Broken Sword [Archive] - Wizards Community

Broken Sword [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Tokogaru
01-03-05, 02:14 PM Basically I was wondering what kind of statistics a broken sword would have. I know it would probably depend on how the sword is broken and such, here is a depiction of about how the certian sword i would be using looks like.

http://movieweb.com/movies/galleries2.php?film=539&id=1825&mode=1&name=hero_15.jpg&nr=13

Any help would be greatly apreciated.
Vahenir
01-03-05, 06:22 PM I don't see what picture you're talking about.

Here's how I'd handle a broken sword (bad pun, I know):

Determine what the sword was before it was broken and use that as the base.

Decrease the damage die by one step and reduce the threat range to a natural 20 only.

You may also want to impose a penalty on attack rolls, considering the weapon is no longer a balanced tool of war and would be harder to swing around with proficiency.. unless the person is proficient with broken or badly weighted weapons.
SilverFoxKnows
01-03-05, 06:39 PM a short sword. So long as it was like the movie. A greatsword busted down to short sword length WOULD be off balance (big hilt) but I don't see how losing 6"-10" off a longsword would be any harder than going from long to short sword. If you can switch from a dagger to a spear to a sword to a flail losing a little off the end of your sword should be no big deal.

Frank
Tokogaru
01-03-05, 06:56 PM Sorry about that I msut have done something wrong with the URL button or something and not checked it :embarrass

Here is it

http://movieweb.com/movies/galleries2.php?film=539&id=1825&mode=1&name=hero_15.jpg&nr=13

seems your gonna have to bear with me the url doesnt seem to work, all you ahve to do is cut and paste into adress bar sorry about the trouble.
ClementWillowbreaker
01-03-05, 07:27 PM If a weapon is broken, its no longer a weapon- its a hunk of metal. And like any hunk of metal (or wood, or stone, or clay, or whatever) it can be used as an improvised weapon. -4 to hit and damage based on its dimensions, which is weakly correlated to its damage dice when it was a weapon. So 1d6 for a hilt and a foot of blade makes a slashing, improvised, club-equivalent weapon. I don't see the problem. If you want your "broken sword" to be as good as a normal longsword, this is where you write down on the character sheet "Shards of [whatever famous Aragon-wannabe weapon]" and say it is a piece of a larger, greater weapon. And have the understanding that this is a special case, and other broken weapons will still be improvised for you. You are just flavoring your character without altering any mechanics for better or worse.
Edymnion
01-03-05, 09:03 PM Agreed.
Just start with a base of a shortsword, maybe change it's type to Slashing.
When you find the other piece and get it reforged, it becomes a longsword. If it's in three pieces, possibly say it can be upped again into a bastard sword.

I wouldn't push it any farther than that though, as the broken hilt of a greatsword just isn't going to work as a shortsword, no matter what you do to it...
Tokogaru
01-03-05, 11:57 PM I dont plan to get it reforged im not some nut LOTR wannabe like suggested. After watching teh movie Hero I thought it an iteresting variant to create a character who wields a broken sword. (As shown in pic)

Though it seems like this was not the place for such discussion as people seem to very close minded in these parts of the forumn, i think i'll take my travels to the rp board where such traits may actaully be welcomed.

Thank you sincerely for those who did try and help me with my broken sword dilema.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Tokogaru 01-03-05, 02:14 PM	Basically I was wondering what kind of statistics a broken sword would have. I know it would probably depend on how the sword is broken and such, here is a depiction of about how the certian sword i would be using looks like. http://movieweb.com/movies/galleries2.php?film=539&id=1825&mode=1&name=hero_15.jpg&nr=13 Any help would be greatly apreciated.
Vahenir 01-03-05, 06:22 PM	I don't see what picture you're talking about. Here's how I'd handle a broken sword (bad pun, I know): Determine what the sword was before it was broken and use that as the base. Decrease the damage die by one step and reduce the threat range to a natural 20 only. You may also want to impose a penalty on attack rolls, considering the weapon is no longer a balanced tool of war and would be harder to swing around with proficiency.. unless the person is proficient with broken or badly weighted weapons.
SilverFoxKnows 01-03-05, 06:39 PM	a short sword. So long as it was like the movie. A greatsword busted down to short sword length WOULD be off balance (big hilt) but I don't see how losing 6"-10" off a longsword would be any harder than going from long to short sword. If you can switch from a dagger to a spear to a sword to a flail losing a little off the end of your sword should be no big deal. Frank
Tokogaru 01-03-05, 06:56 PM	Sorry about that I msut have done something wrong with the URL button or something and not checked it :embarrass Here is it http://movieweb.com/movies/galleries2.php?film=539&id=1825&mode=1&name=hero_15.jpg&nr=13 seems your gonna have to bear with me the url doesnt seem to work, all you ahve to do is cut and paste into adress bar sorry about the trouble.
ClementWillowbreaker 01-03-05, 07:27 PM	If a weapon is broken, its no longer a weapon- its a hunk of metal. And like any hunk of metal (or wood, or stone, or clay, or whatever) it can be used as an improvised weapon. -4 to hit and damage based on its dimensions, which is weakly correlated to its damage dice when it was a weapon. So 1d6 for a hilt and a foot of blade makes a slashing, improvised, club-equivalent weapon. I don't see the problem. If you want your "broken sword" to be as good as a normal longsword, this is where you write down on the character sheet "Shards of [whatever famous Aragon-wannabe weapon]" and say it is a piece of a larger, greater weapon. And have the understanding that this is a special case, and other broken weapons will still be improvised for you. You are just flavoring your character without altering any mechanics for better or worse.
Edymnion 01-03-05, 09:03 PM	Agreed. Just start with a base of a shortsword, maybe change it's type to Slashing. When you find the other piece and get it reforged, it becomes a longsword. If it's in three pieces, possibly say it can be upped again into a bastard sword. I wouldn't push it any farther than that though, as the broken hilt of a greatsword just isn't going to work as a shortsword, no matter what you do to it...
Tokogaru 01-03-05, 11:57 PM	I dont plan to get it reforged im not some nut LOTR wannabe like suggested. After watching teh movie Hero I thought it an iteresting variant to create a character who wields a broken sword. (As shown in pic) Though it seems like this was not the place for such discussion as people seem to very close minded in these parts of the forumn, i think i'll take my travels to the rp board where such traits may actaully be welcomed. Thank you sincerely for those who did try and help me with my broken sword dilema.