Simple melee weapon rules

[phantomdoodler]

Not all weapons are as robust as others. Each melee weapon is assigned an EP rating which determines how hardy it is. After each combat, reduce your weapons EP value by 1. When your weapon is reduced to 0 EP, it is damaged and treated as an improvised weapon (-2 CS), until it is repaired above 0 EP. To keep things simple, an objects EP rating is equal to its cost in GC`s (min 5), so Axe (8 EP), Broadsword (25 EP), Quarterstaff (5 EP), Sword (10 EP) etc. Superior and magical weapons can never be damaged in this way.

Why do this? Well, this system gives a reason for buying a rapier over a dagger. Mechanically, they are identical in terms of how much damage you inflict with one. Using this system means that you can use a dagger, but there is more risk that it would break or be damaged by an opponents weapon, during a clash of blows. A rapier, on the other hand, would be durable and resilient for far more combats

Repairing a damaged weapon requires the service of a blacksmith, and costs 1 GC per 5 EP restored. This typically takes 1 hour for each EP repaired.

 

[Random Code]

I'd personally go with damage modifiers to weapons rather than how robust they are if I were to bring in any rules for differentiating between weapons. So, out of interest, why did you go this way?

 

[phantomdoodler]

I was tying to combine a few ideas, but actually a damage modifiers may be better:

Unarmed: -2 Damage (replaces the -4 CS rule)
Improvised: -1 Damage (replaces the -2 CS rule)
Dagger: -1 Damage
Sword, spear, quarterstaff, flail, short sword, cutlass, rapier, mace, warhammer, axe, bow: -
Battleaxe, falchion, drodarin war axe, longbow: +1 Damage
Claymore, broadsword, crossbow: +2 Damage

Bor Pistol: x2
Bor Musket: x3
Bor Long Rifle: x4

 

[Random Code]

Yeah, those look good. I'd maybe go for more range between the lower and upper limits of your damage bonuses in order to give you more weapon variation.

I was playing with something along the lines of...

-4 to damage when Unarmed (like you, replacing the -4 CS rule)
-2 to damage when using Improvised weapons (replacing the -2 CS rule)

Then I thought of having Quarterstaffs as the zero point. So...

+0: Quarterstaff

Then...

+1: Dagger
+2: Short Sword, Hand Axe, Mace, Spear, Shortbow
+3: Sword, Rapier, Warhammer, Battleaxe, Longbow
+4: Broadsword, Crossbow

I also had ideas of giving certain weapons certain qualities. For example, referring to my post in your Ranges Thread, I'd allow the quarterstaff and the dagger to be used at personal range whereas most/all other hand-to-hand weapons can only be used at melee range.

Additionally, I think this would need to be combined with a damage reduction system for armour and shields. Not thought it all the way through to any firm conclusions though.