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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 6960660" data-attributes="member: 42582">My "outrage" at  [MENTION=23]Ancalagon[/MENTION]'s example PC build (a STR-based scimitar-wielding fighter) was different again - I don't see why the game should penalise (in the form of d6 rather than d8 damage) a choice that is made for purely "flavour" reasons.That is, unless we think it is important, in establishing the feel/flavour of the setting, that scimitars be less brutal than longswords. But in this case, Saelorn's point comes to the fore (ie why is a person proficient in all weapons - a D&D fighter - choosing to use a weaker one).I think the weapon issue is different from the peasant rail gun issue, and so is not really a "rules as physics" issue. The railgun issue is a result of taking an action resolution abstraction intended for one context (small-unit skirmishing) and applying it in a compleltey different context (large-scale movement of objects from person to person).Whereas the weapon issue arises at the very heart of the ingame subject matter the weapon rules are meant to address, namely, how brutal is any particular weapon? If we don't think there's any point in distinguishing scimitar from longsword in this respect, then just let the scimitar wielder do d8. If we do, though, then what is the ingame explanation for why the character uses the weaker weapon?</blockquote>