Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 littlewall Jun 03, 2008 12:07:26	I'm a fifth level lizardfolk (long story there) fighter that is leveling and I can choose 2 feats. Another player is telling me I should take Monkey Grip so I can use my Greatsword with one hand and a shield in the other. Now I'm fairly new to playing 3.5 (Heck, I haven't played since 2nd ed was fairly new) and I'm still learning about some of the feat combos. My impression of Monkey Grip is that I can use oversized weapons with only a -2 penalty. I didn't get the impression that I could use my normal (human) sized Greatsword 1 handed with MG. Also, if I can, don't I need something like 2 Weapon Fighting or Shield Bash to use a shield and greatsword together when fighting? I already have Power Attack and Cleave for feats so I am thinking Greater Cleave would be nice to pick up. Oh, knowing my stats might be useful. They are: S (20) D (14) Con (16) I (9) W (10) Ch (8) Thanks for the advice.
#2 tytalus Jun 03, 2008 15:55:07	Your post should go to the character optimization board. Monkey Grip is a trap - the penalty to hit is not offset by the extra damage. And no, you can not use a greatsword in one hand (although you can use a large longsword, which has technically the same stats). Better to use Power Attack. You don't need TWF etc. to fight with a weapon and shield. If you want to attack with both, TWF lowers the penalty, though. Using a 2-handed weapon is the key to high damage (and combat effectiveness). You already have Power Attack, use it. Complement it with Leap Attack, Shock Trooper, etc. Great Cleave is also a trap. At higher levels is rarely ever useful. Cleave is still nice, though.
#3 Neutronium_Dragon Jun 03, 2008 21:04:31	Which books do you have access to? There are some great feats in the PHB2, and some of them work best when you can grab two of them together (a weaker prerequisite feat and a stronger one which builds upon it). At your level, taking Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization may still be worthwhile, and if the PHB2 is in use then it will later allow you to qualify for higher level mastery feats. If you're playing a defensive character (it doesn't sound like you are) then Combat Reflexes may also be a good choice. Combat Expertise is closed to you due to your Int, unfortunately. Don't take Monkey Grip or Great Cleave - as described above, they're feats which present themselves as being oh-so-cool but in practice they're no use or even a hindrance.