Double Weapons: Scrap or keep?

[see]

On realistic combat, my opinion has always been, "If you want GURPS, you know where to find it." As long as you're using something as unmoored in reality as D&D combat, you might as well have all the double weapons.

 

[Gloombunny]

On realistic combat, my opinion has always been, "If you want GURPS, you know where to find it." As long as you're using something as unmoored in reality as D&D combat, you might as well have all the double weapons.

Well, there's different kinds of "unrealistic". Some things are unrealistic but we like them anyway because they're cool. Other things are unrealistic and silly, and having them in the game makes it hard to take anything seriously.

Naturally, everyone's going to have different opinions about which unrealistic things are cool and which are silly. But in general, the farther away from reality something is the more likely it is to register as silly to most people.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I didn't vote because I favor keeping RW double weapons (staves, many polearms, monk spades, manrikigusari, kusarigama, chijiriki, etc.), "real-ish" double weapons (axes with spear butts, double swords) and ditching the pure fantasy ones that would be far more dangerous to the user than practical (spiked chains, dire flails, etc).

 

[Klaus]

Spiked chains, as drawn, are a joke.

But a spiked chain that has 1/2-inch spikes built into the last 5 links of each end is a perfectly viable weapon.

 

[Moon-Lancer]

Spiked chains, as drawn, are a joke.

But a spiked chain that has 1/2-inch spikes built into the last 5 links of each end is a perfectly viable weapon.

Yup.

i like changing them to slashing and go with ivy as inspiration.

or make them bludgeoning and keep them the same.

I really like Chrono crosses swallow, and tend to think of it as a double scimitar.

 

[Ranger REG]

Good thing there is no Europe in D&D.

Oh, really. Hmph! Could've fooled me. :\

 

[Klaus]

Yup.

i like changing them to slashing and go with ivy as inspiration.

or make them bludgeoning and keep them the same.

I really like Chrono crosses swallow, and tend to think of it as a double scimitar.

!

That's the official Eberron double scimitar!!!

Chrono Cross -> Valenar Double Scimitar
Fullmetal Alchemist -> Warforged

I sense a theme...

 

[Nifft]

I sense a theme...

Videogames are too anime?

Cheers, -- N

 

[Jhaelen]

What I actually dislike most about double weapons is that you have to enchant both ends separately. I just find it odd, that there are things like a +1/+5 quarterstaff.

Otherwise I don't particularly care about them. So far I've used exactly one in my games. None of my players ever considered one.

 

[Simplicity]

Other than quarterstaffs and a spiked chain (hey, I had a min-maxer), no one I know has ever used a double weapon in my games. The benefits of using them are not that great, and they just add to the list of difficult weapons you'll never find pre-enchanted. So I say, get rid of double weapons and get rid of the rules for double weaponry. A single roll of the die doesn't indicate a single sword swing. A single roll of the die doesn't need to indicate a single side of a quarterstaff either.

What does it hurt? Well you now have an extra page in the PHB for more interesting feat chains (or talent trees... whatever).

That said, in 4e you should be able to use 3-bladed swords and 4-bladed axes. Both will should come with aloe vera comfort strips and the axes should have a battery powered vibrate feature.