ability Modifier added on your bonus action damage rolls.
Hi, got a question about attack roll:
Main hand uses d20 + proficiency + ability when checking whether it hits, does offhand use the same? My DM told us offhand only uses d20 for hit.
I would appreciate if someone linked to a resource that explicitly states how offhand hit chance is handled. Thank you in advance.
Dragons are awesome!
The bonus action attack you get from two weapon fighting works exactly the same as any other attack. Modifiers to attack rolls are detailed here. The only way in which the offhand attack is different is that you do not add your ability modifier to the damage roll, unless it's negative.
The only time you don't add your proficiency bonus to an attack roll is if you are not proficient with the weapon you attack with.
In short, you hit just as accurately, but not as hard.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
Your DM is incorrect, unless he is house-ruling it. The only modification to the attack stated in the text is in regard to the damage roll, not the attack roll.
Thank you in kind for the responses lads, I'll chat with DM later to clarify this.
Dragons are awesome!