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  1. - Top - End - #1
    Ettin in the Playground
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    Default Swords & Sticks: d20 weaponry variant

    This is my promised weapon fix, to support my new vision of the Weapon Focus feat line. (See my feat variant for details.) As a martial artist, I have to lament how weapons don't have much going for them in D&D 3.5. If you forget about enhancements, the base weapons don't matter much. This variants seeks to change that.

    This fix will give each weapon minor tweaks to differentiate them from each other. In addition, each weapon will be given "basic" and "advanced" weapon tricks. Each trick is supposed to be roughly on par with a skill trick or a core feat.

    In effect, this will mean that a Fighter with Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization will have a slew of extra in-combat options based on which weapons he has chosen.

    Dart
    Description: Dart are ½ to 2 feet long thrown weapons, resembling heavy arrows with a short shaft and a long, thin head. Two darts weigh ½ pound.
    Type: Simple light thrown ranged weapon.
    Damage: 1d4 piercing, critical range 20, 3x multiplier
    Range Increment: 20 feet
    Special: Although they are thrown weapons, darts are treated as ammunition for the purposes of drawing them, crafting masterwork or otherwise special versions of them and what happens to them after they are thrown.

    Darts are also easy to conceal. You get +4 to Sleight of Hand checks to conceal them.
    Basic weapon trick: Darts are fast to draw and throw. When wielding a dart, you threaten an area up to 20 feet. In a pinch, you can make a melee attack using a dart.
    Advanced weapon trick: If you score a critical hit against an enemy, they must make a fortitude save against DC equal to damage dealt or be blinded in one eye (if applicable). These injuries take a heal check against DC equal to the damage taken to mend, otherwise they're permanent.
    Cost: 5 sp

    Halberd
    Description: An axe head attached to a 5 to 6 feet long haft, with a hook at the back of the blade and a spearhead at the tip, weighing 6 pounds.
    Type: Martial two-handed melee weapon
    Damage (Blade): 1d10 Slashing, critical range 19 - 20, 3x multiplier
    Damage (Tip & Hook): 1d8 Piercing, critical range 20, 3x multiplier
    Damage (Haft): 1d6 Bludgeoning, critical range 20, 2x multiplier
    Special: You can make trip attacks with halberd's hook. If you fail, you can drop your halberd to avoid being tripped in return.
    Basic weapon trick: When striking with the tip, you can essentially use halberd as a long spear, making it a reach weapon. When using halberd in this manner, you can still strike adjacent foes with the haft. Changing grips is a swift action.

    If you use a ready action to set a halberd against a charge, you deal double damage on a successful hit against a charging character.
    Advanced weapon trick: Charging provokes an attack of opportunity from you. If you hit, you do double damage and end their movement for the round.
    Cost: 10 gp

    Quarterstaff
    Description: A sturdy wooden staff between 6 and 9 feet in lenght, sometimes with metal-reinforced tips. A quarterstaff weighs 2 pounds.
    Type: Simple two-handed double weapon
    Damage: 1d6/1d6 bludgeoning, critical range 20, 2x multiplier
    Damage (with metal tips): 1d8/1d8 bludgeoning, critical range 20, 2x multiplier
    Special: A quarterstaff is a double weapon. You can fight with it as if fighting with two weapons, but if you do, you incur all the normal attack penalties associated with fighting with two weapons, just as if you were using a one-handed weapon and a light weapon. A creature wielding a quarterstaff in one hand can’t use it as a double weapon—only one end of the weapon can be used in any given round.
    Basic weapon trick: You can lenghten your grip to use quarterstaff as a reach weapon, doing 1d4 bludgeoning damage or 1d6 with metal tips. Changing grips is a swift action.
    Advanced weapon trick: You can use a quarterstaff to damage your opponent while grappling. When doing this, you can grapple enemies of one size category larger than normal. You benefit from your staff's enhancement bonuses for your grapple checks. If you manage to pin your enemy for three rounds in a row, he is considered helpless.
    Cost: - (5 gp with metal tips)

    Sai
    Description: A pointed, prong-shaped metal baton, with two curved prongs projecting from the handle. There are symmetrical prongs as well as manji-shaped ones. A sai weighs 1 pound.
    Type: Simple light melee weapon / thrown ranged weapon
    Damage (shaft & butt): 1d4 bludgeoning, critical range 20, 2x multiplier
    Damage (tip): 1d4 piercing and bludgeoning, critical range 20, 3x multiplie. Note: only applicable if the tip is sharpened.
    Range Increment: 10 feet.
    Special: With a sai, you get a +4 bonus on opposed attack rolls made to disarm an enemy (including the roll to avoid being disarmed if such an attempt fails).
    Basic weapon trick: Sais are traditionally used in pairs. When wielding two sais, you can use them together for disarming attempts, making them count as two-handed instead of light weapons for such attempts. Additionally, disarming bonuses from two sais stack.
    Advanced weapon trick: Sais can also be used in sets of tree. The third is usually thrown. When carrying three sais, at your first turn of combat or against a flat-footed opponent, you may throw your third sai as a swift action, using your highest attack bonus. Drawing your remaining sais after this attack are also free actions.
    Cost: 1 gp

    Shuriken
    Description: Shuriken is a catch-all term for various sharpened pieces of metal used as concealed throwing weapons. The most famous type of shuriken is the "shaken", or throwing star. Five shurikens weigh ½ pound.
    Type: Simple light thrown ranged weapon.
    Damage: 1d2 piercing and slashing, critical range 20, 2x multiplier.
    Range Increment: 10 feet.
    Special: Although they are thrown weapons, shuriken are treated as ammunition for the purposes of drawing them, crafting masterwork or otherwise special versions of them and what happens to them after they are thrown. Shurikens can also be used as caltrops.

    Shuriken are also easy to conceal. You get +4 to Sleight of Hand checks to conceal them.
    Basic weapon trick: Shurikens are small enough that multiple can be thrown at once. Against a flat-footed opponent, you can throw three shuriken at once per each attack you make. Make one attack roll for all three shuriken. If a critical hit is indicated, only one shuriken deals additional damage. Likewise, precision damage is only applied once per throw.
    Advanced weapon trick: If you score a critical hit against a flat-footed opponent, your opponent must make a fortitude save against DC equal to the damage dealt. Failure means the opponent is blinded for 1d6 minutes, provided he has eyes. Success or not having eyes means your enemy suffers -2 morale penalty to all checks for 1d6 rounds.
    Cost: 1 gp (sold in bundles of 6)
    Last edited by Frozen_Feet; 2013-08-03 at 04:13 PM.
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  2. - Top - End - #2
    Bugbear in the Playground
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    Default Re: Swords & Sticks: d20 weaponry variant

    I think instead of once per round you should reword the halberd's advanced option to "Charging provokes an attack of opportunity from you. If you hit, you do double damage and end their movement for the round." I don't see any need to limit it to one attack (after all you have to take a feat for it).

    I'm not really sure I like how shuriken is handled for it's advanced trick, especially since you already have a weapon that can sort of blind. I'd rather be able to throw multiple shuriken that I can split between multiple targets.

    Otherwise it looks pretty good. I can't really say if the damage is balanced or not, but I would be concerned about how damage and tricks balance together versus other weapons. Do you have a system?
    Last edited by eftexar; 2013-03-29 at 04:14 PM.

