D&D General Weapons should break left and right

[Hussar]

I'm not arguing that you couldn't interrupt casting in 1e. I'm arguing that the initiative rules were convoluted enough that it's unclear when casting starts and ends. And in the light of this lack of clarity, it makes sense that people would come up with their own solutions.

Meh, the whole hit during casting thing isn't really an issue. Look at @Maxperson's example from the 2e books. The trolls got an intiative of 7. That means that both trolls had to roll 1's on their initiative while the MU had to roll a 10.

But, apparently, that's what happens "all the time".

 

[MGibster]

Do you hate to deal with ammo as much? Because the two are the same mechanic.

I don't hate ammo in video games. I typically don't deal with ammo in table top RPGs beyond how many rounds one might have in a firearm.

 

[Hussar]

I wonder how many people would play shooter games where you were forced to load your own magazines.

 

[DrJawaPhD]

Do you hate to deal with ammo as much? Because the two are the same mechanic.

How in the world is ammo the same thing as weapons breaking? Ammo is stupid too in DnD and I've never used it, but at least there it's a preparation thing where you can control making sure you purchase enough to not run out, and not something where all your ammo randomly disappears.

 

[W'rkncacnter]

I wonder how many people would play shooter games where you were forced to load your own magazines.

you joke, but escape from tarkov exists.

 

[loverdrive]

How in the world is ammo the same thing as weapons breaking?

You have a tool you rely on to influence the game state. It has limited amount of impact it can inflict, afterwards you have to switch to something else.

Conceptually, running out of ammo and having our sword broken (or wrenched from your arms, or whatever) are the exact same thing.

 

[cbwjm]

I absolutely hate having to deal with breaking weapons in video games. It ruined one of the Zelda games for me and System Shock 2 wasn't made better by its inclusion.

Fallout 3 and fallout new vegas had weapon and armour damage, I was so glad they got rid of it for fallout 4. For most games I'd say it is not a fun mechanic.

 

[DrJawaPhD]

Conceptually, running out of ammo and having our sword broken (or wrenched from your arms, or whatever) are the exact same thing.

Exact same thing except that one can be tracked, predicted, and completely eliminated with proper planning versus the other is random and uncontrolled. So completely different.

Only similarity is that both mechanics are annoying and I'd rather not use either one

 

[loverdrive]

Exact same thing except that one can be tracked, predicted, and completely eliminated with proper planning versus the other is random and uncontrolled. So completely different.

Only similarity is that both mechanics are annoying and I'd rather not use either one

Okay, from another perspective. Let's say, at lvl 1 Fighter gains, free of charge:

• Great Weapon Master
• Polearm master
• Sentinel
• Sharpshooter
• Crossbow expert
• Shield master
• Defensive duelist
• Dual wielder
• Gunner
• Charger

...and any and all current and future weapon-related feats that I probably missed at the cost of having to switch weapons sometimes? Is that reasonable?

 

[kermit4karate]

One time during a particularly nasty battle, when half the party was unconscious and the battle could swing either way, I rolled a critical hit against the party's paladin. And worse still, I rolled almost maximum damage for the crit! The paladin only had a handful of hit points left, so this would drop him...and with only one member of the party left standing, the party was about to end up captured or worse.

So I offered the player a choice: the paladin could take the extra crit damage per the rules, and hope that the rogue could pull out a victory alone...or he could sacrifice an attuned magic item of his choice, take regular damage instead, and live to fight one more round. The player chose to sacrifice his Sentinel Shield.

He managed to stay standing for two more rounds, thanks to some lucky rolls and the Dodge action. This bought the party enough time for the rogue to feed a potion to the downed cleric, who would then cast Mass Cure Wounds and turn the tide of battle. The shattered shield ended up on the wall of their favorite tavern, still splattered with blood.

I don't do this for every battle or every critical hit, and never so frequently that the players learn to count on it. It's just something I do every now and then for the sake of drama. When used sparingly, it can make for a really cool story.

Love it!