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Built for flexibility, this terribly sharp longsword appears as a coil of steel, similar to a metal whip, but is capable of cleaving flesh and holding an edge as well as any forged blade. An urumi has reach, so you can strike opponents 10 feet away with it. In addition, unlike most other weapons with reach, it can be used against an adjacent foe. With an urumi, you get a +2 bonus on opposed attack rolls to disarm an enemy. Built for flexibility, an urumi takes only half damage from attempts to sunder it.
1d8 Damage for medium creatures.
18-20 2x Crit range
Guys... I think I found the most incredibly broken weapon ever conceived. Description from Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting, stats from Adventures Armory.
Guys... I think I found the most incredibly broken weapon ever conceived. Description from Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting, stats from Adventures Armory.
In the Adventurer's Armory the urumi is not listed as a reach weapon. It is therefore no longer a reach weapon and can only be used against adjacent opponents.
It is still a good weapon though you should look it up in wikipedea. When you see what an urumi actually looks like you may consider choosing a rhoka in stead.
Built for flexibility, this terribly sharp longsword appears as a coil of steel, similar to a metal whip, but is capable of cleaving flesh and holding an edge as well as any forged blade. An urumi has reach, so you can strike opponents 10 feet away with it. In addition, unlike most other weapons with reach, it can be used against an adjacent foe. With an urumi, you get a +2 bonus on opposed attack rolls to disarm an enemy. Built for flexibility, an urumi takes only half damage from attempts to sunder it.
1d8 Damage for medium creatures.
18-20 2x Crit rangeGuys... I think I found the most incredibly broken weapon ever conceived. Description from Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting, stats from Adventures Armory.
Heh, somebody was reading Berserk* when they were trying to think of new Exotic Weapons for the Pathfinder Series ... which is awesome because any campaign that goes somewhere near the mindset of Kentaro Miura is going to be great fun!
*I'm thinking of Silat, the leader of the assassins who dual-wielded a pair of Katar, a pair of Urumi and a pair of Chakram and was justifiably lethal against everyone but the big-man himself, Guts/Gatsu*
The Urumi was a pretty dangerous weapon IRL, and it had reach, but I would downgrade the damage to a d6 with the crit range it has.
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The Urumi was a pretty dangerous weapon IRL, and it had reach, but I would downgrade the damage to a d6 with the crit range it has.
I have a player who want to use it, After cross referencing the sources it does seem that they took reach away... kinda defeats the purpose of the weapon being exotic to do that.
As it is they need to take a feat to get access to the weapon, so breaking this down to a d6 is about as far as I'd go to nerf it.These videos of guys using it are
Built for flexibility, this terribly sharp longsword appears as a coil of steel, similar to a metal whip, but is capable of cleaving flesh and holding an edge as well as any forged blade. An urumi has reach, so you can strike opponents 10 feet away with it. In addition, unlike most other weapons with reach, it can be used against an adjacent foe. With an urumi, you get a +2 bonus on opposed attack rolls to disarm an enemy. Built for flexibility, an urumi takes only half damage from attempts to sunder it.
1d8 Damage for medium creatures.
18-20 2x Crit rangeGuys... I think I found the most incredibly broken weapon ever conceived. Description from Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting, stats from Adventures Armory.
"As it is they need to take a feat to get access to the weapon, so breaking this down to a d6 is about as far as I'd go to nerf it."
Your concerns for balancing the the most incredibly broken weapon ever conceived are easily satisfied. =p
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Your concerns for balancing the the most incredibly broken weapon ever conceived are easily satisfied. =p
Yup :D
I find this to be much more refreshing to deal with than another BSF with a greatsword. Keeping it at a d6 brings the average damage down by 1 point per hit... not much but I'd like to see this thing get some play.
Also that was before I was fully aware of how it was already retweaked from the PCCS to the armory.
...These videos of guys using it are
Yes, the Urumi was a terrible weapon... for the wielder! If wielded with a high degree of expertise, it could be deadly, coiling around opponents swords and hitting him despite a parry.
BUT, the Urumi was very poor against longer reach weapons, such as spears, because you can't really parry with it AND it was very hard to use it well (ie without killing yourself).
