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Thread : Weapon Damage against Large Creatures
Started at 12-16-07 04:23 PM by havard
Visit at http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=966690
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[Post 1]
Author : havard
Date : 12-16-07 04:23 PM
Thread Title : Weapon Damage against Large Creatures

What was the point of this rule? Did it exist in 1e or is it an exclusive 2e thing? Does ignoring it really have much effect on the game, other than perhaps making broad swords a little less effective?

Havard

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[Post 2]
Author : realmaster
Date : 12-18-07 02:22 AM
Thread Title : Re: Weapon Damage against Large Creatures

one of my dm's reversed the damages.

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[Post 3]
Author : SamualT Barronsword
Date : 12-18-07 06:06 PM
Thread Title : Re: Weapon Damage against Large Creatures

What was the point of this rule? 

I'd guess it was based upon a belief that different sized creatures would be affected differently by different sized weapons?  That a long sword, for example, sliced along the side of a giants leg, would cut more flesh. in total in one hit, than a long sword slashed along an orcs leg, simply because there was a lot more surface area for the long sword to contact and slice open in that one hit?

Did it exist in 1e or is it an exclusive 2e thing? 

It was part of 1e.

Does ignoring it really have much effect on the game, other than perhaps making broad swords a little less effective?

Never having ignored the rule, couldn"t tell you what effect it would have on the game with certainty.  I would guess two handed weapons would probably have little use in the game.   They already are of little use in close quarters, and thier small additional damage vs. man sized or smaller opponents does not IMO make up for the loss of a shield or second weapon when in combat with creatures of less than large size.  If they also have no great advantage in combat against creatures of large or greater size, why would anyone bother at all?

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[Post 4]
Author : havard
Date : 12-19-07 05:49 PM
Thread Title : Re: Weapon Damage against Large Creatures

Thanks for the responses guys!

I guess I can see the reasoning behind the rule, but IMO it seems a bit unneccesarily complicated compared to having one damage listing per weapon as is used in Classic (BECMI etc).

Havard

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[Post 5]
Author : True_Atlantean
Date : 12-20-07 07:48 AM
Thread Title : Re: Weapon Damage against Large Creatures

It has always been a little complicated and I can remember one player complaining to me "but when do get to attack a Large creature?"

However, I can see the idea behind the mechanic; especially when a weapon, like a club for example, does less damage against a larger opponent.  Whacking a human on the back of the head with a club will hurt them, but I'd expect you'd have less success with a Frost Giant.

The counter-argument then of course is that the larger creatures traditionally have a lot more hit points, by virture of HD, so they can can an exponentially larger beating before dying.  The HD comparison only works if you assume regular versions of each race.  Annoyingly, heroes break the rule... like they do everything else... and rightly so.

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