Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Koretsu 06-25-07, 06:41 AM	So, I'm a big fan of Reach Weapons, but it's so hard to justify my beloved Glaive to some people, when a Greatsword (Or, as our Fighter prefers - a Jovar) can hit harder. Sure, the Glaive has reach, but the two-handed blade still seems to win out over more unique weapons. So, I'm looking to design an exotic Reach weapon (Don't say spiked chain). I definately like the flavor of a Polearm, and I'm thinking I'll base it on the desgin of a Glaive. That said, would this be a balanced weapon? http://i.thottbot.com/ss/o/266.jpg Great Glaive Exotic Weapon 65 GP; 2d6 3x; 15 lb. A Great Glaive is simlar to a regular glaive, except that the blade makes up roughly 1/3 of the total weapon length. In order to compensate for the additional weight, the wooden pole is reenforced with a metal core. This makes the Great Glaive a powerful weapon, but also makes it heavy, and difficult to wield without proper training. As with a Glaive, a Great Glaive has reach. You can strike opponents 10 feet away with it, but you can't use it against an adjacent foe. Due to the large, curving head of the Great Glaive, you can use it to make trip attempts. If you are tripped during your own trip attempt, you can drop the Great Glaive to avoid being tripped. ...At first, I was going to just up the damage die one grade, but that turned 1d10 into 2d8. That seemed a bit much, and I like to err on the side of underpowered rather than overpowered when working with homebrew... So how's it look with 2d6 at reach? :) ...Yes, yes. Ugh. WoW Screenshot. Best example I could find for what I was thinking. :P
Davro 06-25-07, 08:29 AM	Have you investigated the Greatspear or Heavy Poleaxe from Complete Warrior? Both their stat lines are along the lines of what you want, I'm sure some cosmetic license could be taken with the appearance of the weapon.
jaelis 06-25-07, 08:46 AM	You're stats are fine. I'd make it a little more expensive and not so heavy, but that's really just flavor.
Dire_Rhino 06-25-07, 11:23 AM	I'll second jaelis. Stats look good. (I would make it a bit more powerful, but then again I think EWP is a waste of a feat...)
Koretsu 06-26-07, 01:54 AM	Okay... Great... Gonna run it by the DM... But one more note: If the above stats are good, would it tip the balance to also give the weapon a +2 to trip attempts? Or a 19-20 crit range? I'm trying to get a feel for where the line is drawn.
AAB 06-26-07, 02:33 AM	Okay... Great... Gonna run it by the DM... But one more note: If the above stats are good, would it tip the balance to also give the weapon a +2 to trip attempts? Or a 19-20 crit range? I'm trying to get a feel for where the line is drawn. it's balanced just the way it is. any more and it'd be getting a little odd (not as bad as the warpike, but that's an amazing weapon IMO)
Koretsu 06-26-07, 02:37 AM	it's balanced just the way it is. any more and it'd be getting a little odd (not as bad as the warpike, but that's an amazing weapon IMO) Well, I'm asking because I took Davro's advice and took a look at the Greatspear and Heavy Poleaxe. I essentially recreated the Heavy Poleaxe, except that it can be set against a charge (A normal glaive can't be set against a charge, so I was thinking about another weapon property I could give it). The Greatspear also uses the same stats, except that the damage die is lower (1d10), and that it has a 10-foot throw increment and can also be set against a charge. So, I'm wondering if +2 to Trip would be unreasonable to give the weapon from a balance standpoint.
AAB 06-26-07, 02:47 AM	i don't know of any weapons that give +2 to trip, just ones that can be used to trip. maybe i'm wrong, though.
Koretsu 06-26-07, 02:49 AM	i don't know of any weapons that give +2 to trip, just ones that can be used to trip. maybe i'm wrong, though. *checks* Right you are! I was thinking Disarm. How about if I gave the Great Glaive the ability to make Trip Attempts, then?
AAB 06-26-07, 03:14 AM	you're good to go, i would then tell you!
