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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Stone Dog" data-source="post: 8509483" data-attributes="member: 16705">I'm going to put the constructive stuff up top instead of after my negativity and say that the rapier is certainly missing something that could be used to meet some of the expectations of it.  Defensive (light) is good, but it doesn't quite gel.  I'd add a fencing quality to the rapier, dueling dagger, and shortsword.  Weapons with the fencing quality are treated as dual-wielding only when paired with other fencing weapons in the hands of a user with proficiency in both weapons. In addition, a proficient user that is not wielding shield may have the use of the Defensive property as if they were wielding a light shield.Now to the negativity.Absolutely, a quarterstaff is better at parrying things than a rapier.  100%  No question.  In addition, the rapier is absolutely crap at parrying a quarterstaff.   If I'm going to be a defensive fighter in a dungeon or any threat diverse combat career and depend on my weapon to keep me safe instead of a shield or my dodging ability, no, I do NOT want a rapier. I'd only want a rapier if I was a fencer or swashbuckler or something and even then my defense would be based on footwork and dodging, and I wouldn't want to parry anything that wasn't heavier than the same class of light skirmishing weapon that I'm already using.The Parrying quality probably should be called "blocking" since it is a weapon that can take the place of a shield for (normally) up to 4 AC.  That indicates that the weapon should be big since it is on average as good as a heavy shield and it should be two handed because using your wrist to take a heavy impact is a bad idea.  It should be balanced because you can attack and defend with it in the same round, which is troublesome if one end of the weapon is significantly heavier than the rest of it.  It should be sturdy to avoid breaking after a single blow. In my opinion the weapons that do have the parrying quality that shouldn't are dueling daggers, shortswords, and scythes.  The first two because using them as shield substitutes are bad ideas.  Your wrist is a bad fulcrum for taking impacts. The scythe is just a dumb thing to bring to a fight anyway and it is way too unbalanced to attack and defend in the same round.</blockquote>

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