And one of the more deadly as well.

In reply to Thorg (msg # 913):

Get them balanced as well as fine then, for +1 to hit and damage for +6 CF for impaling only weapons. Why would you not? I know a guy...

In reply to Benito Drake (msg # 914):

Again, buying new is faster than getting it made (eg, 2-5 years real time the way things go)

Cool, trade the old one in and get a new one...

Dagnabbit, I need to remember to take scrounging on the next character I build.  Preferably one with fewer ethics...

Trade-in is 50%, then CF2 for silver plating?  Wouldn't have enough to get a silvered smallsword even if I had one to trade in.  May just go buy a regular one, but I probably should spend most of this last loot on upgrading my knives...

Trade in is 40% if of average wealth, silvering is CF+4

Silver Plating is +2 CF, Solid is +19 CF as per DF and DFRPG.

DF 8 Treasure Tables adds some extras to make the process more expensive for the sake of Power and Endurance Items, like Inlaying (which is more expensive than Plating, but doesn't do anything extra - except cost more).

In reply to Jareth Mooncalled (msg # 919):

Lol @ Nodwin...we will have common folk learning to turn zombies to deal with the 'VW's!

Mario got silvered arrows for $10, that's CF+4.  Solid silver heads matched your figure, CF+19 is $40 -- did he overpay?  Seems like it.

So, I get $16 to trade in a large knife, and a silvered (plated) one would cost either $120 (CF+2 = 3x cost) or $200 (CF+4 = 5x).  Too late now, anyway, couldn't find a dealer who had one to sell, but I've got some coin left after buying a standard smallsword -- and I've got a little better damage and better reach for impaling attacks.

Tip Slash is a technique?  Is there a skill penalty?

Not a technique.  As I mention above, no skill penalty.  All it is is another way to attack with an impaling weapon, it does less damage, thrust damage -2 (-1 if it's a spear that isn't an "long spike", so... most spears) and counts as cutting, and swing for "constricted space purposes" only.


So, frex a Dagger which does thr-1 imp, does thr-3 cutting if you Tip Slash.  In this case say you're trying to cut a rope (Homogenous), you might be better off trying to Tip Slash it for cutting damage rather than dealing 1/2 damage rounded down to it, even though you're taking a large penalty to your roll.  Or if you're fighting a creature that is Homogeneous (and various Injury Tolerance like No Brains, No Vitals, etc) when you have a Rapier, you'd might be better off doing thr-1 cutting than one half thr+1 impaling.


The only reason to usually chose to tip Slash is if you really need to do cutting damage, or have no way to do crushing damage, r crushing damage would be even less effective.  Like the afore mentioned rope, whacking it with the spear's butt is not really going to accomplish anything, but sawing on it with the tip...


And this concludes today's lesson on why you should carry a backup weapon that does a different type of damage from your main weapon.  I expect everyone to do the reading assignment and write 3 1/2 inches on "Why everyone should carry a Reach C weapon as a backup" by the end of class Friday...

In reply to Jareth Mooncalled (msg # 922):

Oh, I can tell you that now...fighting underwater! The thrusting damage underwater is VERY significant, so you should all have a large or long knife. Not to mention it is one of the few weapons with an Easy skill...add in Ambidexterous at character creation and Dual Weapon Attack (Hard, Knife), and suddenly one of the cheapest and most versatile and easily concealable weapon can also be very deadly, because you can use two at once!

Balanced, Very Fine, Silver coated large Knife, +1 to hit, sw cut, C,1, thr+2 imp, C, 1 lb, $1,040

Or if you really want that dagger

Balanced, Very Fine, Armour-piercer Silver Coated Tempered Glass Dagger, thr+1 (2) imp, C, 0.25 lb, $1080

Given what it costs, I'm just happy to finally have a smallsword.  Thr imp, no parry penalty.  Yep, no C reach, but I carry knives for that.  Large knife does the same cut damage as the smallsword with a tip slash.  No crushing weapon, though.  Might need to get a short staff to use with smallsword skill.

In reply to Aldous Hack (msg # 924):

Staffs are the cheapest to get. Balanced, Silvercoated, Sylvan Shortstaff would cost $480 if Fine or $920 if made from Dragonbone (are Dragonbone and Sylvan compatible) for a +1 to hit, Sw/thr +1 cr damage, reach 1, 1 lb, this is a good nightstick, and good for parrying!

Dress Smallsword does the same damage as a large knife, weighs the same, does not have a cutting attack and costs $300 instead of $40. Yeah, the Large Knife is the way to go there...

Actually, other than the Fencing aspect, there is nothing going for the Smallsword skill over the Knife skill...even the Smallsword only has Fencing and range of 1 and better parry over the Katar, range of C, but both do the same damage and weigh the same, but the Katar costs 1/8 the price and is easier to use.

Just Curious, looking through the mods above, could a Short Baton with a spearhead be made with the following stats?