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    Default Re: Swords & Sticks: d20 weaponry variant

    It's all fun and games until some has Advanced Weapon Trick for Dart.
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    Ettin in the Playground
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    Default Re: Swords & Sticks: d20 weaponry variant

    Quote Originally Posted by eftexar View Post
    I think instead of once per round you should reword the halberd's advanced option to "Charging provokes an attack of opportunity from you. If you hit, you do double damage and end their movement for the round." I don't see any need to limit it to one attack (after all you have to take a feat for it).
    Thank you for better wording. Also, two feats. (Though it should be noted in my feat system, Weapon Focus line applies to multiple weapons.)

    Quote Originally Posted by eftexar View Post
    I'm not really sure I like how shuriken is handled for it's advanced trick, especially since you already have a weapon that can blind. I'd rather be able to throw multiple shuriken that I can split between multiple targets.
    Some overlap will inevitably occur between similar weapons. There is no practical difference between a dart and a bo-shuriken, for example - which weapons rules you use is a matter of taste.

    It should be noted that if you have iteratives from BAB (etc.), you can make your attacks against different targets. So if there are multiple flat-footed opponents within range, you can achieve what you described.

    Quote Originally Posted by eftexar View Post
    Otherwise it looks pretty good. I can't really say if the damage is balanced or not, but I would be concerned about how damage and tricks balance together versus other weapons. Do you have a system?
    Hah, no. The only "system" I'm using for determing special abilities is how they were historically used in real life. (This is why you can use shuriken as caltrops, for example). I'm not really concerning myself with balance at this point. Some weapons will still end up worse than others. My main goal is not to make weapons equal, but to make them different, so that there's a reason to carry and use different weapons.

    As a general rule, you can except martial weapons to have better base stats than simple weapons, while exotic weapons will have craziest tricks. It's a good thing to note that several weapons are losing their "exotic" status, because they are not as hard to use as to warrant that status. Sai, Shuriken, Kama and Siangham, for example, are very similar in use to Dagger, Dart, Sickle and, uh, Dagger again, so their classification as "exotic" as opposed to "simple" is mind-bogglingly stupid. (Seriously, Kama is a sickle.)
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    Default Re: Swords & Sticks: d20 weaponry variant

    Club
    Description: A heavy piece of wood or bone around 2 to 4 feet long, usually thicker from the hitting end. Sometimes it has nails or sharp bone fragments to serve as a spike. Weighs 3 pounds.
    Type: Simple one-handed melee weapon / thrown ranged weapon
    Damage: 1d6 bludgeoning, critical range 20, 2x multiplier
    Damage (spiked): 1d6 bludgeoning and piercing, critical range 20, 3x multiplier
    Range increment: 10 feet.
    Special: When attempting to deal non-lethal damage with a club, your critical multiplier improves by one step.
    Basic weapon trick: If you attack a flat-footed opponent in melee, your club automatically deals maximum damage. A spiked club ignores any armor bonuses from light armor your opponent might have.
    Advanced weapon trick: You can hit the joints of your opponent for maximum hurt. If you hit a flat-footed opponent or score a critical hit with a club, your opponent suffers 1 point penalty to dexterity. This penalty is cumulative.
    Cost: - (1 gp with metal spikes)

    Javelin
    Description: A 3 to 7 feet spear optimally balanced for throwing. Weighs 1½ pounds.
    Type: Simple one-handed thrown ranged weapon
    Damage: 1d8 piercing, critical range 20, 3x multiplier
    Range increment: 35 feet
    Basic weapon trick: On your first turn of combat, you can throw your javelin as a swift action using your highest BAB. Drawing any one other weapon after this is a free action. In a pinch, you can use javelin as a melee weapon.

    If you can move at least 10 feet before throwing, you receive +2 to hit and damage with your javelin. Your range increment also increases by 10 feet. You can only throw one javelin per round this way.
    Advanced weapon trick: You can use javelins to sunder shields wielded by your opponents at a range. As long as you're outside your enemy's reach, you provoke no attack of opportunity. If you succeed, the armor check penalty of your opponent's shield increases by 1 and its weight by 1½ pounds. This increase is cumulative.
    Cost: 1 gp

    Longspear
    Description: A 7 to 13 feet long sturdy haft with a sharp bone, stone or metal blade attached to the tip. Weighs 6 pounds.
    Type: Simple two-handed reach melee weapon
    Damage (Tip): 1d8 piercing, critical range 20, 3x multiplier
    Damage (Tip): 1d6 slashing, critical range 20, 2x multiplier
    Damage (Haft) 1d6 bludgeoning, critical range 20, 2x multiplier
    Special: If you use a ready action to set a longspear against a charge, you deal triple damage on a successful hit against a charging character.
    Basic weapon trick: You can shorten your grip to essentially use longspear as a quarterstaff. You can use your longspear as a double weapon to strike adjacent targets, using the slashing tip as one end and the haft as the other. Changing your grip is a swift action.
    Advanced weapon trick: Charging provokes an attack of opportunity from you. If you hit, you do triple damage and end their movement for the round.
    Cost: 5 gp

    Shortspear
    Description: A 4 to 6 feet long stick with a sharp tip made of stone or metal. Weight 2½ pounds.
    Type: Simple one-handed melee weapon / thrown ranged weapon
    Damage (tip): 1d6 piercing, critical range 20, 3x multiplier
    Damage (tip) 1d4 slashing, critical range 20, 2x multiplier
    Damage (haft): 1d4 bludgeoning, critical range 20, 2x multiplier
    Range Increment: 20 feet
    Special: -
    Basic weapon trick: On your first turn of combat, you can throw your shortspear as a swift action using your highest BAB. Drawing any one other weapon after this is a free action.

    If you can move at least 10 feet before throwing, you receive +2 to hit and damage with your shortspear.Your range increment also increases by 10 feet. You can only throw one shortspear per round this way.
    Advanced weapon trick: You've learned to use your spear more effectively with a shield. When wielding shortspear with a shield and fighting defensively, you suffer only -2 penalty to attack rolls and your shield AC bonus increases by 2. If you ready ready action to set your spear against a charge, you deal double damage.
    Cost: 1 gp

    Soliferrum
    Description: A heavy javelin made of solid metal (usually iron), 5 to 7 feet long and ½ inch in diameter. Weighs 12 pounds.
    Type: Martial one handed thrown ranged weapon
    Damage: 2d6 piercing, critical range 20, 3x multiplier
    Range increment: 10 feet
    Special: Mundane shields do not confer shield bonus against a soliferrum. Magical shields only confer theirs against non-magical soliferrum. A magical soliferrum's enhancement bonus is subtracted from a magical shield's shield bonus.

