[LTC2] Multi-tined contradiction...

[Gudiomen]

When designing a trident, LTC2 says it's at -2 to hit because it's tip-heavy, but further down, it says that "while it has more points, each spike is thinner, so cost and weight is unchanged".

Aren't those two statements impossible to hold together? From the game-mechanics point of view, I can understand this as a simplification... But if there is no change in weight (of the spearhead), then neither the -2 to hit nor the unbalanced trait are justified.

[Kuroshima]

Originally Posted by Gudiomen

When designing a trident, LTC2 says it's at -2 to hit because it's tip-heavy, but further down, it says that "while it has more points, each spike is thinner, so cost and weight is unchanged".

Aren't those two statements impossible to hold together? From the game-mechanics point of view, I can understand this as a simplification... But if there is no change in weight (of the spearhead), then neither the -2 to hit nor the unbalanced trait are justified.

The thing is, the weight is distributed differently, or so I understand. The same weight in a different configuration can be much harder to handle, that's the principle of the lever. Now, this means that the weight of a spear is much more evenly distributed, beaming that the spearhead covers a bunch of the pole, while the trident does not.

[Peter V. Dell'Orto]

Originally Posted by Kuroshima

The thing is, the weight is distributed differently, or so I understand.

This is the logic behind it - a weapon can be more tip-heavy than another, equally heavy weapon. These are.

It's not universally true for multi-tined weapons, but within a reasonable and gameable approximation it works for enough to justify "no change in cost or weight."

[Gudiomen]

Certainly, a weapon can be tip-heavy if it's the same as another... that's the reason swords are balanced and maces aren't, even if they theoretically weigh the same...

The problem here is, we're not talking about the weight of the weapon, but the weight of the tip precisely.

We're replacing a spearhead with a multi-tinned spearhead, which weighs the same. How can it become tip-heavy if the weight distribution is still the same?

Mind you, the trident from LT is heavier, and I assume the weight is concentrated at the head, that makes sense.

[Danukian]

Originally Posted by Gudiomen

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We're replacing a spearhead with a multi-tinned spearhead, which weighs the same. How can it become tip-heavy if the weight distribution is still the same?

Because the spearhead is a single, large head, where as the trident has a smaller, lighter central head flanked by two heads off on side "wings" - weight is equal but weight distribution isn't - the trident is wider at the head, making it tip heavy.

[Gudiomen]

Distribution along the minute proportion of the spear's total length that is the head?

Let's say the spearhead is 20cm long, with another 10cm of socket to fit the haft...

That's 30cm. The spear has what? 160cm? We're talking about less than one fifth of the length... you're telling me that 1lb weight out of 4lbs, distributed differently within 30cm out of 160cm is going to make a significant difference?

We're talking a few inches difference in head length...

Here's a few pics to illustrate how small the difference in length of the spearhead is, and how little distributing weight along that small proportion of total length of the weapon looks irrelevant:

spear
trident

[Gudiomen]

Originally Posted by Danukian

Because the spearhead is a single, large head, where as the trident has a smaller, lighter central head flanked by two heads off on side "wings" - weight is equal but weight distribution isn't - the trident is wider at the head, making it tip heavy.

Width has nothing to do with it, it's tip heavy if distribution is different regarding length, not width. Just like top-heavy regards height.