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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cadfan" data-source="post: 4069561" data-attributes="member: 40961">The real world effectiveness of rapiers is a moot point.  The characters are heroes.  I don't need to enforce real world power balance between rapier wielders and plate wearers any more than I need to enforce the real world power balance between half naked norsemen with axes and disciplined, armored swordsman, or between kung fu monks and chevaliers.  When a kung fu monk fights a knight of the crusades, the monk doesn't have to leave his genre, come to the middle east, and get chopped into pieces.  Nor does the knight have to leave HIS genre, come to china, and have a monk leap into the air, balance on his sword blade, and spit a poison dart through the eyelets of his helmet.  They each get to stay in their own genre, and accomplish the cool things that their character type tends to do within their own world.If we wanted to accomplish genuinely realistic small unit combat, we'd give everyone a sword, a shield, and some reinforced chain.  And maybe a bow.  We'd delete the rogue entirely, we'd delete the heavier armor worn by the fighter (or at least impose significant fatigue penalties if he wore it all day in the sun), we'd delete most of the ranger's abilities... we could go on and on.  But we don't do that.  Each character class is a hero of a particular type of story.  D&D is cool because it brings those stories together.  I can be a swashbuckler who can charge with unerring balance across a storm tossed ship to duel a pirate lord.  You can be a plate armored fighter who stands in the breach of the castle wall like a pillar.Your enjoyment of your character should not be dependent on other people NOT being allowed to play their characters, except under the most egregious of circumstances.[/rant over]</blockquote>

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