All in all it's a cheesy weapon that I would disallow (just like Kukri) unless a player is willing to hit himself with it at a roll of 4 or less on a d20.
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...These videos of guys using it areYes, the Urumi was a terrible weapon... for the wielder! If wielded with a high degree of expertise, it could be deadly, coiling around opponents swords and hitting him despite a parry.
BUT, the Urumi was very poor against longer reach weapons, such as spears, because you can't really parry with it AND it was very hard to use it well (ie without killing yourself).
All in all it's a cheesy weapon that I would disallow (just like Kukri) unless a player is willing to hit himself with it at a roll of 4 or less on a d20.
It's cheesy to have an exotic weapon with no reach that is only slightly better than a longsword?
The meteor hammer, however, can do reach and adjacent if the user switches stances. So it is, currently, the only real weapon that can do so. :)
And the dorn-derga of the Dwarves of Golarion-
I kinda wish we had a whip-sword like the one wielded by Ivy in Soul Calibur or Jacque in Onimusha 3. :p
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...These videos of guys using it areYes, the Urumi was a terrible weapon... for the wielder! If wielded with a high degree of expertise, it could be deadly, coiling around opponents swords and hitting him despite a parry.
BUT, the Urumi was very poor against longer reach weapons, such as spears, because you can't really parry with it AND it was very hard to use it well (ie without killing yourself).
All in all it's a cheesy weapon that I would disallow (just like Kukri) unless a player is willing to hit himself with it at a roll of 4 or less on a d20.
NON-WESTERN WEAPONS!
*shakes fist*
Why can't fighters pick something normal like one of the thirty different types of polearms?!
No seriously this is kinda dumb. If it doesn't have reach, then it's not a cheesy weapon. Kukris aren't cheesy weapons either. You're more just sorta punishing players for wanting a weapon that isn't a stupid longsword.
An urumi is 4-5.5 feet long.
A greatsword is 5 feet long.
If the urumi gets reach, the greatsword should also get reach.
The greatsword doesn't have reach.
Therefore, the urumi doesn't have reach.
An urumi is 4-5.5 feet long.
A greatsword is 5 feet long.If the urumi gets reach, the greatsword should also get reach.
The greatsword doesn't have reach.
Therefore, the urumi doesn't have reach.
Careful, your'e speaking that strange language called "logic".
NON-WESTERN WEAPONS!*shakes fist*
Why can't fighters pick something normal like one of the thirty different types of polearms?!
No seriously this is kinda dumb. If it doesn't have reach, then it's not a cheesy weapon. Kukris aren't cheesy weapons either. You're more just sorta punishing players for wanting a weapon that isn't a stupid longsword.
Kind of depends on the setting doesn't it? If it's a western setting then bye bye to non-western weapons. If it has more exotic locales then maybe OK -- if the setting and the DM allow for it. There is no reason for allowing every weapon under the sun (including some of the "normal" ones) into every game / setting.
where's the list of official pathfinderized rules for weapons that are currently treat as weapon X with minor change Y? examples include wakizashi, sabre, spring loaded dagger, and chakram. though there are more to list. in fact, the list is just too big. i beleive this could be covered by a set of rules for customizing weapons.
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Kind of depends on the setting doesn't it? If it's a western setting then bye bye to non-western weapons. If it has more exotic locales then maybe OK -- if the setting and the DM allow for it. There is no reason for allowing every weapon under the sun (including some of the "normal" ones) into every game / setting.
Is your entire world just one country? What if someone wants to make a character from outside Boring As Hell Medieval Europe? Or if they found the exotic weapon and started to train with it?
Seriously, screw western-only settings. They're a plague on the hobby, if not on life in general.
where's the list of official pathfinderized rules for weapons that are currently treat as weapon X with minor change Y? examples include wakizashi, sabre, spring loaded dagger, and chakram. though there are more to list. in fact, the list is just too big. i beleive this could be covered by a set of rules for customizing weapons.
Sabre = longsword (heavy) or scimitar (light) or bastard sword used only one-handed (Marcher).
