2nd Edition Weapon Speeds - Anyone Else Miss Them?

[BluWolf]

I miss it about as much as I miss first edition is psionics.

Neither mechanic was EVER used in one of my games in over 20 years of gaming.

So, not really.

 

[Vhane]

*Hold's side's from laughing*

I can die a happy man now. I've heard everything. The 1e weapon speed rules were quite good and useful, but 2e was a pale, difficult to use reflection.

I'm kinda shocked anyone misses Weapon Speed. Why do you miss em?

 

[alsih2o]

only for natural weapons. they need neither balanced, readied or grasped, and are completely instinctual.

 

[Leopold]

Re: A thousand times...

No.

I just played in an old ongoing 2nd Ed. game this weekend where we use individual initiative and weapon speed factors {in a nine player group}.

In my opinion, the DM provoked an attack of oppournity from all nine of us...

and a thousand times over i agree with you...they sucked..

 

[Whodat]

This weekend I was flipping through the new EQ RPG, and I ran across a similar (although not exact) system.

It gave me flashbacks to my old 2nd Edition campaign. I guess I must be waxing nostalgic.

*sigh*

 

[Wormwood]

Consigned to the ash-bin of history.

Thank the gods.

 

[The Traveler]

The Everquest method bears promise, and is distributed in enough variety across their weapons that it'd be easy to swipe.

 

[Staffan]

I also think pole arms got shafted in third.

Of course pole arms got shafted. That's the whole point of the pole arm - a long shaft with a bit of sharp metal on one end.

But seriously, 3e has made a pretty strong effort to keep weapons balanced. Let's compare the large martial melee weapons (which includes polearms). For starters, let's say that the "basic" large martial weapon does 1d10 damage, and either threatens a crit on 19-20 or does triple damage, and has these additional bonuses.
Falchion: 2d4 instead of 1d10, Crits on 18-20.
Heavy Flail: Bonus to disarms and trips.
Glaive: Reach.
Greataxe: 1d12 instead of 1d10.
Greatclub: Bad crits (20/x2). Officially sucky. Should be simple.
Greatsword: 2d6 instead of 1d10.
Guisarme: 2d4 instead of 1d10, reach, can be used to trip.
Halberd: Can be set versus charge.
Longspear: 1d8 instead of 1d10, reach, can be set versus charge.
Ranseur: 2d4 instead of 1d10, reach, can be used to disarm.
Scythe: 2d4 instead of 1d10, crit multiplier x4.

Looks pretty balanced to me.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

Nope. I much prefer reach as a mechanic. . . .

 

[ForceUser]

I don't miss them because they added an unneccesary level of complexity to initiative rolls. A guy wielding a dagger should be wary of a guy with a poleaxe, no matter what. Chances are the PCs will be faster than many of their opponents, anyway, probably because several people I play with take the Improved Initiative feat with most of their characters.