I'm not sure I buy the Fullblade

[MrMyth]

I find pretty much all of the uber-weapons to be quite silly and wish that I had just banned them from my campaign. There's simply no need for them and they put weapon users on even higher footing, damage wise, than casters.

What I'm actually planning to do for my next campaign is have the uber-weapons not freely available, but instead just show up as occasional masterwork loot, with no additional proficiency required. (It's already a low magic campaign with limited access to magic items).

So you can't invest feats in a Fullblade and buy one in town - but you might find one while adventuring, and anyone who can use a Greatsword can wield it. Same thing for Superior Implements - you can't specialize in a Dragonfire Wand, but you might find one and unleash fiery death with it.

It gives a bit more ability to customize loot without having to make sure you only provide the weapons and implements the PCs are specialized in. We'll see how it goes.

 

[mneme]

[MENTION=61155]MrMyth[/MENTION]: Actually, you could do that fairly and not give free proficiency (which has the issue that if they find multiple uber-weapons, they can start switching between them at need). Just go easy on the retraining (letting them retrain into a found weapon's proficiency mid-adventure with a few mishaps) and let them access the Transfer Enchantment [mabye at a reduced cost], so if they find a Cinder Wand they can keep using it with the best enchantment they've found for a while.

 

[Mercurius]

Obryn's suggestion works for me - extra training in greatsword. Thanks!

 

[MrMyth]

@MrMyth : Actually, you could do that fairly and not give free proficiency (which has the issue that if they find multiple uber-weapons, they can start switching between them at need). Just go easy on the retraining (letting them retrain into a found weapon's proficiency mid-adventure with a few mishaps) and let them access the Transfer Enchantment [mabye at a reduced cost], so if they find a Cinder Wand they can keep using it with the best enchantment they've found for a while.

Inherent bonuses will be in play, since its low magic, so that should help avoid the need to swap enchantments around. I have the free proficiency in part because I want them to be able to switch weapons - otherwise, I've found, it becomes far too easy to get committed to one weapon, and not want to use others, even in situations where they might be ideal. The cool new weapon that comes along can easily be dismissed because it isn't the 'ideal' for the character. (Even if you make retraining easy, just forcing them to decide one way or another can feel limiting.)

The items aren't going to be too common, and the weapon breakage rules from Dark Sun (or a variant on them) will be in play, so I don't forsee any real abuse from PCs carrying around a bunch of uber-weapons and being able to quickly swap between them.

 

[Dr_Ruminahui]

As for carrying it on your back, if that seems impractical - well, then don't.

Instead, carry it around in one hand - either in a sheath, or with a 6-8" of leather wrapped around the blade just above the cross piece just like some of the bigger European swords sometimes had. If sheathed, its not much different from carrying a wider girthed staff - indeed, a style of japanese sheething does look a great deal like a staff.

At some point, I plan to have my PCs fight the big baddies' body guards - I plan to run them on a modified "three part solo" concept. On their top 1/2 HP, they wield staves, having very controllerly/soldiery type attacks... close bursts, pushes, knocking prone, giving hit penalties, low damage - and mocking the PCs for their lack of skill. Once they are bloodied, they take the PCs seriously, draw their fullblades from their "staves", becoming skirmishers or brutes - so, less control, more damage. Then, when at zero HP, the demon bound into their skin breaks free and the party has to fight a demonic brute.

So, personally, I think carrying around a long "staff" from which you pull a huge blade from when the going gets ugly is a pretty cool character concept.

 

[Bold or Stupid]

The whole weapon speed thing is a bit silly really. I do SCA heavy fighting and LARP, and while a dagger can be swung quicker than a great sword, the great sword has an advantage that allows it extra attacks, its about 5 foot longer than the dagger, plus has the weight that means if the knife man closes with me I can bash him with the hilt. Greater effective range alows you to move in and strike earlier to, again being quicker than a knife.

 

[Ryujin]

The whole weapon speed thing is a bit silly really. I do SCA heavy fighting and LARP, and while a dagger can be swung quicker than a great sword, the great sword has an advantage that allows it extra attacks, its about 5 foot longer than the dagger, plus has the weight that means if the knife man closes with me I can bash him with the hilt. Greater effective range alows you to move in and strike earlier to, again being quicker than a knife.

Which was also covered by 1e, with weapon lengths affecting first strike in combat. Once someone actually gets inside the arc of that longer weapon's attacks, all bets are off