Wakazashi = short sword.
Katana = bastard sword or elven curve-blade, take your pick.
Is your entire world just one country? What if someone wants to make a character from outside Boring As Hell Medieval Europe? Or if they found the exotic weapon and started to train with it?
Seriously, screw western-only settings. They're a plague on the hobby, if not on life in general.
No, there are dozens of countries. The general motif is Western / Northern European with East European / Middle East / North Africa / and steppes areas thrown in along the fringes. Oh, and some jungle areas too as well as some areas that don't correspond to any specific historic period / setting. So, Eurocentric, yes. Sorry I left the kitchen sink out. Does a different weapon make that big a difference? Does it make the story better, or the NPCs more "real"? Does having a game set primarily in Feudal Japan (with a bit of Korea and China thrown in) make a better game? What if the European longsword was "unavailable"? Would that be a crisis? How shallow does a game need to be if this is a major issue?
I guess if it's shallow, generic, with one dimensional cardboard NPCs and the players never really "get into it" then Medieval Europe could be "Boring as Hell". Mine's not. Ymmv.
my saturday dm penalizes you for not being western european.
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All in all it's a cheesy weapon that I would disallow (just like Kukri) unless a player is willing to hit himself with it at a roll of 4 or less on a d20.
...Seriously? You would disallow the kukri? Why? Because it's an easily dual wieldable 18-20/x2 weapon, or because it's from Nepal? Because if it's the latter, allow my to introduce you to the kopis, the kukri's big brother, which happens to be Greek. It's certainly not unheard of for there to be some size variance in weapons, so a smaller kopis could easily use a kukri's stats (a larger one would use the falcata's).
my saturday dm penalizes you for not being western european.
If non-western is allowed in his game, that is odd. Did he let you know this was the case up-front or did he just let you know afterweards? How does he justify it? Logical reasons or just "I said so"? Curious about it.
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An urumi is 4-5.5 feet long.
A greatsword is 5 feet long.If the urumi gets reach, the greatsword should also get reach.
The greatsword doesn't have reach.
Therefore, the urumi doesn't have reach.
Just thinking about a greatsword makes me laugh--it's basically the same height as me, minus just a couple inches. Does it ever say how wide they are because it looks almost as wide as me. lmao!
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And those of us who don't have the love fest hardon for all things oriental in design (i.e. ninjas) feel the polar opposite.
The fact that "not-western" makes you immidiately think "Oh well it's all oriental like ninjas" says worlds about you, and the things it says are not good.
No, there are dozens of countries. The general motif is Western / Northern European with East European / Middle East / North Africa / and steppes areas thrown in along the fringes. Oh, and some jungle areas too as well as some areas that don't correspond to any specific historic period / setting. So, Eurocentric, yes. Sorry I left the kitchen sink out. Does a different weapon make that big a difference? Does it make the story better, or the NPCs more "real"? Does having a game set primarily in Feudal Japan (with a bit of Korea and China thrown in) make a better game? What if the European longsword was "unavailable"? Would that be a crisis? How shallow does a game need to be if this is a major issue?
If someone made a cool character that was an outsider from another country or a fighter with an exotic weapon and had a story to cover it, I think turning them down because "ARGH NOT WHITE ENOUGH" is the worst thing you can do.
That is the crux of my issue - for many of the grognardier DMs, D&D can't have anything that isn't pasty white fantasy medieval Europe. If the game is vaguely Eurocentric, then that's alright (though I'd still find it pretty damn boring, personally), but when you demand everything has to be such - with the implication that there may as well be no world outside of Ye Olde English Setting - there's a problem.
I don't really see the issue with Eastern vs. Western weapons. One can easily take the stat block of one weapon and rename it for another weapon.
As far as on how "good" or "bad" the weapon is....if I were the DM, I would just say "Fine. But be prepared for it to be used against you."
Generally, for every cool thing the PCs get, they should be prepared have something equivalent used against them too.
If someone made a cool character that was an outsider from another country or a fighter with an exotic weapon and had a story to cover it, I think turning them down because "ARGH NOT WHITE ENOUGH" is the worst thing you can do.
