D&D 5E Defensive Duelist feat and dual-wielding

[SunGold]

The text of the Defensive Duelist feat reads:

When you are wielding a finesse weapon with which you are proficient and another creature hits you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to add your proficiency bonus to your AC for that attack, potentially causing the attack to miss you.

Do you think this feat can be used by a PC who is dual-wielding finesse weapons? I tend to think of dueling as fighting with a single finesse weapon, like a rapier. Interestingly, there's a passage in the Fighter section of the PHB that seems to agree, but could also be used to argue the other side here. Under the Fighting Styles section on page 72:

DUELING
When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

On the one hand, this passage suggests that, yes, dueling means fighting with only one weapon. On the other, it explicitly states that only one weapon may be used, whereas "Defensive Duelist" does not (although it does refer to a singular finesse weapon).

Thoughts?

 

[Sacrosanct]

Dueling was often done with two weapons. Why wouldn't it count?

 

[mellored]

Yes, defensive duelist will work with 2 weapons.

 

[jrowland]

Defensive Duelist Feat and the Dueling class feature are two separate (and specific) rules. I think Defensive duelist would allow a 2-W finesse user to use the bonus.

 

[Salamandyr]

Rules as written; one weapon or two, as long as one is a finesse weapon you should be golden.

The one handed style we're most familiar with today, thanks to fencing, developed in the 19th Century, based largely on the swordplay of the 18th Century, considerably postdates the time periods D&D is usually intended to emulate. Until double time fencing came into vogue (and the rapier evolved into the smallsword), one almost always wanted an off-hand weapon of some time, or cloak or hat, if a buckler or poniard was not available.

One can single time with an open off-hand, but it's not ideal.

If we're talking about formal duels, those were fought with whatever style and in whatever manner was agreed upon by the participants (variations depending on place and period), much like judicial combats of an earlier period. My understanding is because it was possible that one would have to defend themselves with naught but a single sword, it became common to train that way, and as such, the lengths of rapiers gradually shortened and lightened, until we finally come to the bit of man jewelry known as the smallsword.

But technically, a duel is just a formal combat between two participants. You could have a duel between two dudes with two-handed longswords as easily as you could with rapiers.

 

[SunGold]

Yeah, I get that they're separate rules, but defining the fighting style as one-hand only made me wonder. Seems there's a consensus that it's ok, though.

 

[mellored]

Yeah, I get that they're separate rules, but defining the fighting style as one-hand only made me wonder. Seems there's a consensus that it's ok, though.

You can also use dueling with a shield and non-finesse weapons.

But yea, it's fine. In fact, i would allow defensive duelist with any weapon.

 

[hejtmane]

Rules as written; one weapon or two, as long as one is a finesse weapon you should be golden.

The one handed style we're most familiar with today, thanks to fencing, developed in the 19th Century, based largely on the swordplay of the 18th Century, considerably postdates the time periods D&D is usually intended to emulate. Until double time fencing came into vogue (and the rapier evolved into the smallsword), one almost always wanted an off-hand weapon of some time, or cloak or hat, if a buckler or poniard was not available.

One can single time with an open off-hand, but it's not ideal.

If we're talking about formal duels, those were fought with whatever style and in whatever manner was agreed upon by the participants (variations depending on place and period), much like judicial combats of an earlier period. My understanding is because it was possible that one would have to defend themselves with naught but a single sword, it became common to train that way, and as such, the lengths of rapiers gradually shortened and lightened, until we finally come to the bit of man jewelry known as the smallsword.

But technically, a duel is just a formal combat between two participants. You could have a duel between two dudes with two-handed longswords as easily as you could with rapiers.

In fact a great movie unknown movie to a lot of people Duelist (1977 Ridley Scott movie) even has Harvey Kiatel in the movie take space Napoleonic era

 

[SnakeEyes097]

Yes it works, but remember that if they are dual wielding they only get one proficiency modifier to their AC, and not two.

 

[Illithidbix]

Yes it works, but remember that if they are dual wielding they only get one proficiency modifier to their AC, and not two.

This briefly confused me, but you're right.

Defensive duelist requires using your reaction, and you only get one reaction until the start of your next turn.
So yes, you can only do this once, regardless of how many weapons you're using.

Also should it ever come up, the rules for Reactions state you can use your reaction on your own turn, so you can use Defensive Duelist against an Oppertunity Attack that you provoke.

Certain special abilities, spells, and situations allow you to take a special action called a reaction. A reaction is an instant response to a trigger of some kind, which can occur on your turn or on someone else’s. The opportunity attack, described later in this chapter, is the most common type of reaction.

When you take a reaction, you can’t take another one until the start of your next turn. If the reaction interrupts another creature’s turn, that creature can continue its turn right after the reaction.