    If you can move at least 10 feet before throwing, you receive +2 to hit and damage with your soliferrum. Your range increment also increases by 10 feet. You can only throw one soliferrum per round this way.
    Basic weapon trick: On your first turn of combat, you can throw your soliferrum as a swift action using your highest BAB. Drawing any one other weapon after this is a free action. Your soliferrum ignores any armor bonus from light armor your opponent might have.
    Advanced weapon trick: You can use soliferrums to sunder shields wielded by your opponents at a range. As long as you're outside your enemy's reach, you provoke no attack of opportunity. If you succeed, the armor check penalty of your opponent's shield increases by 2 and its weight by 12 pounds. This increase is cumulative.
    Cost: 10 gp

    Stick / Baton
    Description: A 3 to 5 feet long sturdy stick. Weighs about ½ pound.
    Type: Simple light melee weapon
    Damage: 1d4 bludgeoning, critical range 20, 2x multiplier
    Special: You can inflict both lethal and non-lethal damage with a stick without penalty.
    Basic weapon trick: A stick is an useful aide in grappling. When opting to damage your opponent, you can use your stick in place of your unarmed strike damage. You benefit from your stick's enhancement bonuses while grappling. You suffer no penalties to your grapple check regardless of whether you deal lethal or non-lethal damage.
    Advanced weapon trick: When using your stick to damage your opponent in a grapple, you receive +4 bonus to your grapple check, and if you win, your enemy suffers -4 circumstance penalty to all checks until the start of your next turn.
    Cost: -
    Last edited by Frozen_Feet; 2013-08-18 at 03:37 AM.
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    Default Re: Swords & Sticks: d20 weaponry variant

    Very interesting. Can't really comment on balance side without reading it quite a few times, but abilities look just alright, generally.

    Most of the reach abilities look rather 'flawless' though - attack guys with reach when it suits you, just fire away from 5ft when it doesn't...

    Javelin could certainly use running start ability, so some 'throwing charge' in 3.5 terms, that's definite thing to do with javelin.

    Shortspear doesn't really seem to be good choice for 'precise point' striking, no matter how light and portable, one handed spear generally isn't accurate, because it's blade on longish lever hanging from wrist. That's why it's usually banned/limited in reenacting, very easily ends in someone's eye by accident.

    Some dagger, short sword, rapier etc. would probably be best for this 'Trick"

    Why only lowers med&heavy armor BTW?

    One handed spear seems way to light as well, halberd's way too short and heavy.

    And that's probably all of my points so far, generally it looks like something that would be really cool to play.
    Last edited by Spiryt; 2013-03-29 at 06:40 PM.
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    Default Re: Swords & Sticks: d20 weaponry variant

    I think Spiryt actually has a pretty good point. It think it might make more sense, and fit better game balance wise, to require an action to change a reach weapon to an adjacent weapon.
    What I mean by that is, you could require an action to change stance to use it differently. Sacrificing a move action for example makes it good, but not too good.
    Last edited by eftexar; 2013-03-29 at 06:44 PM.

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    Default Re: Swords & Sticks: d20 weaponry variant

    Quote Originally Posted by Spiryt View Post
    Most of the reach abilities look rather 'flawless' though - attack guys with reach when it suits you, just fire away from 5ft when it doesn't...
    Changing grips is now a swift action. Halbediers can still attack adjacent targets with the haft, but with less favorable damage.

    Quote Originally Posted by Spiryt View Post
    Javelin could certainly use running start ability, so some 'throwing charge' in 3.5 terms, that's definite thing to do with javelin.
    Ah, good idea. Added.

    Quote Originally Posted by Spiryt View Post
    Shortspear doesn't really seem to be good choice for 'precise point' striking, no matter how light and portable, one handed spear generally isn't accurate, because it's blade on longish lever hanging from wrist. That's why it's usually banned/limited in reenacting, very easily ends in someone's eye by accident.
    I know, I simply didn't come up anything better for now.

    Quote Originally Posted by Spiryt View Post
    One handed spear seems way to light as well, halberd's way too short and heavy.
    For weight, I use SRD unless I have better information. Generally, weapons in SRD are too heavy. Especially spears. For halberds, however, the lenght is historically accurate. (Lenght is generally easier to check because it varies less by material etc.) Halberds were often a supplementary weapon to longer polearms, such as pikes.
    Last edited by Frozen_Feet; 2013-03-29 at 07:11 PM.
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    Default Re: Swords & Sticks: d20 weaponry variant

    Quote Originally Posted by Frozen_Feet View Post
    Club
    Longspear
    Description: A 6 to 13 feet long sturdy haft with a sharp bone, stone or metal blade attached to the tip. Weighs 7 pounds.
    Type: Simple two-handed reach melee weapon

    Shortspear
    Description: A 3 to 5 feet long stick with a sharp tip made of stone or metal. Weight 1½ pounds.
    Type: Simple one-handed melee weapon / thrown ranged weapon
    I'm a bit hazy on this. Spears don't get much shorter than 5' long (and those are unusually short), and it's not usually considered "long" until it breaks eight or nine feet. The common military spear used by various militaries around the world is about 6-8' long and used spear-and-board. Is these lengths meant to cover the size range for halflings too? Might be better expressed by comparing to the height of the wielder then.
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    Ettin in the Playground
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    Default Re: Swords & Sticks: d20 weaponry variant

    As of now, there is no "normal" spear because I couldn't think of how to make it meaningfully different from the others - it's rolled in the longspear for now. The descriptions are prone to changing - you are right that the minimum for shortspear is too short, that's because I misremembered it by a foot. Spears that small are used more like a sword.

    EDIT: have to say though, your comment about spear & shielding got me out of the dead-end regarding shortspear's advanced trick. But this just heightens the problem - there is really no room for a "medium" spear.

    ---

    Unarmed strike
    Description: Not a weapon, but rather catch-all term for hard (striking) unarmed martial arts.
    Type: Unarmed attack
    Damage: 1d3 bludgeoning, critical range 20, 2x multiplier
    Special: Without Improved Unarmed Strike feat, unarmed strike normally deals non-lethal damage and attempting to do lethal damage with it causes a -4 penalty to attack rolls. The damage from an unarmed strike is considered weapon damage for the purposes of effects that give you a bonus on weapon damage rolls.

    Normally, unarmed attacks against armed opponents provoke attacks of opportunity. An unarmed character can't take attacks of opportunity without Improved Unarmed Strike feat.

    An unarmed strike is always considered a light weapon. Therefore, you can use the Weapon Finesse feat to apply your Dexterity modifier instead of your Strength modifier to attack rolls with an unarmed strike.
    Basic weapon trick: You can use your fingers and nails to maximum effect. You can deal piercing or slashing damage with your unarmed strikes. You can only deal one type of damage in a turn. When dealing piercing damage, your critical multiplier increases to 3x. When dealing slashing damage, your critical range becomes 19 - 20.
    Advanced weapon trick: You become knowledgeable in anatomy and pressure points. By succeeding in a DC 10 Heal check, you can cure fatigue or exhaustion from a target via massaging. In combat, once per round when you first hit with an unarmed strike, your foe must make a fortitude save against DC equal to damage dealt or suffer -2 morale penalty untill their next turn as you hit them somewhere where it hurts. The latter ability only works against creatures not immune to critical hits.

    Grappling
    Description: Not a weapon, but rather catch-all term for soft (grappling & throwing) unarmed martial arts.
    Type: Melee touch attack (Combat maneuver)
    Damage: Usually same as your unarmed strike damage.
    Special: See grappling.
    Basic weapon trick: You know how to throw your opponents. When successfully escaping from a grapple, instead of moving yourself, you can opt to throw your opponent to any adjacent square. Your opponent must make a reflex save against DC equal to your Strenght score (or Dexterity score if you are using Escape Artist) or end up prone.
    Advanced weapon trick: You are expectionally good in locking your opponents. If you can pin an opponent for three rounds in a row, they are considered helpless.

