Quote:
Originally Posted by Terquem
I've been struggling to process what I see as an unusual and unnecessary dichotomy in the rules as I apply campaign building ideas to my setting.
There are rules for various damage done based on ST in HtH, and then there are rules for ST requirements for types of weapons, but it seems that only one of these approaches is needed.
The reason this is troubling me is because of the additional DX applied if a figure uses a weapon that they do not have the required ST for. This is not logical, to me, because every type of intelligent creature capable of making and using weapons would make weapons that they would be able to use. Even a ST 6 toad-folk creature would be proficient with a spear if spears were part of their culture. Yes, the spear would be small and due to the lower ST of the creature the damage would be less than a spear wielded by a ST 9 human.
So, how different would the game be if weapon damage was by ST, as it is in HtH, but varied by weapon base type and there were no DX penalties associated, since every creature/culture that uses weapons can make weapons they can use effectively?
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I faced a similar problem. I had some priests who would use ceremonial maces as weapons, but the typical priest didn't have enough ST to wield a mace. I decided that the ceremonial mace as smaller and did damage appropriate to a hammer.
Just rule that the spears are smaller and act like a weapon of the appropriate strength. I'd adjust the length to one hex as well, but that's up to you.
That is, I think, the easiest solution. You want halflings using broadswords? Well, fine, so long as the broadsword is sized appropriately, in which case it will be more like a rapier or even dagger in terms of damage but not in terms of shape.
(Terquem's suggestion is reasonable as well. Probably keeps the average damage similar to my suggestion, but increases the odds of getting 0 damage from an attack. The philosophical difference is more significant, I think. The under-ST adjustment is supposed to represent wielding a too-large weapon, whereas my solution is to wield the right-sized weapon, but smaller than other weapons of the same type.)