D&D 5E Should the Flail be a Simple Melee Weapon?

[Quartz]

The flail is, of course, an agricultural implement so I'm wondering why it's listed as a Martial Weapon in the PHB. Perhaps reducing the damage to 1d6.

And how about adding a Great Flail, a two-handed Simple Melee Weapon doing 1d10 bludgeoning, ignores shields, and usable with the Polearm Master feat? Both types of flail would be interesting choices for a wizard with the Peasant Hero background or a cleric of an agricultural deity.


(The Mangual in the video would be a Martial Weapon.)

 

[Mad_Jack]

Since pretty much the beginnings of D&D, the flail has always been represented as the typical one-handed Medieval-fantasy-type ball-and-chain-on-a-stick version rather than the two-handed upgraded agricultural tool.

It would require training to properly use one effectively with a shield or while dual-wielding without accidentally hitting yourself. Also, in previous editions flails were generally able to be used to perform a trip or disarm maneuver, and such
things are generally restricted to martial weapons.

 

[DND_Reborn]

Yes. We made it one. Along with the net, whip, and... something else... oh, yeah, the morning star. All simple weapons now for my group.

We also made it if you are attacking a creature benefiting from a shield, you gain a +1 on your attack roll.

 

[Stormonu]

Using a flail to thresh wheat is nothing like attempting to use it against a moving, living target. I've been to SCA events and I've seen several people bean themselves after a bad swing that missed the target or bounced off armor/shield - though those have all been the one-handed ball-and-chain flails.

5E D&D doesn't use the War flail, which would be 1E's Footman's flail (and the current flail would be a horseman's flail). Also, while it isn't relevant to D&D, a blocked flail hit takes the user a moment or two to recover and get the ball-and-chain type flail back into a powerful swing. It works well if you can hit the opponent and move on quickly to the next (such as on horseback), but in a one-on-one fight I've seen its best to drop it for another weapon.

I could see the War flail/Footman's flail being a polearm, used with Polearm mastery. In 1E, it did basically 1d8 damage (actually 1d6+1). The "horseman's flail" on the 5E weapon chart really should be doing 1d6 if you look at 1E (actually 1d4+1).

 

[GuyBoy]

I’ve never been 100% clear on the difference between a flail and a morning star; the image in post 2, I would have considered a morning star?

 

[EzekielRaiden]

I’ve never been 100% clear on the difference between a flail and a morning star; the image in post 2, I would have considered a morning star?

A morning star is a ball (usually spiked, but not always) on the end of a stick. A flail is a weight of some kind attached to the end of a stick by a chain. Both of the images shown are flails, one just has more heads than the other. This is a morning star:

 

[Paul Farquhar]

There is a two-handed flail in Pathfinder. It adds exactly nothing to the game.

Looking at the video, I would say an untrained person is equally likely to inflict major damage on anyone standing withing 20 feet, including their allies. So no, I would not allow it untrained.

 

[reelo]

I’ve never been 100% clear on the difference between a flail and a morning star; the image in post 2, I would have considered a morning star?

No, the term "Morningstar" should correctly only be used for a spiked mace (as opposed to a flanged mace).
The "military flail" with a short haft, a length of chain, and a spiked ball at the end, was quite rare, both in depictions and in actually surviving examples. It was probably a curiosity that didn't see a lot of use (for obvious reasons).

 

[John R Davis]

The Footmans Flail in 1e was my fav weapon, it's damage was good and it's to hit v armour type was very good. And they look cool!
I'd keep it as a martial weapon in 5e

 

[Quartz]

It was probably a curiosity that didn't see a lot of use (for obvious reasons).

Do you think it might have been a duelling weapon? They did like the weird and wonderful for duelling weapons.