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D&D 5E Have you ever seen these weapons used regularly by PC's in a D&D 5e game?

Select any that apply:

  • Club (w/o Shillelagh)

    Votes: 15 12.4%
  • Greatclub (w/o Shillelagh)

    Votes: 14 11.6%
  • Light Hammer

    Votes: 19 15.7%
  • Sickle

    Votes: 14 11.6%
  • Dart

    Votes: 22 18.2%
  • Sling

    Votes: 33 27.3%
  • Greataxe

    Votes: 98 81.0%
  • Lance

    Votes: 18 14.9%
  • Scimitar

    Votes: 74 61.2%
  • Trident

    Votes: 18 14.9%
  • War Pick

    Votes: 17 14.0%
  • Whip

    Votes: 35 28.9%
  • Flail

    Votes: 21 17.4%
  • Halberd

    Votes: 45 37.2%
  • Blowgun

    Votes: 5 4.1%
  • Net

    Votes: 14 11.6%
  • Glaive

    Votes: 51 42.1%
  • Pike

    Votes: 7 5.8%

Horwath

Legend
I mean, it's kind of balanced, in the most boring way.

People who don't have much business being in combat get to do d6 damage.

People who do have business being in combat get d8 one handed or 2d6 (or 1d12 if they prefer) two handed weapons (and d10 for reach weapons) along with d8 ranged weapons.

Then there's a few oddball weapons scattered across the list for completeness.
well, I have few balanced issues;

1st off, 2handers are too weak, back in 3.5 when they did 1+1/2 str bonus, 2d6 could be enough. now they need 2d8 instead of 2d6/d12

longswords and rapiers have same d8? why? one weapon uses STR, other can use STR or DEX. Why isn't longsword d10?

Shortbow is simple weapon and longbow is martial? It's the same weapon, with different pull strength.
Same for light and heavy crossbow

Trident is somehow worse than javelin, yet it is martial weapon and javelin is simple. Shouldn't trident be d8 damage?

Dagger is too strong for simple weapon with those traits, either drop the thrown property or drop damage to d3

why does greatclub exist when quarterstaff does that job and can be used onehanded?
 

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James Gasik

We don't talk about Pun-Pun
Supporter
Are you ... challenging me?

C'mon. Just start with that hair. I've seen better feathering on a chicken.
Then, he is given the most awesome NOT POLEARM ever. And does he use it? NO. Well, okay, he does at the very end ... BUT IT'S NOT EVEN WHAT WORKS! Nope, he has to use some sort of flaming hand (ahem) ... sorry, he has to borrow Peter Cetera's POWER OF LOVE.

seriously The whole movie is about the awesomest 80s weapon ever, AND IT DOESN'T EVEN KILL THE BIG BAD.

And let's face it ... the actor who played Colwyn (IN A MOVIE THAT ALSO HAD LIAM NEESON) could never out-act that hair, which is why you know him best as Lt. Cmdr. Michael Eddington. He knew better than to try and out-act hair in the future.

Look, I give credit to the movie for making be lust for ... well, a rotary saw as the ultimate fantasy weapon. But I can make fun of Colwyn all ... day ... long.
I applaud your ability to deride Krull on a level that I usually see reserved for Hawk the Slayer!
 

James Gasik

We don't talk about Pun-Pun
Supporter
well, I have few balanced issues;

1st off, 2handers are too weak, back in 3.5 when they did 1+1/2 str bonus, 2d6 could be enough. now they need 2d8 instead of 2d6/d12

longswords and rapiers have same d8? why? one weapon uses STR, other can use STR or DEX. Why isn't longsword d10?

Shortbow is simple weapon and longbow is martial? It's the same weapon, with different pull strength.
Same for light and heavy crossbow

Trident is somehow worse than javelin, yet it is martial weapon and javelin is simple. Shouldn't trident be d8 damage?

