Weapon Speed

[Hrothgar Rannúlfr]

Don't let your system get to klunky you don't want to spend an hour looking up speed differences in weapons.

Just make feats like you were doing. D&D is a game where all weapons are basically dice and crits, regardless of weight. If you feel that a certain weapon should be able to dos omething different, i.e. greatsword, then make a feat for it that lets it do something like take an AoO against someone attacking with a one handed, light, or natural weapon with no reach.

I wouldn't add much to the base combat system. Feats are the way to go.

Thank you. That's exactly my goal. I'm trying to limit the changes to feats only from this point forward. I've re-worked multi-classing entirely and added base defense bonuses to all the classes. For me, that's enough change at the systemic level. From here on out, I hope to keep it at the feat level and maybe a new spell or two.

 

[Eidalac]

Hrm.

Rough idea:

1st, to steal an idea from Monk Cook's Arcana Unearthed (IIRC, though this could be from Iron Heroes), class all weapons as either Power or Finesse (use STR or DEX for attack checks).

2nd, for any Power weapon, you can use Power Attack as an option (it's not a feat), with your STR bonus acting as the limit as to how many points you can trade. Improved Power Attack would be a feat that increases that limit (+2 might be a good idea). Weapon Finesse, as a feat, lets you use DEX for damage rolls in place of STR.

3rd: Attacks interate based on weapon size. Wielding only light weapons interative attacks scales on 4 points, 1-handed scales on 5 points (as core rules work), 2-handed weapons scale on 6 points.

So, with BaB 10, you'd get: Light: 10/6/2; 1-handed: 10/5; 2-Handed 10/4

4th: Wielding a 2-handed weapon gives you 1 additional AoO per round.

5th: When attacking, if your weapon is smaller than that of your foe, you provoke an AoO, which is resolved before your own attack.

6th: When you provoke an AoO from a foe with reach due to movement, you may elect to stop or continue to move. If you elect to continue to move, you are considered flat-footed and loose any shield bonus to your AC for the AoO.

 

[Hrothgar Rannúlfr]

Some interesting ideas, Eidalac. They go farther than the feats that I was thinking of, but it does address many of the issues folks have brought up. I'll be keeping this in mind.

Thanks!