DogBackward
First Post
A greatsword isn't strictly better, though. You've got a larger weapon, more unbalanced, and if I can get in close quickly then you can't bring your weapon to bear while I'm stabbing you repeatedly with my short sword... which is much better at making several quick stabbing motions. This is made even worse if I do have a shield, since I can try to catch your first swing and then step in close. No allies needed: even in a one-on-one fight, my shield can be used to deflect your sword. And I am going to have a shield if I'm using a one-handed weapon... because I'm not a bloody idiot.Why? The greatsword is a strictly better weapon - unless the shortsword user has access to a shield and friends at his sides, the greatsword-weilder wins every time. Granted, in the real world that's due to greater reach rather than strict damage (since either can kill you easily enough), but in D&D terms that just gets boiled down to greater damage.
In the end, realistically, shield+weapon beats two-handed weapon any day.
Now, when you're talking about D&D, I would still prefer there be a way to make two-handed weapons more on par with sword and board. But that's better done with weapon qualities, not mucking about with Expertise. I love that Expertise can make a short sword a viable weapon choice, compared to other larger weapons. Thematically and realistically, that is a great feature.
But speaking solely on thematics, the guy with the big-ass greatsword should still be able to be viable as well. I just think that's better modeled by weapon abilities.
(Also, for the record, even in D&D, +2 average damage (and +4 max, that's important to consider as well) can compare with +1 AC. Especially if you already have a decent AC and HP, increasing damage output by a bit can work very well. If nothing else, the bonus damage can help when you want to use your Expertise dice on other things, like Parry or other maneuvers. If I've got Cleave and am facing a bunch of goblins, I'd prefer the 1d12 over the 1d8 weapon easy, since I'm far more likely to drop multiple goblins per round that way.)