    Ray
    Description: Beam of magical energy created by a spell or psionic power.
    Type: Ranged touch attack
    Damage: Depends on the spell. (Critical range 20, 2x multiplier)
    Special: See invidual spell descriptions.
    Basic weapon trick: Instead of letting magic guide your ray using normal spell range, you can opt to shoot it further manually using range increments. The range increment is 10 / 25 / 100 feet for close, medium and long range rays respectively. A ray fired this way may exceed its normal maxium range.
    Advanced weapon trick: If you miss, you can twist a ray to come back with a vengeance. If you fail a ranged touch attack with a ray, you can as a swift action try to hit your opponent again with that ray at the beginning of your next turn.

    Touch attack
    Description: A dangerous effect delivered merely by touching your opponent, usually created by a spell or other supernatural ability.
    Type: Melee touch attack
    Damage: Depends on the spell. (Critical range 20, 2x multiplier)
    Special: An unarmed character with a touch attack is considered armed. Otherwise, see invidual spell descriptions.
    Basic weapon trick: When using touch spells in tandem with unarmed strikes, you are still considered armed. Make an attack roll against normal AC of your opponent. If your attack hits, you do both your unarmed strike damage as well as deliver your touch attack. If your attack fails, compare your roll to your opponent's touch AC. If your roll exceeds it, you still successfully deliver your touch attack.
    Advanced weapon trick: By succeeding in a concentration check against DC (15 + level of the spell), you can prevent a touch spell from discharging even if you touch something.

    Gauntlet
    Description: A sturdy metal glove made to protect your hand, fingers and forearm from damage. A single gauntlet weighs 1 pound.
    Type: Unarmed attack.
    Damage: Same as your unarmed strike.
    Special: A gauntlet lets you deal lethal damage with unarmed strikes without penalty. A strike with a gauntlet is otherwise considered an unarmed strike.

    While gauntlet is considered a separate proficiency for purposes of the Weapon Focus tree, you can also use all weapon tricks for normal unarmed strikes and grappling while while wearing them.
    Basic weapon trick: You can better disarm your opponents while wearing hand protection. When wearing gauntlets, your unarmed strikes count as one-handed weapons for purposes of disarming. If you have two gauntlet-wearing hands free, your unarmed strikes count as two-handed weapons.
    Advanced weapon trick: You can use a free, gauntleted hand to control your opponent's weapon. Follow steps 1 & 2 of disarming as normal. If you succeed, you are now grasping the weapon, and both you and your opponent are unable to use (at least one) hand holding the weapon for anything else. Neither of you can move freely either - instead, you use rules for moving while grappling if you want to change position. Your opponent can choose to let go of his weapon at any point, in which case you will have as if you'd disarmed him. There are two exceptions: first, if your opposed roll exceeds his by 10 or more, your opponent is unable to let go of his weapon unless you allow it. Second, if your opponent is wearing locked gauntlets, he is likewise unable to let go.
    Cost: 1 gp, 2 gp for a pair. Medium and Heavy armors come equipped with gauntlets, with the exception of breastplate.

    Spiked Gauntlet
    Description: A gauntlet with vicious, sharp spikes attached. Weighs 1 pound.
    Type: Simple light melee weapon
    Damage (Spike): 1d4 piercing, critical range 20, 3x multiplier
    Damage (Side): 1d4 bludgeoning, critical range 20, 2x multiplier, or your unarmed strike damage if it's better.
    Special: Your opponent cannot use a disarm action to disarm you of spiked gauntlets. An attack with a spiked gauntlet is considered an armed attack. If you have Improved Unarmed Strike feat, you can use all special abilities you would normally use through unarmed strikes with your spiked gauntlet.

    While spiked gauntlet is considered a separate proficiency for purposes of the Weapon Focus tree, you can also use all weapon tricks for normal gauntlets, unarmed strikes and grappling while while wearing them.
    Basic weapon trick: If your unarmed strike damage is better than the spike's damage, you can combine the two: damage type of your unarmed strikes is changed to piercing and your critical multiplier increases by one step. For purposes of sundering weapons, your spiked gauntlet counts as a one-handed weapon instead of light weapon. If you have two free hands wearing spiked gauntlets, your gauntlets count as a two-handed weapon.
    Advanced weapon trick: If you score a critical hit with your spiked gauntlet, your opponent must make a fortitude save against DC equal to damage dealt or suffer 1d6 points of damage each round until someone mends the wound with a DC 15 Heal check. Additionally, your enemy suffers a -2 circumstance penalty to all rolls.
    Cost: 5 gp, 10 gp for a pair.

    Dagger, throwing
    Description: A cruciform, broad-bladed knife balanced for throwing. Weighs 1 lbs.
    Type: Simple light melee weapon / thrown ranged weapon.
    Damage (blade): 1d4 slashing, critical range 19 - 20, 2x multiplier
    Damage (tip): 1d4 piercing, critical range 20, 3x multiplier
    Damage (butt): 1d2 bludgeoning, critical range 20, 2x multiplier
    Range increment: 10 feet.
    Special: A dagger is easily concealed from prying eyes. You can +2 to Sleight of Hand checks to conceal it.
    Basic weapon trick: At your first turn of combat or against a flat-footed foe, you can make an extra attack at your highest BAB by throwing your dagger as a swift action.
    Advanced weapon trick: Daggers are especially good for prying open armor. When grappling with an armored opponent, any piercing strikes you make with your dagger ignore all armor and natural armor bonuses of your opponent.
    Cost: 2 gp

    Dagger, punching
    Description: A small triangular blade attached to T-shaped handle. You wrap your fist around the handle so that the blade sticks from between your fingers. Weighs ½ lbs.
    Type: Simple light melee weapon
    Damage (Tip): 1d3 piercing, critical range 20, 3x multiplier
    Damage (Blade): 1d2 slashing, critical range 19 - 20, 2x multiplier
    Special: A punching dagger is extremely easy to conceal. You get +6 to Sleight of Hand checks to conceal it.
    Basic weapon trick: Drawing a punching dagger, concealed or otherwise, and concealing it are always free actions for you, with no penalties. You gain +4 to all feint attempts with a punching dagger. if you have the Sneak Attack feature, your Sneak Attack dice are d8 instead of d6.
    Advanced weapon trick: Daggers are especially good for prying open armor. When grappling with an armored opponent, any piercing strikes you make with your dagger ignore all armor and natural armor bonuses of your opponent.
    Cost: 2 gp

    Light mace
    Description: 1 to 2 feet long wooden or metal baton with a hard knob of bone, stone or metal at its head. The knob may have knobs to inflict more damage. Weighs 1 pound.
    Type: Simple light melee weapon
    Damage: 1d6 bludgeoning, critical range 20, 2x multiplier
    Damage (knobbed): 1d6 bludgeoning and piercing, critical range 20, 3x multiplier
    Special: A light mace is easy to hide and you get +2 to Sleight of Hand checks to conceal it. A knobless version has no penalty for inflicting non-lethal damage.
    Basic weapon trick: A light mace is useful aid for grappling. When damaging your opponent in a grapple, you can use your light mace's damage in place of your unarmed strike. You benefit from your light mace's enhancement bonus when grappling. You take no penalty for inflicting either lethal or non-lethal damage.
    Advanced weapon trick: You can aim for the joints of your enemy for maximum hurts. When you score a critical hit with a light mace, your opponent suffer 1 point of Srenght or Dexterity penalty. These penalties are cumulative.
    Cost: 5 gp (8 gp for the knobbed version)

    Sickle & Kama
    Description: a hand-held agricultural tool with a variously curved blade typically used for harvesting grain crops or cutting succulent forage chiefly for feeding livestock (either freshly cut or dried as hay). Kama is a variant of this tool, looking like a small scythe. Kama has a straighter blade perpendicular to the haft. These tools weight 1 pound.
    Type: Simple light melee weapon
    Damage (blade): 1d6 slashing, critical range 20, 2x multiplier
    Damage (haft): 1d3 bludgeoning, critical range 20, 2x multiplier
    Special: A sickle or kama can be used to make trip attacks. If you are tripped during your own trip attempt, you can drop the sickle to avoid being tripped.

