Is slashing/bludgeoning/piercing damage even needed?

[YRUSirius]

In this playtest there is only 1 occurence where the slashing/bludgeoning/piercing damage mechanic comes into play and this is the skeleton monster.

If this playtest package would have been a basic playset (covering level 1 to 3) I'd say that noting the type of weapon damage for EVERY weapon in EVERY monster statblock and on EVERY charactersheet is overkill and unnecessary just to accomodate 1 background mechanic for 1 monster.

It seems it would be better to move the slashing/bludgeoning/piercing mechanic into a module outside the core base game, because the core base game - atleast for now - only uses this mechanic with 1 monster out of 32.

I feel noting the weapon damage type is unnecessary for the majority of the core game.

The skeleton monster entry could have an entry like this instead:

Special quality: resistence against missile weapons, blade weapons, spears, etc.

Your thoughts on that?

-YRUSirius

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I would hate to see damage types go. It was a pain in the ass, that 4e dropped it. It really does not seem probematic to have one more word. Better than having untyped damage.

 

[WizarDru]

I think you're overthinking it. This is a playtest of a limited subset of the rules. It's clear that damage types were not an important consideration for this round of playtesting, hence the reason that only the skeleton in the playtest pack actually has such a restriction.

If the skellie were the only monster who would have this restriciton and there would be no other uses of the system, I might agree with you. I'm fairly sure, especially based on 3E experience, that it won't be...and thus it is setting a subsystem for larger use (but tht looks like it could be easily ignored by those who don't like it).

 

[YRUSirius]

Yeah, but is this subset of rules even necessary for the base game?

-YRUSirius

 

[Jeff Carlsen]

I don't see how having damage types is getting in the way. It's potentially useful information that's easily ignored when you don't need it.

 

[YRUSirius]

Okay, but what is it providing in the base game? The base game could function without it.

-YRUSirius

 

[DEFCON 1]

We don't know yet, because this isn't the complete base game. Skeletons might be the only monster right now that interacts with the weapon damage types... but let's wait and see what happens when like the golems appear for example.

I mean after all... right now the base game has no use for the spell schools they have listed on the spells either. Doesn't mean they shouldn't be there.

 

[imurphy943]

I'd be fine with monster stat blocks using the terms (though I would love to see plain-talk descriptions instead), but I've always felt like maybe it's a bit much to put them on the equipment list. I don't need to be told that a spear pokes, a club hits, and a morningstar does both.

 

[El Mahdi]

Yeah, it seems mostly unecessary for the core game, or just won't come into play very often.

But I can see it being applicable to all kinds of optional rules and modules. It could be used for Critical Hit Charts, Weapon vs. Armor rules, Damage Reduction, etc.

Having it as part of the core makes it available for all these other applications, and can simply be ignored if one wants to.

 

[The Red King]

Okay, but what is it providing in the base game? The base game could function without it.

-YRUSirius

I'm sure there are lots of things included in the play test that not everyone got to use. Was it imperitive that they include all of it? No, but if someone wanted to throw in a skeleton, then there you go. For this play test they diddnt need to give us 30 some odd monsters, did they? 22 or 15 could have covered it just fine, right? I don't get what has you so riled up. If you don't like/want to use the weapon types, you can ignore them, right?

I'd be fine with monster stat blocks using the terms (though I would love to see plain-talk descriptions instead), but I've always felt like maybe it's a bit much to put them on the equipment list. I don't need to be told that a spear pokes, a club hits, and a morningstar does both.

It did seem to clutter the player sheets. But once the full system is out, I bet that they remove most of it. My guess is that they added it on because not everyone would have a copy of the rules handy. My group was 7 players, and with 2 copies of everything, we still had to stop a few times to look stuff up.