Koretsu 06-26-07, 03:30 AM	Huzzah! Much thanks. :)
risner 06-26-07, 08:34 AM	Great Glaive Exotic Weapon 65 GP; 2d6 3x; 15 lb. you can use it to make trip attempts. Two Handed Exotic = -40%-5% = -45% 2d6 +30% x3 +10% reach +5% trip +5% +30%+10%+5%+5% = +50% 100% - 45% + 50% = 105% (5% too powerful) Maintaining 100% means you have a balanced weapon (the glave is 100%.) Try killing the ability to trip, making it x2, or making it 1d10 As for your question about 19-20, you can't have 19-20 x3 weapons. You either make them 19-20 x2 or x3 and not both.
jaelis 06-26-07, 09:53 AM	Furthermore, in my opinion the "standard method" risner cites undervalues tripping, particularly for reach weapons. (For instance, I think the guisarme is a considerably better weapon than the ranseur.) So I definitely wouldn't allow you to make it tripping... like you say, it's like the heavy poleaxe, just use those stats.
AAB 06-26-07, 10:27 AM	and i, on the other hand, believe that 5% is too low of a reduction for an exotic weapon. they should actually be good, in my opinion. the dwarven warpike scores a 109% and that's what an exotic weapon should be like, IMO.
Rebel581 06-26-07, 11:38 AM	Two Handed Exotic = -40%-5% = -45% 2d6 +30% x3 +10% reach +5% trip +5% +30%+10%+5%+5% = +50% 100% - 45% + 50% = 105% (5% too powerful) Maintaining 100% means you have a balanced weapon (the glave is 100%.) Try killing the ability to trip, making it x2, or making it 1d10 As for your question about 19-20, you can't have 19-20 x3 weapons. You either make them 19-20 x2 or x3 and not both. Where did you get those percentages? I'm very interested in how you did that.
AAB 06-26-07, 12:58 PM	darn. risner gave me the link but i just saved it into word and erased my bookmark. i'll try to find it in my old post. EDIT: found it! weapon balance (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=694416)
Koretsu 06-27-07, 12:57 AM	Two Handed Exotic = -40%-5% = -45% 2d6 +30% x3 +10% reach +5% trip +5% +30%+10%+5%+5% = +50% 100% - 45% + 50% = 105% (5% too powerful) Maintaining 100% means you have a balanced weapon (the glave is 100%.) Try killing the ability to trip, making it x2, or making it 1d10 Interesting... I'll look at this, but I know for a fact I've seen stronger Exotic Weapons (Jovar), and when I look at the Heavy Poleaxe, which you could say this is based off of, they're identicle, except that the Poleaxe can be set against a charge. A glaive can not be set against a charge, however, so I was looking to see if another ability could balance it out. Trip seemed like a good idea. Even in the initial post on the weapon percentages, it's said that 95%-105% is an acceptable range...
AAB 06-27-07, 02:43 AM	105% is fine. in fact, i'm tempted to say that any exotic weapon under 105% is not worth it in the least.
risner 06-27-07, 02:56 AM	it's said that 95%-105% is an acceptable range... True, but it is more "balanced" if you make items at 100%. The very very few number of items not =100% (like 95% or 105%) are published items. When making player created items, it is usually best to not position your item as the "best of the best in the game", but rather "in the comfort zone." 105% is fine. in fact, i'm tempted to say that any exotic weapon under 105% is not worth it in the least. You do know that Exotic gives you an extra 5%, right? So you are in effect saying "WoTC tends to give Exotic 5% more, but I think 5% is exoticy enough, so I suggest 10% for a more exoticy feeling."
AAB 06-27-07, 04:29 PM	i'm saying that exotic weapons, or at least most of them, are not worth the feat required to use them. giving them a slight advantage (more than the 5% deduced through backwards-engineering core rules) would make them worthwhile without breaking game balance. example: spiked chain 107% example: dwarven warpike 109%