    These weapons count as masterwork tools for Profession (Farmer) skill.
    Basic weapon tricks: These weapons are traditionally used in pairs. When wielding two kamas or sickles, you can resist sunder and disarm attempts as if you had a two-handed weapon instead of light weapons. You also get +4 bonus to all trip attempts.
    Advanced weapon tricks: You can slash tendons of your enemies. If you score a critical hit with sickle or kama, your opponent has to make a reflex save against DC equal to damage dealt or suffer 2 point penalty to dexterity and be knocked prone.
    Cost: 6 gp

    Heavy mace & Morning star
    Description: 2 to 3 feet long metal or metal-reinforced wooden haft ending with a hard stone, bone or metal head. May have knobs or flanges for penetrating armor. Weighs 3 pounds.

    A morning star is a similar weapon, with a wooden haft and a head with several long metal spikes. It works similarly to a knobbed mace, but weighs only 2 pounds as its haft is not metallic.
    Type: Simple one-handed melee weapon.
    Damage: 1d8 bludgeoning, critical range 20, 2x multiplier
    Damage (Knobbed): 1d8 bludgeoning and piercing, critical range 20, 3x multiplier.
    Damage (Flanged): 1d8 bludgeoning, slashing and piercing, critical range 20, 3x multiplier.
    Special: A flanged mace is a martial, rather than simple weapon.
    Basic weapon trick: A mace is highly useful for penetrating armor. All armor and natural armor bonuses are decreased by 2 points against it. A flanged or spiked mace ignores light armor completely. You get +4 bonus for sundering shields.
    Advanced weapon tricks: If you score a critical hit with a heavy mace, your opponent must make a saving throw against DC equal to damage dealt or be stunned for 1 round. Additionally, whenever you score a critical hit against an opponent with armor or natural armor, your opponent's armor or natural armor bonus is permanently lowered by 1 point. If you attack a flat-footed enemy in melee, your heavy mace always deals maximum damage.
    Cost: 8 gp for a morning star, 12 gp for a heavy mace (20 gp for a flanged version.)
    Last edited by Frozen_Feet; 2013-08-03 at 04:38 PM.
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    Default Re: Swords & Sticks: d20 weaponry variant

    Quote Originally Posted by Frozen_Feet View Post
    For halberds, however, the lenght is historically accurate. (Lenght is generally easier to check because it varies less by material etc.) Halberds were often a supplementary weapon to longer polearms, such as pikes.

    I don't think I've ever seen halberd with 5 feet long pole. Granted, most of halberds preserved in museums and arsenals are XVI-XVIIth century rather ceremonial pieces, but still.

    Unless you include all kinds of 'blade, hook, spike" pollaxes as 'halberds' of course , those could easily be even shorter.



    Anyway, the Grappling and Unarmed strike, seem very, very discouraging...

    That's the way it's kept 'balanced' I guess, but I feel that with weapons being so much more optimal and obvious choice, player who had picked up some unarmed techniques should be rewarded with some useful options...

    Especially grappling, or some kind of wrestling was considered absolutely vital for warrior from ancient Greece to Mongol tribes, and it's treated very neglected by d20 systems in general.

    Ability to damage opponents quicker than 'normal' grappler, with slams and locks would be nice, or better ability to resist constrict/swallow whole/rend etc. from monsters? That would actually be useful at all levels without 'breaking ecounters" problems.

    Unarmed attack is also weird.... Well, from all kinds of side kicks, elbows, knees, joint stomps, spinning sh** and other very damaging forms of using body kinetically, here is ability to keep your nails very posh and lacerate opponents with it?

    Any sort of gloves would ruin it, anyway, so few contacts with anything harder, as well...


    One handed maces absolutely didn't weight 8 pounds, for other small-nitpick, another thing that SRD has ridiculously wrong.

    http://www.myarmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=15182
    http://users.wpi.edu/~virtualarmory/...ct.pl?anum=905
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    Default Re: Swords & Sticks: d20 weaponry variant

    Quote Originally Posted by Spiryt View Post
    I don't think I've ever seen halberd with 5 feet long pole. Granted, most of halberds preserved in museums and arsenals are XVI-XVIIth century rather ceremonial pieces, but still.

    Unless you include all kinds of 'blade, hook, spike" pollaxes as 'halberds' of course , those could easily be even shorter.
    Even shorter axes and polaxes get their own entry. To my knowledge, halberds did indeed have that short of a haft. Longer polearms were made to replace them.

    Granted, the difference between a halberd and a slightly longer (let's say 7 to 8 feet long haft) similar polearm is as great as between morningstar and a knobbed mace.

    Quote Originally Posted by Spiryt View Post
    Anyway, the Grappling and Unarmed strike, seem very, very discouraging...

    That's the way it's kept 'balanced' I guess, but I feel that with weapons being so much more optimal and obvious choice, player who had picked up some unarmed techniques should be rewarded with some useful options...

    Especially grappling, or some kind of wrestling was considered absolutely vital for warrior from ancient Greece to Mongol tribes, and it's treated very neglected by d20 systems in general.

    Ability to damage opponents quicker than 'normal' grappler, with slams and locks would be nice, or better ability to resist constrict/swallow whole/rend etc. from monsters? That would actually be useful at all levels without 'breaking ecounters" problems.
    It's good to remember that the weapon tricks are not be-all, end-all for either fighting style. Remember that beyond weapon tricks, Weapon Focus & Weapon Specialization also net you at least +1 to hit and +2 to damage.

    Add Imp. Unarmed Strike and Imp. Grapple, and these bonuses increase to +2 to hit, +4 to damage and a further +5 to Grapple checks, in addition to neglecting AoOs. Later synergy effects give increased reach, increased damage die, allow you to grapple larger opponents, allow you to keep your Dex to AC while grappling etc..

    I feel I should also mention Legendary Wrester feat at this point, which in my feat version is available pre-epic, giving +10 to grapple checks. Depending on your build, it may allow you to a) ignore Freedom of Movement, b) treat all enemies you're grappling as Dimensionally Anchored, c) allow you to use Freedom of Movement as an extraordinary ability and d) maximizes all non-lethal damage you inflict in a grapple.

    Note that all numbers are specific to my feat fix (link in my signature). They generally get higher the more feats you have. Do note that they'll get better even if you take feats that have nothing to do with unarmed combat, as long as they build on the same abilities. A character who goes on to specialize in Power Attack or Bullrushing, or one that picks up Weapon Finesse and Dodge, still keep getting better at grappling as well.

