I have next to no ide how to go about making a weapon from scratch; therefore, I was thinking of, perhaps, reflavoring another weapon and making it a Katana? What would work best?
I was thinking, perhaps, a Scimitar... What do you guys think?
Typically, it's a 2h weapon so the damage would probably be 1d12, or 2d6 with a proficiency bonus of +3 since it's a fairly accurate weapon. Katana duels don't really include a lot of parry's but a lot of dodging and slashing at openings.
Also, if you don't want it available for mundane equipment purchase you can say it's always "Finely Crafted" so it's always a +1 Mastercraft Weapon.
At least this is what I did. :P
Hello! I was wondering if anyone could give me some input on this.
I have next to no ide how to go about making a weapon from scratch; therefore, I was thinking of, perhaps, reflavoring another weapon and making it a Katana? What would work best?
I was thinking, perhaps, a Scimitar... What do you guys think?
In fourth edition D&D, a katana is just a normal bastard sword. NO CUTTING THROUGH SLABS OF SOLID STEEL FOR YOU, WEEABOO.
Katanas are seriously underpowered in Dungeons and Dragons! I personally blame this on the racism of the developers, and in order to ameliorate this issue I suggest the following modifications:
A Katana is NOT A MASTERWORK BASTARD SWORD! To even put it in the same category as such an inferior western steelwork is to shame its very name! No, Katanas are the pinnacle of swordsmithing, and therefore deserve all due benefits! With its superior cutting edge, light weight, and masterful crafting, it's the best of all worlds!
Katana
Damage: 1d12
Proficiency: +4
Category: Light Blade, Heavy Blade
Properties: Versatile, Offhand, High Crit, Brutal X (X is your Honor Rank, from 1 to 5, for the only thing more important than the blade's quality, is the honor of the soul who bears it!)
This is the only sane and sensible stat block one could possibly assign to such a superior blade!
With that piece of idiocy out of the way (no offesne of course) there is the possibility of making it a superior scimitar:
Katana 1H [Superior Weapon]
Heavy Blade
Proficiency: +3
Damage: 1d8
Properties: High Crit, Versatile
Value: 25g
Weight: 4 lbs
Does that capture the feeling?
Realistically katanas are meant to be wielded both one-handed or two-handed, so it needs the versatile property; a two-handed superior weapon is OUT. Therefore, just give it the bastard sword's stats.
If that doesn't suffice, Wyld Mutation's alternative is balanced.
If that doesn't suffice, Wyld Mutation's alternative is balanced.
If by "balanced" you mean "worse than the bastard sword"
You give up 1 point of average damage on all strikes in exchange for +4.5 average damage 5% of the time. 10% in epic.
Having someone propose katana stats that are quantifiably worse than a bastard sword is a new one on me.
Edit: it's +0.225 damage at heroic, .45 at paragon, and 1.35 at epic, once you take the feat.
A +3 High Crit long Sword is good.
Just because it isn't as good as the bastard sword doesn't make it worthless. Hell the Greatsword is worse than a bastard sword.
If by "balanced" you mean "worse than the bastard sword"
You give up 1 point of average damage on all strikes in exchange for +4.5 average damage 5% of the time. 10% in epic.
Having someone propose katana stats that are quantifiably worse than a bastard sword is a new one on me.
Edit: it's +0.225 damage at heroic, .45 at paragon, and 1.35 at epic, once you take the feat.
In Epic High Crit also does +3d6, not +1d6. It's +2d6 in Paragon. High Crit actually scales a little better than the base damage die. Crits become increasingly important in the higher tiers, as well.
Let's do the math.
In Heroic tier, you have about a 60% chance to hit with +3 weapons. This decreases about 10% per tier, to 50% in Paragon and 40% in Epic. This is only assuming a "low" Strength value of 16 at character creation.
Heroic
Bastard Sword
11 normal hits, 1 crit, 8 misses
11 hits = 5.5 per hit times 11 = 60.5 damage; +3 STR bonus per hit = +33; 93.5 damage total
1 crit = 10; +3 for STR; 13
Total over 20 rounds = 106.5
DPR = 5.325
WM's Katana
11 normal hits, 1 crit, 8 misses
11 hits = 4.5 per hit times 11 = 49.5 damage; +3 STR bonus per hit = +33; 82.5 damage total
1 crit = 8; +3.5 high crit; +3 STR; 14.5
Total over 20 rounds = 97
DPR = 4.85
At level 1, without any enhancement bonuses, the bastard sword wins.
