DeadZone wrote:
And as much as I think my concept for an escaped prisoner who specializes in a shiv that he made from old toothpicks and Elmer's Glue is a cool concept, it's just not viable. It cannot be on par with a gladius, greatsword or halbard. If it was, then the setting would lose its credibility.
Choices have consequences. We all like that about Arcanis. And as cool as a whip (to use John's character as an example {apologies if that's an issue}) is, historically, a whip was not a weapon used in combat. It was used mainly as negative reinforcement to train animals, prisoners and slaves.
Scott
I am glad to see this discussion picking up a bit.
I'd like to address something which may have been misunderstood. I don't expect every weapon to be good at attacking every target. In fact, I expect weapons to be good at what they are designed for. I expect daggers, short swords, and side swords to be good for lightly armored combatants attacking lightly armored targets and to have some versatility. I expect long swords and other medium type weapons to be versatile and generally good in a range of scenarios. I expect heavy weapons to be good at dishing out damage against heavily armored opponents. I expect shields to be good at defending and have a few attack options. I also expect weapons like whips, steel whips, spiked chains, and flails to be good at tripping and disarming.
Choosing a weapon should be done based upon what you envision doing sigh it. If I picked a dagger and expected to do massive damage against heavily armored knights, that's not going to happen. Hereford, when I say weapons should be balanced, I say it with respect to the weapon's intended purpose. When you pick a weapon based upon its design and intent, and there are weapons not designed for this use which are much better in that capacity, that's where I see potential balance problems. It also may result in people needing to pick weapons for mechanical benefits rather than purpose.
Maybe, as others have said, I need to submit some maneuvers, tricks, or fighting styles that support my assertion. However, there are limited opportunities for these to become official, so I haven't put a lot of effort into it yet. That will change
John