D&D 4E Weapon Sizes must die in 4E

[MerricB]

In 3e, a human gets a (large) longsword that was wielded by an Ogre. What proficiency does he use?

That's the problem with 3e's system: it didn't handle the proficiencies at all.

Cheers!

 

[Storm Raven]

In 3e, a human gets a (large) longsword that was wielded by an Ogre. What proficiency does he use?

That's the problem with 3e's system: it didn't handle the proficiencies at all.

That's not even a hard question under the 3e system. He treats the weapon as a greatsword for all purposes.

 

[Andor]

OTOH, normal weapons simply sized for giants would be almost unliftable, even by giants. Certainly impossible to actually use in combat. While you can handwave the existance of giants by saying "magic", their strength in D&D really isn't large enough to wield weapons. Because the mass of things basically goes up exponentially as they double in size. Is something twice as big, twice as heavy? No,it's 4 times as heavy. You also have to factor in material strength and things like that.

8 times as heavy. Mass is density times volume and volume is a cube function. Double the dimensions and weight = 2x2x2 or 8 times the original weight.

It works the other way too of course. A halflings gear should weight 1/8th what the humans does not half, but that probably is canceled out by their enormous strength.

And count me in as a fan of the 3.0 system. Sting was an Elven dagger and a Halflings longsword. Even if you say that the hilts are different (a valid point) it should be a minor craft check to correct the problem, not a -2 until the end of days.

 

[Hairfoot]

Remember, too, that small-sized humanoids don't have the proportions of a human child. They have larger hands and much more effective musculature.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

In 3e, a human gets a (large) longsword that was wielded by an Ogre. What proficiency does he use?

It's a greatsword.

 

[Marshall]

I can only assume--though of course I could be wrong--that you've never wielded weapons that would, in D&D, qualify as a longsword and a short sword.

Theres a huge range of real world weapons in both those categories.

It's not that the grip is "wrapped" differently. It's that the proportions are way off. The grip of an average short sword is much thicker and shorter, in proportion to the blade, than the grip of an average longsword. (The same is true of the blade, though some would suggest that goes without saying.) Simply increasing the relative size of a short sword so that it's the size of a longsword would result in a weapon that's completely impossible to wield. Both the grip and the blade would be far too wide for their length.

No, thats a Gladius or what D&D calls the Broad Bladed Short Sword(and a large version is a Claymore)
The basic D&D short sword is little more than a long knife or exactly the same as a short bladed long sword(whatever that is)

Now, there are those who don't care about that level of realism in game, and that's fine. It's a legitimate play choice. But you can choose not to care about the differences without claiming they don't exist, because they very much do.

Yes, a game that uses, as its most basic weapon, a fictional amalgamation of realistic weapons has no business creating sized based varieties of those weapons.

 

[Marshall]

And bastard swords.

Cheers, -- N

Thats why they are called 'bastard'

 

[MerricB]

That's not even a hard question under the 3e system. He treats the weapon as a greatsword for all purposes.

Point to the page reference that says that.

What proficiency does a human need to use a small trident?

Cheers!

 

[Klaus]

Point to the page reference that says that.

What proficiency does a human need to use a small trident?

Cheers!

Fork, or course.

 

[Hussar]

The only change in 3.5 I didn't like was the whacky stuff they did to weapon sizes. Small longswords and Medium longswords. Small greatswords and Medium greatswords.

Needless overcomplication that only served to muddy up the weapon charts and confuse my players. I've never met another player that actually even used these rules. They all ignored them. (or didn't understand them)

Anyone else feel the same way? I sure hope that the strange size variations in weapons goes *poof* in 4E.

Count me in the confused camp as well. Of all the problems we had with 3.5, this one didn't even register.