D&D General The rapier in D&D

[doctorbadwolf]

Well, no, fighting a dragon is obviously nuts. But if I were going to do it, I wouldn't pick something that is as close to useless as I can imagine.

There are many D&D weapons that would be worse against a dragon.

At least the rapier is long and strong and sharp.

Ever held a real rapier?

 

[AlViking]

My point was that the idea that stone age weapons can be used to take down a T-Rex is just laughable.

A T-Rex is just a giant chicken. Unlike what Jurassic park would have you believe, they are just animals. Meanwhile our ancestors did hunt things like wooly mammoths which were about as massive.

Obviously no human has ever fought a T-Rex, but we are quite efficient at killing pretty much every animal we've ever encountered. I see no reason a T-Rex would be any different.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Cars actually aren't for fighting duels or killing ruffians.

You clearly haven't spent much time on California freeways.

 

[GrimCo]

Not just the flying, but the sheer scale of dragons as pictured in modern D&D

Scale wise, ancient dragons are on par with C130 Hercules (length, width, wingspan, mass). That's one massive SOB. Like someone said, TOW or MANPADS (depending if it's on ground or flying) are your best option for taking them down if you are lowly grunt ( with much love to all my fellow grunts).

But, D&D is highly abstract game. Where every weapon does same damage, no matter how big or small opponent is. So long as you chip away those massive hit point numbers to zero before they do it to you, you are good.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Scale wise, ancient dragons are on par with C130 Hercules (length, width, wingspan, mass). That's one massive SOB. Like someone said, TOW or MANPADS (depending if it's on ground or flying) are your best option for taking them down if you are lowly grunt ( with much love to all my fellow grunts).

But, D&D is highly abstract game. Where every weapon does same damage, no matter how big or small opponent is. So long as you chip away those massive hit point numbers to zero before they do it to you, you are good.

Post 1e, certainly. In the original game I believe all weapons did the same damage.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Me, as a DM: Another rapier, how original. (eyeroll) Let me guess, high dexterity and a two-level dip of spellcaster, too?

Me, as a player: Yeah so my next character has a high dex and a two-level dip of spellcaster, so I'm going with the rapier...

I'm not sure how that can be fixed; people are gonna always gravitate to it because (1) it has the best damage of any Finesse weapon, and (2) Dexterity is the most important stat in the game. Any proposed "fix" to the rapier is going to involve changing (1) or (2), and your players will never go for either.

It is very easy to fix. Just delete rapiers.

 

[Bae'zel]

A T-Rex is just a giant chicken.

With a jaw that can crush bone. And a sense of smell that can track for miles.

Despite some modern paleo art impressions of T-REx as giant Chickadees, Carnosaurs were big predators and there's some evidence that T-Rex hunted in PACKS.

Giant, SCARY chickens.

 

[Micah Sweet]

It is very easy to fix. Just delete rapiers.

Or change them if they're too OP for your liking.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Or change them if they're too OP for your liking.

Sure, but then it will basically be the same thing than the short sword anyway.

 

[AlViking]

With a jaw that can crush bone. And a sense of smell that can track for miles.

Despite some modern paleo art impressions of T-REx as giant Chickadees, Carnosaurs were big predators and there's some evidence that T-Rex hunted in PACKS.

Giant, SCARY chickens.

Spoken like someone who never encountered a pissed off rooster.