Lemme get a dex-based maul while you're handing things out.
I am tempted to take this as an actual challenge. We shall see...
Lemme get a dex-based maul while you're handing things out.
He wanted to be a Dwarven archer with an Iron bow, that used strength instead of dexterity (because otherwise his Character is a clumsy oaf) so I worked this out. I figured an Iron war bow would deal a bit more damage than a long bow, but at the cost of accuracy.
EDIT: oh, I also should have mentioned that his dex is -2, and he has leather armor. With an AC of 9, melee is not a good idea for him.
He wanted to be a Dwarven archer with an Iron bow, that used strength instead of dexterity (because otherwise his Character is a clumsy oaf) so I worked this out. I figured an Iron war bow would deal a bit more damage than a long bow, but at the cost of accuracy.
EDIT: oh, I also should have mentioned that his dex is -2, and he has leather armor. With an AC of 9, melee is not a good idea for him.
If he wanted to be a dwarven archer, why didn't he put his high stat in dex and be done with it? It sounds like he's asking you to help fix a character weakness he willingly took.
I would not give him such a weapon. He intentionally made a non-dex character & is now wanting to negate that weakness.
But if you do give him a bow that uses str instead of dex? I absolutely wouldn't make it do more base damage than a standard long/short bow. Consider: He's already doing better with this bow than he should.
Story. The specific purpose of the character he is building right now is to get better at role-playing (yes, contentious topic, but he considers himself not-good-enough, and wants to do this to get better.) So he is building the character for story rather than mechanical strength. The only reason for the strength bow is that it is thematically appropriate for his Character, a novice smithy with low dexterity, but a wish for archery. So, in-game, he designed his own special bow to allow this, and I statted it out.
You're the GM, but it sounds to me like his character would be more fun by just dealing with the dex penalties, but boosting the stat as he levels up. That would be a real sense of progression.
Or, as I'd probably have recommended the player do in the first place, don't dump your worst score into your intended combat stat -- not unless the act of roleplaying through that difficulty is part of the plan. Not all blacksmiths needs super high strength -- especially not "apprentice" smiths. And "low dexterity" doesn't have to mean the guy trips over everything and can't bring a spoon to his face either. He could have just set Dex at 12 or 13. But if the player is *really* intent of the roleplay of a strong and clumsy blacksmith who wants to fight with ranged weapons, it stands to reason they'd actually roleplay the downsides too.