D&D 3E/3.5 [3.5] Rapier & Scimitar

[Pielorinho]

Which, mechanically, is a perfect fit for Power Attack.

Reread my post . It wasn't the idea of power-attacking with a rapier that bothered me -- it was the idea of attacking with it twohandedly.

Daniel

 

[hong]

Reread my post . It wasn't the idea of power-attacking with a rapier that bothered me -- it was the idea of attacking with it twohandedly.

Oh, well, never mind me, I'm just trolling again.

 

[coyote6]

I can visualize someone using a rapier with two hands -- wrap both hands around the hilt and try to shove the blade through some thing. Of course, it would tend to leave you wide open to attacks, so it's really more of a coup de grace kind of thing than a useful fight maneuver.

It also would utterly lack any grace or finesse, so you could forget about using Weapon Finesse.

 

[Wippit Guud]

Why does everyone ignore the little people, it would be perfectly reasonable to see a halfling wield a rapier in two-hands...

 

[The Souljourner]

Halflings should be using small rapiers, not medium ones two handed. Lemme give you a 6' steel rod and see how graceful you are with it.

-The Souljourner

 

[Pielorinho]

I dunno -- a rapier's utility in combat is based on its rapid movements and needle-sharp tip, not based on its mass. The idea is that if you can get the point of the rapier to exacty the right spot, it takes caparatively little strength to make a deep hole in someone.

Want to make a hole in someone using a two-handed weapon (shut up, Hong)? That's what a greatspear is for: it's a massive weapon with plenty of inertia and a big freakin point. Using both hands allows you to put more of your strength behind it, at the expense of not being able to aim it quite as quickly.

For a rapier, if you used both hands, you'd really reduce your range of motion and ability to thrust effectively (Hong, I said shut up!) Plus, it'd look really stupid.

Slashing weapons are great when used two-handed. Spears work well, because they're heavy and have lots of inertia. Rapiers, which rely on precision and rapid movements instead of mass, are really hindered by two-handed use.

Daniel

 

[Xarls Taunzund]

The Rapier was better than Scimitar only because you could take Weapon Finesse if worth for you, but the Scimitar was the only usable by druids, so it still had a part in the game.

Also, scimitar can be made vorpal, rapier cannot.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

It can also be used to sunder, doesn't deal half damage when attacking objects, and gets to deal full damage against zombies and other creatures with DR/slashing.

Also, scimitar can be made vorpal, rapier cannot.

 

[Pielorinho]

Also, scimitar can be made vorpal, rapier cannot.

But rapiers LOOK cool!

(which is actually a fair consideration -- in our games, we've seen a lot of rapiers, but the only scimitars I've seen have been amongst the found treasures, and usually have been sold).

A rapier's finessability is a pretty big bonus, I think: if you're playing a dex-monkey, it's very nice. Elven rogues, above all other groups, benefit from the rapier: they can finesse it and thereby be very likely to hit on their sneak-attacks. Add a dagger in the off-hand and take two-weapon fighting, and that's a lot of successful sneak-attacking, gained from a stylish real-world fighting-style.

Daniel

 

[Soma]

Pielorinho,
Are you refering to your campaign? If not, I must correct you. We have seen many rapiers in the hands of players. In fact, these rapiers even had stories behind them. Most of which involved a family heirloom, a lost past or something like that. I myself used a rapier until it was stolen, most basely, from me.
Soma