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According to the manual (and according to 3e rules) the bastard sword is a martial weapon that can be used in one hand if you have the exotic weapon proficiency or with two hands if you have the martial weapon proficiency.

My fighter obviously have the martial weapon proficiency but still can't equip it, what gives?

Follow-up-question; how do you equip a weapon in two hands (like a longsword for a human)?

Sorry, AFAIK the manual is wrong on that point - the bastard sword is a one-handed weapon only for characters with exotic weapon proficiency...no two-handed, no martial. If a weapon is one-handed, you can't equip it in two hands (why you would want to, I don't know - you don't get extra damage).

Actually Kameleon, hes right. By official rules a bastard sword can be used two-handed as a martial weapon. And yes you do get extra damage when you wield it as such. Any weapon that is your own size category or larger allows you to apply 1.5 your str bonus to damage, such as a longsword or bastard sword for a human, or a short sword for a halfing, simply most people don't use a longsword in two hands because the use of the extra hand for either another weapon or a shield outweighs the advantage, if they want to use a 2 handed weapon the simply wield a greatsword. Arilyn Moonblade used her longsword in a 2-handed fighting style. Now as for in NWN this is simply another one of the rules that failed to be implemented, but since it is rather minor it would have been more work than it was worth to add into the game.

I know effectively nothing about 3rd Ed, so I can only talk about NWN, in which I believe what I said is true. In the game many of the rules seem to have been simplified.

If I'm wrong on this point then I apologise.

You're not wrong about NWN, thats why I said it was one of the rules was failed to be implemented. I simply said Cynik was right because the way he phrased his question he seemed to be asking about official rules as well.

Bummer, the manual does actually say it is a martial weapon (p130 in my version).

Well this looks like another case of the manual and the game contradicting each other. According to the manul under Weapon Proficiency Martial (p99 in the US version) it says that the bastard sword is a Martial Weapon. But in the game if you look at the Weapon Proficiency Exotic feat it lists the bastard sword as an Exotic weapon. So if you want to use a Bastard Sword you need to get the Weapon Proficiency Exotic feat.

Correct. In NWN it requires exotic prof. The manual takes after the official rules in that a bastard sword only requires exotic prof. to be wielded one-handed, the game doesnt. Oh and Datt Im curious where do u live that you are a fan of the Sooners? I live in Stillwater and attend OSU so the emblem jumped out at me.

Well I currently live in the territory of the enemy, Dallas, Tx. But I was born and raised in OKC. Got them emblem from the ESPN website for OU. Saved it and resized it to fit here.

Cool.