D&D 5E What’s So Great About Medieval Europe?

[Guest 6801328]

Anybody trying to use historical facts to make game balance decisions is wrong before they even start.

 

[FlyingChihuahua]

Anybody trying to use historical facts to make game balance decisions is wrong before they even start.

yep, game comes first, always.

If it doesn't, then you get a boring game, and a boring game is a failed game.

 

[jasper]

Even accepting that people bathed, it must still have been pretty dirty in general. Look at the Black Death. The people who got that were exposed not just to rats but to fleas, and it killed half of Europe. Add to this the fact that during the black death the doctors of the time literally believed that people were getting sick and dying because it smelled so bad.

fleas are my friends sign curio owner and master of jasper.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

The way I'd do it is just introduce another type of longsword that is finesse.

Just say it has a shorter grip or something so you can't two hand it and I think balance concerns are addressed.

I'm not worried about any balance concern from a finesse longsword, tbh. If rogues can two-hand a d10 weapon...the game will be just fine.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Well, making the longsword finesse is a small thing, in and of itself, it's almost identical to the rapier other than being versatile. I wouldn't do it, but I don't have any real issues with it either. The preeminence of DEX isn't going to be changed by adding a weapon to the finesse list.

In dnd, I'd also be fine with a separate weapon, regardless of historicity.

Honestly, maybe it's time (in my game) to be less restrained with dice combinations. Maybe a greataxe should be 3d4 instead of 1d12. Maybe a finesse longsword could be 2d4 versatile (d6+d4).

Just thoughts.

Maybe to make strength matter, when you use strength for an attack with a weapon, you add 1d4 to the damage roll, representing that while you are using IRL strength and dexterity regardless, you are more focused on muscle power, and thus hit a little harder.

 

[Zardnaar]

I'm not worried about any balance concern from a finesse longsword, tbh. If rogues can two-hand a d10 weapon...the game will be just fine.

Helps makes strength even more pointless.

A kensei rogue would be fine.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Helps makes strength even more pointless.

A kensei rogue would be fine.

Yeah, one thing i wish the game had was just a section in the PHB or DMG advising to let thematically synergistic things work well together even if it involves some light houseruling. Stuff like letting a rogue/monk SA with monk weapons.

But I also think it would be fine to add a class-neutral damage bonus for attacking with a weapon using strength, and then expand the finesse weapons dramatically. The benefit of using dex is higher dex, the benefit of using strength is higher damage.

 

[Lem23]

We've used Dex as a modifier to hit, Str as a modifier to damage (with all weapons) before. We don't always use it, but no-one's entirely upset with it and some really like it.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

No you didn't, I'm trying to figure out exactly where we disagree. I wasn't trying to put words in your mouth, sorry if that's how it looked.

It might be some of my posts you were responding to, not DrBW's. I realised that it might have been a little confusing because I was talking about historical longswords, which were almost exclusively two-handed weapons, not D&D longswords which cover one-handed weapons as well. It is the two-handed grip that allows the user to apply their strength to the movement of the blade better, and hence makes it more suitable for a weaker person. - Compare to the rapier where a similar-length blade is controlled by fingers, wrist and forearm.
You're perfectly correct that when looking at weapons like viking and some arming swords used in one-hand, the strength requirements would be closer.

Helps makes strength even more pointless.

A kensei rogue would be fine.

I flat-out removed the finesse requirement for sneak attack. It seemed the obvious way to allow rogues to sneak attack with weapons like the longsword, which they were specifically given proficiency in.
I've not seen any issues with this houserule yet. A rogue using a longsword two-handed is probably a net damage loss compare to making an off-hand attack for an extra chance at sneak attack.
I've not found it makes Strength pointless either: currently Str-based rogues are still required to use finesse weapons, even though they're still using Str to attack with them. With the houserule, I've seen more strength-based rogues since they can use more iconic weapons.
(I also gave bows and slings the finesse trait, which also reduces dex supremacy, and may also have something to o with this.)

(Also allows any kensai rogue to use their weapons with sneak attack whatever they are. - Even gives them a further advantage, since they can still use dex for any sneak attack due to their magical nature.)

 

[Zardnaar]

It might be some of my posts you were responding to, not DrBW's. I realised that it might have been a little confusing because I was talking about historical longswords, which were almost exclusively two-handed weapons, not D&D longswords which cover one-handed weapons as well. It is the two-handed grip that allows the user to apply their strength to the movement of the blade better, and hence makes it more suitable for a weaker person. - Compare to the rapier where a similar-length blade is controlled by fingers, wrist and forearm.
You're perfectly correct that when looking at weapons like viking and some arming swords used in one-hand, the strength requirements would be closer.

I flat-out removed the finesse requirement for sneak attack. It seemed the obvious way to allow rogues to sneak attack with weapons like the longsword, which they were specifically given proficiency in.
I've not seen any issues with this houserule yet. A rogue using a longsword two-handed is probably a net damage loss compare to making an off-hand attack for an extra chance at sneak attack.
I've not found it makes Strength pointless either: currently Str-based rogues are still required to use finesse weapons, even though they're still using Str to attack with them. With the houserule, I've seen more strength-based rogues since they can use more iconic weapons.
(I also gave bows and slings the finesse trait, which also reduces dex supremacy, and may also have something to o with this.)

(Also allows any kensai rogue to use their weapons with sneak attack whatever they are. - Even gives them a further advantage, since they can still use dex for any sneak attack due to their magical nature.)

A Kensei rogue using a longsword two handed is probably messing around with the SCAG cantrips and/or the bonus action withdraw ability. Waste of time more often than not.

I might relax rules on weapons the rogue is proficient with allowing sneak attacks on the rogue weapons they can use.

Sneak attack/finesse anything though is subclass specific IMHO and even then it's probably a bad idea. 3.x raging barbarian/rogue memories.