Degnanigans's page

I always assumed it was a a balance issue.

An extra d6 of damage grabbed as soon as you can shell out 2k gp would have been a bit much in the early days of 3.0 as well as modern groups playing at a similar optimization level. It would also be a bit explosive of ranged weapons since for 4k gp you could have a d6 of two different elements on your weapon and ammo.

On a more practical level +1 rainbow swords with GMW cast on them are pretty popular and dropping the +1 would just make them better.

I always been a bit put out by the various arguments for Improved Unarmed Strike being easier to get or more ubiquitous. Doubly so if they use the reverse guy at the gym argument (which the OP doesn't). They do however seem to feel that Improved Unarmed should be as easy to learn as how to use a sword somewhat effectively.

The ability to reliably do real damage to a standing opponent who is fit and aware is quite rare. Fighting an armed opponent is also ridiculously difficult. Movies and self defense trainers make it look easy, but their technique is usually akin to getting a new initiative roll to be made, winning initiative, then scoring a disarm or K.O in the surprise round.

A big point I feel most people seem to be missing is that when most people say "Historically Accurate" they mean "Not breaking the verisimilitude of this quasi historical fantasy world" in the same way that people often mean "verisimiltude" when they say "realism".

I get that this misnomer can be a pet peeve to some people and that many people have an inferor knowledge of history. I'll even cede the point that do to Dunning-Kruger effect the people the least qualified to judge "historical accuracy" are the least likey to say "verisimilitude" instead. However, verismilitude is ultimitley a good thing. I'd rather play in a "Historically Accurate" game where swords are forged in the manner of the opening of Conan and the roman marble is the sterile white we're all familiar with than in a "anything goes" world run by someone who knows better.