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<blockquote data-quote="Cadfan" data-source="post: 4071696" data-attributes="member: 40961">The +1 to the dagger is to compensate it for being per se crappier than the shortsword.&nbsp; In 3e, rogues use daggers for concealed backup weapons and for ranged attacks, maybe.&nbsp; For everything else its rapiers and shortswords, because they're objective better.&nbsp; This is a problem because it makes the &quot;rogue with a dagger&quot; archetype kind of a poor choice, even though it should be a strong one.&nbsp; The +1 attack bonus for the dagger is compensation to fix this problem.&nbsp; Now there's a mechanical reason to use it- its more accurate than a shortsword, even if less damaging.If you let rogues move this to other weapons, we'd just kiss the dagger goodbye for another edition.&nbsp; Don't think of the +1 as a free weapon focus, think of it as an attribute of the dagger as a weapon- rogues are better with it than are other classes.As for sneak attacking with these other weapons... I don't see that as all that important, to be honest.&nbsp; Thinking back over the Indiana Jones movies, &quot;sneak attack&quot; isn't the description I'd give his whip use.&nbsp; If whips can be used as improvised ropes for climbing and swinging, then THAT is what will make Indiana Jones work as a character.&nbsp; And as for unarmed striking for Sherlock... I'm inclined to think of that as a genre issue.&nbsp; Holmes comes from a genre where dangerous people might shoot you, someone might punch you, or someone might knife you (or attack you with a venomous cobra, but you know where I'm going here).&nbsp; D&amp;D is a genre where people in heavy armor might stab you, or shoot fire at you, there are no revolvers, and non lethal unarmed combat generally doesn't take place versus foes in armor with military weaponry.&nbsp; I think you have to relax your demands for certain combat types to fit within the genre.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Cadfan, post: 4071696, member: 40961"] The +1 to the dagger is to compensate it for being per se crappier than the shortsword. In 3e, rogues use daggers for concealed backup weapons and for ranged attacks, maybe. For everything else its rapiers and shortswords, because they're objective better. This is a problem because it makes the "rogue with a dagger" archetype kind of a poor choice, even though it should be a strong one. The +1 attack bonus for the dagger is compensation to fix this problem. Now there's a mechanical reason to use it- its more accurate than a shortsword, even if less damaging. If you let rogues move this to other weapons, we'd just kiss the dagger goodbye for another edition. Don't think of the +1 as a free weapon focus, think of it as an attribute of the dagger as a weapon- rogues are better with it than are other classes. As for sneak attacking with these other weapons... I don't see that as all that important, to be honest. Thinking back over the Indiana Jones movies, "sneak attack" isn't the description I'd give his whip use. If whips can be used as improvised ropes for climbing and swinging, then THAT is what will make Indiana Jones work as a character. And as for unarmed striking for Sherlock... I'm inclined to think of that as a genre issue. Holmes comes from a genre where dangerous people might shoot you, someone might punch you, or someone might knife you (or attack you with a venomous cobra, but you know where I'm going here). D&D is a genre where people in heavy armor might stab you, or shoot fire at you, there are no revolvers, and non lethal unarmed combat generally doesn't take place versus foes in armor with military weaponry. I think you have to relax your demands for certain combat types to fit within the genre. [/QUOTE]

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