Cost Factor for AP Melee Weapon

[martinl]

"Bodkin" style armor piercing melee weapons are a thing that would be useful in DF, especially for some of the fodderyer types of critters, but what's a good CF? It's not expensive for arrows, so I'm sort of leaning to +1.

Armor Piecing (any impaling melee or thrown weapon): Change damage type to pi, add armor divisor (2). If weapon has non-impaling attack modes, those are not affected. +1 CF.

Thoughts?

[evileeyore]

It looks kosher to me.

[Harald387]

Adding an armor divisor to swing damage (such as picks) is an iffy proposition. I'd suggest the following:

Armor Piercer: A weapon optimized for penetrating heavy armor. Its impaling attack gets -1 to basic damage but gains an armor divisor of (2). For swords and knives with this modification, change any cutting attack to crushing; other weapons (such as picks or polearms) are unaffected. CF is +3 for swords, knives, and other blades; +9 for all other weapons.

Astute observers familiar with GURPS will notice that I lifted this from GURPS: Low-Tech Companion 2

[ArchonShiva]

Not expensive for arrows? It halves damage!
Changing imp to (2)pi is a game changer but *probably okay*. I’d make it the same price as Fine, thieves and swashbucklers will be all over it, and probably knights, too.

Adding a (2) divisor to cr, imp and cut damage weapons is potentially gamebreaking. Since armor divisor is multiplicative, this is roughly the equivalent of something that should cost $30k as an enchantement, which is to say, adding a penetrating Penetrating (2) enchantement for $5k will result in armor divisor (4). I would advise against this, but would get it on everything if it were allowed.

[Bruno]

It doesn't halve damage to the vitals or brain, which for quite a few PC archers is all they ever seem to shoot at.

[Imbicatus]

I might allow it for spears or daggers, because spears and small knives can use some help. I’d never allow it for swords or picks.

[ArchonShiva]

Originally Posted by Bruno

It doesn't halve damage to the vitals or brain, which for quite a few PC archers is all they ever seem to shoot at.

Note that while eyes are usually obvious, vitals and brain on not-basic humanoid races are called out as requiring specialized physiology rolls, which scouts have quite a hard time making.

That said, yes, it’s how (2)pi is made useful.