Blue
Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal
In another thread there was an aside about rapiers, with part of it being:
So I started to write up a serious reply about how it's not that they were perfect, but that others were not:
First thing I realized is that I was derailing a thread, so I didn't post it. The second thing is that the comment about how finesse is such a game changer compared to other keywords has a lot of truth in it.
So I was thinking about a reversion to a mechanic from an earlier edition, and then some 5e flourishes on it.
Finesse becomes that you use DEX or STR to attack. Damage is still STR. This weakens DEX as a do-all ability score and makes finesse less of a game changer out of the gate.
So a default DEX-based rapier is inferior to a default STR-based longsword.
Then we add in a Fighting Style
Swashbuckler: You may use your DEX or STR for damage with all finesse weapons. If you are not holding a shield or non-finesse weapon, you gain +1 AC in light, medium or no armor.
The +1 AC is to bring it up the the level of the other fighting styles, though it's a bit stepping on the Protection style. Other suggestions welcome.
Rogues and Monks would get either this fighting style (which would boost their AC) or just the use DEX for damage as well, as an additional feature.
A feat would also do something similar, probably as a half-feat that also raises DEX.
(Note that if I wanted to make this level of balance, I'd probably also adjust the melee vs. ranfged damage, especially since I did just decrease DEX melee damage but not DEX ranged damage.)
If you think the rapier is too good, would you use this? What does it break? (DEX-clerics?) How can we improve it?
Does it bother you how perfect they are?
So I started to write up a serious reply about how it's not that they were perfect, but that others were not:
if any of it bothered me, it would be how imperfect a bunch of non-finesse weapons are.
Dagger as a simple, light, finesse weapon is d4. We're not going down from there, d4 is our base.
A martial light finesse weapon is the Short Sword, which averages 1 point more on a hit. Fine. A rapier is a martial finesse - no longer light - and it does 1 point more than the short sword. All good. These are properly balanced against each other, and using the d4 as a minimum point they are anchored against the minimum so they can't drop down lower.
Therefore the issue isn't with the rapier, it's that the longswords and other martial 1H weapons aren't d10. It seemed like they tried to balance finesse d8 and versatile d8, but versatile is so situational while finesse is such a game changer.
First thing I realized is that I was derailing a thread, so I didn't post it. The second thing is that the comment about how finesse is such a game changer compared to other keywords has a lot of truth in it.
So I was thinking about a reversion to a mechanic from an earlier edition, and then some 5e flourishes on it.
Finesse becomes that you use DEX or STR to attack. Damage is still STR. This weakens DEX as a do-all ability score and makes finesse less of a game changer out of the gate.
So a default DEX-based rapier is inferior to a default STR-based longsword.
Then we add in a Fighting Style
Swashbuckler: You may use your DEX or STR for damage with all finesse weapons. If you are not holding a shield or non-finesse weapon, you gain +1 AC in light, medium or no armor.
The +1 AC is to bring it up the the level of the other fighting styles, though it's a bit stepping on the Protection style. Other suggestions welcome.
Rogues and Monks would get either this fighting style (which would boost their AC) or just the use DEX for damage as well, as an additional feature.
A feat would also do something similar, probably as a half-feat that also raises DEX.
(Note that if I wanted to make this level of balance, I'd probably also adjust the melee vs. ranfged damage, especially since I did just decrease DEX melee damage but not DEX ranged damage.)
If you think the rapier is too good, would you use this? What does it break? (DEX-clerics?) How can we improve it?