    You might have also noticed how several weapons specifically aid in grappling. This is made to increase viability of grappling.

    Finally, there are Stunning Fist and Improved Trip feats, and the (revised) Monk class.

    Quote Originally Posted by Spiryt View Post
    Unarmed attack is also weird.... Well, from all kinds of side kicks, elbows, knees, joint stomps, spinning sh** and other very damaging forms of using body kinetically, here is ability to keep your nails very posh and lacerate opponents with it?

    Any sort of gloves would ruin it, anyway, so few contacts with anything harder, as well...
    It's more abstract than that. It might as well represent biting your enemy, or conditioning your fingers to the point you can pierce soft tissue. Gloves are irrelevant for the former, and might actually help with the latter. This why gauntlets (both kinds) support unarmed strikes.

    Quote Originally Posted by Spiryt View Post
    One handed maces absolutely didn't weight 8 pounds, for other small-nitpick, another thing that SRD has ridiculously wrong.

    http://www.myarmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=15182
    http://users.wpi.edu/~virtualarmory/...ct.pl?anum=905
    Thanks for the link!

    EDIT: also found a source for halberd weight. Apparently, they weighed between 2 to 3 kilos (4.4 to 6.6 pounds).

    EDIT2: Based on a cursory glance at SRD, it seems like they consistently overestimated weapon weights for two-handed weapons by a factor of 2. I suspect in light of the game's history that this was done to reflect their encumberance, rather than just weight. Since it's a small change either way and a small boost to melee, I will be sticking to actual weights.
    Last edited by Frozen_Feet; 2013-03-31 at 09:01 AM.
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    Default Re: Swords & Sticks: d20 weaponry variant

    Quote Originally Posted by Frozen_Feet View Post
    But this just heightens the problem - there is really no room for a "medium" spear.
    The "Shortspear" is, iirc, an artifact from pre-3.5 when anything that wasn't size M had to use different weapons to match their size. Halflings all wielded two-hander longswords, and used shortswords as longswords, and so on. So they had to break weapons down a lot to match size categories. They didn't want to cut out a bunch of weapons off the list when they added the size property, though, so there are weapons that seem to exist mainly to be "Like weapon X, but smaller so the gnome can use it", even though the gnome can now use a smaller form of the bigger weapon. (I'm looking at you, light mace, shortspear, hand axe...) A lot of those still get some use out of being "light", but not all weapons make sense as a "light weapon".
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    Default Re: Swords & Sticks: d20 weaponry variant

    That explains a lot. It doesn't explain why someone though Kama should be an exotic weapon where as a sickle is not, though. XP
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    Default Re: Swords & Sticks: d20 weaponry variant

    Quote Originally Posted by Frozen_Feet View Post
    To my knowledge, halberds did indeed have that short of a haft. Longer polearms were made to replace them.

    Granted, the difference between a halberd and a slightly longer (let's say 7 to 8 feet long haft) similar polearm is as great as between morningstar and a knobbed mace.
    In what sense "replaced"? Halberds really 'kicked in' in the beginning of 15th century, and were never replaced - they were in active use even until the end of 17th century, so until all pole-arms other than pikes and lances died out, generally.

    They were kind of 'medium stuff with pole', like glaives, bills etc. though usually a bit shorter indeed, but still haft usually reached users neck, at least.

    http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ellebarden.jpg
    http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/...6570&seite=373

    http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/...6570&seite=403

    http://diglib.hab.de/wdb.php?dir=mss...-8f&pointer=90

    Lenght of 5 feet could happen without shade of doubt, but it was not typical.

    4- 5 feet was generally the realm more 'personal' polearms : pollaxes, bardiches/two-handed axes, warhammers, etc. Though period people obviously didn't care about easily defined weapons at all, to be fair.

    Kinda boring nitpicking, obviously, but from the lack of new entries...
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    Default Re: Swords & Sticks: d20 weaponry variant

    Well, "supplement" would've been a better choice of word. They became a secondary weapon as pikes and other really long stuff became the primary one. Still important weapon for protecting formation flanks etc.
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    Default Re: Swords & Sticks: d20 weaponry variant

    Just chiming in here, but I really like this. There was an article forever ago in Dragon or Dungeon or some such about "Craft Traits". It added special things to items, for an increased cost and such. Was nice to have a little variation, and I love the idea of what you are doing.

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    Default Re: Swords & Sticks: d20 weaponry variant

    Quote Originally Posted by Frozen_Feet View Post
    Well, "supplement" would've been a better choice of word. They became a secondary weapon as pikes and other really long stuff became the primary one. Still important weapon for protecting formation flanks etc.
    Halbers had kind of primary function among Swiss, and neighbor Swiss inspired troops, just like all kinds of spears, partisans, glaives, bills and other polearms among other people.

    When pikes really kicked in, shorter polearms indeed weren't primary battlefield weapons anymore, not only halberds.
    Avatar by Kwarkpudding
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    Default Re: Swords & Sticks: d20 weaponry variant

    Quote Originally Posted by Frozen_Feet View Post
    It doesn't explain why someone thought Kama should be an exotic weapon where as a sickle is not, though. XP
    Because a Kama is from Japan and a Sickle isn't.

    It's the same reason why people have such awesome stats for a gardening/masonry spade, or why a stick has the Blocking property if it comes from Japan.
    Or, why a bastard sword in Japan has such different stats than a bastard sword in Europe, when the only real difference is that the metallurgy on the European sword is better. (The Japanese sword has a lot of highly researched metallurgy in it too, but all that research went toward being able to make it out of the awful and overpriced metal in the first place.)
    In America, people dismiss the skills of boxers to rave about the amazing mystical skills of the Karate people. In Japan, people dismiss their Karatekas to rave about the amazing mystical skills of boxers.
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    Default Re: Swords & Sticks: d20 weaponry variant

    Quote Originally Posted by Frozen_Feet View Post
    Sai
    Description: A pointed, prong-shaped metal baton, with two curved prongs projecting from the handle. There are symmetrical prongs as well as manji-shaped ones. A sai weighs 1 pound.
    Type: Simple light melee weapon / thrown ranged weapon
    Damage (shaft & butt): 1d4 bludgeoning, critical range 20, 2x multiplier
    Damage (tip): 1d4 piercing, 1d4 bludgeoning, critical range 20, 3x multiplie. Note: only applicable if the tip is sharpened.
    Range Increment: 10 feet.
    Special: With a sai, you get a +4 bonus on opposed attack rolls made to disarm an enemy (including the roll to avoid being disarmed if such an attempt fails).
    Basic weapon trick: Sais are traditionally used in pairs. When wielding two sais, you can use them together for disarming attempts, making them count as two-handed instead of light weapons for such attempts. Additionally, disarming bonuses from two sais stack.
    Advanced weapon trick: Sais can also be used in sets of tree. The third is usually thrown. When carrying three sais, at your first turn of combat, you may throw your third sai as a swift action, using your highest attack bonus. Drawing your remaining sais after this attack are also free actions.
    Cost: 1 gp
    That advanced weapon trick is...really underwhelming. I'd suggest giving a weapon capture trick along the lines of what you did with the gauntlets and spiked gauntlets, or a ranged disarm if you really want to bring in the throwing potential.