Now let's look at level 11. STR should be 18 now. The weapons have a +2 enhancement bonus each. The chances of hitting have lowered to about 50% (as 1/2 level and enhancement bonuses slowly fall behind the monsters straight +1/level bonuses).
Bastard Sword
9 normal hits, 1 crit
9 hits = 5.5 per hit times 9 = 49.5; +4 STR bonus = +36; +2 enhancement = 18; 103.5 total.
1 crit = 10; +4 STR; +2 enhancement; +7 magic crit; 23
Total over 20 rounds = 126.5
DPR = 6.325
WM's Katana
9 normal hits, 1 crit
9 hits = 4.5 per hit times 9 = 40.5; +4 STR bonus = +36; +2 enhancement = +18; 94.5 total.
1 crit = 8; +4 STR; +2 enhancement; +7 magic crit; +7 high crit; 28
Total over 20 rounds = 122.5
DPR = 6.125
Closer, but the bastard sword still edges out.
Up to Epic, now. Let's look at level 21. By now STR is 20, and the heroes should at least have +4 weapons. IIRC, basic melee attacks are now 2[W] which will favor the longsword. However, high crit is up to 3d6, as well as magical crits. Also, the heroes should have their respective weapon masteries, making a roll of 19 or 20 a crit. Also, monsters will now have even HIGHER ACs, meaning about a 40% chance to hit.
Bastard Sword
6 hits, 2 crits
6 hits = 10 x 6 = 60; +5 STR = +30; +4 enhancement = +24; total = 114.
crit = 10; +5 STR; +10.5 magic crit; +2 enhancement; total = 27.5 x2 for 2 crits = 55.
Total over 20 rounds = 169
DPR = 8.45
WM's Katana
6 hits, 2 crits
6 hits = 8 x 6 = 48; +5 STR = +30; +4 enhancement = +24; total = 102.
crit = 8; +5 STR; +10.5 magic crit; +10.5 high crit; +2 enhancement; total = 36. x2 for 2 crits = 72
Total over 20 rounds = 174
DPR = 8.7
WM's Katana wins out in the high game by a pretty good margin. They're nearly equal in Paragon with the bastard sword inching out ahead, and the bastard sword is the slightly superior choice in Heroic as well.
Throughout all tiers neither beats the other by such a significant margin as to affect a player's preference.
Kinda cool.
Ahem...
With that piece of idiocy out of the way (no offesne of course) there is the possibility of making it a superior scimitar:
Katana 1H [Superior Weapon]
Heavy Blade
Proficiency: +3
Damage: 1d8
Properties: High Crit, Versatile
Value: 25g
Weight: 4 lbs
Does that capture the feeling?
This works well for me, thank you, Wyld Mutation! I was going to give it to my Tiefling Ranger... Darn. Now I'll have to replace my Lethal Hunter Feat...
Oh, well. I always liked the Katana; it's worth losing a feat!
Now I have to tell the Ranger in my group that his bastard swords aren't katanas.
See what you made me do?
Yah well...
Now I have to tell the Ranger in my group that his bastard swords aren't katanas.
See what you made me do?
LOL. I have to deal with a guy who's character was once human, then got changed to a Nightwalker, and wants to dual-wield a Spiked Chain and a sword...
Hello! I was wondering if anyone could give me some input on this.
I have next to no ide how to go about making a weapon from scratch; therefore, I was thinking of, perhaps, reflavoring another weapon and making it a Katana? What would work best?
I was thinking, perhaps, a Scimitar... What do you guys think?
It depends on how the character uses it.
I go with the. If they are going to use it as a two handed weapon it's a bastard sword.
If they are being finesse about it, it's a Rapier.
That's factoring in the 19-20 crit box at epic?
Kinda cool.
To be fair I am doing some of this stuff from memory. I'm on vacation and left my D&D books back home.
But yeah I factored in the 19-20 crit box. I'm just not sure I got the hit rate correct.