Dagger is too strong for simple weapon with those traits, either drop the thrown property or drop damage to d3

why does greatclub exist when quarterstaff does that job and can be used onehanded?
I can see a few problems with trying to improve two handed weapons.

150% Strength damage is only going to result in a crummy +1 or +2. Not really a meaningful advantage. Plus it requires math (the horror!) so I understand why WotC decided not to bother. And to be fair, they dropped that in 4e as well (but I'll get back to 4e in a moment).

So let's increase the dice. Well, you could say a heavy polearm does 2d8 and a heavy two hander does 3d6. But those crit fishing Barbarians and Half Orcs would be pretty sad when they only get crummy d8 or d6's! D&D isn't likely to switch to unorthodox dice any time soon. I guess you could have a d20 damage weapon, but I think some people would balk at the idea, lol.

And given that WotC wants people to either do more dice of damage or get more attacks, the damage of one of these adjusted two handers would get out of control quick once you add Extra Attack or Haste to the mix, making any other weapon seem woefully inferior.

Now 4e cut down on static damage bonuses and kept weapons pretty much the way they are now, but there was a minor and a major thing that edition did to make this viable.

The minor thing was the Brutal property, which let you reroll damage numbers of a certain value. So you could have a 2d6 weapon with Brutal 1, meaning it's actual damage range is 4-12 instead of 2-12. Or a d10 weapon with Brutal 2, meaning it's damage range is 3-10 instead of 1-10.

The major thing was that characters got abilities that multiplied your weapon dice. And even your basic "at will" weapon attacks would upgrade (kind of like how cantrips upgrade) after awhile.

So you might have a limited use attack that does 4d6 instead of 2d6, and a once in awhile 6d6 attack. And at higher levels, even your regular old "I swing" is doing 4d6, and you'd have limited use 6d6 attacks and maybe even a once a day 8 or 10d6 massive attack.

But it's worth pointing out 4e was designed in a way that you didn't get a ton of attacks each turn. The Fighter's potential 4 attacks (plus Action Surge) is the main reason why weapons are so conservative in 5e, and other classes need to seek out additional damage elsewhere.
 

CreamCloud0

One day, I hope to actually play DnD.
Okay okay, barbarians don’t generally use bows but my point remains the same: if each class didn’t have such a large pool of weapons to choose from maybe lesser picked weapons might get more use if they’re the only tool to fit a particular role
 

James Gasik

We don't talk about Pun-Pun
Supporter
Okay okay, barbarians don’t generally use bows but my point remains the same: if each class didn’t have such a large pool of weapons to choose from maybe lesser picked weapons might get more use if they’re the only tool to fit a particular role
Maybe, but would the juice be worth the squeeze in order to tell a guy "you don't have a good d8 damage option, so you have to use a d6"?

We had a discussion about weapon damage types some months back, and I think a bigger culprit is not more reasons to have a good bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing attack available at all times.
 

well, I have few balanced issues;

1st off, 2handers are too weak, back in 3.5 when they did 1+1/2 str bonus, 2d6 could be enough. now they need 2d8 instead of 2d6/d12
And yet greatswords and mauls do get used. Especially with Great Weapon Master
longswords and rapiers have same d8? why? one weapon uses STR, other can use STR or DEX. Why isn't longsword d10?
I'll suggest cutting the rapier here rather than changing a huge range of other weapons (if the longsword's damage gets bumped so should the battle axe, the flail, the morningstar, the war pick, and the war hammer. And this would almost certainly force a damage boost for the greatsword, greataxe, maul, and polearms.

