Weapon damage scaling

[irdeggman]

If I were a player and a DM gave NPCs one of these weapons and used it against us, I'd force the group to save them and retire my character and bring in a Psionic warrior with an exotic weapon prof....If the NPCs can do it so can the PCs....if not, you need a reason that can't be overcome by a feat or an spell or enhancement that automatically grants proficiency.

I'd be perfectly happy rolling around 11d8s as base damage after around 11th level. Eventually even more dice.


The DM can do plenty of things that the PCs can't copy...but deliberately using weapons from strange sources just to abuse dice progression is in that special place where PCs can say 'hrm...that sucked...our turn!'

I would expect most players to miss a dice progression abuse as a -hint- that the monsters were from some place else.

I have a player running a goliath barbarian with a large goliath greathammer. He does 3d6 +7 damage (he has a 20 STR). He hasn't quite learned how to most effectively use his rage and Power Attack though. I have another player who keeps wanted to use his domain spell Enlarge Person to increase his size. I don't want to think of the damge he would do then. . .

 

[frankthedm]

I have a player running a goliath barbarian with a large goliath greathammer. He does 3d6 +7 damage (he has a 20 STR). He hasn't quite learned how to most effectively use his rage and Power Attack though. I have another player who keeps wanted to use his domain spell Enlarge Person to increase his size. I don't want to think of the damge he would do then. . .

You don't have to think about it. Goliaths are not people{Humaniod Type that is]. Enlarge person does not work on Monnstrous humanids, Giants or anything else other than a humaniod.

 

[irdeggman]

You don't have to think about it. Goliaths are not people{Humaniod Type that is]. Enlarge person does not work on Monnstrous humanids, Giants or anything else other than a humaniod.

Hmm I knew they weren't giant type - I messed up monstrous humanoid as being humanoid (monstrous) instead of a separate type than humanoid.

Good thing it hasn't really come into play yet.

The character running the cleric is playing an aasimar so I told him all of those "person" spells wouldn't work on him since he is outsider (native).

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Arguably, it's easier for a Human to get a huge weapon than a Goliath. With the Strong Arm bracers in MIC an eventual steal at 6,000 gp and specifically not stacking with powerful build, the human can already get the same large weapon the goliath has. Add in the longer duration and cheaper cost / wider availablity of enlarge person versus the expansion power (which WILL work on a goliath), and by level 6-8, it's probably easier for the human barbarian to have a huge weapon.

I suppose if he has the racial mountain rage variant that while raging he could use strong arm bracers (as powerful build is effectively superceded at that point -- he's actually size large, penalties to attacks and AC included), so there's always that.

 

[frankthedm]

Hmm I knew they weren't giant type - I messed up monstrous humanoid as being humanoid (monstrous) instead of a separate type than humanoid.

Good thing it hasn't really come into play yet.

The character running the cleric is playing an aasimar so I told him all of those "person" spells wouldn't work on him since he is outsider (native).

Yes, Goliaths are immune to enlarge person, along with the other humanoid targeting "Person" spells. On the most part it is quite a boost since those "Person" spells usually hose PC bruisers, but in the case of enlarge person it is a slight handycap. Indeed I suspect part of balancing the goliath was to make sure he could not benefit from the common buff of enlarge person.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Yes, Goliaths are immune to enlarge person, along with the other humanoid targeting "Person" spells. On the most part it is quite a boost since those "Person" spells usually hose PC bruisers, but in the case of enlarge person it is a slight handycap. Indeed I suspect part of balancing the goliath was to make sure he could not benefit from the common buff of enlarge person.

Same with the Half-Giant, also a monstrous humanoid w/ powerful build. And the Half-Ogre race in RoD that is size large for only +2 LA but is Giant for race. I don't think there's any race/template combo to abuse (effectively) large size + enlarge person. Barring the possibility of something broken from Savage Species, a book I don't even pay attention to.