WotC: Let's Improve the Weapon List, Shall We?

[redmagerush]

After years of no real interest, I think I just got sold on Grim Tales.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

After years of no real interest, I think I just got sold on Grim Tales.

That easy? I wish I had known sooner.

One thing I'd like to revise in this list (that I sort of did in the Firearms section) is make a clear distinction as to when weapons should use one die or two. The damage curve for 2d6 is very different than 1d12 (which, err, isn't a curve at all), and I'd like to exploit that.

1d12 rolls 7 or more 50% of the time.

2d6 rolls 7 or more 70% of the time.

But... it rolls maximum damage (12) one-third as often as 1d12. (1 in 36 vs. 1 in 12)

etc.

I think there's room for some additional distinction even within the tier of Martial weapons.

Either that, or remove 2-die damage from Martial weapons entirely (that'd be the Greatsword, Falchion, and Scythe, plus some obscure polearms) and make it the province of Exotic Weapon Proficiency.

But I think I'd have a player revolt if the greatsword didn't do 2d6.

 

[med stud]

Text

Nice list! That's about what I was thinking about but with fewer variables.

PS: Loved your story hour!

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Nice list! That's about what I was thinking about but with fewer variables.

Well, with all the variables listed, you should be able to reconstruct about 95% of the weapons in the PHB (and fill in the holes the OP was complaining about).

If you really want to keep it easy, then all Simple weapons do 1d6, all Martial weapons do 1d8, and all Exotic weapons do 1d10.

Or simpler still, all weapons do 1d6 if one handed, and 2d6 if two handed.

The game won't change dramatically. By 3rd level or so, it's not the base damage that matters, it's the +X, flaming, holy, righteous, etc.

 

[TerraDave]

Y'know, Wizbang Dustyboots' thread about a genuine Sea Drake Missing from the rules plus myself brushing up my Weapon Groups rules for an upcoming campaign got me thinking: There are quite a few seemingly basic weapons missing from the rules.

A brief brainstorm came up with the following:

BIG weapons:
** Greatbow ala English/Welsh longbow for bigger-then-big longbows (likely exotic, though really just martial)
** Maul for 2H hammers.
** Greatmace for 2H maces.
** Bolt-thrower for a big honkin' crossbow.
** Sarissa-style spear to fill in the "Greatsword" category of reach-spears (martial longspear with 15 foot reach)
** Boar Spear-style spear to fill in the "Greatsword" category of damage-dealing spears (martial Spear with more damage).

Hand-and-a-half weapons:
** Mace and Chain, ala the Dwarven Waraxe for those using hand-and-a-half flails.
** Dwarven Battlehammer, ala the Dwarven Waraxe for those using hand-and-a-half hammers
** Dwarven Combat Mace, ala the Dwarven Waraxe for those using hand-and-a-half maces
** Dwarven Military Pick, ala the Dwarven Waraxe for those using hand-and-a-half picks

** Light Flails. They appear to be missing.

** Throwing Daggers. Something like 30 ft. range with a 20/x2 crit and piercing/slashing, but useful because they can be concealed as with normal daggers.

** A Polearm which deals Bludgeoning damage - Long Hammers were indeed used in the Middle Ages.

** Harpoons. Not exactly a staple in Medieval Europe, they would still be useful in a fantasy campaign, and make a great addition alongside the very few entangling weapons the PHB has (the Net, the Whip and the Bolas).

** Mancatchers. On the same note as Harpoon, but decidedly more common in medieval Europe, Mancatchers would make a great addition to the entangling weapons in the PHB.

**Broadswords. A sword you can stab someone with.
SNIP
--N

The weapons I added to my homebrew for 3rd ed:

Simple Weapons – Melee
Fauchard
Knife
Maul
Morningstar, GreatW
Stiletto
Warsling

Martial Weapons – Melee
Bardiche
Pick, Great
Weaponbreaker

Exotic Weapons – Melee
Halberd, Great
Mancatcher
Pike
Pilum

Exotic Weapons – Ranged
Arquebus
Blunderbuss, gnome
Britannic Longbow
Pistol, gnome

So, not exactly the same, but we are on the same page (and this is a euro centric setting, so that explains most of the differences). Oh, and some things like bec de corbin came back as equivlent weapons (to the great pick, in this case).

Of course, in terms of 4th ed, I am ready either way. I am sure that by July or so, I will have whatever they don't cover up on my homebrew webpage.

 

[Zaruthustran]

I agree with whoever said that swords should be able to do thrusting damage (at the buyer's discretion). I mean, look at the wide variety of shapes and features that fall under "sword":
http://www.thearma.org/spotlight/oakeshott_typology.html

If a player wants his character's longsword to be a Type XVIII--designed for cut *and* thrust--then that should be an option.


-z

PS: Nice list, Wulf.

 

[Hairfoot]

Smaller weapon list, please!

Some individual enhancements might be cool, in the form of specialized Masterwork properties or attribute trade-offs, but there's no point in making a whole new weapon type every time you want to add or futz with a mechanic.

I agree. I'm a minimalist. I'm quite happy to call a machete, butterfly sword or gladius a short sword, a pike or sarrisa a longspear, and any form of polearm simply a polearm.

 

[Kahuna Burger]

I think weapons should be divided into sizes and types and deal damage based on that. The variation then comes from feats, talents and magic.

Short sword -Small, piercing- 1d6 damage
Machete -Small, slashing- 1d6 damage

Longsword -Medium, slashing- 1d8 damage
Warspear -Medium, piercing- 1d8 damage

I suspect that I'm fairly alone in wanting more simplification though

Actually, I'm more of a minimalist than that. I want a base damage per class per level, with feats and special stances to adjust for your perfered weapon look....

 

[Hairfoot]

Short sword -Small, piercing- 1d6 damage
Machete -Small, slashing- 1d6 damage

I'm still agin the small sword/medium sword business. I prefer the simplicity of having weapon size based relative to user size.

 

[Hairfoot]

Enough of that, I want the Lucerne Hammer and the Bec De Corbin back in D&D!!

Wither the Bohemian ear spoon?