Quote:
Originally Posted by Varyon
Ugh, sorry, yeah, stupid defaulting rules are stupid. At worst, you're looking at another Perk, Weapon Adaptation (Staff to Spear*), but honestly I'd just give the benefit for free to anyone who had Form Mastery with a spear. Actually, I just have Staff and Spear as a single skill to start with, with Staff Grip as an option that reduces damage in exchange for better Parries.
*Some consider the +2 Parry to be a function of the skill, rather than the weapon, in which case it would need to be Spear to Staff.
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You can avoid this in RAW by being a little point inefficient. 8 points into Staff brings it to parity with Spear (off of the Spear-2 default) _and keeps it there_. So while that 8 points is "better" spent in spear, thinking of it as 8 points for +1 to parry (Which would cost 5 points if available) isn't terrible. But I agree with your houserule, the difference between staff and spear skill seems mostly cosmetic.
Also, spears are light. Don't have the skill for Vitals Chinks or the cash for Penetrating Weapon? Buy an Armor Piercing spear. Switch out the impaling spear for pi(2) against heavily armored foes (targeting the vitals were available means x3 wounding _regardless_). Do have the skill and cash? Get an AP spear anyway (pi(5) means never having to really worry about armor, or pi(3) vs 1/2 armor for chinks, depending on how you group stacks things).
Spears are _cheap_, balanced and fine should be almost automatic. You should consider balanced and fine even on spears you intend to throw (and thus might not get back). Spears can also be used with a dwarven whetstone. Not great for the melee spear, but for those once-a-fight thrown javelins? Well worth the time.
Weapon Master (Spear) covers throwing and stabbing. Need to go up to at least WM (Spear and Spear thrower) [25] for that ranged swing damage if you want it, but the hidden advantage there is your thrown weapon (spear) default is now only -2 from spear thrower.