    Really glad to see these coming out, though
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    Default Re: Swords & Sticks: d20 weaponry variant

    I beefed it up a little to be on-par with daggers. I feel Sais are good enough for disarming as-is, without giving them more tricks for that purpose.

    ---

    Crossbow, heavy
    Description: A crossbow is a weapon bow mounted on a stick (called a tiller or stock) with a mechanism in it which holds the drawn bow string. The bow of a heavy crossbow is composite or metallic. Its draw weight is too high to be cocked by hand, necessitating a lever-system such as cranequin or windlass. It weighs 6 lbs.
    Type: Simple two handed projectile ranged weapon
    Damage (bolt/quarrel): 1d12 piercing, critical range 19 - 20, 3x multiplier.
    Range Increment: 120 feet
    Special: You draw a heavy crossbow back by turning a small winch. Loading a heavy crossbow is a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity.

    Normally, operating a heavy crossbow requires two hands. However, you can shoot, but not load, a heavy crossbow with one hand at a -4 penalty on attack rolls. You can shoot a heavy crossbow with each hand, but you take a penalty on attack rolls as if attacking with two one-handed weapons. This penalty is cumulative with the penalty for one-handed firing.

    A heavy crossbow can be used as an improvized two-handed weapon (-4 to attack rolls), dealing damage as a club of its size.

    A heavy crossbow ignores light armor of targets within its first range increment.

    Crossbows have an "emulated" strenght modifier. You add this modifier to hit and damage using a crossbow. The default modifier for crossbows is +0. Each +1 adds 150 gp to the cost of a crossbow. The maximum modifier for a medium-sized heavy crossbow is +5. For each size category above medium, the maximum limit is increased by 1. Likewise, for each size category below medium, it is decreased by 1.
    Basic weapon trick: If you spend a turn aiming your crossbow, in addition to normal benefits of aiming, any hit you score on an opponent within your first range increment is automatically a critical hit.
    Advanced weapon trick: As the basic trick, but applies within first two range increments.
    Cost: 50 gp

    Crossbow, Light
    Description: A crossbow is a weapon bow mounted on a stick (called a tiller or stock) with a mechanism in it which holds the drawn bow string. The bow of a light crossbow is usually single piece of wood, such as ash or yew. Its generally cocked with a lever or using a belt hook, but a strong man could draw it by hand. It weighs 4 pounds.
    Type: Simple two-handed projectile ranged weapon
    Damage (bolt/quarrel): 1d8 piercing, critical range 19 - 20, 3x multiplier.
    Range Increment: 80 feet.
    Special: You draw a light crossbow back by pulling a lever or usign a belt hook. Loading a light crossbow is a move action that provokes attacks of opportunity.

    Normally, operating a light crossbow requires two hands. However, you can shoot, but not load, a light crossbow with one hand at a -2 penalty on attack rolls. You can shoot a light crossbow with each hand, but you take a penalty on attack rolls as if attacking with two light weapons. This penalty is cumulative with the penalty for one-handed firing.

    Crossbows have an "emulated" strenght modifier. You add this modifier to hit and damage using a crossbow. The default modifier for crossbows is +0. Each +1 adds 150 gp to the cost of a crossbow. The maximum modifier for a medium-sized light crossbow is +3. For each size category above medium, the maximum limit is increased by 1. Likewise, for each size category below medium, it is decreased by 1.
    Basic weapon trick: If you spend a turn aiming your crossbow, in addition to normal benefits of aiming, any hit you score on an opponent within your first range increment is automatically a critical threat.
    Advanced weapon trick: As the basic trick, but applies within first two range increments.
    Cost: 35 gp.

    Sling
    Description: A sling has a small cradle or pouch in the middle of two lengths of cord. A projectile is placed in the pouch. The middle finger is placed through the loop, the other string has a tab that is placed between the thumb and forefinger. The sling is swung and with a flick of the wrist the tab is released at the precise moment. This frees the projectile to fly to the target.The sling derives its effectiveness by essentially extending the length of a human arm, thus allowing projectiles to be thrown farther than they could be by hand. A sling weighs ½ pound.
    Type: Simple one-handed projectile ranged weapon
    Damage (bullet): 1d6 bludgeoning, critical range 20, 2x multiplier
    Damage (dart): 1d4 piercing, critical range 20, 3x multiplier
    Range Increment: 50 feet, +10 feet per point of Strenght modifier
    Special: Your Strength modifier applies to damage rolls when you use a sling, just as it does for thrown weapons. You can fire, but not load, a sling with one hand. Loading a sling is a move action that requires two hands and provokes attacks of opportunity.

    You can hurl ordinary stones with a sling, but stones are not as dense or as round as bullets. Thus, such an attack deals damage as if the weapon were designed for a creature one size category smaller than you and you take a -1 penalty on attack rolls.

    Basic weapon trick: You can reload your sling as a free action. You may fire your sling as many times in a full attack action as you could attack if you were using a bow.
    Advanced weapon trick: If using stones or bullets, whenever you score a critical hit against an opponent, he must make a fortitude save against damage dealt or be stunned for 1d3 rounds. If using a dart, your opponent is blinded instead.
    Cost: -
    Last edited by Frozen_Feet; 2013-04-04 at 01:37 AM.
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    Default Re: Swords & Sticks: d20 weaponry variant

    Is reloading the bow also going to be a trick? It's just as easy to fire a sling rapidly as it is to fire a bow rapidly. Ditto with an atlatl, for that matter.

    Bow: As you release, move hand to quiver and slide an arrow out, which you'll probably have to toss a little bit to clear. Adjust your grip on the arrow, find the notch, find the exact spot on the bowstring that the arrow has to be notched to,fit arrow to notch, lay arrow along bow, which is sideways to accompany this maneuver. Raise bow, align skeleton (stance shift), to activate correct muscles to draw bow again. Not a straightforward procedure at all, but people who use a bow a lot get into the rhythm of it.

    Sling: After release, grab another bullet from pouch at hip, close to where hand naturally is. Bring hands together. Right hand draws sling through left hand to cup. Stone gets pressed into cup. Left hand draws rest of sling to right hand. Tab re-grasped. Small stance adjustment to aim and fire. Not straightforward either, but people who use a sling a lot get into the rhythm of it.

    Also, there's two sizes of sling, but i'm not sure how to differentiate them best.
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    Default Re: Swords & Sticks: d20 weaponry variant

    Quote Originally Posted by JusticeZero View Post
    Is reloading the bow also going to be a trick? It's just as easy to fire a sling rapidly as it is to fire a bow rapidly. Ditto with an atlatl, for that matter.
    Possibly, possibly not. I'm a bit amused of the sort of special treatment bows have in d20 as opposed to slings. It depends on whether I can come up with a different trick for bows. It might be "fair" to let bows keep their default rapid firing, considering they are martial weapons as opposed to simple weapons.
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    Default Re: Swords & Sticks: d20 weaponry variant

    Which also makes me scratch my head.. Shortbows at least should be simple. They're easy to learn, pretty easy to make, and nothing jumps out as justifying martialness for them.
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    Default Re: Swords & Sticks: d20 weaponry variant

    Quote Originally Posted by JusticeZero View Post
    Which also makes me scratch my head.. Shortbows at least should be simple. They're easy to learn, pretty easy to make, and nothing jumps out as justifying martialness for them.
    It's not really easy to make decently dynamic shortbow, for what I know, especially if it's from wood.

