[RPG] How to apply dexterity damage to an off-hand weapon

pathfinder-1e

How do you apply dexterity damage to an off-hand weapon? Is it like strength and halved? I have this question because you don't add 1.5x your dex when wielding a two handed weapon.

Best Answer

If your Dex modifier replaces Str for damage, it is subject to all the same modifiers

1.5x for two-handed, 0.5x for off-hand.

Anything that lets you apply your Dexterity modifier to your damage roll is deviating from the core rules, as is the prerogative of class features, feats, etc. You follow the core rules until and unless your Dex-to-damage effect tells you different.

Consider the Swordlord's Deft Strike:

A swordlord can add his Dexterity bonus (if any) on damage rolls made with a dueling sword instead of his Strength bonus. This bonus on damage rolls applies whether the swordlord is wielding a dueling sword one-handed or two-handed, though the swordlord does not apply 1-1/2 times his Dexterity bonus on damage rolls while fighting two-handed. A swordlord cannot use this ability if he is wielding a shield or an off-hand weapon, including armor spikes, unarmed strikes, or natural weapons.

Emphasis mine. The class feature has to clarify that it does not 1-1/2 times to two-handed because otherwise it would - by replacing the Str mod it is subject to all the same rules and conditions.

However, additional Dex-to-damage is not modified

Consider the 11th-level Swashbuckler deed Bleeding Wound:

At 11th level, when the swashbuckler hits a living creature with a light or one-handed piercing melee weapon attack, as a free action she can spend 1 panache point to have that attack deal additional bleed damage. The amount of bleed damage dealt is equal to the swashbuckler's Dexterity modifier (minimum 1).

This deals your Dex modifier as additional damage, not in place of the Str modifier. It is therefore not subject to the same rules, conditions, and modifiers.