What the hell does "white enough" have to do with this? You mean not European, African, Middle Eastern or Steppes nomad (Asian) enough? Cut the cr@p. The whole you are "wrong" because you don't have everything and anything from the real (or other established fantasy) world in your game is ridiculous at best.
My game has a well established setting, it's not a one shot AP or short term game. Some things exist, some don't. That goes for classes, weapons, monsters, etc. Oh well. My players know that going in and I've never had anyone complain about it.
That is the crux of my issue - for many of the grognardier DMs, D&D can't have anything that isn't pasty white fantasy medieval Europe. If the game is vaguely Eurocentric, then that's alright (though I'd still find it pretty damn boring, personally), but when you demand everything has to be such - with the implication that there may as well be no world outside of Ye Olde English Setting - there's a problem.
You mean they don't accomodate everyone's individual whims, no matter what they may be? A setting is a setting. There is nothing wrong with one that centers around one cultural concept or with one that has everything in it. As for my game, not everything will fit or be appropriate for it. Simple really. If someone really objects, well, no one is forced to play.
In short, not every game has to be / have everything. It's not like it's the only game.
my saturday dm penalizes you for not being western european.If non-western is allowed in his game, that is odd. Did he let you know this was the case up-front or did he just let you know afterweards? How does he justify it? Logical reasons or just "I said so"? Curious about it.
i kind of exxagerrated. he penalized me for playing a Rokugani.
said Rokugani was an orphaned 12 year old girl who was a ninja, a second story burglar, a facewoman, a street urchin, and a dungeoneer. she wore a black kimono, her weapons were a wakizashi and a pair of spring loaded daggers, as well as a shortbow that could be concealed in a japanese paprer umbrella sheathe. she had 4d6 sneak attack and 2 warlock invocations. the 2 invocations were the one that enchanced her social skills by +6 and the one that gave her darkvision. she was penalized by import taxes and registration fees on all her gear. the orphanage that raised her was sponsored by St. Cuthbert. (3.5. greyhawk campaign) her best skills were her social ones.
The show Deadliest Warrior (Centurion vs. Rajput) tested the urumi (altho they called it an aara which according to Wikipedia is the same thing) and found it to be seriously lacking. While it was certainly impressive looking in action, it was largely ineffective for anything except tripping an opponent.
It required an incredible amount of skill to use safely, was completely incapable of dealing more than minor wounds, and was exhausting to use.
It did look cool, tho.
i kind of exxagerrated. he penalized me for playing a Rokugani.said Rokugani was an orphaned 12 year old girl who was a ninja, a second story burglar, a facewoman, a street urchin, and a dungeoneer. she wore a black kimono, her weapons were a wakizashi and a pair of spring loaded daggers, as well as a shortbow that could be concealed in a japanese paprer umbrella sheathe. she had 4d6 sneak attack and 2 warlock invocations. the 2 invocations were the one that enchanced her social skills by +6 and the one that gave her darkvision. she was penalized by import taxes and registration fees on all her gear. the orphanage that raised her was sponsored by St. Cuthbert. (3.5. greyhawk campaign) her best skills were her social ones.
Import taxes? Does everyone pay those when they enter the city / nation? Or did everyone else originate there? Does everyone have to register them? Do they assess everyone's personal gear and tax them or force them to register? It doesn't sound like we're talking about treasure here. I have to say it, that's kind of odd. If you're going to implement "taxes" or registration (presumably of weapons) schemes one would hope they were applied to everyone. Unless it was a bigoted individual official or something. Good luck with it.
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That is the crux of my issue - for many of the grognardier DMs, D&D can't have anything that isn't pasty white fantasy medieval Europe. If the game is vaguely Eurocentric, then that's alright (though I'd still find it pretty damn boring, personally), but when you demand everything has to be such - with the implication that there may as well be no world outside of Ye Olde English Setting - there's a problem.
Though what gets me are the GMs who label everything they don't like as that darn eastern influence, without actually looking at the roots of western fantasy. Giant sword? Evile anime! Disregard Beowulf wielding the sword of Cain. Mystical warrior? GTFO, otaku! Ignoring the fact that Cuchulain himself literally went Super Saiyan on a regular basis.
