D&D 5E Companion Thread to 5E Survivor - Weapons

[CreamCloud0]

just looking at the stats of all the remaining weapons (votes as of post 604)

position (votes)	weapon	damage	properties
1st (26)	Halberd	1d10 slashing	heavy, reach, 2-Handed
2nd (25)	Spear	1d6 piercing	thrown(20/60), versatile(1d8)
3rd (23)	Warhammer	1d8 bludgeoning	versatile(1d10)
4th (20)	Longbow	1d8 piercing	ammo, range(150/600), heavy, 2-handed
4th (20)	Mace	1d6 bludgeoning	-
6th (19)	Longsword	1d8 slashing	versatile(1d10)
7th (18)	Greataxe	1d12 slashing	heavy, 2-handed
8th (14)	Shortsword	1d6 piercing	light, finesse
9th (11)	Greatsword	2d6 slashing	heavy, 2-handed
10th (6)	Quarterstaff	1d6 bludgeoning	versatile (1d8)

 

[CreamCloud0]

more weapon thoughts spawn into my brain which i will now discuss and which i may have already discussed here but forgotten about doing so (i'm never sure if i should spin these kinds of thoughts off into their own thread or if these conversations is the point of this thread): more elemental/energy damage types and extra trait modifiers should just be things that you can buy for your weapons, with gold, rather than be dependant on the GM to roll out that flametongue in the treasure for you.

it's generally agreed upon that nonmagic B/S/P damage are some of the most useless types in the game right? once you start hitting things with resistances that's one(i realise they're three different types but in like 95% of circumstances they're functionally interchangeable so i'm gonna talk like they're just one type) of the first things that enemies are going to start resisting, so while the wizard is scribing fireball into their spellbook in the library the fighter is over at the blacksmiths getting their longsword imbued to deal cold damage, their greataxe to deal lighting and deciding if they want their shortsword done in silver or cold iron.

 

[CleverNickName]

it's generally agreed upon that nonmagic B/S/P damage are some of the most useless types in the game right?

I don't agree (but I might be in the minority). I think they are the most common types of damage in the game, though, and their ubiquity often tends to get overlooked. This argument comes up frequently in complaint threads about the Fighter class being underpowered, and I've never been able to understand that point of view.

 

[CreamCloud0]

I don't agree (but I might be in the minority). I think they are the most common types of damage in the game, though, and their ubiquity often tends to get overlooked. This argument comes up frequently in complaint threads about the Fighter class being underpowered, and I've never been able to understand that point of view.

i might be misinformed but i was under the assumption that B/S/P very rarely actually serve as vunerabilities for things in 5e? rather, if you do need to actually figure out which of the three to use against a monster it's because it's 'not resistant' to that specific one, and as you go up in tiers it becomes one of the common damage resistances to resist nonmagic B/S/P, plus IIRC all the other damage types are energy types which bypass the need to ever specify using a magical variant of it to be effective on certain targets.

 

[CleverNickName]

i might be misinformed but i was under the assumption that B/S/P very rarely actually serve as vunerabilities for things in 5e?

Right, but this doesn't necessarily mean they are "useless" like you described them above.

Optimization can be a trap. When you start thinking that something isn't worth doing at all because it isn't the very best way of doing something, your enjoyment is going to start suffering. You're setting yourself up for a lot of frustration and disappointment.

 

[Tonguez]

In the MM there are 17 creatures immune to non-magical weapon damage, and 60 who are resistant - thus making non-magical physical damage a bit of a non starter.

What I have been considering is making lingering damage on a critical a standard feature of Weapon proficiency for all damage types.

Bludgeoning = Bruised (any time you take damage you suffer an addition +1 damage)
Slash = Gaping Wound (take 1 bleeding damage at start of each turn)
Piercing = Internal injury (disadvantage on Str and Dex saves)
Fire/Cold/Acid = Blisters (disadvantage on Dex checks)

healing lingering injuries require a Medical Kit and DC15 Wis check

*I’ve also considered direct Stat damage as a called shot on a crit
Slash = -1 Dex
Bludgeon -1 Str
Pierce - 1 Con

but that might be too harsh

 

[CreamCloud0]

Right, but this doesn't necessarily mean they are "useless" like you described them above.

i'm not saying they're useless but i don't feel they really have any specific use, one where you'd ever want or need to pick them over any other type of damage, compare them to the force damage type which is doing a similar thing much more successfully, where (to my understanding) force isn't a damage type that lots of stuff is Vunerable to but it isn't widely Resisted either and is capable of targeting a specific subset of enemies that are outright immune to most other types of damage, it has A Use, A Purpose, rather than just being the most generic baseline type of damage anyone can deal.

but this brings us back to my other post's original point: letting it be much more of a baseline mechanic to be able to enchant your weapons to also be dealing energy damage types(just the damage type not additional damage), to give those who rely on weapons much more of an in into being effective in the vunerabilities targeting game and have more of a reason to have multiple weapons.

 

[CleverNickName]

Well I suppose if I can't have the Longsword, I could settle for the Halberd or the Longbow.

 

[Tonguez]

Would have rather had a Glaive than the Long axe, but having them all bow down to a Bow is good by me

Well I suppose if I can't have the Longsword, I could settle for the Halberd or the Longbow.

 

[CleverNickName]

Yep, my strategy is pretty obvious by now but in case you missed it:
I'm trying to keep the Longsword alive long enough to give everyone else time to wear down the Spear. Then when both of those are eliminated (probably within hours of each other), we will essentially be left with Longbow vs. Halberd...and with everything else getting caught up in the fray, it's pretty obvious which one will win.