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Have you considered the idea of location-based balance? For example, supposing 'left hand', 'right hand' and 'feet' each had their own balance timers. A 'lunge' attack would probably set all three, as it requires footwork as well as positioning for each hand - but a 'duck' shouldn't prevent you from using your hands, nor should a 'shield block' with your left hand prevent you from stabbing with the shortsword in your right.
This would also allow you to handle paired weapons in rather interesting ways - for example you could have 'feint' and 'thrust' as attacks which require you to have at least one hand balanced, allowing a player to feint with one sword then quickly thrust with the other. Additionally you might have a 'whirlwind attack' which uses two weapons simultaneously, requiring both hands to be balanced.
The system could also be expanded to include additional locations for creatures which had multiple limbs, prehensile tails, wings, etc (a seven-headed hydra could prove particularly nasty with this approach). A mage could summon the 'Tentacle of the Abyss' which would be treated as its own location, allowing the mage to continue casting other spells while controlling the tenacle - or they might cast 'animate blade' on a sword, and use it to attack someone while they perform other activities. Particularly powerful summons might use a 'mind' location, so that the mage could only concentrate on one at any one time.
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