DSmaster21 wrote:They mostly felt that having these weapons that seem to have no discernible difference to them ie axes vs. swords. (Longsword, Mace, Quarterstaff, Battle Axe all deal 1d6 and no one uses the Axe and Mace because they are functionally the same as the LS and QS but weigh more.) I am still trying to figure out a system for making different weapons behave differently any ideas would be awesome.
Stats are covered, so let me address this one: That's the idea. You can pick a "cool" weapon without having to worry about it being more or less "optimal." There isn't a best weapon, so pick whatever fits your character. Also, the heavier axe and mace are less expensive - important when you are on a budget.
It also helps if the players can step back from the game stats and think about the object being represented, because your weapons can be used for more than inflicting 1dx of damage. The quarterstaff is arguably the worst weapon in the game. A two handed weapon that does the job of a warhammer. It's also a six foot pole. What can you do with a six foot pole? Anything you could do with a ten foot pole, only without playing Three Stooges with your party while carrying it. Or maybe you go with the warhammer over shortsword. In addition to dealing damage,
it's a hammer. Those iron spikes don't drive themselves into the walls. (What, you could use the back of a handaxe or battle-axe that way? That means you've thought about whether your axe is single or double-bit. Good job!) Your handaxe is probably a decent hatchet, and your battle axe is much better at breaking down doors than a longsword would be. A good longsword, in its sheath, is a three foot ladder. A spear or polearm... or quarterstaff... can hold up a tent.
On top of all this, these weapons
mean something. A sword is very much a military weapon, it probably marks the wielder as a soldier, professional, aristocrat, or very dangerous person. Wielding a mace is almost universally the sign of being a cleric. A quarterstaff suggests a simple or less offensive opponent, or someone who is incredibly dangerous in a fight (particularly if he is small, old, wrinkly, and smiling). A dwarf without an iconic axe or warhammer is an odd looking fellow (or the player actually read some literature).
If you
need to give them some mechanical crunch, you are looking at -hit/+damage, +to hit vs. armor types, damage modifiers vs. specific creature types (which is covered by the creature write-ups), and variant damage dice.
Lets tackle the last one for a second. For Medium weapons (1d8 damage), the simplest options are 1d8, 1d6+1 (same average, narrower range - a slightly more consistent weapon), and 2d4 (slightly higher average, but less likely to score very high or very low damages - a very consistent weapon).
Another approach might be to play with max hit/damage bonuses - you can only apply so much Strength bonus to hit, or to damage, depending on the weapon. Swords only get up to +2 to damage (lighter weapon, limited penetration), axes only get +2 to hit, but full damage bonuses (heavier and slower, but good penetration). Blunt weapons we leave alone, since Clerics have enough issues.... or you make them capped at +2/+2. Note this is based on what your attribute gives you: BAB, item enchantments, weapon specializations, etc., have their full normal effects. Yes, this effectively nerfs weapons for high-attribute players, but they're the ones asking for
variety. Nobody said that had to mean
improvement. You're just trying to keep things balanced.
