The Concept Is... he DOESN'T use a sword.

[Old Fezziwig]

"We got up there, we found all the garbage in there, and we decided it'd be a friendly gesture for us to take the garbage down to the city dump. So we took the half a ton of garbage, put it in the back of a red VW microbus, took shovels and rakes and implements of destruction and headed on toward the city dump."

Arlo Guthrie, "Alice's Restaurant"

 

[William Ronald]

I played a paladin for a while who wielded a battle axe in preference to a sword. This was back in 1st edition, when the battle axe did less damage than a longsword against opponents. I have also seen PCs use bardiches, hammers, and the ever popular long bow. Long swords are popular as well.

There is such a thing as style. So, I think a good thing for a DM to do who has a player who uses weapons other than swords is to have some magic weapons of that type appear in addition to magic swords. Think of it as fate giving the person who has a different weapon preference for fighter types a lucky break or two.

Also, if a character follows a god who uses something besides a sword as a weapon, the player might want to have his character use such a weapon. For example, Poseidon is associated with a trident, Odin, Zeus, Athena, and Ares are associated with spears, Thor is associated with war hammers, and both Apollo and Artemis are associated with bows.

 

[Wombat]

I get a fair number of people who like swords...

... and a LOT of folks who like axes!

Maybe I just play with a bunch of vikings

 

[ShadowX]

Well not only do you have the fact that a stigma is attached to swords, but that swords are a statistically better weapon. I have to say I personally use a sword a lot with axes a close second.

 

[Tarrasque Wrangler]

I don't know, this is one of the few gaming cliches I have no problem with. A sword IS better, generally speaking, than most D&D hand-to-hand weapons. I know that if a guy gave me a choice of a warclub, a battleaxe, or a longsword, and said "Pick one now. You're going to have to defend your life with it," I'd pick the longsword every time. Although I'll admit that a polearm has a certain tactical appeal, I think I'd still want a longsword to fall back on.

Remember, your fighter is not dumb (unless, of course, he is!). He's going to want the best weapon he can get his hands on. Sometimes it seems like some players get so wrapped up in "playing a role" that they lose sight of their character's common sense.

 

[Viktyr Gehrig]

Heh. I don't fight well with long blades-- I'd take the club, or if the club wasn't available (or too big to wield properly) the axe.

 

[S'mon]

In NWN my PCS often use Warhammers - same damage as battleaxe but full damage vs skeletons, and cheap too! Otherwise I go for bastard sword with the XWP. I once had a PC who could only afford a halberd, she used it for 3 levels (very money poor game) until she could get sword & shield.

 

[Arcane Runes Press]

I don't know, this is one of the few gaming cliches I have no problem with. A sword IS better, generally speaking, than most D&D hand-to-hand weapons. I know that if a guy gave me a choice of a warclub, a battleaxe, or a longsword, and said "Pick one now. You're going to have to defend your life with it," I'd pick the longsword every time. Although I'll admit that a polearm has a certain tactical appeal, I think I'd still want a longsword to fall back on.

Remember, your fighter is not dumb (unless, of course, he is!). He's going to want the best weapon he can get his hands on. Sometimes it seems like some players get so wrapped up in "playing a role" that they lose sight of their character's common sense.

Yes, but in terms of D&D statistics, the longsword isn't particularly better than the battle axe, the heavy pick or the warhammer.

A longsword has a better crit range, but:

1) The battle axe and the warhammer inflict exactly the same base damage and have a better crit multiplier.

2) The pick is a bit weaker on a regular hit, but much nastier on a critical.

Even in the "real world"(tm), it's not like the longsword was automatically the best choice. Knights were trained in the sword of course, but there were plenty of knights who chose to battle with other melee weapons.

Patrick Y.

 

[Steverooo]

One of my favorite characters fought with a halberd. Any reason why the halberd wasn't considered a reach weapon in 3e? I mean, it's a polearm. That's kinda the point. Did it get changed in 3.5?

Nope. Still non-reach!

 

[astralpwka]

We started a gladiator game here about two months ago, and I was DMing. I let the starting characters buy anything they wanted, and then I took it all away from them and gave everyone daggers to defend themselves with.

In the past, we've had characters specialize in the chain, scythe, and the orc double axe. The rest were either sword or bow.