Swinging an axe against a wall of stone

[Maitre Du Donjon]

Do weapons have hardness? Don't you need an item of greater hardness to break another item of lesser hardness? Did I imagine such a rule?

Maitre D

 

[trentonjoe]

Don't you need an item of greater hardness to break another item of lesser hardness?

I don't think so. I think you just have to do enough damage to overcome the hardness value.

 

[Celebrim]

Well, for my part, rules or not, I would never allow a player to use a weapon for a purpose it was not intended without some consequences. For instance, if using an axe against a stone wall, I would apply the damage from each swing against the axe as well, and if this overcame hardness then the axe would take damage and dull or if serious enough shatter the haft. Using a sledge or pike or similar tool designed for smashing stone I'd probably half damage before applying the above, which should allow a strong person to eventually bust through a stone wall with a sledge or pick hopefully before the implement broke. But using an axe or a sword is just asking for trouble, and I don't care if it is a magic weapon. It may be durable, but it isn't indestructible.

 

[Devon]

For instance, if using an axe against a stone wall, I would apply the damage from each swing against the axe as well, and if this overcame hardness then the axe would take damage and dull or if serious enough shatter the haft.

And with the axe-wielder's strength bonus being applied back against the weapon, that would accurately simulate those moments when a strong person more quickly destroys their own weapon doing such a stunt.

- Devon

 

[trentonjoe]

A fairly neat system was proposed by someone smarter than me for this type of stuff here:

http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=39296

IF you are interested.

 

[Celebrim]

That is a fairly good system, and actually more D20 3.5 than the system I proposed in that changes to DR are more consistant than directly modifying damage dealt. However, it seems to me to be overly designed specifically with the ideal of weapons against stone walls, and I'm not entirely sure whether or not it wouldn't break down if used in a more general way. In other words, I'd have to play test it first.