Troll Lord Games

What are people's favorite melee weapons. I know for me, it depends on what i'm playing, class-wise that is, and the persona of my character. I know that many use the same weapon no matter what they are playing, many get stuck in that rut. It's fun to use some off the wall weapons to just see how it plays out in the game.

Like you said, it all depends on 1) Class/Race 2) Persona

The mace! It was good enough for the Egyptian pharaohs AND the Knight Templars, it's good enough for my PCs!

Whip, because no one ever uses one. At least, for my current character idea, that's my favorite.

I usually play the most obvious, cliché weapon for my class/race. I'm boring like that.

If its a fighter type two handed/bastard sword is usualy my choice of weapon.

serleran wrote:Whip, because no one ever uses one. At least, for my current character idea, that's my favorite.

I had an AD&D character proficient in whip and club. Then there was the street urchin proficient in knife and trident, but that's a long story.

Historically I've leaned toward smaller weapons. I like to travel light. My longest running character ended up dual-wielding +3 daggers, and that made me happy.

As GM I've never liked the big list of weapons and associated damage. For C&C I've switched to all weapons doing d6 base damage, with a few getting a small modifiers (ranging from -1 to +2). I believe at least one of the retro D&D games uses a straight d6. One of the lessons I learned GMing WFRP is it makes life a lot easier and more colorful if you have a motley goblin crew armed with swords, axes, maces, spears, etc. and it doesn't matter one bit when it came to die rolling.

For players it means they can use whatever catches their fancy or fits their character without worrying about effectiveness or which die to roll.

Cherie's favorite weapon hasn't been off the shelf in years -- a chainsaw she used in a 1981 Traveller campaign. And her character wore a zoot suit, which doesn't count as a weapon, but did cause double takes.

Well like others have said, it depends on the race/class and personality of the character.

That being said, if it is a Paladin or Knight, they ALWAYS use a hand & 1/2 sword, with either a horseman's axe or mace as a back up, but once had a LS & SS dual welding paladin (he was based off a pict in an old Dragon mag) that was a blast to play.

If he is a low born fighter, axe & spear, but after playing a few C&C games I've fallen in love with the gutentag (good weapon, plus I love the history behind the weapon)

If I am playing a rogue he is either a classic "thief" with a SS, or a swashbuckler (especially if it is fighter thief combo) with a rapier and dagger

Cleric and mage ... not my gig, so I don't play them enough to have a favorite weapon for them.

Just Jeff wrote:...{SNIP}... For C&C I've switched to all weapons doing d6 base damage, with a few getting a small modifiers (ranging from -1 to +2). I believe at least one of the retro D&D games uses a straight d6. ...
For players it means they can use whatever catches their fancy or fits their character without worrying about effectiveness or which die to roll.

That's a fun idea, because it puts the story into it and is one more part of character creation, since the min/maxing disappears.

I once toyed with the idea of the classes doing damage based on their hit die (at first level) with ANY weapon; so a fighter always does 1d10 damage, a rogue 1d6, cleric 1d8. A Navy SEAL can kill you in 1 second with a knife (1d4? pshaw). The book worm with no upper body strength (wizard) barely knows how to hold the knife... 1d4 is more fitting. I have a concern about the 1d12 for barbarians, but then again, they're barbarians! Look at those Franzetta paintings with the mountains of corpses.

In 2nd ed when we played with weapon speed, that really gave us a motivation to use smaller, faster weapons, since first strike could make a real difference. I've always felt that was a good balance, and just a bit more realistic. It gives you a real reason to choose short sword over two handed sword. (especially with dual wielders and multiple attacks per round, you can pile up the hurt before the opponent can even swing once). ((am I contradicting myself? that sounds like min/maxing... I suppose I'm a reformed min/maxer))

As a rogue, I often choose hand/throwing axe because it's 1d6 instead of 1d4 like dagger, same range, and I think cheaper too (even my RPG characters are cheap ) but the everything is 1d6 caught my eye when I was editing X-plorers, and if I'm not mistaken, that's how the LBBs or one of the very old/first flavors of D&D did it.

So yeah, that's a cool idea. Maybe combine the two, so wizard, rogue and cleric do 1d6 with all weapons, and all the fighter types do 1d8... simple. (+ mods, of course)

Lurker wrote: If he is a low born fighter, axe & spear, but after playing a few C&C games I've fallen in love with the gutentag (good weapon, plus I love the history behind the weapon)

Here is a pic of a guten tag:

Relaxo wrote:A Navy SEAL can kill you in 1 second with a knife (1d4? pshaw).

