Plumbata

[pzmcgwire]

How should the Roman plumbata be treated in TFT? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plumbata

More accurate than a regular thrown weapon, but less accurate than a fired arrow.

Separate 1 point talent, Plumbata (Dart) (1)

ST 9 1 die damage

-1 DX for every two hexes thrown.

Thrown Weapon talent would apply.

[hcobb]

Note how he's getting up to 30 hexes against a fixed target


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNlgb79A4mM

[Shostak]

Originally Posted by pzmcgwire

More accurate than a regular thrown weapon, but less accurate than a fired arrow.

Hmmm ...the plumbata seems less accurate than other thrown weapons like axes, spears, and shuriken to me.

[Axly Suregrip]

From a game perspective, a 1 die ST 9 weapon is basically the same as throwing a hatchet. You want it to be balanced but also give a reason why someone would want it. The DX -1 per 2 hexes does this.

But the DX -1 per 2 hexes also makes it better than the hatchet. Since it is not meant for melee fighting, if you are forced to use it in melee, have it do 1d-1 or 1d-2 in melee.

[hcobb]

c.f. bo shuriken

[Bill_in_IN]

Looks like lead yard darts.

[hcobb]

Small Sha-ken a dozen to the pound, $3 each (1d-3)

Large Sha-ken (bo shuriken, plumbata, and other such darts), six to the pound, $5 each (1d-2). Up to six can be thrown at a time, counting multi-toss DX adjustments as double the number of small sha-ken as per ITL 114.

Anybody who knows Sha-ken and Spear Thrower can get a dart thrower (same stats as Spear Thrower, but incompatible with pole weapons) to throw the large "dart shaped" sha-ken for +1 damage and -1/megahex range adjustment. As with the spear thrower it takes a step and ready action to load the device followed by a half-move attack action to loose the projectile.

[David Bofinger]

Why should plumbata be more accurate than javelins? I suspect in fact plumbata are supposed to be represented by javelins.

[hcobb]

The 3 pound javelin is a reasonable Roman pilum.
The javelin weighs as much as 18 plumbata, and as shown in the video is a more accurate throwing weapon.

[David Bofinger]

Remember all the weapon weights are larger than historical weapon weights. I'm not sure why: could be because weapons include scabbards etc., because they are awkward shapes, because Steve Jackson scribbled down some numbers in the era before it was possible to google. But whatever the reason you have to assume the plumbata, if it existed in TFT, would have a listed weight larger than the number printed on an exhibit's card in a museum.

But sure, I guess saying they're intermediate between shuriken and javelins is reasonable.