Bokken (Japanese Wooden Practice Sword)

[Brasswatchman]

Re:

Okay, I'm convinced. Here's what I'll be using now:

Bokken
Cost: 5 gp
Damage (Small): 1d4
Damage (Medium): 1d6
Critical: 19-20/x2
Range Increment: --
Weight: 3 lbs.
Type: Bludgeoning

This one-handed exotic melee weapon is a wooden practice sword fashioned in the shape of a katana. It is often used by samurai trainees who have yet to accumulate the skill or the capital necessary to be worthy of a sword. A bokken is easily broken – having a hardness of 5 and 10 hp – and easily sundered in combat – a user of a bokken receives a -2 penalty when rolling an opposed sundering check. However, if wielded properly, it can break bones and knock lightly-armored or unarmored individuals unconscious.
Anyone who has Exotic Weapon Proficiecy (katana) is proficient with a bokken.
The bokken is a popular weapon in the Oni Kingdom for two reasons – first, it is much cheaper than katanas and metal weapons. Second, the item can be easily enchanted.

 

[Brasswatchman]

Re:

Yes, because a wooden stick should have better game statistics than a longsword. Right.

Don't you get that with a greatclub?

 

[pbd]

Okay, I'm convinced. Here's what I'll be using now:

Bokken
Cost: 5 gp
Damage (Small): 1d4
Damage (Medium): 1d6
Critical: 19-20/x2
Range Increment: --
Weight: 3 lbs.
Type: Bludgeoning

This one-handed exotic melee weapon is a wooden practice sword fashioned in the shape of a katana. It is often used by samurai trainees who have yet to accumulate the skill or the capital necessary to be worthy of a sword. A bokken is easily broken – having a hardness of 5 and 10 hp – and easily sundered in combat – a user of a bokken receives a -2 penalty when rolling an opposed sundering check. However, if wielded properly, it can break bones and knock lightly-armored or unarmored individuals unconscious.
Anyone who has Exotic Weapon Proficiecy (katana) is proficient with a bokken.
The bokken is a popular weapon in the Oni Kingdom for two reasons – first, it is much cheaper than katanas and metal weapons. Second, the item can be easily enchanted.

That sounds good, but isn't a katana either one- or two-handed? If so the Bokken should be also. This will also help with the poor dmage dice somewhat.

 

[DanMcS]

Don't you get that with a greatclub?

No. A greatclub is two-handed (and should be compared to a greatsword in that regard), and only has a critical of x2.

A bokken is a light little stick. Game-stat wise, it is a club, and nothing more.

 

[Cartigan Mrryl]

Yes, because a wooden stick should have better game statistics than a longsword. Right.

A bokken is a training stick used by people to learn how to use a sword. It's just a stick. Give it club stats, let it be similar enough to a katana that weapon focus, specialization, etc in one apply to both, and move on.

Obviously you've never been hit by one. It's easily hard enough to crack open a skull -EASILY. My friend decided to test this theory and have one of our friends fight him with it(that ended in a fractured knee and broken arm... hey, he insisted.). They're constructed of Cherry Wood (A more hardy species of wood) and hardened with resin. Anyways, I agree with the whole "Stats of a club" but give it dmg die of... D8, so that it's like a katana but bludgeoning. Umm... I like the weapon focus/specialization bit though. It's a nice touch that the guy wouldn't of thought og.

 

[Cartigan Mrryl]

Bokken are very light weighing one of mine I get only three pounds. this means that a bokken will not do horrendous amounts of damage unless you know what you are doing. Yes there were people who used them in battle but those people were very rare and classed as the best with a sword.

Like Masamune Oda... Heheheh... living Kensai... er.. wait. ^_^; dead Kensai... hrm...

 

[DanMcS]

Obviously you've never been hit by one. It's easily hard enough to crack open a skull -EASILY.

So is an aluminum baseball bat. In game stats, it's still a club. It does a d6 damage, 20/x2 crit.

 

[Fieari]

Their light enough that if I included them in my game, I'd also consider adding that they are considered light weapons for the purpose of Weapon Finess. You can really whip those things around in fancy ways that you can't really with a (heavier) metal weapon.

 

[genshou]

Another question about the bokken:

Since it is a weapon designed for training, shouldn't it be able to deal subdual damage with no penalty to the attack roll? Can't have all those trainee samurai cracking each others' skulls open on a regular basis, can we?