Longsword PCs

[Mark CMG]

This has been a surprising poll result thus far. I expected things to be skewed toward the low end but not as much and not with as many 0% answers.

 

[Pyske]

Our group: morningstar, longspear / club, bastard sword, quarterstaff / unarmed, 2 short swords.

 

[Thomas Percy]

What a question!!
I assume 20%.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

In my experience, all elven characters use longswords. All the sword-and-board types I've seen have used a longsword, and all the two-weapon fighters use one in their primary hand, at least.

In our games, the fighter types usually have an elven thinblade or even an elven courtblade. We have the houserule that elves have weapon familiarity with elven shortblades, thinblades, and (sometimes) courtblades (meaning some DMs add them to the list), but then again, every race has its racial weapons it is automatically familiar with, not just dwarves (and gnomes).

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Not many (especially compared to my 1E experience, where it was everyone, seems like). I've personally played 1 longsword-wielding character in 3.X ... but only because I wanted to play a stereotypical sword-and-board fighter, 'cause I'd never played one before.

I like that this edition of the game has made a variety of weapon options not only interesting for flavor but also mechanically viable. It's done a little for armor, too -- at least there is plate and chain shirts, where before there was only plate. I'd like to seem some armor tweaks to make taking medium armors moderately desireable.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I voted 40%- my estimation of how many people in our campaigns play elves + how many people play sword & board builds + 1/3 of the bards + 1/3rd of the rangers.

Many of the 3.x fighters I see played by others go for big 2 handed weapons & the power attack feat tree.

My personal weapon selection depends upon PC concepts, but I've noticed a trend towards blunt instruments in general. Still, looking over my FRPG PCs, you'd see axes, whips, spears and so forth.

 

[Jaguar]

I voted 100% not because any player gets the long, even mages, but because every player gets the best blade possible, and, if it is a long sword they do it!

Sometimes even mages uses a feat to use long swords, because it is, in most campaign settings, the most commom blade.

I believe that if short swords os other blades were more commom people would look more for them.

But, I can never underestimate the power play of the players, what would make my theories go to the sewers as fast as you can say "long sword"...

 

[Mark CMG]

What a question!!

If 3.x did one thing for sure, it was spread around the attractiveness of the various weapons.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

Maybe 20%. I've never quantified or thought about it in precise terms, though. Thinking of the groups I have right now and the last tabletop group I ran at home, out of 18 players, one player had a longsword. The rest of them tend or tended to battleaxes, greataxes, rapiers, short swords, quarterstaffs, and daggers. Light crossbows and longbows have also been carried, either as backup or primary weapon.

Wow. I can't believe that out of 18 players, no one had or currently has a greatsword.

 

[Lanefan]

I voted about 60%, ignoring those characters who for some reason (size, class) cannot use longsword, as an average among the various games I'm in.

There's another distinction needs be made as well: those who use longsword as their *primary* weapon, vs. those who use it either as a backup weapon or who *can* use it but rarely do (for those who still use 1e weapon proficiencies).

Were this strictly a 0-1-2e poll, I'd suggest asking what %-age of the warriors/elves take longsword as a proficiency, with a second poll asking what %-age of Fighters specialize in it in games that allow such. In 3e, where many more classes can use many more weapons, it's harder to tell...but maybe asking what % of those who can use it actually put any feats into it would give a better result...or not...

Lane-"longsword specialist since 1984"-fan