Jeff Rients wrote about all weapons doing d6 damage, saying that he didn’t use the rule. Well, I do. What’s it like, at the table?
I haven’t noticed any drawback at all to my game. Only two-handed weapons needed a change as in my game shields can be sacrificed to annul one hit (after the seeing the damage done), making them very valuable.
Thus:
The Wikipedia article on the Zweihänder has the following fragment:
Frisian hero Pier Gerlofs Donia is reputed to have wielded a Zweihänder with such skill, strength and efficiency that he managed to behead several people with it in a single blow.
And this is the Battle of Kappel, showing soldiers wielding two-handed swords against pikemen. Yikes!
#RPG #Old School #Halberds and Helmets
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I prefer this approach. I played Pathfinder Adventurer Card Game, where you are constantly trying to improve your inventory of weapons - it was fun, but too videogamey. I prefer the weapons to be thematic. “You have my sword... And you have my bow. ... And *my* axe.”
I did introduce an intelligent sword (charisma 16, gets in charisma contests when what it wants - the PC to take a leadership role - differs from the PC) and the players were disappointed it didn’t offer some unusual attack or damage. So there are drawbacks.
– J. Alan Henning 2019-11-02 16:21 UTC
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On the other hand, if all swords do 1d6 then a +2 or a +3 already sounds more impressive. 🙂
– Alex Schroeder 2019-11-02 16:41 UTC
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Regarding the attacking pikemen with a 2-handed sword... I’d always understood that was the point of the Zweihänder. They didn’t attack the guys with the pikes but aimed to chop off the head of weapon and drive the long staff to the side so others could move in past the pokey parts. Must have been some brave fellows.
– Ruprecht 2019-11-05 15:21 UTC
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Yeah. But they also got double pay. And as I understand it, they were not in the first rank. They waited in the second rank behind shield bearers and other pikemen for crush and then they moved forward. At least that’s what one Wikipedia page says even though the picture shows something else. I know nothing…
– Alex Schroeder 2019-11-05 17:33 UTC
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Does seem like using the shield guys would be better than standing out in no mans land waiting for every pikeman to poke you.
– Ruprecht 2019-11-05 19:28 UTC