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IMO the dagger in Rune Quest have been the medieval stiletto/rondell-thingie, and that the d4+2 is to give it armor-piercing values that simulates it's actual capassities. I've tested my rondell-dagger against riveted chainmail with padding beneath, and it can go through, somthing you can forget with a bowie-knife, etc. My rondell-dagger weighs around 700gram, is about 35 cm long and looks a bit like this: <A href="http://www.darkwoodarmory.com/images/dagRondelI.jpg" target=_blank>http://www.darkwoodarmory.com/images/dagRondelI.jpg</A> IMO the d4+2 is IMO realistic if you interpret the dagger as a stiletto. If you use the stiletto against an unarmed target, it would doo too much damage compared to other weapons of similar size. Perhaps if one had to decide when buying a dagger wether it is an anti-armor-dagger or a slashing-dagger, and only apply the d4+2 value to either of the abilities, things would work out without having to alter the rules so much. Say you go for the stiletto, you get the knife-statistic in a slashing/unarmed setting, but get the d4+2 against armed opponents, and vice versa, if you buy somthing like this (skramaseax from dark-ages, like this one: <A href="http://www.helsinki.fi/~pjojala/Iron_Age_knife_dagger_skramasax_Medieval.jpg" target=_blank>http://www.helsinki.fi/~pjojala/Iron_Age_knife_dagger_skramasax_Medieval.jpg</A> -you get the d4+2 against unarmed opponents, but only the d3 against armor. That way you don't get the sort of super-chainsaw-stiletto-fantasy-blade the dagger is in RQ3. <BR> <BR>> Date: Fri, 10 Dec 2010 12:16:32 -0800<BR>> From: royce@efn.org<BR>> To: runequest@rpgreview.net<BR>> Subject: [Runequest] Is weapon damage too high?<BR>> <BR>> Greetings, Colleagues,<BR>> Is weapon damage too high?<BR>> For example, in RQ3 (from Avalon Hill), a dagger does 1D4+2, or 3 to 6<BR>> points. Double that with an impaling success. Yet an arm typically<BR>> has only 3 or 4 hit points before being disabled, and 6 or 8 before<BR>> being destroyed or crippled. Imagine that Tom attacks Dick with a<BR>> dagger. Dick has 3 hp in his arm, where he gets hit. Tom's player<BR>> rolls a 4, doing 6 points. This is enough for the GM to declare that<BR>> the arm is all but cut off.<BR>> And that doesn't even include damage bonus for strength. Many<BR>> characters have 1D4 damage bonus. So Tom's attack could be 2D4+2. <BR>> Hmm.<BR>> Or how about boxing? A fist attack does 1D3. Add 1D4 for strength,<BR>> giving a range of 2 to 7 damage points. Fatal blows to the head must<BR>> be commonplace, right? Hmm.<BR>> So, what do you think?<BR>> <BR>> Sincerely,<BR>> Asher<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> _______________________________________________<BR>> Runequest mailing list<BR>> Runequest@rpgreview.net<BR>> http://rpgreview.net/mailman/listinfo/runequest_rpgreview.net<BR><BR> </body>
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