Good bunch of guys and Hollywoods love's 'em...but overated.

De Oppresso Liber.

Troll Root wrote:What are people's favorite melee weapons.

The Maul.

Relaxo wrote:So yeah, that's a cool idea. Maybe combine the two, so wizard, rogue and cleric do 1d6 with all weapons, and all the fighter types do 1d8... simple. (+ mods, of course)

I've heard of the hit die for damage die approach before, but thought it caused too much disparity among classes, basically magnifying what hit points already do. However, I might try your d6/d8 idea. A noticeable hat tip to differing skill sets without getting carried away. Thanks!

TheMetal1 wrote:

Relaxo wrote:A Navy SEAL can kill you in 1 second with a knife (1d4? pshaw).

Good bunch of guys and Hollywoods love's 'em...but overated.

De Oppresso Liber.

Troll Root wrote:What are people's favorite melee weapons.

...

Rgr on that!

I might have worn a blue uniform, but I spent the vast majority (and the best part) of my time with you guys in green. My heart lies with RLTW & NSRTN & DOL

By the way, great pict of a maul, where did you get it?

Now to keep chasing the rabbit down the path on modifying damage, I'm toying with the idea of bumping all damage up by a die type with the min damage of 1d6. That way a dagger/knife can kill an average 1st level NPC.

Lurker wrote: Now to keep chasing the rabbit down the path on modifying damage, I'm toying with the idea of bumping all damage up by a die type with the min damage of 1d6. That way a dagger/knife can kill an average 1st level NPC.

Mechanically, it might be more elegant to introduce critical hits...

Lurker wrote:By the way, great pict of a maul, where did you get it?

Just did a google image search for "Maul weapon" and it came up. Here is the link.

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/505522-maul

Mentions English archers used them at the Battle of Agincourt as tool, but later as an improvised weapon. Fits my Ranger Halfling in DDO quite well.

Fresh fruit and pointed sticks.

For a Dex based fighter, ranger, or bard swashbuckler type, I love the Rapier and buckler (perhaps spiked even).

For a regular fighter depends on the race, picks or hammers for dwarves, short sword or mace for halflings, longsword for elf and 1/2 elf, maul for 1/2 orc, human generally a bastard sword.

Barbarians, primitive type weapons such as a giant club.

Knights would generally be broadsword, just to iconic not to do it, mace would be second in line.

Paladins would be mace.

Clerics, depends on the deity.

Druids, scythe.

Wizard types, what else... a staff.

koralas wrote: Wizard types, what else... a staff.

Bazooka or AK-47 that's what else

-Mike

That maul is BADASS!

Allow me to re-phrase, "a Navy SEAL or a Marine..." better? Army Rangers too?
I dunno, I'm just a civilian who watches too many movies.

Guten Tag is "good day" or basically, "Hello" in German, IIRC... there must be some story behind that mean ol' pokey thing, then. Do share!

koralas wrote:Wizard types, what else... a staff.

With wizards and Illusionists, I'm partial to the Dart, both as ranged and melee. Though, I'm tempted to play something along the lines of good old Raj here:

That picture of Bored-Flak the wizard from Fineous Fingers, he was using a "wand of fireballs" Bored-Flak also used a tommy gun as a wand of automatic missles. Love me some FF.

Relaxo wrote:
...

Guten Tag is "good day" or basically, "Hello" in German, IIRC... there must be some story behind that mean ol' pokey thing, then. Do share!

Rgr on Guten Tag meaning “Good day”. (the weapon itself can be called/spelled with various midlevel German dialects but the all tend to mean either good day, or good dagger – from the dagger sized spike on the end of the club). The story is that in Flanders and other low countries, when they rebelled from the French. The Dutch speaking commoners, that were armed with this spiked club, would go into an area, say “Good day – guten tag” to people as they moved through the city/area. If they were answered in French, or by someone with a French accent, they would kill them (normally with the club). From that the English allies associated the good day with the club’s name.

Ardiun, good pict of it by the way,

Damn, that's harsh.
Very cool, though.

1d6+3 for damage for the godentag? That seems kinda high for a one-handed weapon.

Of all time? My long-ago paladin's +2 longsword, double damage vs. chaotics. He cut through many a foe with that blade.

You know, I think I still have that character sheet somewhere, though I haven't played that character since 1986...

A glaive-guisarme, natch!

Only 8 lbs and does 2d4.

But, if I'm a bard then I like the diggery-do. So when a drunk heckler interrupts my performance, I stop the show and walk over to him . . and surprise the fellow with a blow to the knees from that bad boy (1d6)!