D&D 5E Katana in 5th edition - finesse?

[aarduini]

D&D legacy. It will always make sense for elves to have proficiency with long swords in out-of-the-box D&D because that's a part of how elves were adapted into AD&D from other sources. Individual campaigns and settings may mess with that at leisure, but continuity of lore from one edition core to another is a good thing.

I'm sorry but I have to disagree with this. Just because something has always been does not mean it should always be. Tradition has been a blocker for progress on many fronts.

[Long Sword with both P/S damage

Create a feat that allows a character to finesse it and gain some other abilities such as Iaijutsu, hero may draw and attack in one single action gaining Advantage on that one attack unless the target is also trained in Iaijutsu? also the feat can allow then to fight Katana/Wakizashi ?]


I like the idea about the feat though. The problem is that I play mostly in organized play and homebrew rules don't apply.

 

[Hand of Evil]

I think any one using a Katana should have a tragic god horrible backstory, like loosing an eye to your teacher or being left for dead having all your stuff taken and buried alive.

 

[aarduini]

I think any one using a Katana should have a tragic god horrible backstory, like loosing an eye to your teacher or being left for dead having all your stuff taken and buried alive.

Come on guys. We all know the Vorpal Katana is going to be the Major Artifact you have to find in order to be able cut off all of Tiamat's heads with one blow right?

I mean Duuuhh! Its plain to me.

 

[Xodis]

Come on guys. We all know the Vorpal Katana is going to be the Major Artifact you have to find in order to be able cut off all of Tiamat's heads with one blow right?

I mean Duuuhh! Its plain to me.

Then you realize that you didnt need the sword at all, the power was inside you the whole time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqZro8oNovU

 

[Savage Wombat]

+1 exp for this whole thread.

Seriously, though - the best representation of katana was bastard sword. And since the longsword beat it up and took its stuff, longsword will have to do.

Hmm. I liked masterwork weapons in 3e - how would 5e represent a superior, but nonmagical weapon?

 

[Giltonio_Santos]

I'm sorry but I have to disagree with this. Just because something has always been does not mean it should always be. Tradition has been a blocker for progress on many fronts.

I'm sorry, but your reasoning is coming just one edition loo late. We've been removing tradition from the way of progress since 2008, now we're keeping tradition for tradition's sake. Gotta love some elvish long sword action!

 

[Obryn]

Guys, no trenchcoats in the rules means no katanas.

 

[JC99]

I'm sorry, but your reasoning is coming just one edition loo late. We've been removing tradition from the way of progress since 2008, now we're keeping tradition for tradition's sake. Gotta love some elvish long sword action!

I expect to see a fair amount of Elf clerics favoring strength and longswords.

 

[Umbran]

hero may draw and attack in one single action gaining

Except that in 5e, drawing a weapon is "interacting with the environment" which you get one of for free with any other action.

In general, folks have made a good point - the super-duperness isn't really in the weapon. It is in the skilled person holding it. It isn't the katana that is awesome, but *samurai* that are awesome. So, feats and class features are the way to go to model this.

 

[Baumi]

On a more serious note, no versatile Weapon should ever have finesse! If such a weapon exist than a multiclass Fighter/Rogue with "Great Weapon Fighting" Style could reroll all his low Sneak Attack Dice.

On the other hand nothing should be more powerful than a backstabing KATANAAAAAAAA!