Let's Look At Pathfinder 2's Weapons!

Paizo has a new Pathfinder 2nd Edition blog up, and this time we're taking a look at weapons! We find out about the Simple/Martial/Exotic scale, weapon traits, critical specialization, weapon groups, and weapon quality.

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You can read the full article here, but here are the highlights:

• Simple weapons have smaller damage dice, while exotic weapons have additional abilities.
• The simple/martial/exotic scale deals with power and flexibility rather than being a regional descriptor.
• Weapon traits --
  • Greatswords can switch between piercing and slashing damage; d12 damage
  • Bo staff is d8, has reach, parry, and trip, plus the "monk" trait
  • Glaive is d8, has reach, "deadly d8" (extra d8s on a critical), forceful (builds up momentum doing extra damage on iterative attacks)
  • Twin weapons like saw-toothed safer do more damage if you have two
  • Backswing weapons like great club gain accuracy after a miss
  • Backstabber weapons like the dog slicer to more damage to flat footed targets
  • Agile weapons like the short sword decrease penalties for multiple attacks
  • Finesse weapons like the rapier use your Dex mod for attacks
  • Two-handed weapons like the bastard sword do more damage with two hands
• Critical specialisation is an unlockable weapon ability which has a special effect.
  • Swords make the target flat-footed
  • Spears weaken the target's attacks
  • Axes damage adjacent targets
  • Daggers cause persistent bleed damage
  • Clubs knock the target 10 feet
• Weapon quality goes from poor, standard, expert, master, legendary and grants -1 to +3 bonus/penalty to hit.

 

[TwoSix]

I guess it isn't controversial enough to comment on.

Overall, I like it...slightly complex, but elegantly so.

 

[Charlaquin]

I guess it isn't controversial enough to comment on.

Overall, I like it...slightly complex, but elegantly so.

The complexity is acceptable because it’s being used to make the weapon mechanics deeper. Thats the key. Complexity is the currency you use to buy depth. As long as the designers are thrifty with it, it’ll go over well.

 

[Mistwell]

Too complex for me.

 

[Tumorseal]

This kind of stuff will make playing a fighter fun.

 

[Charlaquin]

Too complex for me.

Can't win 'em all

 

[i_dont_meta]

Can't wait for the D&D 5E conversion...

 

[Sunseeker]

What's with all this +3 stuff? I get not going crazy and making weapons go up to +10 million. To the same question, why does proficiency go up to +6 in 5E? We've got 20 levels, 9 levels of spells, +3 weapons, and I can't even tell you what level proficiency goes up to in PF2.

Is there any way we could get a system that is nicely divisible by 5? or by 2?

Beyond that, these weapons seem gimmicky and remind me of again of decking our wargame minis.

 

[Ancalagon]

I like some of these abilities, but some are... bizarre.

Twin weapons like saw-toothed safer do more damage if you have two
Backswing weapons like great club gain accuracy after a miss
Backstabber weapons like the dog slicer to more damage to flat footed targets

Twin does more damage!?! *how* I could see them working better together (less penalties for two weapon fighting?) but more damage? how does this work?

Backswing: Yes, some weapons you can recover easier from a miss... but wouldn't this be a quick, agile weapon, not a great club?

Backstabber ... again I'm a bit confused. If your foe is flat footed, he's vulnerable end of story no?

 

[wakedown]

A moment to weep for the thousands of hours that will be lost as players suddenly remember then discuss with their GMs that extra +1 damage or +1 to hit last round from a forceful or agile weapon... in some cases that extra +1 being the difference between a critical fumble, fumble, hit or critical hit and something else...