Brutal

[Holy Bovine]

Some players enjoy it, yes. Some don't... and some really don't. For example, I actually have one character not using a superior weapon (mordenkrad) cause I don't like brutal on it, and another who rolls 1d10+2 instead of the 1d12b2 on its executioner.

And I've got one friend I'd never want to have brutal, because he's... really bad at noticing stuff like 'oh, I rolled too low' and when he does will be really slow. Thankfully it hasn't come up yet.

Why bother to take feats to give you Mordenkard or Executioner's Axe if you don't want the main ability of the weapons? Just grab a Maul or a Greataxe and use that feat for something else. This seems like an easy fix to me.

 

[keterys]

On my Goliath Barbarian, that's what I did... not take it.

On my dwarf, it's not like I spent a feat to get proficiency and it seems pretty dumb to just choose to do less damage, mm?

And either way it doesn't help the friend who just wouldn't cope with the mechanic Or for any other people I might sit with who kinda suck with that kinda stuff.

And I'm really baffled why you care to complain about it on the house rules forum, when I'm just curious about alternate possible solutions.

 

[willows]

Someone mentioned to me that every Brutal weapon's damage is such that you can get the same damage range with some dX+Y. Simply check the effective damage range and convert.

 

[keterys]

Unfortunately, that someone is wrong. It does work for 1d12b2 -> 1d10+2, but 1d12b1 has no analog. Similarly 2d6b1 has no identical analog.

 

[Eric Finley]

Sure it does. Relabel two d10s into d5s and roll 2d5+2 per [W].

 

[keterys]

Heh. Fair. I was assuming sane dice, but good point.

Good luck on the d11. This just seems odd to roll:

 

[Blackbrrd]

If you just go for the averages you can use:
2d6b1 is 4-12 or 1d4+1d6+2
1d12b1 is 2-12 or 2d6

I am gonna suggest for one player that rolls 1d12b2 that he can use 1d10+2 instead

 

[keterys]

yeah, 1d4+1d6+2 is probably good enough for 2d6b1. Although 2d6+1, but 12 for crits, is probably also good enough. higher max, lower min.

Anyhow, most of what I got out of this are some ideas for other things to put on weapons

 

[Mesh Hong]

Here is another option, that I am sort of surprised that noone has proposed. Only sort of because I don't think you maths types will like it .

With brutal weapons why don't you just add the brutal amount as bonus damage and keep the roll? It is certainly simpler than all the re-rolling nonsense while still making the weapons brutal. I fully realise that this will mean that there will be an increase in the damage potential of the weapon, but not by enough to have a harmful effect on encounters.

Generally I don't have a problem with PCs dishing out massive damage, they love it as it makes them feel heroic, and it keeps the encounters ticking along. The things I have more of a problem with are effects that slow down an encounter or trivialise a threat, so a bonus +1 or +2 to damage is not worth worrying about.

To me this seems like a simple and brutal tweek that requires no rerolling or dice changing.

Of course you may want a more complicated, or mathematically balanced solution.

 

[Blackbrrd]

yeah, 1d4+1d6+2 is probably good enough for 2d6b1. Although 2d6+1, but 12 for crits, is probably also good enough. higher max, lower min.

Anyhow, most of what I got out of this are some ideas for other things to put on weapons

1d4+1d6+2 has the exact same average as 2d6b1, but a slightly different distribution.

1d4+1d6+2 has:
0.21 - 8
0.17 - 9
0.13 - 10
0.08 - 11
0.04 - 12

2d6b1 has:
0.17 - 8
0.14 - 9
0.11 - 10
0.08 - 11
0.06 - 12