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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Willie the Duck" data-source="post: 8682651" data-attributes="member: 6799660">Fundamentally, this is an issue with TSR-era D&D (and use in discussions surrounding balance particularly) -- it seems no one used all the rules, a lot of the rules which were oft-not-used are ones which helped balance out classes (since 'balance power against making it annoying' seemed an accepted design mechanic, and lo-and-behold people tend to want to get rid of annoying stuff), and thus class balance would be very table-by-table. In addition to magic item drop rates, balance would be influenced by alternative initiative rules (influencing how easy it was to get spells cast), whether to include low-level squad leader/high level dominion play, whether one could introduce new characters at > level 1 (switching to play a Magic User at level 5+ took a lot of the nuisance out of playing one), and basics like whether you were actually playing in 10' corridor dungeons most of the time (/general ability of the squishy character types to stay away from the front lines). I do think that this (along with the notion that most groups weren't using the WvsAC tables) was a circle that TSR never got around to squaring. Once weapon proficiencies were introduced, switching out weapons for optimal use vs opponent became harder, and a +3 khopesh isn't too useful when you may have to wait 3 levels to get another proficiency slot (by which time who knows what other neat weapon you might find), to say nothing of specialization, as you mention. It very thoroughly pushed people to focus on longsword, composite longbow, warhammer or mace (for skeletons), and perhaps dagger and one polearm (if and only if the DM enforced small weapons in tight places and first-attack to longer weapons, respectively). AD&D 2e eventually added weapon-group proficiencies (say, 'longer swords' or 'crushing and cleaving weapons') which lessoned this considerably (along with fighting styles and other ways to boost weapons other than specialization). At the same time, though, they started introducing new weapons that never made it onto the magic item charts, making it pretty clear that post-core 2e was very much a 'your DM will have to adjust this to playstyle anyways' situation.</blockquote>

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