D&D 5E Rules for Sunder

[Jefe Bergenstein]

It looks OK, but any rule that takes up that much space to explain is not a good 5e rule.

So much this. My eyes glazed over while reading all the tables.

My suggestion. On a hit, spend and roll a superiority die and add your strength modifier. If the total is equal to or greater than the weapon type's maximum damage from its die type (so 8 for a longsword, 10 for a halberd, 12 for a 2 handed sword) you sunder the weapon. Magic and adamantine weapons are considered to have double die type value (so a magic or adamantine scimitar needs a 12 or better).

 

[Enricorix]

Edition made.

 

[Enricorix]

The material's resistance matrix...

Wood/bone<stone<iron/steel<mithral<adamantine

Adamantine - resistance to bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage from nonmagic weapons that aren’t adamantine.
Mithral - resistance to bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage from nonmagic weapons that aren’t adamantine or mithral
Iron/steel - resistance to bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage from nonmagic weapons that aren’t adamantine, mithral or iron/steel
Stone - resistance to bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage from nonmagic weapons that aren’t adamantine, mithral, iron/steel or stone
Wood/bone - resistance to bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage from nonmagic weapons that aren’t adamantine, mithral, iron/steel, stone or wood/bone

 

[77IM]

In the past I've just used the Objects rules on p. 246-247 of the DMG. Most weapons and shields are made of steel (AC 19) or wood (AC 15), and are size Small (10 HP) although a larger monster may wield something size Medium (18 HP). Something like a bow or wand would be fragile (3 HP) instead of resilient. Magic items have resistance to all damage, and I've ruled that the crappy unsellable gear monsters typically use is vulnerable to all damage. This makes it VERY easy to sunder enemy weapons and shields, but that's OK, because tactically it's still usually better to just deal hit point damage to the enemy. I'd also rule that a weapon broken in this way is easy to repair, although a magic item may require magical repair.

I do like your use of max weapon die as the sunder threshold. That is very easy to remember and calculate on the fly. I also like how you included rules for using a sundered weapon or shield since that is totally going to come up. I'd clarify whether repairing a magic item also restores its magic; the mending cantrip specifically doesn't restore lost magic but it's unclear if a sundered magic weapon's magic is gone or just suppressed.

 

[Enricorix]

"Sundered" lets put this way is a condition imposed to objects, they still are usable but they aren't completely destroyed. A sundered magic weapon's magic is suppressed until repaired. The way to repair a sundered weapon is more complicated than just the use of mending cantrip (since the text of the cantrip states that "This spell can physically repair a magic item or construct, but the spell can’t restore magic to such an object."). So the cantrip will restore the hit points to the maximum again, nothing more than that. It will be required a repair through craft rules or more powerful spells to restore the magic properly. Maybe if you are in Eberron an Artificer could repair a sundered weapon with Infuse Weapons and Armor ability.

 

[Enricorix]

Edition made.