Short Baton with spearhead  Base cost $30, 1 lb, Final cost $2,610.
sw+1 cr, thr+3 (2) imp, +1 to hit, Unbreakable, Silver coated

Using
Sylvan, +15 CF, +1 Damage
Tempered Glass Armour piercer +32 CF, (2) (+1 and -1 imp damage cancel out)
Dragonbone +24 CF
Fine +9 CF, +1 dam
Balanced, Silvercoated +6 CF, +1 to hit

Are any of them incompatible?
This message was last edited by the player at 10:47, Wed 16 Dec 2020.

And I thought that I was good at the min/max game.  :)

You have crushing damage in a pinch, the smallsword's hilt is a fistload and let's you punch at thr.  If you want to upgrade to a basket hilt to give your hand DR 4 for those punches (a fistload is consider "unarmed" so is dangerous to do on most foes):

Basket:  A basket hilt is a metal guard on a weapon’s hilt that wraps around and protects the wielder’s hand. The hand gets DR 4, cumulative with glove DR – although the hilt is too cramped for metal gauntlets. The guard also gives +1 to punching damage. The change in the weapon’s balance and feel gives the user -2 to skill until he familiarizes himself it (see Familiarity, p. B169). CF for an enclosed hilt (hand DR always applies) is +0.25; weight is +0.25 lb. CF for an open-frame or partial basket hilt (DR applies on 1-3 on 1d) is still +0.25; however, weight is unchanged. Stats for weapons that include a basket hilt already reflect this. Applicability: Anything with a hilt.


Otherwise pickup a Short staff as mentioned.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:50, Wed 16 Dec 2020.

In reply to Balir Ironhide (msg # 926):

I prefer to call it optimisation! Unfortunately gives the GM some headaches, so I try to keep it to a minimum...

Sylvan and Dragonbone are incompatible, Sylvan is dead tree carcass only materials, so you need to try to con the GM into some sort of 'mythical ironwood' nonsense (or just work through having it magiced into Essential Wood*) .  Also, while it's not technically disallowed, I'm not sure Tempered Glass should allow Silver Plate...  but that's a GM call (and not one I've had to make yet in my home game).

Likewise, you can make it Very Fine for extra damage, durability, and Power Iteminess.

Note, the head if Temp Glass is not as durable as the haft.  You could go with Orichalcum for the exact same price and ensure it's durability (granted you lose 'elven made', but I wouldn't allow the glass spear head to shift the whole of it anyway, if it was wooden shafted and Sylvan you're in like Flynn regardless).


* My 'back of envelope' is to call it +15 CF, it gives it +3 versus breakage, Highly Resistant to burning, triple DR and HP if using Low-Tech 2 Weapons and Warriors pg 22.... and of course 'dead tree carcass' only materials.  Now if you made it from Dryad heartwood and then Essential Wooded it...


All of Fae wood hunt you forever.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:06, Wed 16 Dec 2020.

i would like a small mace ($35), with minimal silver inlay, (polygonal head, inlaid with silver triangle on each facet) = $122, make that balanced, for a grand total of $610.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:07, Thu 17 Dec 2020.

In reply to Svendegard Yurick (msg # 930):

Right on silvered costing only +2cf, was conflating it with Fine.

Not sure that inlay would  cover the affects silver bracket, but if cost is +2cf i dont see why not.

Special orders take time.

Okay, so a basket hilt would be like adding brass knucks to a smallsword.  Otherwise, if I punch with it, it's just like I had a rock in my fist.

Saishi, what I have is an ordinary smallsword, made for actual fencing/fighting, not a dress smallsword (mainly for dress uniform wear, as an ornament).  It's thr+1 imp (I think I wrote that wrong earlier; my software displays it calculated out for ease of play), one better than the Large Knife (but yes, cut only at thr with tip slash), avoids the -1 parry for the short blades, and gets whatever else comes with Fencing weapons.

For this character, I see having smallsword vs. shortsword as partially a misunderstanding.  When he was choosing a weapon to be trained on, at age 11, he didn't know what they were called, and said "the small sword" -- meaning a shortsword -- but also didn't know what the difference was or that the technique was enough different to matter until he was well into training -- and then he was orphaned at 12, so no chance to get more training.

He did learn Knife, though, as well as Thrown Weapon (Knife), over the intervening nine years trying to keep body and soul together, alone, in the Artisan district.

I'll pass the word to Mario.  ;)

In reply to Aldous Hack (msg # 932):

As those who FB with me know, I just got the first of two vaccinations from Pfizer.  I will keep you updated as to how it goes. Jareth asked to keep an eye out for weirdness,  but I told him that that ship had sailed.

I will try to be on tomorrow.

Arguably, that ship has sailed for most or all of us.

In reply to Balir Ironhide (msg # 934):

Yeah, I would say so. I might be the only 'normal' person here!

I'm pressing 'X' to doubt.

Normal Boring...