D&D General D&D weapons vs reality

[Quartz]

This is an hour-long video by a HEMA practitioner far too complex to summarise.


Some very interesting comments and analysis about reach, throwing, martial vs simple, and much, much more.

 

[Morrus]

What do YOU think about it, @Quartz?

 

[Quartz]

I thoroughly enjoyed it. He demonstrates with visual examples. He even suggests improvements or alternatives like letting a whip trip people. But the thing's an hour long so I can't really summarise safe to say it is worth your time.

 

[payn]

Dont got an hour sorry.

 

[Willie the Duck]

I think I'd like to hear something a little more substantive before I spend that kind of time or give a YouTuber more views.

What else does he say? What is his basic premise? How much does he cover?

And especially -- is there anything new that every other roleplayer with 1-X years of martial arts/SCA/HEMA experience or a history degree haven't already said about D&D and how (poorly) it interacts with combat in terms of realism? 'Cause we've all been to this dance before.

 

[Horwath]

it's a nice overview and attempt to merge reality with gameplay logics and that it does not need to meet 100% of the time.
also I agree with most suggestions on what mastery should go on what weapon.

and what I have stated many times here;
ALL crossbows/guns should be simple weapons.
ALL bows should be martial weapons.

 

[dave2008]

I think I'd like to hear something a little more substantive before I spend that kind of time or give a YouTuber more views.

What else does he say? What is his basic premise? How much does he cover?

And especially -- is there anything new that every other roleplayer with 1-X years of martial arts/SCA/HEMA experience or a history degree haven't already said about D&D and how (poorly) it interacts with combat in terms of realism? 'Cause we've all been to this dance before.

I don't know his full HEMA creds, but I have watched some of his short videos and he is an amazing archer (changed my mind on what an archer should be able to do in D&D) and appears to be honest and forthright. His video (about 2 min) on the importance, or lack thereof, of size was interesting and funny. He is also skilled and knowledge able about sword fighting. He is serious about his craft.

I will definitely watch this (at 1.5X speed of course).

 

[dave2008]

General points:

• D&D doesn't match RL regarding the importance of reach ( a few inches difference matter in RL)
• you only need the necessary strength to wield a weapon in RL. Dex is the main factor in hitting (with any weapon) in RL.
• Simple vs martial can be odd and not match RL
• unarmed is basically equal to armed combat which is not realistic - but fun and should stay

He then goes into weapon types and specific weapons. I may or may not give a summary of those

 

[Charlaquin]

And especially -- is there anything new that every other roleplayer with 1-X years of martial arts/SCA/HEMA experience or a history degree haven't already said about D&D and how (poorly) it interacts with combat in terms of realism? 'Cause we've all been to this dance before.

This guy is a lot less focused on “um, actually”ing than the people who make this kind of content tend to be. He talks not only about how weapons really work, but also engages in more speculation about how you might approximate some of the less realistic applications seen in fantasy media. He’s more focused on archery than other forms of combat, and he enjoys mixing in fun acrobatic stuff instead of pure, proper Olympic target archery. For example, he also practices pole dancing, and uses those skills to pull off stuff like shooting from tree branches.

Also, for the guy-attracted folks among us, he’s pretty cute. If lean but athletic is your thing, at least.

 

[Micah Sweet]

it's a nice overview and attempt to merge reality with gameplay logics and that it does not need to meet 100% of the time.
also I agree with most suggestions on what mastery should go on what weapon.

and what I have stated many times here;
ALL crossbows/guns should be simple weapons.
ALL bows should be martial weapons.

My compilation/homebrew equipment document shifts around a bunch of weapons in an attempt to provide a more realistic picture. I also provide many weapons with specific tricks, generally gated by user level (but not by class) that one could reasonably do with the weapon (like the whip trip).

Combine this with class features and A5e's combat maneuver system and you're really cooking!