shuriken a superior weapon?

[italianranma]

I don't understand what mechanically is superior about the shuriken. The dagger gives you almost the same capabilities, except the shuriken has 1 square longer range. Far throw (as a feat) gives you +2 squares range, although it requires Str 13 and I understand that for a light thrown weapon, Str isn't desirable.



I see why it's a good choice for a rogue, but for anyone else what are the uses for the shuriken?

 

[Makaze]

It's only good for rogues since it does d6 for them. Which makes absolutely no sense because a shuriken certainly isn't doing as much damage as a thrown dagger. But it works out mechanically so long as you ignore the fluff/physics.

 

[Cadfan]

Don't imagine it in real life, imagine it in-genre. The shuriken gets thrown straight into the dude's neck.

 

[ProfessorCirno]

Don't imagine it in real life, imagine it in-genre. The shuriken gets thrown straight into the dude's neck.

Meh, I disagree. The thowing knife just as easily goes straight into the dude's neck, and you don't need a hard on for inferior asian weapons for it to work

 

[Simm]

Don't imagine it in real life, imagine it in-genre. The shuriken gets thrown straight into the dude's neck.

That's the problem, in genre, the shuriken goes into the guy's neck but the dagger goes into the guy's eye.

 

[Magus Coeruleus]

I wonder how this alternative would work: As a superior weapon, shuriken do 1d4 damage (as listed) but actually give a +4 to hit with proficiency (instead of +3 as listed). Rogues get that proficiency for free, but no increase to damage. Thus, a nonrogue would choose it if they want a very accurate throwing weapon. A rogue gets a +1 to daggers so it's all the same to them in terms of both to hit and damage. The major differences (for rogues) would be additional range, cheaper, and lighter for shuriken vs. ability to use in melee for dagger.

I think it sounds balanced but makes proficiency in shuriken as a superior weapon more worthwhile for nonrogues and for rogues keeps shuriken from having more damage but makes them just as accurate (to hit bonus) to use.

 

[VannATLC]

A fighting dagger and a throwing dagger are decidely different things.

What they are calling Shruiken is, for all intents and purposes, a throwing dagger, and would do a better job at being thrown for damage than a fighting dagger.

*shrug* I have no problems with it.

Stop thinking of shruiken as little round things, or stars, and look at the ranges they actually came in.

 

[quindia]

But it works out mechanically so long as you ignore the fluff/physics.

Heh, that's true for LOTS of stuff in 4e. I'm just going to try and roll with all of it for a while. I'll start cutting things up after I've run a decent amount of games, but I did the same thing with earlier editions.

 

[RigaMortus2]

I thought "superior" was just the new term for "exotic" weapons. It doesn't necessarily mean they are better, just different or uncommon.

 

[Felon]

I thought "superior" was just the new term for "exotic" weapons. It doesn't necessarily mean they are better, just different or uncommon.

Heh.

They switched the term from "exotic" to "superior" specifically to avoid the 3e misconception that the designation meant "just different or uncommon". The term "exotic" was intended to describe the training required to wield them proficiently, not how much a character has to drive around to find one (which wouldn't be a very practical criterion for grouping weapons). The intention was for them to be better--they just missed the mark in more than a few instances.