D&D 5E Falchion & Finesse?

[Cap'n Kobold]

For my own home-brew campaign situated in a fantasy wild west I looked at trends in the weapons table.

• finesse weapons top out at 1d8 with the rapier.
• light finesse weapons top out at 1d6 with the short sword and scimitar
• versatile weapons top out at 1d10 with various weapons, but are neither light nor finesse

So any non light weapon that tops at 1d8/2d4 can be given finesse without impact. Finesse and light if it is 1d6.
I think a non light 1d10 finesse versatile or 2-handed weapon would be fine. It gives the option of GWF but at the exclusion of a shield or 2nd hand weapon. Which is an interesting trade-off. Even heavy would be fine, opening up GWM. GWM and sneak attack bite each other as the greater base damage from a sneak attack makes the GWM attack with its -5 less attractive.

I removed the weapon requirements, including Finesse from Sneak Attack completely. I've not seen ant thematic or balance issues yet.

The only beef I have with this is that it takes some toys from STR fighters and gives them to DEX fighters as well. DEX has enough toys as it is.

I found way around this by making most weapons finesse and giving them different stats depending on how you use it, bumping the damage for STR users. My boar spear is finesse; 2-handed DEX 1d8, 1-handed STR 1d8 and 2-handed STR 1d10 reach. A tomahawk would be 1-handed, thrown and light; DEX 1d4, STR 1d6.

However, to my mind, Finesse is fundamentally incompatible with the Versatile or Two-handed properties.

 

[Sjappo]

I removed the weapon requirements, including Finesse from Sneak Attack completely. I've not seen ant thematic or balance issues yet.

However, to my mind, Finesse is fundamentally incompatible with the Versatile or Two-handed properties.

To each his own of course. But looking at a martial artist handling a spear of quarterstaff, I see no problem with a 2-handed finesse weapon.

 

[CleverNickName]

A seven-year old thread floats to the top once more...

To answer the original question: No, I probably wouldn't invent new stats for this. I would use the stats for one of the existing swords in the game, then change its name. If the player wants the Versatile property, just rename a longsword. If the player wants the Finesse property, rename a scimitar. If the player wants the Two-Handed property, rename a greatsword.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

As far as unintended consequences of adding Finesse to a weapon...

I was unsatisfied with the Versatile quarterstaff simply being the best Simple weapon, completely obsoleting the club and great club. So I removed Versatile and added Finesse. So d6, Two-Handed, Finesse.

Enter the Bladelock with very high Dexterity and Polearm Master. I have absolutely no problem with his final damage output, and I have problems with the investment needed normally to make a Bladelock work...but, I'm not entirely happy about getting that sort of damage from Dexterity that easily, given it's greater usefulness than Strength.

I'm not changing anything for the purposes of that character, but I'm not sure how I would want to handle it in the future, as my goal was to eliminate one-handed quarterstaff and shield combat, the obsoleting of other weapons, and make the wizard a bit better with their iconic weapon, not turn it into an optimal choice for Dex combatants.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

As far as unintended consequences of adding Finesse to a weapon...

I was unsatisfied with the Versatile quarterstaff simply being the best Simple weapon, completely obsoleting the club and great club. So I removed Versatile and added Finesse. So d6, Two-Handed, Finesse.

Enter the Bladelock with very high Dexterity and Polearm Master. I have absolutely no problem with his final damage output, and I have problems with the investment needed normally to make a Bladelock work...but, I'm not entirely happy about getting that sort of damage from Dexterity that easily, given it's greater usefulness than Strength.

I'm not changing anything for the purposes of that character, but I'm not sure how I would want to handle it in the future, as my goal was to eliminate one-handed quarterstaff and shield combat, the obsoleting of other weapons, and make the wizard a bit better with their iconic weapon, not turn it into an optimal choice for Dex combatants.

Why not just make Quarterstaves d8 Two-handed, and give Greatclubs the Heavy property?

To each his own of course. But looking at a martial artist handling a spear of quarterstaff, I see no problem with a 2-handed finesse weapon.

Fair enough. Generally I see that as confusion between the general usage meaning of the term and the D&D-specific mechanic. However I'm generally always happy to watch clips of that sort of thing if you have some.

 

[Weiley31]

I don't have a link to an image, but if I recall correctly, D&D orcs in recent years have been described in places as equipped with scimitars with the art depicting a weapon that looks a big cleaver, basically the historical falchion. In 3e/4e, any single edged sword is generically a scimitar. I thought the 4e khopesh, mechanically met the feel of a historical falchion.

You know the funny part is, in Pathfinder 2, Half-Orcs, similar to how Elves/Dwarves have Racial Weapon training, have similar Racial Weapon training with any uncommon Orc weapons, Great Axes, AND the Falchion.

 

[Quickleaf]

Finally wrote down stats for a falchion that I don't hate, years later...

Falchion 50 gp / 3 lbs / 1d8 slashing damage / Versatile (2d4)

Special: when wielded with two hands it gains the Finesse property & Small characters must wield with two hands.

This makes it potentially more desirable for characters who want to use Dexterity with Great Weapon Fighting (fighting style that lets you reroll 1 or 2 on a damage die roll), without letting it be used with the Great Weapon Mastery feat like a greatsword (because it's not heavy).

It's a niche, for sure, but also can be used as a longsword alternative if you favor more consistent damage rather than risking wider damage range for potentially higher damage.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

However, to my mind, Finesse is fundamentally incompatible with the Versatile or Two-handed properties.

Wait, why? The precision of a two-handed sword isn’t less than that of a short sword, it’s greater!

I mean sure we have to then think about why we are even attacking with strength rather than getting bonus damage from it or something, but still.

Anyway I made a “dueling glaive” that’s identical to the glaive but finesse, and a spiked chain that is versatile d6, normal d4, reach. Basically adding adding versatile to the whip.

I also allow greatsword users to spend a bonus action to gain reach until they make an attack within 5 feet, leave combat, or go back to non-reach (no action).

 

[ECMO3]

If you were importing the falchion to DnD 5E, would you give it the finesse property?

Why? Or, why not?

Thank you.

If I were importing a Falchion into 5E it would just be a scimitar ... along with Cutlass, Mechete, Ninja-to, Wikizashi and Sabre .... so yes it would be finesse.

IMO the current weapons pretty much cover any historical weapon available and there is not value in creating a seperate weapon for them. Kantana is just a longsword, a Naginta is just a Glaive, Nunchucks are just a flail, Kukri is just a sickle.

I am playing Call of the deep right now and my fighter is running around with a Carribean style Cutlass (more like a Falchion than a Navy Cutlass) .... and as far as stats it is a scimitar.

If you are talking about a fantasy weapon like a spiked chain or a double baded scimitar, that is a different story, but the weapons in the table pretty much have all the "real" weapons covered

 

[ECMO3]

It's a two-handed weapon, so scimitar wouldn't work.

Why in the world would a Falchion be a two-handed weapon?

Falchion - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org