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Message: <blockquote data-quote="FormerlyHemlock" data-source="post: 6629768" data-attributes="member: 6787650">I think more granularity than that would be required to model real-world ammunition calibre differences. I'm no gun expert, but I'd expect it to be something more like (7.62: recoil 2 range 200/1200 1d10 damage, 1d8 at long range, 20 rounds per pound) vs (5.56: recoil 1 range 150/600 1d10 damage, 1d6 at range, 50 rounds per round) wherein each has a specific niche, and the debate is essentially over how relatively common each niche is. That makes it more like a debate over GWM or Sharpshooter's -5/+10 than it is like a rapier vs. shortsword 'debate'.I think the D&D convention of limited-size adventuring groups is the source of this distortion. In real life, if you're going into a dangerous situation you don't care if the other guy is using a small-caliber weapon that kills 20% slower. He's still an extra body firing bullets, why would you turn that down? You do care if you can't trust him, or if you think he might get somebody killed by shooting at the wrong thing or by slipping up at stealth and giving everyone away. In D&D the opportunity cost is higher if you're expecting to have only four people in your little commando group, or if you're taking it for granted that you're going to succeed in your mission and are just trying to minimize how many ways you split the treasure/XP.For that reason among others I think it's good to have threats/rewards which are too much for the PCs to be certain of taking on alone, and it is also good to allow them to have AD&D-style hirelings. I've got a crashed ship ready for as soon as my PCs go looking for it. It has 1.2 million adjusted XP worth of undead skeletons in it (70 CR Stygian Skeletons) and at the center, a Skeletal Warrior with splint mail Armor of Invulnerability and Blackrazor the sentient greatsword. The rewards are great, but the peril is too, and if my PCs go in by themselves I fully expect to kill them all if they don't retreat. But if they bring mercs with them their odds get better.P.S. I probably would pay a merc less if I saw him carrying a shortsword though. Unless he's a monk, it's basically a declaration that "I stink at fighting with weapons."</blockquote>

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