Pricing swords for utility
 

Swords are very expensive in DFRPG. This is realistic - making a good sword is difficult... but since when has DFRPG been about realism?

So I arbitrarily divided the prices for swords by 5 to make swashbucklers and sword-users in general more viable. What do you think?

Bastard Sword: $150
Broadsword: $120
Cavalry Saber: $100
Cutlass: $100
Estoc or Tuck: $100
Falchion: $100
Falchion, Large: $125
Falchion, Small: $80
Greatsword: $180
Katana: $130
Katar, Large: $80
Longsword: $140
Long Knife: $60
Rapier: $100
Rapier, Edged: $200
Rapier, Light Edged: $140
Rapier, Light: $80
Saber: $140
Shortsword: $80
Smallsword: $80
Smallsword, Dress: $60

What do you think? Note that swords are still pretty expensive. Strictly speaking they are not priced by utility - that would require work to figure out utility - but it's closer to utility compared to axes and spears than standard DFRPG.

Re: Pricing swords for utility
 

Now they are cheaper than Dwarven axes but are more easily fast drawn so not sure this is a good idea

Re: Pricing swords for utility
 

What Kalzazz said, it would definitely be unbalanced. I've let a half orc knight get away with 'cheap' arms and armor before, after the basic set weapon modifier and with the caveat that it is obviously goblin made, crude and prone to breaking (with a reaction penalty from civilized folk too, and a harder time getting into towns). CF -0.4, I wouldn't alter the base prices.

Re: Pricing swords for utility
 

you should be looking at dwarven axes to see if the costs are right.



Do swords still have changed behavior for being fine? that would effect the price as well.

Re: Pricing swords for utility
 

I'm not a fan because it makes everything cheaper: Fine Balanced Silver-Coated Broadswords ($1,080, from memory if it is +2 CF, +4 CF, and +2 CF) are now relatively inexpensive in comparison to everything else and probably becomes the de rigeur starting gear. It also seems odd--there's a lot more metal in a sword than in an axe, so having a broadsword cost only 2x as much as a throwing axe seems off.

If a dwarven axe costs $250, it seems odd that a sword (which can do cutting and impaling) that does not need the dwarven property costs half as much as a dwarven axe.

Rather than tinker with the sword costs, just give starting characters more money.

Re: Pricing swords for utility
 

I made the default starting wealth for one of my campaigns $5000 rather than $1000. I think it worked okay. There are a number of things I would do differently if I rebooted that one, but I'd probably leave starting wealth there.

Re: Pricing swords for utility
 

That's a good alternative. Hmm.