VenerableBede
Adventurer
(TLDR: Without homebrewing anything, is it in any way possible, in A5e, in any of the currently published books, to get a non-magical weapon that has the Finesse property and either the 2-Handed or Versatile property, but not the Heavy property?)
Starting up a new campaign soon, decided to play a Berserker. The GM is new to A5e, so I am explicitly avoiding homebrew, but anything in current, published A5e material goes. Level 3. I'm looking through the Zeitgeist campaign book and notice something really interesting about the Queen Bee Berserker, the Feel My Sting feature:
"At 3rd level, while you are wielding a light or finesse weapon in melee and not using a shield, you treat that weapon’s damage die as 1d12, and you may have the weapon gain the heavy property while you’re wielding it."
"Surely this doesn't allow you to make a DEX-based Berserker with Strength as your dump stat," I tell myself. But curious, I continue researching. After all—the 5e barbarian has several class features that force you to use Strength when making attacks to get their benefit. If that was retained in A5e's berserker, then the quest for the DEX-based berserker dies there. But try as I might, I can't find anything in the berserker class that forces me to use Strength—everything is based off of Constitution, it seems. The closest that I get to finding something that forces me to use Strength is the following in Furious Critical:
"The attack must use a melee weapon that has the heavy, two-handed, or versatile property."
This got me thinking even further. Combined with Queen Bee, I could—theoretically—make a berserker that dumps Strength, pumps Dexterity and Constitution to the moon, and uses a finesse weapon, but still gets the full benefit of the berserker class, Furious Critical included. I want to take this a step further by playing a halfling, because... well, it amused me. But this created a barrier for me: in order to benefit from Furious Critical, the weapon I wield must have the heavy, two-handed, or versatile property. For a Medium character this isn't an issue because Queen Bee's Feel My Sting gives a light or finesse weapon the heavy property... but for a Small character this is a huge problem, because it would mean that I have disadvantage on every attack. Not good!
Thus began my fruitless quest. I can only make this build idea work (berserker class, queen bee archetype, dump Strength, pump Dexterity, play a halfling or other Small character) if I find a weapon that as the Finesse property and the 2-Handed property or the Versatile property (and not the Heavy property).
And I don't think such a weapon exists.
So now that you have heard the sad tale of Big Richard the halfling queen bee berserker who almost was, I have one question for you, the great thinktank that you are...
Without homebrewing anything, is it in any way possible, in A5e, in any of the currently published books, to get a non-magical weapon that has the Finesse property and either the 2-Handed or Versatile property, but not the Heavy property?
Please. A conceptual life is on the line.
Starting up a new campaign soon, decided to play a Berserker. The GM is new to A5e, so I am explicitly avoiding homebrew, but anything in current, published A5e material goes. Level 3. I'm looking through the Zeitgeist campaign book and notice something really interesting about the Queen Bee Berserker, the Feel My Sting feature:
"At 3rd level, while you are wielding a light or finesse weapon in melee and not using a shield, you treat that weapon’s damage die as 1d12, and you may have the weapon gain the heavy property while you’re wielding it."
"Surely this doesn't allow you to make a DEX-based Berserker with Strength as your dump stat," I tell myself. But curious, I continue researching. After all—the 5e barbarian has several class features that force you to use Strength when making attacks to get their benefit. If that was retained in A5e's berserker, then the quest for the DEX-based berserker dies there. But try as I might, I can't find anything in the berserker class that forces me to use Strength—everything is based off of Constitution, it seems. The closest that I get to finding something that forces me to use Strength is the following in Furious Critical:
"The attack must use a melee weapon that has the heavy, two-handed, or versatile property."
This got me thinking even further. Combined with Queen Bee, I could—theoretically—make a berserker that dumps Strength, pumps Dexterity and Constitution to the moon, and uses a finesse weapon, but still gets the full benefit of the berserker class, Furious Critical included. I want to take this a step further by playing a halfling, because... well, it amused me. But this created a barrier for me: in order to benefit from Furious Critical, the weapon I wield must have the heavy, two-handed, or versatile property. For a Medium character this isn't an issue because Queen Bee's Feel My Sting gives a light or finesse weapon the heavy property... but for a Small character this is a huge problem, because it would mean that I have disadvantage on every attack. Not good!
Thus began my fruitless quest. I can only make this build idea work (berserker class, queen bee archetype, dump Strength, pump Dexterity, play a halfling or other Small character) if I find a weapon that as the Finesse property and the 2-Handed property or the Versatile property (and not the Heavy property).
And I don't think such a weapon exists.
So now that you have heard the sad tale of Big Richard the halfling queen bee berserker who almost was, I have one question for you, the great thinktank that you are...
Without homebrewing anything, is it in any way possible, in A5e, in any of the currently published books, to get a non-magical weapon that has the Finesse property and either the 2-Handed or Versatile property, but not the Heavy property?
Please. A conceptual life is on the line.