Import taxes? Does everyone pay those when they enter the city / nation? Or did everyone else originate there? Does everyone have to register them? Do they assess everyone's personal gear and tax them or force them to register? It doesn't sound like we're talking about treasure here. I have to say it, that's kind of odd. If you're going to implement "taxes" or registration (presumably of weapons) schemes one would hope they were applied to everyone. Unless it was a bigoted individual official or something. Good luck with it.
i kind of exxagerrated. he penalized me for playing a Rokugani.said Rokugani was an orphaned 12 year old girl who was a ninja, a second story burglar, a facewoman, a street urchin, and a dungeoneer. she wore a black kimono, her weapons were a wakizashi and a pair of spring loaded daggers, as well as a shortbow that could be concealed in a japanese paprer umbrella sheathe. she had 4d6 sneak attack and 2 warlock invocations. the 2 invocations were the one that enchanced her social skills by +6 and the one that gave her darkvision. she was penalized by import taxes and registration fees on all her gear. the orphanage that raised her was sponsored by St. Cuthbert. (3.5. greyhawk campaign) her best skills were her social ones.
the fees and taxes only applied to foreign goods owned by foreigners. any westerners could get away with whatever they pleased. his nippophobia bled into his dming. because he was a nippophobe, he never gave eastern loot in any horde. no kimono of the archmage, sun katana, wounding wakizashi, haori of resistance or anything like that.
the penalties only applied to foreign goods owned by foreigners. any westerners could get away with whatever they pleased. his nippophobia bled into his dming. because he was a nippophobe, he never gave eastern loot in any horde. no kimono of the archmage, sun katana, wounding wakizashi, haori of resistance or anything like that.
So...your DM prestige classed into Ass Clown? Not many people are willing to invest quite that many ranks in Perform (Douchebaggery)...
the penalties only applied to foreign goods owned by foreigners. any westerners could get away with whatever they pleased. his nippophobia bled into his dming. because he was a nippophobe, he never gave eastern loot in any horde. no kimono of the archmage, sun katana, wounding wakizashi, haori of resistance or anything like that.So...your DM prestige classed into Ass Clown? Not many people are willing to invest quite that many ranks in Perform (Douchebaggery)...
i kind of exxaggerated things too much, but he does penalize oriental pcs. 10-40% item price markup (applies to enchanting the item too) and 500 gold piece per item per year registration fee but yeah, it does get pretty extreme. the markup rate for the month is determined by a d4.
the fees and taxes only applied to foreign goods owned by foreigners. any westerners could get away with whatever they pleased. his nippophobia bled into his dming. because he was a nippophobe, he never gave eastern loot in any horde. no kimono of the archmage, sun katana, wounding wakizashi, haori of resistance or anything like that.
The way i figure it, if you allow it, it's in. Not maybe, or sort of. Back in the bad old days anyone who wasn't born two blocks away was a "foreigner" anyway :) Any problems (like everyone hates "them" and picks on them) should be put into perspective first (and be reasonable). Sounds like he just enjoys torturing players. Well, you anyway. I'd say good luck and find another DM if you can.
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An urumi is 4-5.5 feet long.
A greatsword is 5 feet long.If the urumi gets reach, the greatsword should also get reach.
The greatsword doesn't have reach.
Therefore, the urumi doesn't have reach.
As far as things go in terms of greatswords, I'm tired of seeing them. I'm also tired of scimitars, composite longbows, and daggers. There is just no weapon variety because of the way specific weapons are "Must haves."
To me, taking a feat to get access to the use of an exotic weapon should open up new and interesting ways to efficiently do damage or otherwise be combative. As it stand there is almost no reason to use an exotic weapon (Other than perhaps maybe the racial weapons and crossbows) over a martial one and I find that to be fundamentally flawed.
After reading this threads responses over the last day I decided that the way I am handling it is that this weapon gives you the benefit of being treated as if you had the lunge feat while using it.
1d8 +str, 18-20 x2 Crit, +2 on disarm checks.
