Curious, but I dont believe we can half sword the bastard swords. I believe in mid evil manuals it recommends half swording against other heavily armored opponents. Mostly striking for the head and for blunt force trauma. Like weapons such as the mace and axe. (I have seen Henry and characters strike with the pommel but not actively use the handle and guard as the main offensive attack) I haven’t done much research, but it is around the time period of the game. (14-16 century) Though how prevalent during the time and area of Bohemia I dont know. Would be a cool addition and allow the BS to be more versatile, however I do have a suspicion they did not do this on purpose. For game balancing reason. As BS are best for slashing, Axe is middle ground, and mace is best for bludgeoning.
Yes. In your list of player perks (combat, Sword) there is a half-sword combo you can get when you’re at level ten.