Since some people seem unable to just report a potential error and leave it to WotC to work things out, I'll start a new thread for discussion of the sai. (So as to not clutter up the errata thread with a minor issue.)
The question is this: Should the sai deal piercing and/or bludgeoning damage.
In Oriental Adventures it deals bludgeoning damage.
In the (more recent) Arms and Equipment Guide it deals piercing damage. In the (even more recent) v3.5 Player's Handbook it deals bludgeoning damage.
After researching the issue (for a short while), I'd say it should deal both. The blunt end is used as a club, while the pointy end is used to pierce.
This website has some pictures describing the use of a sai. Note the throw and sequence 2-5 - clearly "piercing" attacks.
Yes, some sais are blunted. The question is, is there any reason why a character that actually uses sais in life-or-death combat would have sais with (severly) blunted tips? (As opposed to police officers or someone using it as a training tool.)
The question is this: Should the sai deal piercing and/or bludgeoning damage.
In Oriental Adventures it deals bludgeoning damage.
In the (more recent) Arms and Equipment Guide it deals piercing damage. In the (even more recent) v3.5 Player's Handbook it deals bludgeoning damage.
After researching the issue (for a short while), I'd say it should deal both. The blunt end is used as a club, while the pointy end is used to pierce.
This website has some pictures describing the use of a sai. Note the throw and sequence 2-5 - clearly "piercing" attacks.
Yes, some sais are blunted. The question is, is there any reason why a character that actually uses sais in life-or-death combat would have sais with (severly) blunted tips? (As opposed to police officers or someone using it as a training tool.)