BX variable weapon damage

Discussion of the 1981 Basic/Expert version of D&D.
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cbarchuk
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Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2020 4:41 pm

BX variable weapon damage

Post by cbarchuk »

Hey Doug,

What are your thoughts about variable weapon damage in BX/OSE/LL? As of late I've been wanting to try some alternatives and wanting to get your opinion:
  • All weapons do d6 damage
Two-Handed Weapons: +1 to damage rolls or simply make them a d8?
Dual Wielding: +1 to attack rolls
Backstab: Damage dice is increased to a d8
Single Weapon: Allows off hand to be free to hold something else
Shield: +1 AC of course

or
  • Class HD determines weapon damage
Two-Handed Weapons: +1 to damage rolls
Dual Wielding: +1 to attack rolls
Backstab: Damage dice is increased to a d8
Single Weapon: Allows off hand to be free to hold something else
Shield: +1 AC of course

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merias
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Re: BX variable weapon damage

Post by merias »

Hey Chuck, I don't have a huge problem with using variable weapon damage as-is in B/X or LL, if all the other rules are being used (variable PC hit dice, d8 monster hit dice, and monster attack routines). While the original B/X (and LL) rules do have "d6 damage for all weapons" as an option, I think it is too deadly for low-level PCs if you keep the aforementioned rules.

That said in my last blog post, I considered d6 weapon damage in B/X with the other rules downgraded to d6 only and removing attack routines. With this system, your minor updates of +1 to damage make more sense. You could also use the S&W White Box weapon table, with its +/- 1 for heavy/light weapons.

I have seen class-based damage tables, I like the idea but have never tried it.

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