I'm looking over my copy of the Player's guide again and something seems kind of off to me. Is it just me or does anyone else see the picture of the starknife and can imagine it serving as a slasher as well? Yeah, when you throw it it's going to be a piercer unless you're really well practiced with it, as in taken Weapon Focus in the weapon, but I can imagine a ranger or some other warrior keeping the sides of those fins real sharp so he can slash too. Could a Starknife inflict both piercing and slashing damage or am I reading too much into this. It's a cool weapon in any case.
Same issue as a short sword. Normaly we just use common sense and if it becomes an issue (fighting something with DR/slashing) if the player brings it up that he should be able to slash with it the DM lets him as long as it seems reasonable. Yeah, you can slash someone with a spear head, but no we're not going to let you beat somethings DR/slashing beacause of it.
Creative Director
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
The edges of the starknife aren't super sharp. And the way the weapon's used, it's intended to puncture foes rather than cut them. Think of it as a punching dagger you can throw.
We almost made it an exotic weapon that did piercing AND slashing damage (and did a little more overall to boot), but decided to tone it down so that it was a martial weapon (and thus easier for priests of Desna to get proficiency in).
Not all that sharp you say? Hmmm, sounds like a job for the whetstone. I understand the balance bit of it, although I have my misgivings about how they made the piercing dagger a piercing only. I mean heck a normal razor back then sharpening from time to time which is why barbers had that strip of leather. But this is where the game takes weapon inspiration for games but does not follow through.
Anybody who has ever played the game Soul Calibur can testify to this with one of their signature characters: Volo, the blind Italian Assassin whose weapon of choice is the katar or basilard (which is in all honesty is the shord sword version of the katar). Dragon Magazine #169 (May 1991) pg 10 lists the Basilard and says this about it: Due to its shape, the basilard is an excellant stabbing and thrusting weapon than can function as a chopping weapon if necessary. Now granted this was all back before weapons were assigned damage types. But if we coalate this with the basilard and katar (the illustration in that issue for the basilard is very similar to the one for a katar)then the weapon is primarily a piercing type weapon that can function as a slashing weapon if needed. So if I play in a Pathfinder I would petition the DM to allow the starknife to be used as a slasher and would invest in a whetstone to sharpen those edges to that of a razor.
One option would be to with Exotic Weapon Profiency: Starknife you can do both piercing and slashing damage, and can be thrown to return on a miss, like a boomerang.
Interesting idea, although if I were to implement that I would also give those abilities to a Mystic Ranger (October 2005 Dragon 336 pg 105) dedicated to Desna, with said ranger declaring that Goddess as his Deity of choice at first level.
|
So if I play in a Pathfinder I would petition the DM to allow the starknife to be used as a slasher and would invest in a whetstone to sharpen those edges to that of a razor.
You are 100% free to do that if you wish to... Keep in mind that there is no law that restrict you from changing anything in the setting to suit your game. They [Paizo staff] even encourage the practice.
I can see why it's only piecing by the reasons James gave. But you don't need to listen to him!
|
although not exactly the same, the closest I've seen is that out martial arts school we have a 'throwing star' that is almost a foot across and folds out from a foot long rod into a 4 pointed star. It weighs about a pound more then the starknife as written, and is easiest to use when throwing underhand. none of the sides were sharpened, and the ends came to points. I have seen it go 2 inches into a brick wall with a 12 year old throwing it. Then if it only hit with one point, the weight of the star would pull it out of the wall, if it hit with 2 of the points, it would stick. I see the starknife as a much more elegant version of this weapon, but because of my experience with the real one and how easy it was to damage with it, I upped the damage one level per size.
|
The edges of the starknife aren't super sharp. And the way the weapon's used, it's intended to puncture foes rather than cut them. Think of it as a punching dagger you can throw.
We almost made it an exotic weapon that did piercing AND slashing damage (and did a little more overall to boot), but decided to tone it down so that it was a martial weapon (and thus easier for priests of Desna to get proficiency in).
Since Desna doesn't get the war domain (and free martial weapon proficiency) why is it harder to get the exotic weapon proficiency? Isn't martial weapon proficiency a single feat just as exotic weapon proficiency?