    That's why people pretty much never bothered with selfbows shorter than ~ 5 feet, if they only had a choice a.k.a long enough piece of wood.

    There's also nothing about shortbow making it easier to learn than longer one...


    Anyway, those look fine, crossbows 'emulated strength' score, need a bit clarification as with 'composite' bows in SRD - so how they relate to users Str, what happens when user is too weak etc.
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    Default Re: Swords & Sticks: d20 weaponry variant

    Sure, but there isn't anything hard about learning to use a longbow either, or most martial weapons for that matter.
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    Default Re: Swords & Sticks: d20 weaponry variant

    Quote Originally Posted by Frozen_Feet View Post
    I beefed it up a little to be on-par with daggers. I feel Sais are good enough for disarming as-is, without giving them more tricks for that purpose.
    it...looks the same to me. What did you change?

    Crossbow, heavy
    Description: A crossbow is a weapon bow mounted on a stick (called a tiller or stock) with a mechanism in it which holds the drawn bow string. The bow of a heavy crossbow is composite or metallic. Its draw weight is too high to be cocked by hand, necessitating a lever-system such as cranequin or windlass. It weighs 6 lbs.
    Type: Simple two handed projectile ranged weapon
    Damage (bolt/quarrel): 1d12 piercing, critical range 19 - 20, 3x multiplier.
    Range Increment: 120 feet
    Special: You draw a heavy crossbow back by turning a small winch. Loading a heavy crossbow is a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity.

    Normally, operating a heavy crossbow requires two hands. However, you can shoot, but not load, a heavy crossbow with one hand at a -4 penalty on attack rolls. You can shoot a heavy crossbow with each hand, but you take a penalty on attack rolls as if attacking with two one-handed weapons. This penalty is cumulative with the penalty for one-handed firing.

    A heavy crossbow can be used as an improvized two-handed weapon (-4 to attack rolls), dealing damage as a club of its size.

    A heavy crossbow ignores light armor of targets within its first range increment.

    Crossbows have an "emulated" strenght modifier. You add this modifier to hit and damage using a crossbow. The default modifier for crossbows is +0. Each +1 adds 150 gp to the cost of a crossbow.
    Basic weapon trick: If you spend a turn aiming your crossbow, in addition to normal benefits of aiming, any hit you score on an opponent within your first range increment is automatically a critical hit.
    Advanced weapon trick: As the basic trick, but applies within first two range increments.
    Cost: 50 gp

    Crossbow, Light
    Description: A crossbow is a weapon bow mounted on a stick (called a tiller or stock) with a mechanism in it which holds the drawn bow string. The bow of a light crossbow is usually single piece of wood, such as ash or yew. Its generally cocked with a lever or using a belt hook, but a strong man could draw it by hand. It weighs 4 pounds.
    Type: Simple two-handed projectile ranged weapon
    Damage (bolt/quarrel): 1d8 piercing, critical range 19 - 20, 3x multiplier.
    Range Increment: 80 feet.
    Special: You draw a light crossbow back by pulling a lever or usign a belt hook. Loading a light crossbow is a move action that provokes attacks of opportunity.

    Normally, operating a light crossbow requires two hands. However, you can shoot, but not load, a light crossbow with one hand at a -2 penalty on attack rolls. You can shoot a light crossbow with each hand, but you take a penalty on attack rolls as if attacking with two light weapons. This penalty is cumulative with the penalty for one-handed firing.

    Crossbows have an "emulated" strenght modifier. You add this modifier to hit and damage using a crossbow. The default modifier for crossbows is +0. Each +1 adds 150 gp to the cost of a crossbow.
    Basic weapon trick: If you spend a turn aiming your crossbow, in addition to normal benefits of aiming, any hit you score on an opponent within your first range increment is automatically a critical threat.
    Advanced weapon trick: As the basic trick, but applies within first two range increments.
    Cost: 35 gp.
    I love these, but I think you should specify an action type for aiming. Can I move around, as long as I keep my aim (ie, aiming is a standard action), or am I stuck in one place (aiming is a full-round action)? Does it also cost my swift action?

    Quote Originally Posted by Spiryt View Post
    Anyway, those look fine, crossbows 'emulated strength' score, need a bit clarification as with 'composite' bows in SRD - so how they relate to users Str, what happens when user is too weak etc.
    It looks to me like you just pay for extra damage, and your strength score isn't involved. It wouldn't make much sense, fluff-wise, if you could be "too weak" to use something that has a specialized crank, etc, built to make it usable.
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    Default Re: Swords & Sticks: d20 weaponry variant

    Sais also get extra throws against flat-footed opponents.

    Aiming has no action listed, because rules for aiming should be elsewhere.

    Emulated strength for crossbows has no rules for interacting with user's strength score, because it doesn't. Crossbows don't give whiff about the user's strength.
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    Default Re: Swords & Sticks: d20 weaponry variant

    Quote Originally Posted by Frozen_Feet View Post
    Sais also get extra throws against flat-footed opponents.

    Aiming has no action listed, because rules for aiming should be elsewhere.

    Emulated strength for crossbows has no rules for interacting with user's strength score, because it doesn't. Crossbows don't give whiff about the user's strength.
    Well, the problems here are two-fold:

    - the crossbows absolutely give a whiff about users strength.
    With really hard bow, spanning with belt hook, goat's foot, gaffe or similar simple lever while get really challenging if user's not strong enough.

    Here is some nice period text about 'good' crossbowmen being expected to draw bows 'from the girdle' easily.

    With most elaborate drawing methods, so actual windlasses or cranequins, even weakest human would eventually span heaviest bow, I guess, but it's definitely not typical.

    - Going quickly into gaming terms, it pretty much breaks things rather easily.

    For just 1500 gp, not really huge money in any d20 setting, one get's +10 to hit and damage, which is absolutely uncanny - +1 magic bonuses cost way more, for starters.

    And it only goes further, up to infinity, for relatively little cost.

    It effectively leaves no much reason to use heavy crossbow, a bit of reach is nice, I guess, but damage is pretty much the same with shorter reloading time.

    So left like that, this ruling breaks the game in every sense - huge damage, that probably leaves little reason to use other range weapons, and some tiny gnome spans some ogre strength level bow just because he has some damn gnomish spinning-reel.
    Last edited by Spiryt; 2013-04-03 at 02:55 PM.
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    Default Re: Swords & Sticks: d20 weaponry variant

    Quote Originally Posted by Frozen_Feet View Post
    Sais also get extra throws against flat-footed opponents.
    Huh. Missed that. Still, it feels weird, I think because it's basically a one-off ability. I'm carrying three sais, I start combat/see a flat-footed dude, throw one (I could already do that, just a bit slower), and now I'm carrying two sais and can't use the advanced weapon trick until I go retrieve the one I threw. This is the only trick of any kind that I can see that's a one-off ability. Almost every other weapon has something that, if it sees use, will see use more than once per encounter, and the sai ability seems very out of place because of that.

    As for crossbows, should I assume the emulated strength score is otherwise the same as with composite bows under the old system, where it was implied to be limited in the weapon description (and the limit was elsewhere implied to be +5)?
    Why should a man be scorned if, finding himself in prison, he tries to get out and go home? Or if, when he cannot do so, he thinks and talks about other topics than jailers and prison-walls?

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