serrated blades
- Thread starter Sanackranib
- Start date
Sir Osis of Liver
Explorer
I think for game stats it should be increased threat range. Look at the Kukri, from what i understand historically it has a rep for being extremely effective when it comes to dismemberment. In the game it's an exotic dagger with increased threat range. I think the same would work for serrations and kris blades, either have them be exotics or cost the same as masterwork and increase the threat range by 1.
MEG Hal said:
Well, for one thing you'll note that my statement was before you metioned that this was on stabbing, not on slashing weapons.
You have a number of blades. Do you actually spend significant amounts of time whakcking them against other blades, and actually sticking them into bodies and whacking them against bones under combat conditions?
There's even a difference between setting up a side of beef and stabbing it, and setting up a person who's going to use their muscles when you stab, and torque your blade around in new and more interesting ways.
I'd suggest that really, the D&D game is a little too grainy to note much difference between straight and wavy blades, especially when our knowledge of the extra damage potential of such things is anecdotal. Even more especially since the Hit Point system is so abstract. Removing hit points, even on a critical hit, does not necessarily correspond to actually sinkng the blade deep into your target's flesh.
barsoomcore
Unattainable Ideal
I don't think we should consider curved blades the same as wavy or serrated blades. A katana is curved because the curve maximises both the contact of blade to target as you cut, and optimises the angle of the blade as you make contact (in average conditions) -- both of which make the cut longer and deeper. Likewise sabres and scimitars.S'mon said:I was thinking of scimitars, sabres, katanas, et al.
Wavy blades on a piercing weapon kind of makes sense to me, though it then limits the blade's effectiveness as a slashing weapon (sometimes there's just no substitute for cutting someone's throat, I guess). I believe the SAS combat manual (it is just me, or does that seem like an absurdly common book to find in bookstores?) claims that the quickest and quietest kill is a thrust below the ear, slashing out to cut the throat and carotid. Don't see how a wavy blade would make that any more fun.
Er.
Serrated edges (very different from wavy) sound like deathtraps. All I can imagine is getting my blade stuck on some guy's armour. I might as well not have brought my sword at that point. Just one second with my sword not at my disposal and I'm out of the fight.
In addition, serrated blades won't cut as deep and so won't kill as fast or as surely. Think about cutting bread with a serrated bread knife as opposed to cutting a carrot with a chef's knife. It takes many strokes to get through the bread -- each stroke only cuts a little bit. It doesn't take much effort but you have to saw for quite a while. Whereas the chef's knife (assuming you keep your knives sharp -- you do, don't you?) whacks through the carrot with ease.
Which would you rather do to your foe on the battlefield? Reducing effort per stroke isn't very helpful -- it's not like you're going to be able to saw away at him stroke after stroke.
Fight carrots, not loaves of bread. Here endeth the lesson.
Olgar Shiverstone
Legend
I don't know about the big blades (swords, etc) but I do know that with smaller blades you gain some utility with serration at a sacrifice in effective killing capability -- I'd guess the same is probably true with larger blades.
Take US issue bayonets (effectively piercing weapons, though they can be used for slashing).
The older M7 model has a plain blade, double-edged along 1/3 of its length. It's a fairly effective slashing and stabbing weapon (I prefer it over the more modern M9, actually, for reasons below).
We've replaced it with the M9, which is a much more multi-purpose tool. It's effectively a single-edged blade (edit: this is because the serration are on the back of the blade, to facilitate its multi-tool capability; should have made that clear), and slashes fairly well with the tip. It's been serrated, though, so it can be used to cut wood for constructing fortifications, and is designed to act as a wirecutter as well -- but because the serrations weaken the blade, the entire weapon had to be strengthened -- and I've still seen more broken M9s than M7s. The M9 is still lacking a bit as a piercing weapon, IMO -- though the extra weight is nice, the serrations occasionally stick in the rib cage (unlike the M7 which tends to withdraw much more cleanly). It's a problem a swift kick can solve -- if you've got time for the kick. Like I said, I personally prefer the M7, even though its the less modern weapon, and carry a personal one rather than the issue M9.
Back to the discussion of fantasy wavy swords, though -- it's a game; make 'em do whatever you want.
Take US issue bayonets (effectively piercing weapons, though they can be used for slashing).
The older M7 model has a plain blade, double-edged along 1/3 of its length. It's a fairly effective slashing and stabbing weapon (I prefer it over the more modern M9, actually, for reasons below).
We've replaced it with the M9, which is a much more multi-purpose tool. It's effectively a single-edged blade (edit: this is because the serration are on the back of the blade, to facilitate its multi-tool capability; should have made that clear), and slashes fairly well with the tip. It's been serrated, though, so it can be used to cut wood for constructing fortifications, and is designed to act as a wirecutter as well -- but because the serrations weaken the blade, the entire weapon had to be strengthened -- and I've still seen more broken M9s than M7s. The M9 is still lacking a bit as a piercing weapon, IMO -- though the extra weight is nice, the serrations occasionally stick in the rib cage (unlike the M7 which tends to withdraw much more cleanly). It's a problem a swift kick can solve -- if you've got time for the kick. Like I said, I personally prefer the M7, even though its the less modern weapon, and carry a personal one rather than the issue M9.
Back to the discussion of fantasy wavy swords, though -- it's a game; make 'em do whatever you want.
Last edited:
Similar Threads