I'd be very curious to see the 'souped up' version of the star knife. Can you share?
|
Creative Director
|
Since Desna doesn't get the war domain (and free martial weapon proficiency) why is it harder to get the exotic weapon proficiency? Isn't martial weapon proficiency a single feat just as exotic weapon proficiency?
I'd be very curious to see the 'souped up' version of the star knife. Can you share?
It's certainly just as easy for a cleric of Desna to get starknife proficiency by taking a feat; exotic or martial both cost the same.
What I mean by "easier" is that the cleric can also get starknife proficiency by taking a level in a class like ranger or fighter; by multiclassing, she can get all martial proficiencies (starknife included) plus some other stuff; something she wouldn't be able to do if the starknife were an exotic weapon.
Further, a worshiper of Desna who isn't a cleric can just start out as a ranger or a fighter and get the proficiency for free.
A "souped up" version of the starknife doesn't exist. If I were to make it an exotic weapon, I'd up the damage by one die and have it do piercing AND slashing damage.
Since Desna doesn't get the war domain (and free martial weapon proficiency) why is it harder to get the exotic weapon proficiency? Isn't martial weapon proficiency a single feat just as exotic weapon proficiency?
I'd be very curious to see the 'souped up' version of the star knife. Can you share?
It's certainly just as easy for a cleric of Desna to get starknife proficiency by taking a feat; exotic or martial both cost the same.
What I mean by "easier" is that the cleric can also get starknife proficiency by taking a level in a class like ranger or fighter; by multiclassing, she can get all martial proficiencies (starknife included) plus some other stuff; something she wouldn't be able to do if the starknife were an exotic weapon.
Further, a worshiper of Desna who isn't a cleric can just start out as a ranger or a fighter and get the proficiency for free.
A "souped up" version of the starknife doesn't exist. If I were to make it an exotic weapon, I'd up the damage by one die and have it do piercing AND slashing damage.
My, my, my! That does sound like a handy dandy weapon to have around. Sounds like something to HouseRule for when and if I can get a group going. Although, I would give Clerics of Desna proficiency in the weapon for free as well as Mystic Rangers dedicated to her (the variant class already takes away their martial melee weapons and makes the class a slightly more martial and tougher version of the bard with the character receiving Divine rather than Arcane Magic).
My god...I started playing third edition pretty much right when it came out, started 3.5 a few months after it came out, and this entire time I thought clerics could use martial weapons. What's worse is everyone I've played with apparently thought the same thing...
This just feels weird, like having a seven year old daughter and swearing her name was Jessica, when actualy the whole time it's been Heather...
We almost made it an exotic weapon that did piercing AND slashing damage (and did a little more overall to boot), but decided to tone it down so that it was a martial weapon (and thus easier for priests of Desna to get proficiency in).Since Desna doesn't get the war domain (and free martial weapon proficiency) why is it harder to get the exotic weapon proficiency? Isn't martial weapon proficiency a single feat just as exotic weapon proficiency?
Exotic Weapon Proficiency requires a +1 Base Attack bonus, Martial Weapon Proficiency does not.
This came into play when the bards in my group wanted to take Exotic (Bladed Scarf) at first level.
|
We almost made it an exotic weapon that did piercing AND slashing damage (and did a little more overall to boot), but decided to tone it down so that it was a martial weapon (and thus easier for priests of Desna to get proficiency in).Since Desna doesn't get the war domain (and free martial weapon proficiency) why is it harder to get the exotic weapon proficiency? Isn't martial weapon proficiency a single feat just as exotic weapon proficiency?
Exotic Weapon Proficiency requires a +1 Base Attack bonus, Martial Weapon Proficiency does not.
This came into play when the bards in my group wanted to take Exotic (Bladed Scarf) at first level.
The Varisian cultural weapons seem so bardic in nature, I just let the Varisian bard in my group take proficiency in starknife as her free Pathfinder feat. But now that I know it's not an exotic weapon (when did that change?), I'll just let her trade her longsword or shortsword slot for starknife.
It's still a martial weapon, with a couple of people here thinking about making an exotic version for it.
The bladed scarf is exotic.
Didn't I write that? My post seems to have disappeared.
I didn't see nothing! It really was a weather balloon! I swear, I did totally not see some blue-skinned alien chicks getting out of a flying saucer and ask me where the next antimatter gas station is!