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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Water Bob" data-source="post: 5666939" data-attributes="member: 92305">Awhile back, I brainstormed on some rule ideas that wold bring weapon speed to the Conan RPG (which would also work with D&D 3.0/3.5). Nothing I developed really hit the spot for me. But, recently, I saw this rule in a Scarred Lands supplement, and it took my breath away. This is a well written rule that does a perfect job of bringing weapon speed factors to the game.These rules take the position that a weapon speed factor mechanic is already in the game. Every weapon in the game has a SF of 5. When a speed factor is used, it's used as a penalty to the attack throw.Speed Factors don't come into play until a character is skilled enough with a weapon to use it quickly in melee. This happens, for most classes, at 6th level (when the character is allowed two attacks instead of one).Thus, a 5th level Soldier (Conan RPG class) would not use the Speed Factor rule because he only gets one attack per round. But, when he reaches 6th level, he's become skilled enough to use his weapon twice as fast as he used to, getting two attacks per round.Because the 6th level Soldier gets +6 to hit with his strikes, his second blow is modified by his weapon's Speed Factor, reducing the chance to hit. Thus, a 6th level Soldier is +6/+1 to hit because of the weapon's speed factor.(You can see how this would easily work with D&D classes, too.)What the Scarred Lands rule does change the Speed Factor of weapons so that some weapons are quicker than standard and some weapons are slower than standard.(The weapon examples I cite straight from the supplement, so they'll fit D&D games well.  If playing the Conan RPG, you'll have to eyeball the weapon equivalents.)     QUICK WEAPONS HAVE A SPEED FACTOR OF 4.Simple melee weapons, like the dagger, a gauntlet, halfspear, punching dagger, sickle, spiked gauntlet, or unarmed strike. Simple ranged weapons like the dart.Martial melee weapons like the cutlass, rapier, saber, sap, and scimitar.Martial ranged weapons like the shortbow.Exotic melee weapons like the kama, nunchaku, sai, siangham, and whip.Exotic ranged weapons like the shuriken.STANDARD WEAPONS REMAIN WITH A SPEED FACTOR OF 5.Simple melee weapons like club, heavy mace, light mace, longspear, quarterstaff, and spear.Simple ranged weapons like the javelin.Martial melee weapons like the battleaxe, falchion, flail, guisarme, handaxe, heavyflail, kukri, kukrisword, light hammer, light pick, longsword, spearstaff, short sword, throwing axe, and warhammer.Martial ranged weapons like the composite shortbow and the longbow.Exotic melee weapons like the bastard sword, chain and weight, dwarven waraxe, gnome hooked hammer, hookspear, iron war fan, rope and weight, spiked chain, warscpeter.Exotic ranged weapons like the repeating light crossbow.SLOW WEAPONS USE A SPEED FACTOR OF 6.Simple melee weapons like the morningstar.Simple ranged weapons like the sling.Martial melee weapons like the featheraxe, glaive, greataxe, greatclub, greatsword, great kukri, halberd, heavy pick, lance, light lance, anseur, scythe, trident.Martial ranged weapons like the composite longbow.Exotic melee weapons like the bladed chain, dire flail, dwarven urgrosh, orc double axe, and two-bladed sword.Exotic ranged weapons like the blowgun, bola, net, and repeating crossbow.So, let's say our 6th level Soldier picks up a dagger. This is a quick weapon with SF 4. That means he doesn't get another attack, but he does get a better modifier on the second strike. Instead of +6/+1, the character is +6/+2. with the dagger.When the soldier earns three more levels, reaching 9th, he does become skilled enough with the dagger to pick up another attack. Instead of +9/+4, the character is +9/+5/+1.Using these rules, the lower levels are still balanced (the dagger weilder won't out-fight the two-handed swordsman), and a player can grow his character into becoming a certain type of weapon master. With 9th level bonuses, that extra attack with a dagger isn't a bad option at all, even if you are fighting a foe using a greatsword.Of course, the Speed Factor rule works both ways. Bigger, bulkier weapons will hit less often. A 9th level Soldier using a Slow weapon like a greatsword will use these attack bonuses: +9/+3. The foe using the broadsword has a slight advantage on hitting, using +9/+4, but the dagger user will be +9/+5/+1 against our greatsword wielder.All-in-all, this looks like a balanced, well written rule. I'll be adding this to my Spicy Conan Combat Rules.You can add more granularity to the system by making more than 3 speed factor classes. If you do, please post your work here--I may want to copy it!</blockquote>

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