Fellow player wants a REALLY big sword

[deadkitten]

So a fellow player wants to use a big ass sword as her weapon.

What is the largest two-handed weapon visually in d&d?
What is the largest two-handed weapon that is worth investment in to use?
And because I'm lazy, and its the only idea I came up with when she asked, how can a Drow wield a large great sword without penalty?

[Sleepyphoenixx]

Fullblade (A&E) or Minotaur Greathammer
Spiked Chain
Strongarm Bracers (MIC)

[Slaughterhouserock]

Major Titan Bloodline gives you "use oversized weapon" at 12th level which works as the Titan ability, giving you the ability to wield a Gargantuan two-handed warhammer without penalty.

[awaken_D_M_golem]

Ninja'd ... drat 

PsyWar acf Soulbound Weapon got some discussion
toward the end of BG about using it to make a Trebuchet.

[Argent Fatalis]

She has some interesting options;

- The Fullblade is, effectively, an oversized greatsword in terms of length, but only has the novelty of being 2d8 versus 2d6. It's 3.0, and depending on how you handle it, has some goofy rules - if she does opt to use it, I'd advise only making her take Exotic Weapon Proficiency for it and none of the other debatable issues. The Fullblade is in Sword and Fist.

- The Jovar is a unique upgrade from the greatsword because it has a great crit range of 18-20 - making things like a Scabbard of Keen Edges even nicer for it. She could easily fluff that the weapon is larger - it certainly is more unusual looking by standard fluff alone. Found in the Planar Handbook.

- The Great Falchion has greataxe damage and the 18-20 crit range. It's nothing wowing and not really that great, but it's novel. When the last time you've heard of anyone use one? Never, probably? Style points for sure, and the fluff thinks of it as an "executioner's weapon". Found in Sandstorm.

- The Mercurial Greatsword trades its decent crit range of 19-20 with the x2 multiplier for a x4 with no expanded crit range. It's a weird weapon and nothing really special, but I see no reason to not fluff it as bizarrely larger than it should be, and she traded the finesse (crit range) for absolutely brutal crits with it. Another note it originally dealt 2d8 damage but errata changed it back to 2d6; I really don't see anything too overpowered for getting the 2d8 version for her. The fluff even calls it a "huge blade" and its weight alone (17lbs) infers that. Found in Arms and Equipment and Sword and Fist.

Those are the only ones I can really think of off the top of my head. I hope they help.

[kitep]

The DMG, p262 has 2 magic weapons
Mattock of the Titans - 10' long, but you have to be huge to use it properly and counts as a gargantuan weapon
Maul of the Titans - 8' long +3 greatclub, requires STR 18 or take a -4 on to-hit rolls.  But I think you can be a medium and wield it 2 handed w/o penalty.  You could probably refluff it as a greatsword or whatever you want.

[zook1shoe]

Shape a Caber to look like a sword?

[Stratovarius]

Shape a Caber to look like a sword?

Plus, then you can throw it in a pinch. And hit an area.

[Maat Mons]

The highest base damage on a 3.5 weapon is the sugliin (Frostburn, p76 & p77) at 2d6.  It's not a sword though.  It's a bunch of antlers tied to a stick.  It has quite bizarre rules too.  Attacking with it is a full-round action unless you have the sugliin mastery feat (Frostburn, p50).  If you're not proficient with it as an exotic weapon, you can use it as a martial weapon instead, but it then has a chance of breaking (Frostburn, p76). 

It's pretty weird for a drow to specialize in big weaponry.  The underdark has plenty of tight spaces. 

[Tr011]

Most things are already said:
- Titan ability (maybe by bloodline)
- Powerful Build/Jotunbrud Feat
- Strongarm Bracer (MiC)
- Use an exotic weapon that is already really big, like a Full Blade.

[Nunkuruji]

Heavy Oversized Fullblade, Strongarm Bracers

http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=9053.0

Heavy materials are in Magic of Faerun

[Tr011]

Now I remember what we missed:
Monkey Grip.
I mean... Monkey Grip
It stacks with Powerful Build or Strongarm Bracer, so you can just take a Drow with Monkey Grip, Strongarm Bracer, Titan Bloodline and EWP: Platinum Full Blades would be able to swing a Gargantuan Platinum Fullblade (-2 attack for oversized with 12d6 base damage).

Calculation:
2d8 base damage
size -> large Monkey Grip (also -2 attack)
size -> huge Strongarm Bracer (also +2 dmg if taking -2 or more for PA)
size -> gargantuan Titan Bloodline (also PA and some other gimmicks)
weapon damage -> colossal Heavy Weapon by being a Platinum Weapon
and d8s get 6d6 by getting from Large to Colossal

But I'm afraid you won't be able to use Weapon Finesse with it 

[Gazzien]

Now I remember what we missed:
Monkey Grip.
I mean... Monkey Grip
It stacks with Powerful Build or Strongarm Bracer, so you can just take a Drow with Monkey Grip, Strongarm Bracer, Titan Bloodline and EWP: Platinum Full Blades would be able to swing a Gargantuan Platinum Fullblade (-2 attack for oversized with 12d6 base damage).

Calculation:
2d8 base damage
size -> large Monkey Grip (also -2 attack)
size -> huge Strongarm Bracer (also +2 dmg if taking -2 or more for PA)
size -> gargantuan Titan Bloodline (also PA and some other gimmicks)
weapon damage -> colossal Heavy Weapon by being a Platinum Weapon
and d8s get 6d6 by getting from Large to Colossal

But I'm afraid you won't be able to use Weapon Finesse with it 

Stacking rules! Apply in the most beneficial order!

Size -> Gargantuan: Titan Bloodline
Size -> Colossal: Monkey Grip (also -2 attack)
Size -> Colossal+: Strongarm Bracer (also +2 dmg if taking -2 or more for PA)
WeaponDamage -> Colossal++: Heavy Weapon by being a platinum weapon (or a gold one)

[awaken_D_M_golem]

Monkey Grip and Powerful Build don't stack.
That's like a C.O. theme song going back a decade.
idk wtf the details.

[Jackinthegreen]

Monkey Grip doesn't stack with Powerful Build because both effects say that you wield a weapon made for something one size larger than you, not that you can wield a weapon one size larger than you normally could.  Likewise, neither would work with the Titan Bloodline because that effect is specific to a certain weapon.

One thing that would stack with Monkey Grip or Powerful Build is Enlarge Weapon.

[zook1shoe]

Mighty Wallop

[nijineko]

you could apply that one weapon enhancement that lets the weapon change form? or would a titan bloodline not be able to use that again...

i seem to recall that there is something in the 3.x rokugan material that allows one to pull this off. i also recall something that makes weapons lighter allowing a wielder one size smaller than usual wield a weapon?

[Jackinthegreen]

you could apply that one weapon enhancement that lets the weapon change form? or would a titan bloodline not be able to use that again...

i seem to recall that there is something in the 3.x rokugan material that allows one to pull this off. i also recall something that makes weapons lighter allowing a wielder one size smaller than usual wield a weapon?

Dunno about the rokugan stuff off the top of my head, but there is a 3.0 weapon enhancement in the Arms and Equipment Guide called Balanced that when updated to 3.5 makes the weapon a size category lighter effectively.

Mighty Wallop

If the weapon type can be bludgeoning instead of a sword's typical slashing then that or its greater version could work to effectively be the same thing as a giant weapon.