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In my campaign, my character has the opportunity to dual wield two +1 longswords. I'm just wondering if it's effective to do so or just a flex for my character.

Would it make sense to do this? Would it work like something giving me a +2 to hit and a +1 for damage depending on which hand I'm using. Do they stack at all, or will I have a + 1 to hit & damage for my two main hand attacks and have the same +1 with my off hand.

My characters does have the Dual Wielder feat and is currently 8th lvl.

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    \$\begingroup\$ Welcome to RPG.SE! Take the tour if you haven't already, and check out the help center for more guidance. What do you mean by "do they stack"? Could you clarify? \$\endgroup\$ – V2Blast♦ Nov 25 '19 at 3:00
  • \$\begingroup\$ yes, and also what "is it effective?" means? \$\endgroup\$ – goodguy5 Nov 25 '19 at 3:05
  • \$\begingroup\$ @goodguy5 Given the context I believe OP means "does it work as a +2" and "is this a good idea" since OP says "or is it just a flex" (meaning to show off having two magical weapons). \$\endgroup\$ – Captain Man Nov 25 '19 at 18:37
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Using an 8th level Barbarian with the Dual Wielder feat you would have the following option while using a pair of +1 long swords:

  1. Use the Attack action to attack twice (level 5+ Barbarian) with your main hand weapon at a +3(proficiency)+STRmodifier+1(magic sword) dealing damages of 1d8+STRmodifier+1(magic sword) on each hit.
  2. Use your bonus action, per two-weapon fighting rules, to attack once with your off-hand weapon at a +3(proficiency)+STRmodifier+1(magic sword) dealing damages of 1d8+1(magic sword) per hit. No STR modifier applies to the off-hand weapon per the standard two-weapon fighting rules.

The +1 magic on the off hand applies to both attack and damage. Your STR bonus applies to any potential attacks. Your STR bonus applies to damage from the standard attacks but not from the bonus action off-hand attack.

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    \$\begingroup\$ And your other option is to use one longsword as a 2H weapon (because it's versatile) for 1d10 for each of two attacks. You get no off-hand attack because you're not dual wielding, so you could do something else with your bonus action. \$\endgroup\$ – Peter Cordes Nov 25 '19 at 21:10
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    \$\begingroup\$ You left out Rage bonus damage which applies to each attack separately, including the off-hand. Is dual-wielding superior to great weapons for a raging Barbarian? runs the numbers on that, I think including the chance of a critical hit boosting the value of damage dice (especially via barbarian Brutal Critical) \$\endgroup\$ – Peter Cordes Nov 25 '19 at 21:12
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Your attack roll uses a specific weapon; when dual-wielding you will use one weapon and then the other

The rules on Two-Weapon Fighting state:

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 [...]

This feature/process (available to all characters) requires you to wield two light weapons and you attack with each separately.

Let's say only one weapon is +1 and magical, then only the attack made using that weapon would bypass resistances to damage from non-magical attacks and only that weapon would receive the +1 to its attack and damage rolls. Your next attack would be made with the non-magical weapon and would receive no such benefits.

In your case both weapons are +1 and magical. Thus each attack will receive +1 to its attack and damage rolls, and both can overcome resistances. Neither attack will receive any sort of +2 to its attack and damage rolls.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ I do have the feat, and and I have 2 +1 longswords and I'm a barbarian \$\endgroup\$ – GunnerTheBarbarian Nov 25 '19 at 12:25
  • \$\begingroup\$ The +2 mechanic would work the same as the +1 mechanic he stated above. Look at each weapon attack separately, they do not stack. You would swing once with a +1 modifier, swing with off-hand with dual wield by adding the +1 as well, then swing a 3rd time with your original hand with a +1 modifier. They do not stack, but you still get a +1 bonus on each swing if both swords are +1's. \$\endgroup\$ – Just Another Guy Nov 25 '19 at 13:43
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    \$\begingroup\$ Each instance is a standalone swing, so just because you are using one hand twice, it does not give you double the benefit on the swing. You will still only get the +1. Look at it as if you were wielding a single weapon: Swinging 3 times with a +1 sword does not give you a +3 to hit benefit, it's just +1 for each instance. \$\endgroup\$ – Just Another Guy Nov 25 '19 at 13:46
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    \$\begingroup\$ Similarly, if you have three more +1 longswords in your backpack, you still only get +1 to hit and damage: The ones in your backpack are in your backpack. Just a +3 toaster only applies to making toast, the weapon you aren't currently making an attack with doesn't apply its bonuses to your current attack. \$\endgroup\$ – Draco18s no longer trusts SE Nov 25 '19 at 18:40

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