Impossible weapons

[RangerWickett]

The whipsword from Soul Caliber (Yay Ivy!), and from the final fight scene in Brotherhood of the Wolf was pretty neat. I'd like to see stats for that.

See my above post with link for E.N. Arsenal - Whips.

Whipsword. Exotic melee weapon. Dmg, (s/m) 1d6/1d8. Crit 19-20/x2. Wt. 6 lb. Type S. 400 gp.

This weapon normally resembles a plain longsword, though its blade actually consists of multiple segments that can detach from each other. A metal cord links the segments and the hilt of the sword, running through the center of each segment, allowing the whipsword to function as either a longsword or a unique whip-like weapon. By activating a special mechanism on the weapon, you can switch between sword and whip form as a move action. If you are proficient in longswords or whips, you can use the whipsword proficiently when it is in the appropriate form.

Because the weapon is somewhat less flexible than a normal whip, the wielder suffers a -2 penalty to special maneuvers that require finesse, like tripping, disarming, and using the abilities of the Third Hand feat. This cancels out the normal +2 bonus to disarming with a whip. Characters cannot use the Weapon Finesse with whipswords.

Regardless of what form the weapon is in, it deals damage as a longsword. Normally, warriors will keep the weapon in sword form for better defense, only switching to whip form when they need longer reach and do not worry about attacks of opportunity.

Unlike a normal whip, a whipsword deals real damage, and more importantly it can harm creatures regardless of their armour or natural armour bonus. A whipsword has hardness 10 and 5 hit points. In whip form, its hardness is reduced to 5 because the vulnerable linking cord is exposed. In sword form it can be harmed by bludgeoning weapons and is vulnerable to sonic attacks, but not in whip form.

 

[Qlippoth]

A squirt gun...that shoots...JELLY!

 

[DeBracy]

The whipsword from Soul Caliber (Yay Ivy!)

Warrens of the Ratmen (Sword & Sorcery Studios) has a whipsword as well. It based off of a shortsword basically and doesn't give any reach when extended. Instead there's a x3 crit. A bit bland for such a cool weapon, eh...? But oh well, I like whipswords and I like rats so I couldn't be happier about it anyway...



I like som of the stock anime trix: extending bo staffs or spears, weapons who suddenly can extend thank to chain (Gojyo from Saiyuki being a great example), expanding and oversized swords, bows without string or arrow - you just pull it and shoot of energy basically... there's loads more. Jubei's sword (Ninja Scroll, especially the TV series) wich can attack from a distans is worth a special mention as well.

Of course it has to be in the right campaign to use 'em but generally I personally think "Doesn't work in reality - denied" can be a bit lame, especially if you still have an elf sorcerer in the party. (One of my favourite things in this department was a discussion on the WotC boards regarding if an Ogre with STR 25 or such could carry and fire a minigun without having it mounted (d20 Modern/Urban Arcana I suppose). Lots of people were going on and on about how unrealistic it would be to allow it. And I agree.... Ogres are totaly unrealistic after all. )

But of course, it's up to each GM to set the tone in his/her campaign.

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

And in one of my games I had a trio of assassins who fought with a) a chainsaw longsword, b) an eight-foot long tuning fork, and c) a pair of extendable immovable rods. This was matched by the PC in the steam-mecha, the PC with the Tesla sword, and the PC with the automatic bazooka.

Sir. I am in awe.

Thank you.

Brad

 

[Evilhalfling]

Anybody seen stats for sword-chucks?

 

[Psionicist]

EG: An extensible flail ala Castlvania, giving 10 or 15 feet of reach?

You call that an impossible weapon?

THIS is an impossible weapon!

 

[Dragonhelm]

And in one of my games I had a trio of assassins who fought with a) a chainsaw longsword...

I remember a chainsword from a 2e product somewhere. I think it was in the Encyclopedia Magica.

Right now, one of my characters has a double-bladed sword, and he's having a blast with it. There's a certain cinematic feel to it, and who can't help but think of Darth Maul with those around?

Of course, let's see what he does when he meets his match next session. Bwah ha ha ha!

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

While I liked Darth Maul, I couldn't help but wonder how many prosthetic limbs he had from his early days of mastering the double lightsaber...

 

[Andor]

I would argue that such weapons already exist in the D&D rukes.

Examples:

Spiked Chain. It has metal protrusions coming out of each link. So that the user would puncture his own hand. That is dumb. Banned in any game I GM.

Mercurial Weapons. A hollow tube filled with a lethal metal. Only someone that has NEVER actually used a sword would think of this... or someone that has no knowledge of how dangerous mercury is... Banned in any game I GM.

Dire Flail. Best way in the game to smack yourself in the back of the head. Banned in any game I GM.

Any weapon based on something seen in a computer game, especially something from Final Fantasy.

Double Sword as depicted in the games illustrations. You need a fairly high ratio of grip to blade to use such a weapon. It's more like a short staff with sword blades on the end.

All of these weapons can only exists within a fantasy game. You don't seem them in the real world. There's a reason for that, they wouldn't work...

And that is one of the criteria I use to decide if such a weapon will be used in a campaign I run. Has something similair been used in the real world? If the answer is no, I'm not likely to allow it. Variations on a theme are one thing, I've designed hundreds of odd weapons. But the weapons I mentioned above are just silly...

I'm not talking about stupid weapons, but weapons that become practical in the presence of magic. For example the existence of the sunblade enchantment implies the possibility of a FF type sword useable due that same "wields as a short sword" enchantment the sunblade has. Or a brilliant energy weapon. Brilliant energy blades have no weight and don't interact with inanimate objects. Any particular reason you couldn't have one with a 20' blade?

For that matter some weapons that are a really bad idea (like the dire flail) could be enchanted to not smack the wielder on the back of the head.

So what becomes possible with magic?

(Btw, I too think the spiked chain as drawn is a really dumb idea. What's wrong with a plain chain? Those have been used as weapons since time immemorial.

 

[frankthedm]

I replaced the spiked chain with a subset of weapons

Chains; A group of weapons consisting of stout chain, Nearly 15 feet long, with varying options at both ends. Each combination of heads is a separate feat [1 feat gets you chain itself and the 2 head on the given chain

. Attack adjacent foes as a improvised flail or use similar to a whip as an exotic weapon The chain is treated as a melee weapon with 15-foot reach, though you don’t threaten past 5’. Thus using it past 5’ provokes an attack of opportunity, except from the foe being attacked. Depending on heads, using as a double weapon and weapon finesse may be an option. The chain itself counts as a light weapon in a grapple. Though large, the flexible nature of the chain prevents wielder from applying STR x 1.5. Using in cramped spaces or with locked gauntlets not recommended.
Base 1d6/1d6 x2 crit 12LB 30 GP finesse, ‘light’
grapnel head: 1d6 'slashing'[tearing] 19-20 crit +3lbs 10 gp each [often stick in slain/ helpless foes]light [until dead foe is stuck on it]
Heavy head: 1d8 bludgeoning x3 crit +6 bl, 10gp each. ‘medium’
Blade head 1d8 slashing 19-20 crit +4lb 15 gold each. ‘medium’
Boulder Head 2d6 19-20 crit +20 lbs Allows STR x 1.5 damage. Requires a move equivalent action after attacks past where you threaten. Doesn’t have disarm, dual wield or trip option