Talent/Spell of the Week: Quick Draw (Weapon)

[Shostak]

At only one talent point and with the low IQ prerequisite of 8, this talent appears indispensable for adventurers, especially those who might have reason to not walk around with a drawn weapon. But with closer scrutiny, Quick Draw quickly loses appeal. Sure, those with the talent can use a weapon the same turn they ready it on adjDX-2 roll, which is admittedly valuable--possibly even life saving. However, on a failed roll, the weapon is not readied and there is even a chance of dropping it due to an especially bad roll. There is also the fact that Quick Draw must be learned according to weapon type, which means that someone who knows Quick Draw (Axe/Mace) can’t use it to whip out a dagger and attack on the same turn, even if they have the Knife talent.

Quick Draw, from my perspective, is not worth the cost, and one has to wonder about the playtesting involved in its evolution. This is especially true when comparing it to Thrown Weapons, which would allow a single character to ready a knife, axe, mace, even a spear and make a thrown attack (with increased accuracy) in one turn with only a to-hit roll. After such comparison, it is clear that either a.) Quick Draw is underpowered, b.) Thrown Weapons is overpowered, or c.) both. If one is using Thrown Weapons as written and is not averse to house rules, the simplest fix is to just eliminate the roll for Quick Draw, though it still seems underpowered in comparison. If I had my druthers, Thrown Weapons would be also be nerfed, but that is the subject of a separate thread. Quick Draw is also strange when one considers the chance a character forced into HTH has to draw a dagger-- there is no die roll in that situation that might result in a fumbled weapon. Perhaps Quick Draw should let one automatically ready an HTH-suitable weapon?

In my games, I see inexperienced players and those with characters with high adjDX eyeing Quick Draw, but more often than not they pass it over.

Conversation starters:

• How often do you see players choosing Quick Draw for characters in your games?
• Do you use Quick Draw as written, or do you house rule it?
• If the latter, what changes have you made?
• Have you any spectacular incidents involving Quick Draw to share from your table?
• Are there any talents with which you think Quick Draw works especially well?
• Are there any other imbalances between Quick Draw and other talents?

[hcobb]

Thrown Weapons does not include a quick-draw, but instead tacks a throw onto READY NEW WEAPON (ITL 102) and CHANGE WEAPONS (103), but not PICK UP DROPPED WEAPON (ITL 103) as the bendie only stands back up at the end of the turn.

Picking up a weapon during movement (i.e. disengaged, ITL 104), allows an immediate charge attack toss, with or without Thrown Weapons talent.

The only really fancy trick for the Quick-Draw talent is when you are disarmed after you move and before you act. So it's almost entirely useless.

[TippetsTX]

Pretty sure this was the very first talent I completely re-wrote/replaced following LE's release. In fact, I don't think the print edition had even been shipped yet.

[David Bofinger]

Perhaps Quick Draw should work like Thrown Weapons: allows you to make a melee attack with a weapon in the same turn you ready it.

[hcobb]

Originally Posted by David Bofinger

Perhaps Quick Draw should work like Thrown Weapons: allows you to make a melee attack with a weapon in the same turn you ready it.

You can melee attack by simply picking a sword up off the floor on the move. Quick Draw helps if you are already engaged and disarmed. But it still takes effect on your turn to act so doesn't help to defend against faster foes.

[timm meyers]

The assassin archetype could put this to good use even with the flaws written. I have never encountered any players with that talent or desire (even though they all turn into murderous monsters with no conscious eventually)

Can I quick-draw a crossbow? Surely you can quickdraw a "pistol" (if your world has one) as that is the mental image created from the words to most of us.

Somehow I sense the author and or editors envisioned some overpowered use of the talent and thought making a -2 DX test would temper the skill.

IMHO I would keep the DX test, simply to encourage the character to have a higher than average DX. (+ possible fumbles are what make encounters memorable)
Strike the -2 modifier as it makes things needlessly harder.

Clarify the HTH that if the talent is applied to "daggers" you can ready and strike in HTH. Maybe even give a +1 modifier to the d6 roll when the character is being rushed for HTH (front only of course).

[TippetsTX]

Originally Posted by David Bofinger

Perhaps Quick Draw should work like Thrown Weapons: allows you to make a melee attack with a weapon in the same turn you ready it.

That's exactly what I did w/ it.

[Axly Suregrip]

I assume the author of this talent was trying to emulate how samurai's train to draw and strike in one move.

I also agree as written this talent is undesirable. No one has taken it. Nearly everyone see the title and say "oh that sounds good" and then reads the details and quiets picks something else. We all thought it would be like Thrown Weapons.

Just let the weapon always get readied but make the attack at DX -2. Not quit as effective as Thrown Weapons but makes sense to me.

[David Bofinger]

Perhaps Quick Draw should be more effective for smaller weapons than for larger ones.

[warhorse11h]

Is it possible that we are all misreading the description of this talent. Is it possible that the die roll mentioned is actually intended to be the roll to hit for the attack. In that case it would be 3D6-2 to hit with a weapon that had been unready at the start of your action phase. If you succeed, you ready and hit with the weapon without an additional die roll.

Under normal circumstances missing is undesirable and carries the possibility of a dropped or broken weapon on a really bad miss.