3.5e Need Help with a Player

[smasher1200]

Hi, I'm a DM and I figure I'd allow my players to stray away from the 12 basic D&D classes. It's been going pretty good except for one player (let's call him Nick) wanted to be a Samurai. Now here's my dilemma:

The Samurai gets an ability that is treated as two-weapon fighting but only with two special weapons (essentially a Bastard Sword and Short Sword). And Nick wants to take two-weapon defense, which requires the feat Two-Weapon Fighting... Which he technically doesn't have.

So I'm not sure whether to let him take Two Weapon Defense or not because the Samurai ability too restricted to be considered Two Weapon Fighting. And I don't want to make Two-Weapon Defense to work with only the specified weapons (That seems less like feat and more of just a special ability in my opinion). I felt like I needed a third-party opinion on this, can anyone help?

[Siberys]

The Samurai gets an ability that is treated as two-weapon fighting but only with two special weapons (essentially a Bastard Sword and Short Sword). And Nick wants to take two-weapon defense, which requires the feat Two-Weapon Fighting... Which he technically doesn't have.

Actually he DOES have two weapon fighting. The phrase "Treated as having" means you not only have the feat but qualify for other feats or abilities that require the first feat. He would however have to have all other requirements for Two Weapon Defense, such as the Dexterity requirement.

This also applies to Improved and Greater Two Weapon Fighting, and any prestige classes in the complete warrior or other books you allow that require two weapon fighting as a requisite (Tempest from Complete Adventurer for example he would meet the Two Weapon Fighting requirement but not the Improved Two weapon fighting, he'd need to gain that on his own).

Now, if he wanted to get two weapon defense for say double axes, then he would have to take Two Weapon Fighting again just to make it apply to all weapons rather than just the original two for Samurai, but so long as it's only for the Wakizashi and Katana, these feats work fine.


EDIT: Oh, and this also applies to the Samura's Iaijutsu Master ability. Any feat requiring Quick Draw the player can take so long as he only uses it for the two original weapons.

[smasher1200]

Thank you very much for clarifying that for me. And thank you again for answering the next question I was about to ask about the Iaijutsu Master ability.

[Siberys]

One last thing I'll mention, but I doubt this will come up.

Hypothetically, if your player takes Two Weapon Defense, Greater and Improved two weapon fighting, and then later down the road takes the original two weapon fighting for all weapons rather than just the short and bastard swords, the effect of the other three feats are retroactive and will immediately apply to all as well, meaning he won't have to re-take them as well.

[smasher1200]

Yea I figured that would it would work.

[Impure13]

I don't know what samuria type you were going for, but be reminded that the basic classes can be used to fit almost anything, If all else fails, just look at the multiclass fighter/ranger or rogue.