Weapon ENDURANCE Idea

[phantomdoodler]

This is a simple idea for making the weapons a little less uniform. Why would you buy a Broadsword rather than a Dagger, if mechanically they are the same?

Each weapon has its own ENDURANCE rating, equal to its cost in Gold Crowns. In combat, if you roll a 0 when attacking, you must reduce the weapons ENDURANCE rating by 1, through strain. If this reduces the weapons ENDURANCE to zero, it is broken. A broken weapon may still be used, but it is treated as an improvised weapon (-2CS). If it is reduced to below 0 Endurance, it is completely destroyed and beyond repair.

Improvised weapons, naturally start with 0 ENDURANCE, and so always at risk from being destroyed when used.

Broken weapons may be repaired at blacksmiths, for a cost of 1 GC per 2 ENDURANCE restored.

For example, Bright Fox has been fighting for a while, and his Axe has taken a beating, reduced to a dangerous 2 ENDURANCE. He finds a local Blacksmith, and handing over 3 crowns, the weapon is restored to 8 ENDURANCE once more.

 

[Zager Krahl]

So what is the balancing mechanism to make people still use smaller weapons?

 

[phantomdoodler]

Well, its more about cheaper weapons being less effective. The flaw in this, I realised though, is that at character gen, you dont pay for weapons - you choose them. So players would just choose the most expensive one, under my system.

 

[Zager Krahl]

Bigger weapons should not automatically be more difficult to break. Surely a broadsword is more likely to snap under stress than a dagger, or a mace?

 

[phantomdoodler]

Well it was intended as a quick and dirty solution, not a particularly accurate one. I just wanted to have a reason why anyone would choose to buy a Broadsword, rather than a cheap dagger, since they are mechanically identical. There are probably better ways of doing this, however.

 

[Zager Krahl]

Couple the END of each weapon with a Hardness - HRD - factor:

- each weapon starts with a current and max END score
- each weapon has a HRD rating
- if player wielding weapon takes damage in single round from single attack exceeding HRD rating of weapon, weapon loses END equal to difference between damage amount and HRD rating

E.g.
Voskarr, a Drakkarim Eginashadim, is attacking with his Axe (END 7/8, HRD 8 ). He faces a Lakuri pirate with a Scimitar (END 5/5, HRD 4). During the round, Voskarr takes 3 points END damage and deals 6 points of END damage to the pirate.

Since Voskarr takes 3 damage, compared to the HRD 8 of his Axe, his weapon is undamaged. The pirate, however, takes 6 points damage - which is more than the HRD 4 of his scimitar. This means that, in addition to losing 6 points of END to his own life, the pirate's weapon is also damaged for 6-4=2 points, giving it END 3/5 at the end of round one. A few more blows, and Voskarr is sure to have another trophy for his skull rack!