D&D 5E small size

[damnbul]

I don't know if I am just missing it, but it seems there is no damage change on being a small character. That seems strange.
Now if you use the enlarge/reduce spell to change from medium to small size you have to reduce the damage your weapon inflicts.
Does this seem unusual? Why would it not be the same?

 

[Tormyr]

The small creatures use the same weapons so they do the same damage as the medium creatures. Large creatures use larger weapons (or inbuilt attacks) that do more damage.

 

[PnPgamer]

Small size is overall very confusing, there seems to be no benefits of being a small size, except for lightfoot halflings racial ability.

 

[MortalPlague]

The small races are pretty well balanced against their medium-sized companions to begin with. Also, more adventures seem to offer spaces only small characters can squeeze through, or put a focus on lightweight characters in 5th Edition. So being small and light seems to be the advantage for small characters.

 

[pukunui]

I don't know if I am just missing it, but it seems there is no damage change on being a small character. That seems strange.
Now if you use the enlarge/reduce spell to change from medium to small size you have to reduce the damage your weapon inflicts.
Does this seem unusual? Why would it not be the same?

Because ordinarily you're just using a normal sized weapon, but IIRC the spell reduces the size of the weapon along with your size, so naturally it would deal less damage.

 

[Fanaelialae]

I don't know if I am just missing it, but it seems there is no damage change on being a small character. That seems strange.
Now if you use the enlarge/reduce spell to change from medium to small size you have to reduce the damage your weapon inflicts.
Does this seem unusual? Why would it not be the same?

Keep in mind that the biggest / hardest hitting weapons have the Heavy descriptor, which imposes disadvantage on attack rolls for small characters. So while both humans and halflings can use longswords and daggers equally well, a human can use a greatsword without penalty whereas the halfling's best option for two-handing is the longsword.

 

[Scorpio616]

I don't know if I am just missing it, but it seems there is no damage change on being a small character. That seems strange.
Now if you use the enlarge/reduce spell to change from medium to small size you have to reduce the damage your weapon inflicts.
Does this seem unusual? Why would it not be the same?

Game balance. And for something even more silly, look at the effect of being enlarged, you go to 10'-12' tall but just deal an extra 1d4 damage, even though everything else that's large would being getting double weapon damage dice.