Is there a penalty for holding a two handed weapon in offhand while throwing a weapon?

Question

I have a fighter (warforged weaponmaster, level 6). He wields a Mordenkrad (2-handed hammer, brutal 1). He has a "Dwarven Thrower" Throwing Hammer (1-handed throwing weapon) sheathed at his belt.

In combat, he wants to draw the Dwarven Thrower and fling it at a ranged opponent. This is my interpretation of the required actions:

• [free action] release primary hand from the Mordenkrad.
• [minor action] draw Dwarven Thrower
• [standard action] throw Dwarven Thrower at ranged opponent.
• [free action] grasp Mordenkrad with primary hand.

Leaving a move action.

In this context, I'd like to know:

1. Is my interpretation of the actions correct?
2. Are there any penalties because of holding the Mordenkrad in the off hand?

I don't believe the Mordenkrad would be considered "Wielded" when held in the offhand. Is there support in the rules for this assertion either way?

Please cite where in the rules to find support for you answers.

Answer 1

The rules don't actually define the terminology except as far as the phrases themselves. To wield a two-handed weapon, you have to use two hands. So your Mordenkrad cannot be wielded while throwing your hammer, since you can't hold it in two hands, and you will not get any associated bonuses if they applied.

I see nothing wrong with merely holding it up while you use the hammer, and I don't know of any associated penalties, since the rules don't cover it. It's not much different than throwing with a shield equipped.

Magical thrown weapons automatically return to their owner's hands after the attack is resolved, so if your Dwarven Thrower is magical, you will have to ignore the catch (which per the Rules Compendium you can do) and let it drop to the ground before putting your main hand back on the Mordenkrad.

Answer 2

The is no penalty for holding the Mordenkrad in one hand while throwing the hammer.

A quarterstaff, which is also a two handed weapon can be explicitly held in one hand (though while doing so, it ceases to function as quarterstaff).

There is nothing in the rules that penalizes someone for throwing a weapon with one hand while holding something (a weapon, shield, implement or whatever) in the other hand.

As for the action usage, as others have said, that looks right.

Finally, remember that D&D isn't intended to be a perfect simulation. When I DM I'm perfectly happy to let my players do stuff like this, as well as the more complex: toss a throwing hammer whilst holding a sword and shield... I just rationalize it as stuffing the sword under their non-throwing arm or holding it awkwardly in their shield hand while throwing.