But if the rapier gets cut to d6 this will prevent dex being such a god stat.
Shortbow is simple weapon and longbow is martial? It's the same weapon, with different pull strength.
Same for light and heavy crossbow
Not quite and not necessarily. Loading methods are different for different crossbows. But basically agreed.
Trident is somehow worse than javelin, yet it is martial weapon and javelin is simple. Shouldn't trident be d8 damage?
D8 damage would make it the only d8 damage thrown weapon. It's d6 or taking away the throwing choice. Personally I'd say they aren't thrown and can join the d8 collection.
Dagger is too strong for simple weapon with those traits, either drop the thrown property or drop damage to d3
For practical purposes? No. The d3 is deservedly dead (or possibly almost dead) in 5e and people literally threw daggers. However the dagger should not have the same range as the throwing dart. One or both of them needs their range adjusting.
why does greatclub exist when quarterstaff does that job and can be used onehanded?
The greatclub isn't a PC weapon. It's intended for e.g. ogres.
 

James Gasik

We don't talk about Pun-Pun
Supporter
I don't think d6 Rapiers would do much to really affect Dex builds. You're not losing a ton of damage, and if you're Dex based, you weren't really worried about optimizing damage anyways?
 

Horwath

Legend
And yet greatswords and mauls do get used. Especially with Great Weapon Master
they are used because you cannot get any better, that does not mean it is good enough.
I'll suggest cutting the rapier here rather than changing a huge range of other weapons (if the longsword's damage gets bumped so should the battle axe, the flail, the morningstar, the war pick, and the war hammer. And this would almost certainly force a damage boost for the greatsword, greataxe, maul, and polearms.

But if the rapier gets cut to d6 this will prevent dex being such a god stat.
if you cut rapier to d6, then you need to cut shortsword/scimitar to d4 as they have both light and finesse.
And dagger to d2(lol)
D8 damage would make it the only d8 damage thrown weapon. It's d6 or taking away the throwing choice. Personally I'd say they aren't thrown and can join the d8 collection.
then why have it? for a name placeholder?
For practical purposes? No. The d3 is deservedly dead (or possibly almost dead) in 5e and people literally threw daggers. However the dagger should not have the same range as the throwing dart. One or both of them needs their range adjusting.
I wish that d4 dies also, or atleast be on smallest amount of weapons.
that is why I am for boosting STR damage and not reducing DEX damage.
The greatclub isn't a PC weapon. It's intended for e.g. ogres.
then remove it from PHB so it does not waste space.
 

Now for my list that needs changing. Starting with simple weapons:
  • Light Hammer: Strictly worse than javelin or throwing axe except on damage type. Boost to 1d6
  • Quarterstaff: Not a one handed weapon. But the Defensive trait (+1AC - does not stack with shields) should return
  • Sickle: Strictly worse than the handaxe on all points. Why bother?
  • Dart: A strictly worse dagger. Buff its range, lower the dagger's, or both
  • Shortbow: Not a simple weapon.
  • Sling: D&D can't tell a sling from a slingshot.
Martial weapons:
  • Pike: So much wrong here
    • 18lb(!)
    • The pike wasn't a weapon you used out of formation. Rename it the greatspear
  • Rapier: Overtuned and a major source of dex-dominance. Drop it to 1d6 Defensive (as above) and it feels a whole lot better. Also Rapier + Dagger should be possible
  • Whip: Drop to simple. People are only using this for the style anyway given it's terrible.
  • Flail/Morningstar/War Pick: Why strictly worse than longsword/battleaxe/warhammer?
  • Trident: Do we need it? If so can it be the d8 non-thrown piercing weapon?
  • Crossbow (heavy): Not a complex weapon. Drop it to simple - but give it a STR reloading requirement if you don't want to spend a full action?
  • Blowpipe/Net: Just drop these I think.
 

CreamCloud0

One day, I hope to actually play DnD.
Maybe, but would the juice be worth the squeeze in order to tell a guy "you don't have a good d8 damage option, so you have to use a d6"?

We had a discussion about weapon damage types some months back, and I think a bigger culprit is not more reasons to have a good bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing attack available at all times.
Yeah i get that needing more actual reason to have multiple damage types, but I’m giving a premise of ‘you do have a decent d8/10/12 attack it’s just that they’re all slashing and this d6 is your only source of bludgeoning against that skeleton’
 

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