Proposal: Great Scythe

[CaBaNa]

Cheers,

Kamotz will be leveling in the "near" future, that is, if he survives.


When he does he'll be using the second level feat to pick up a better weapon.

I'm proposing the Great Scythe.

Cost: 30gp

Damage: 1d12

Proficient: +3

Range: -

Weight: 12 lbs

This HUGE Scythe is preferred by Clerics and Paladins of Lauto.

Property: Defensive (A defensive weapon grants you a +1 bonus to AC.)

Group: Heavy Blade



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My reasoning behind this weapon mechanically?

It costs the same as other "superior" weapons.

The damage is the same as a Full Blade/Great Axe

The proficiency bonus is modeled after the other Heavy Blade in this category. (I'd be willing to change the prof to a +2 if the damage was changed to 2d6 or given the brutal 1 quality. This is because the original scythe is a +2 and uses 2d4)

Range is obvious...

Weight is the same as an Urgrosh

There is no weapon more appropriate to give the defensive quality. It doesn't get off-hand like double weapons though. The whole reason behind not going High Crit, Brutal 1, is because the executioners axe is already toting that... My goal was to make more selection in weapons.

Group is obvious...


I think it is balanced very well with the other weapons of it's caliber. And different enough to justify it being used.

Granted if this doesn't pass, expect another proposal: let Kamotz use an Urgrosh and call it a Great Scythe...

 

[ukingsken]

Well I think I like it. And being in favor of the flavor I can even see how the big sweeping arcs of a Great Scythe could "ward enemies" off.

My only concern though is do other people buy the defensive property? I agree it's balanced but do we all think it makes sense? Or am I just biased cus I like Kamotz?

 

[elecgraystone]

Well, i see Enworld isn't back up 100% yet. It already ate my LAST post here...

I personally don't see the scythe as a defensive weapon. If anything, something that big would leave you open since you can't redirect your swings quickly.

I'd go with these stats for a great scythe.
+3, d10, Polearm, heavy blade, Reach. A re-skinned great spear, changing spear for heavy blade. Making a big weapon like a scythe BIGGER makes reach a much better fit than defensive.

 

[JoeNotCharles]

Why not just take a Great Axe or a pole arm and call it a scythe?

 

[CaBaNa]

Currently no two handed weapon in L4W has the defensive property. That is because all double weapons were banned.

Kamotz would just take an Urgrosh and call it a Scythe.

But that isn't an option.

Just taking a great axe or polearm doesn't give the defensive property...

This gives a defensive two handed weapon, that doesn't have the off-hand property... Something that is completely missing from L4W.

 

[elecgraystone]

Well, if he goes with Great Axe or a pole arm he's losing something. If he's going for a scythe, a great axe or the lone superior polearm [the great spear] aren't heavy blades like the base weapon was. It's be odd to take axe or spear feats with your 'great scythe' when the guy with a normal scythe is using a different set of feats.

Now he could take the glaive, but when you spend a feat for a weapon proficiency you really want to pick up a superior weapon. When you could pick up the great spear or the glaive which one would you pick? Mechanically, the great spear wins out hands down. It just doesn't match the base weapon.

However, CaBaNa seems to want a defensive 2 handed weapon. that I just don't see. Defensive weapons are by definition 1 handed. "A defensive weapon grants you a +1 bonus to AC while you wield the defensive weapon in one hand and wield another melee weapon in your other hand." So how do you wield a defensive 2 handed weapon in one hand and wield another melee weapon in your other hand?

 

[ukingsken]

I totally forgot the "another weapon in your other hand" addendum on the defensive property. In that case defensive does not make sense :S my bad.

 

[JoeNotCharles]

Good point about the weapon type.

Seems to me that you've got two options for your giant scythe:

1. Give it higher damage than a regular scythe, but no reach (it's a big blade, but not necessarily that much longer of a shaft)
2. Make it a reach weapon and a polearm (it's a bigger blade on a longer shaft)

I don't see a Scythe as being a defensive weapon at all. The regular Scythe wasn't, why should the bigger version be? So NO to the original proposal.

If you want to go with more damage but no reach, you could take a Fullblade (already a Heavy Blade) and just call it a Great Scythe. No proposal needed. Or you could propose that a Great Scythe is an Execution Axe (which seems closest to how a giant scythe would work) but it's a Heavy Blade instead of an Axe. I think I'd be ok with that, although I'd want to take a closer look at the feats and powers that work with Heavy Blades vs Axes. If you want it to be a reach weapon, I agree that the best course is to make it like a Greatspear but with Heavy Blade instead of Spear. This would take a proposal too. In general I prefer taking existing weapons and changing the type instead of trying to come up with a new weapon and keep it balanced.

 

[elecgraystone]

If you want to go with more damage but no reach, you could take a Fullblade (already a Heavy Blade) and just call it a Great Scythe.

Good idea, I hadn't thought of that. The best thing about this it it works as-is without the need of a proposal.

In general I prefer taking existing weapons and changing the type instead of trying to come up with a new weapon and keep it balanced.

Yep, that what I do. With weapon groups it's a pretty even trade and can be done with little worry. Other properties get a bit thorny.

 

[covaithe]

Yeah, I gotta say I don't see a 2h defensive weapon, either. My memory is a bit fuzzy, but I seem to recall that all the 2h weapons that were defensive were really double weapons, where one end was defensive.