Dungeons & Delvers 2nd Edition: Weapon Overhaul

Some people complain that weapon choice in Dungeons & Dragons doesn't matter all that much, and for the most part I agree. When it comes to melee you're basically going with a d6-something-or-other for Dex-based attacks, 1d8 for a one-hander, and either 1d10, 1d12, or 2d6 if you don't care about defense. 

On one hand I can see the appeal of this: if you like swords, there's a sword option. If you like axes, then there's an axe option. And I'm pretty sure there's also something blunt if you prefer maces or hammers. Good for those that just want to go with whatever sounds or looks cool, not think about it too much, but it also feels a bit lazy.

Weapons in Dungeons & Delvers were very similar, we just added the Armor Penetration trait, which helped make some choices better than they otherwise would be.

Like the humble spear: 1d6 damage and AP 1, with a 10-foot Reach. Nice for the opportunity attack, assuming an enemy rushed you first, or to avoid getting attacked yourself against enemies with a similar Reach, but I think without AP 1 it would have been a largely inferior choice to the 1d8 fare.

2nd Edition further complicates things with both the Range trait and Accurate property. Here's the new melee weapon list:

There are no more basic/advanced or simple/martial categories. Just spend your skill points on whatever weapons you want, and some weapons will have additional benefits/abilities you can unlock by spending more skill points (like half-swording with a longsword).

So, if you want a wizard wielding a spear? Go for it. I don't care if it defies some sort of archetype: there's no logical reason a wizard just cannot figure out how to properly use a spear. Or a sword. Even if you look at it purely from a "game balance" point of view, you're never going to be as good as the fighter, so who cares?

I've talked about Range before: when you move to engage a creature in melee, doesn't matter whose turn it is, highest Range hits first.

So, don't bring a Range 1 dagger to a Range 2 or so sword fight (at least, not without being fine risking getting hit first). The upside is that whosever turn it isn't? That uses up their Reaction, so you can try and goad an enemy into acting, giving someone else a chance to sneak in, escape, whatever. Unless they have Combat Reflexes or something similar, then you're still screwed.

Something to note is that most "natural" weapons are Range 0 or 1, so no more just standing around while a zombie slowly shambles up to you to attack. Unless you're unarmed.

Accurate +1 is a new property that just means you get a +1 to hit. Mostly a sword thing, because of the large amount of cutting surface and how they can be used. Most axes get AP 1 because the impact is focused more in one spot, so it makes sense and differentiates them: if you don't really care about your "to hit" modifier, go with an axe or spear for the AP boost, as a lot of things have at least 1 DR.

Something else is that axes and spears are also easier to make, maintain, and repair, but daggers and swords are easy to carry and quicker to draw. All things that will be useful, so long as your GM uses the combat events table and weapon maintenance rules.

For ranged weapons, the reload times on crossbows are getting changed (1 round for light, 2 for heavy). Might even be adding a "hunting" category, and/or really heavy version that requires a windlass/cranequin to load. Bows don't really need changing, except perhaps a Strength requirement/cap depending on how powerful it is (strength is a big factor in using a bow).

Semi-related, I'm thinking for heavy reinforced armor (ie, plate), you could get away with DR 6, as well as resist 1 or 2 against edged weapons, making blunt attacks more useful. But first we'll do some DR 8 plate playtests, see how that goes.