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[Paraxis]

Missing out on .5 hp of damage per attack bothers me much less in game than another player telling me I should play his idea of an ultra-optimized character. I am not trying to win a tournament. I am playing a story-based game in which enjoyment is based on the story were are creating/telling. It is more about the journey than the destination. I don't need the rules to give me a reason to use my weapon of choice.

This axe was my father's axe, and his father before him. It is the weapon I know how to use best. It honors their memory. It has a long history.
If a fellow party member questions my choice, I might explain it to him. If he makes fun of my choice or tells me I am stupid for making my choice, he will end up with a fat lip. In character.

If another player tells me I am not optimized, I will say I know, but it's my character. If he says "Well that's just stupid" or "That's just wrong" I will know one of us is sitting at the wrong table.

All true for you.

For me, my character does not know how to use the axe best unless I have a feat or ability that makes me use it best, like weapon focus or specialization in 3rd. My character will quickly learn that his father's axe doesn't hurt many of the evil creatures I fight, so I need to pick up and use a magical weapon. If I have any control over what type of weapon that might be it might as well be the most damaging weapon I can get why wouldn't I.

The game needs to back up the story, I wish damage was based on class and less on weapon choice that way it wouldn't matter if your character uses his fathers axe, mine uses a great sword, or the halfling uses a frying pan.

 

[thalmin]

All true for you.

For me, my character does not know how to use the axe best unless I have a feat or ability that makes me use it best, like weapon focus or specialization in 3rd. My character will quickly learn that his father's axe doesn't hurt many of the evil creatures I fight, so I need to pick up and use a magical weapon. If I have any control over what type of weapon that might be it might as well be the most damaging weapon I can get why wouldn't I.

The game needs to back up the story, I wish damage was based on class and less on weapon choice that way it wouldn't matter if your character uses his fathers axe, mine uses a great sword, or the halfling uses a frying pan.

If my choice of weapon bothers you, I can always find another table.
Halfling, care to join me?

 

[Remathilis]

All true for you.

For me, my character does not know how to use the axe best unless I have a feat or ability that makes me use it best, like weapon focus or specialization in 3rd. My character will quickly learn that his father's axe doesn't hurt many of the evil creatures I fight, so I need to pick up and use a magical weapon. If I have any control over what type of weapon that might be it might as well be the most damaging weapon I can get why wouldn't I.

The game needs to back up the story, I wish damage was based on class and less on weapon choice that way it wouldn't matter if your character uses his fathers axe, mine uses a great sword, or the halfling uses a frying pan.

how bout we both go to the Renn Fest. I'll hit you with a sword, then I'll hit you with an ax. you can tell me which one hurts the most, and we'll adjust the damage table?

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I am not the one making a claim about a major issue here. Right now, it's just .5 difference.

Actually, it's less once you factor crits in! Even with crit only on a 20 it's down to 0.35, by my calculations.

Anyway, I agree!

 

[UngeheuerLich]

The discussion about .5 points of damage is annoying actually... overall, it is nothing... 2d6 is a lot better for people with medium strength, as in this case it prevents you from doing only 1 point of damage. If your +X to strength is high enough, you don´t care. If you have especially low strength, and you get a penalty, the axe suddenly gets better, as all rolls of 1 default to 1 point of damage... so the axe is better for the extremes...


I still believe, the spear/trident whing is annoying, as well as the morning star not being versatile, and the quarterstaff being versatile. (if it was just called staff, I would no be so annoyed... see shillelagh). Overall however I am ok with the list and hope there is more in PHB to come.

And we have to face it: some weapons just have to be the worst, some have to be the best. A d8 damage spear would have been really nice. But hey... still eagerly awaiting the release.

 

[Halivar]

I still believe, the spear/trident whing is annoying, as well as the morning star not being versatile, and the quarterstaff being versatile. (if it was just called staff, I would no be so annoyed... see shillelagh).

The quarterstaff should be default 2-handed. There is no way someone is wielding a 8-9 foot pole with one hand.

 

[thalmin]

The quarterstaff should be default 2-handed. There is no way someone is wielding a 8-9 foot pole with one hand.

It seems to me that 1-handed quarterstaff should be at disadvantage.

 

[occam]

Missing out on .5 hp of damage per attack bothers me much less in game than another player telling me I should play his idea of an ultra-optimized character. I am not trying to win a tournament. I am playing a story-based game in which enjoyment is based on the story were are creating/telling. It is more about the journey than the destination. I don't need the rules to give me a reason to use my weapon of choice.

This axe was my father's axe, and his father before him. It is the weapon I know how to use best. It honors their memory. It has a long history.
If a fellow party member questions my choice, I might explain it to him. If he makes fun of my choice or tells me I am stupid for making my choice, he will end up with a fat lip. In character.

If another player tells me I am not optimized, I will say I know, but it's my character. If he says "Well that's just stupid" or "That's just wrong" I will know one of us is sitting at the wrong table.

You're right about that. But the question is, why did Wizards even tee up this situation? They didn't have to. Giving someone one less reason to be a jerk at a gaming table would seem to be in their best interest.

 

[occam]

I am certainly not a charop guy, and I fall in the "find this annoying but will live" camp. It is a little less fun knowing your flavor choices are not only suboptimal, but just flat out worse. Might there be something in the weapon descriptions we are missing, such as axes being useful for tripping or cutting wood or something?

I think you've nailed it! (Seems like that should be a pun or something…) It takes 10 minutes extra to set up camp if no one has an axe to wield. And thus we get our first trope unique to 5e: the greataxe-wielding, campfire-building barbarian!

 

[SkidAce]

Until you show me the stats of a sim between a large squad of greataxe wielding dwarfs vs maul wielding dwarfs, vs wave after wave of orcs, I think you reducing the difference between 1d12 and 2d6 to 0.5 is simplistic and wrong (considering the new crit rule with is probably just double damage, thus exacerbating this difference even further).

I think mathmagically you are correct. I for one am not disputing your facts.

However, like [MENTION=2525]Mistwell[/MENTION], from the player point of view I do not think it is significant.

My characters normally don't play a squad of dwarfs, so the difference, while accurate, is negligible enough, even over time, that none of us would care at all.