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Originally Posted by TheOneTrueClockWorK
There's a few house rules I'm thinking about implementing in my game, and I'd like the opinions of the forums.
Combat Skills
The Shortsword skill would be merged with Broadsword to create One-Handed Sword (DX/A). All fencing skills minus Main-Gauche would be merged in Fencing Sword (DX/A). Main-Gauche would be renamed Fencing Knife (DX/A), and would lose its off-hand parry bonus, as well as the elimination of parrying penalties with small knives, which both could be regained via a perk named Parrying Dagger Training. The Knife (DX/E) skill would have an additional -1 penalty to parry, on top of any penalty the knife already has, as a result of less training to defend with a knife. Staff and Polearm skill would simply be merged into a Polearm (DX/A) skill. Spears could use the Spear (DX/A) skill for one or two-handed use, or the Polearm (DX/A) skill for two-handed use only.
Familiarity rules would then replace the penalty for using weapons typically in a different skill.
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Most of these make fine sense to me. I certainly have no problem merging one-handed swords and fencing skills. Personally, I went the other way with pole-weapons--merging staff and spear and keeping unbalanced polearms separate (similar to the sword v. axe/mace distinction.)
I don't entirely agree with how you've nerfed the Main-Gauche, however. It's already a poor buy compared to simply increasing your main weapon skill.
Instead, I'd suggest getting rid of the Main Gauche skill entirely, and allowing people to buy the Parrying Dagger Perk to upgrade their knife skill. I'd seriously consider doing the same thing with fencing weapons, e.g. players buy One-Handed Sword plus a Fencing Perk in order to get the improved parries.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheOneTrueClockWorK
Two-Handed Weapon Damage
Weapons wielded in a two-handed grip deal and additional +1 damage per die of basic damage after the first. This is to help two-handed weapons scale better with high strength.
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I'm iffy on the realism of this, but I don't think it breaks anything.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheOneTrueClockWorK
Two-Handed Grip
Any one-handed weapon may be wielded with two hands by placing the off hand overtop of the main hand, on the wrist, on the pommel, etc. This is awkward, giving -2 to attack, but giving +1 to damage as well as allowing the Two-Handed Weapon Damage rule to be used. In this case, use the better of the One- or Two-Handed weapon skill. If the weapon has a longer grip designed to accommodate two-handed use, such as a longsword or an axe, you may simply opt to use the weapons standard two-handed use rules.
Assuming this grip takes a ready maneuver, unless you have Grip Mastery (MA50).
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Yeah, I like this fine. I'd make it a technique even so players can buy off the attack penalty if they want.
However, I wouldn't have it replace Defensive Grip--I'd just make it a separate option.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheOneTrueClockWorK
Defensive Stance
A sword user may place one hand near the end of the sword. This gives all the benefits of the extended grip on a two-handed weapon, with the addition of giving +1 to hit on thrusts, as well as removing -1 to hit an armored foe. This reduced damage further, however, and gives -1 per die to thrusting damage, along with the worse of -3 or -2 per die to damage on a swing.
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Most of this seems okay--it just allows you to gain some of the benefits of defensive grip without using two-hands on your weapon (you could even replace fencing skills with One-Handed Sword held in a one-handed defensive grip). This bit doesn't make sense to me. I like the general bonus to hit with a thrust while half-swording, but not the reduction to damage, that makes no sense and isn't born out by my experience with historical fencing.
Is the "-1 to hit an armored foe" referring to targeting chinks, or do you have a house rule that assesses a penalty to hit foes in armor?