Day 11 of my Adventure Calendar. For 24 days, up until Christmas, I plan to release a lil bit of RPG content. Want to join as well? Join the jam!
Image: Samurais night route by David Benzal
I visited Japan recently, so I’m allowing myself some gushing over Japanese swords and daggers. These weapons aim to:
- Capture the (power) fantasy of Japanese bladed weapons as often portrayed in media; they are not an accurate historical representation.
- Fit a specific niche within Block, Dodge, Parry weaponry.
Weapon Skill: Quick
First, I’m introducing a new weapon skill:
Quick X. When deciding who goes first when up against a weapon of the same damage die, treat your DEX as being X higher. This also works in duels.
“Who goes first” relates to the rules for melee clashes and initiative. Simply put, when two combatants are approaching one another, higher damage dice strike before lower damage dice, as higher damage dice generally represent larger weapons, i.e., a greatsword (d10) versus a dagger (d6). When two combatants are already in close combat, this order is reversed, with lower dice now striking first. The Quick X rule then works as follows:
Mizu (with their Katana, D8, Quick 2) is rushing towards a guard with a Spear (D8, Reach). The spear’s Reach property means it acts as a longer weapon, and thus no DEX Save is required for Mizu; the spear always goes first.
Mizu is now approaching a bandit with a dagger (D6). Their larger katana (D8) goes first, no DEX Save required.
Mizu finally faces down another swordsman, who wields a Longsword. Since both wield D8 weapons, a DEX Save is required to figure out who goes first. Mizu needs to roll equal or under their DEX, which is 12, but the katana’s Quick 2 property means that they need to roll equal or under 14.
New Weapons
Now, for the weapons:
| Weapon | Damage | Properties |
|---|---|---|
| Tanto | D6 (Fast), Piercing | Quick (2) |
| Wakizashi | D6 (Fast), Slashing | Quick (1) |
| Katana | D8 (Balanced), Slashing | Quick (2) |
| Naginata | D10 (Slow), Slashing | Reach, Bulky, Quick (2) |