I do remember calculating approximately that with +2 weapons your average chance to hit is 55% at heroic, 45% at paragon, and 35% at epic, so with +3 weapons 60%, 50%, and 40% would be about right.
The lower hit rates favor the higher crits. Higher hit rates favor the bigger damage die.
Katanas are longswords. And IRL aren't that great. Parry with one, I dare you. Or hit someone with metal armour.
well it was the best quality weapon (I am assuming we go with the mastercrafted Katanas here, not the crap that most swordsmiths made) of it's region. I'm willing to say it's -equal- to a rapier, or a bastard sword but certainly not above it. It is by far not the "Best sword eVarzzz111111" that so many katana fanbois think it is.
Katanas are longswords. And IRL aren't that great. Parry with one, I dare you. Or hit someone with metal armour.
Even more realistically, there are various types of katanas-- they aren't actually as easily grouped as other weapons.
Game-wise, they were considered masterwork bastard swords in 3.5. If that's anything to go by.
In any case, D&D is a cinematic game; it only really matters that the "katana," in whatever homebrew variation it appears to be, is balanced against the other weapons available.
Simply reflavoring a current weapon (bastard sword, longsword, scimitar, etc) as a katana is obviously balanced. I also think WM's katana is balanced-- you're paying a feat to have a longsword with high crit, or alternatively, to have a bastard sword giving up a damage die but adding high crit.
EDIT:
In my game I've simply added katanas as reflavored versions of other weapons:
No-dachi: greatsword
katana: bastard sword
chisa katana: longsword
tanto: dagger
Katana 1H [Superior Weapon]
Heavy Blade
Proficiency: +2
Damage: 1d10
Properties: High Crit, Versatile
Value:40gp?
Weight:4lbs?
My reasoning for this is based mostly off the Scimitar and Longsword bumped up to Superior Weapon standing. So in the end its a bastard sword that gives up a +1 to hit for High Crit just like the Scimitar is a longsword but gave up the +1 to hit for High Crit.
Doesn't quite work out that way though as that weapon is still better than the bastard sword. high crit is really like an unnamed +2 to hit rather than +1.
Could you explain your reasoning for this?
My math puts WM's katana behind until the Epic tier. And, assuming a good Leader, even then WM's katana may still fall behind the bastard sword.
I don't think High Crit is that great.
EDIT: It just dawned on me that you might be talking about Lord Steel's suggestion. I would guess that it's fairly balanced, but I'll have to do the math on that at some point.
It's worth noting however that in the Weapon Balance thread and the CharOp boards, most people agree that the longsword has a higher DPR than the scimitar-- until you introduce scimitar dance. And the longsword is +3 1d8 compared to the scimitar's +2 1d8 high crit. So I really don't think high crit is an unnamed +2.
HighCrit isn't awesome. It's good, but not great.
It has such amazing flavor though...
I basically put two steps worth of bonus on a scimitar to make it superior. Why don't we just say it counts as a scimitar? I mean it's a superior version. Then it is very clearly as good as, if not superior to, the Bastard Sword.
Weapon------ Prof Bonus-----Damage------------Properties
Katana -------+2 --------------1d10------------High Crit, Versitile
Wakasashi-----+2--------------1d6------------- Off hand, High Crit
No Datchi------+2--------------1d12------------ Two Handed, High Crit
Tetsubo-------+3-------------1d10-------------Two Handed, Brutal.
Ono-----------+2--------------1d8-------------Reach 2, Two handed, Brutal
Kama----------+3--------------1d6-------------Brutal, off hand
Tonfa---------+3---------------1d4-------------- Off hand, Special
Special for Tonfa = If you are weilding a pair of Tonfas you gain a power bonus of +2 to your AC and Reflex defenses.
New Feat = Niten or Diasho Technique - You gain proficiencies with both the Katana and Wakasashi.
So far (8 sessions) has not been over balancing and the players have had a Lot of fun with it.
Well at least it gets you more damage.
I basically put two steps worth of bonus on a scimitar to make it superior. Why don't we just say it counts as a scimitar? I mean it's a superior version. Then it is very clearly as good as, if not superior to, the Bastard Sword.
You should only increase a weapon one step to make a superior version. Increasing a weapon two steps means making it two-handed.
It just happens to be a scimitar with two steps added. Or a longsword with one.
Either way...