I was just curious if there is any advantage to using a single handed weapon, no shield? If not, I understand, I will just make my character as such.
Now I know that it is not a very popular concept but indulge me for a moment if you would.
One of favorite concepts for an rpg char is the swordsman. A hero so skilled with his blade that he can go toe to toe with the flurry of a duel wielding berzerker, the brute force of greataxe swinging warrior, or the seemingly impenetrable defense of a sword and board tank. Why not be able to make that quintessential hero from books that only had to rely on his skill with a blade? Few examples off the top of my head: Tanis, Strider, Robin Hood, Tyrael, Madmartigan.
Few games have implemented this, usually forcing dexterous characters down the dual wield road. The few I can think of is: Baldur's Gate 2, FF tactics, and the Dark Souls games.
There are a few ways to implement a minor bonus. First and foremost, BG2 with a type of armor/deflect bonus. Perhaps an activated bonus, though balancing could be an issue. Lastly, like final fantasy tactics, a slight bonus to damage from using two hands on your one handed weapon.
I know many people will say just use a shield or two weapons but looking for something else Again, if no type of bonus, no big deal. I will make my swordsman anyways. Thank you for bearing with my poor grammar and sentence/paragraph structure.