http://www.gnomestew.com/gming-advice/classical-play-uniform-weapon-damage/
If you were to implement the above in BBF, how much damage would you have weapons do?
1D?
2D?
Some other? 1D+1D per rank? or Warrior Skill level?
And I'm asking for the hard answer here. No, coming up with 3 different types for small medium or large weapons etc. Just one damage for all. What would you use?
And just as important, what is your reasoning?
[This is meant as a thought provoking game design excercise. I'm thinking how you view the damage of Offensive Strike may influence this. I would expect all other rules to be the same, such as high STR and DEX affecting damage for the appropriate weapon.]
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I always preferred the method that Stafford's Pendragon RPG used, where the damage of the weapon was determined by the strength of its user. So in BBF terms, you could do something like:
STR = Damage
01-20 = 1/2D
21-50 = 1D
51-80 = 2D
81-100 = 3D
+1 per level in Warrior
Of course, I would recommend each weapon have +1, +2, +3, etc as well to recognize size and damage potential differences.
I know this isn't the hard anwser you requested, but I like that way of doing things.
All that said, I have always liked the old fashioned, each weapon has its own damage code, modify for STR and skill, system best.
Good stuff, yes. Hah! but what would you use if you HAD to use uniform damage? Huh? Huh? Do you accept the challenge?
Okay, well I would 1D per Warrior level, +1 for every 10 points of STR!!! Combat should be DEADLY! :)
Challenge accepted!
If I had to... 2D per strike. 1D is no good once Damage Resistance gets high. Increasing damage per rank, warrior skill, or strength? Well, the to-hit chance is already using warrior skill and strength, so these already figure into combat. In the spirit of the article linked, the point is that even the weasliest of spellcasters can do damage on the off chance that they actually hit.
Challenge accepted!
:) Awesome!
So, this is not using BBF's +1 damage for each 5 full points above 55% for DEX and STR (melee, ranged respectively)?
So i'm reading that if someone had a STR of 80 then they would rull 1D + 80 points? Correct? Can a BBF game be sustained with that level of damage?
I'm leaning towards 2D also for the very reason of high DR you mentioned. Good point that those high abilities and skills will allow for more damage and attacks.
MIN AVE MAX
2d10------2-----11----20
What about, and just tossing this out, a number of D equal to warrior level that can be used each game session? Add 'em when you want 'em. I may be straying from the excercise here.
So all weapons do 2D but you've got this extra pool to add when you want.
Actually, I think Trekfanatic meant 1D+8 for 80 STR.
Exactly. So Conan, a barbarian with a 100 STR and level 6 Warrior skill, would do a damage of 6D+10. You'll want to be wearing armor!
I think some of the more persuasive points of the article you linked also work against him. For instance, if it's only a difference of a point or two, then why bother changing it? The sword cuts both ways. As for speed of play, BBF plays pretty quickly anyway. I made myself a cheat sheet with stuff like condition modifiers and weapon damages (I use the simplified weapons table alternate rules found here: http://dwdstudios.com/node/989 for my games) and hardly ever have to look anything up. As for the damages "pushing" you into certain weapons... well, see my optional rule. Point 2, about the wizard, isn't relevant to BBF. My wizard carries a dagger and shield, as it's easier to put the dagger in his shield hand to cast. He only carries a staff for walking. I certainly think it could be neat, but I don't know that I'd go for it myself. Certainly best of luck and I'd love to hear how it works out for anyone using it! I love hearing about how rules changes work with the system.
Ah yes, that would be much more playable! :)
@Neolithicwolf - yes, BBF doesn't really need anything like this. Just throwing it out there. I think the thing I like most about the rule is about how the players can conceptualize their character's weapons and be just as effective with anything. That is my favorite part of that article.
Oh, and I totally agree about not needing to look up rules with BBF. I've run more than a handful of BBF games and once the game starts, I don't need to look at the book anymore at all. Before the game, oh yeah, lots of reading and note taking but during the game...smooth sailing.