I have NO issue houseruling on things that don't make sense to me and in this case, it will help bring some flavor to my table.
...Seriously? You would disallow the kukri? Why?...
The Kukris stats are already there, a Kukri is a Dagger, simple as that! Just like a Katana is a Bastard Sword and a Kopi is a Scimitar. Of this group only the Urumi can be truly called an exotic weapon.
If you want to overcategorize weapons, there is absolutely no need to leave europe at all, because european shortsword style weapons alone could probably made into 10 different weapons for pathfinder. If you're interested then go and read anything from R. Eward Oakeshott.
That being said I have absolutely nothing against weapons from Asia, Africa or America in Pathfinder, but do they all need their own (often cheesy) stats?
On to the Urumi:
RAW the Urumi is a useless weapon, which was also true on the battlefield against armord opponents! An Urumi can not cut into even Light Armor, but is highly efficient against non armored targets. An Urumi is also very hard to master and prone to damage the wielder. An Urumi hasn't got reach because it's as long as a Bastard Sword.
What do we make of this?
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... An Urumi hasn't got reach because it's as long as a Bastard Sword.What do we make of this?
First off, historically the longest weapon that is comparable to a traditional sword (that can be realistically charged as actually having been made for actual combat) was the German Zweihänder. This is what the in-game Greatsword is modeled after. These swords measured no more than 4.5 feet in length and REQUIRED 2 hands to weild.
A bastard sword is a might bit shorter than that, at something from 3.5-4 feet at max, no longer.
The Urumi is a a flexible whiplike sword that is rolled up until it is used. Used in a single hand they are historically 4.5-6 feet in length, and weigh significantly less than the traditional longsword, much less a bastard sword or greatsword.
Now extend your arm out as far as you can, your wrist will be a good 24 inches out at least. Add 5 feet to that and you have what? 7 feet of extension. The weight of the weapon allows that much reach easily. A greatsword or bastard sword has to be held closer to your body due to its weight and momentum lest you cleave through the air and hit the ground every time.
i kind of exxaggerated things too much, but he does penalize oriental pcs. 10-40% item price markup (applies to enchanting the item too) and 500 gold piece per item per year registration fee but yeah, it does get pretty extreme. the markup rate for the month is determined by a d4.the penalties only applied to foreign goods owned by foreigners. any westerners could get away with whatever they pleased. his nippophobia bled into his dming. because he was a nippophobe, he never gave eastern loot in any horde. no kimono of the archmage, sun katana, wounding wakizashi, haori of resistance or anything like that.So...your DM prestige classed into Ass Clown? Not many people are willing to invest quite that many ranks in Perform (Douchebaggery)...
Sounds like he really didn't want you to play that character, but rather than ruling against it, he is just being very passive/aggressive about it and trying to make you miserable so you give it up. Not the best way to go about things, to put it mildly. I can see limiting character options if they don't fit the campaign world, but allowing them and then penalizing them is kind of bad. Just curious, did he try to discourage you from playing this character and you insisted? Did he tell you upfront this character would face these problems and you chose to play it anyway? And finally, do you always play eastern-inspired characters, no matter what the campaign setting? The answers to these may reveal more about your DM's motivations.
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Sounds like he really didn't want you to play that character, but rather than ruling against it, he is just being very passive/aggressive about it and trying to make you miserable so you give it up. Not the best way to go about things, to put it mildly. I can see limiting character options if they don't fit the campaign world, but allowing them and then penalizing them is kind of bad. Just curious, did he try to discourage you from playing this character and you insisted? Did he tell you upfront this character would face these problems and you chose to play it anyway? And finally, do you always play eastern-inspired characters, no matter what the campaign setting? The answers to these may reveal more about your DM's motivations.i kind of exxaggerated things too much, but he does penalize oriental pcs. 10-40% item price markup (applies to enchanting the item too) and 500 gold piece per item per year registration fee but yeah, it does get pretty extreme. the markup rate for the month is determined by a d4.the penalties only applied to foreign goods owned by foreigners. any westerners could get away with whatever they pleased. his nippophobia bled into his dming. because he was a nippophobe, he never gave eastern loot in any horde. no kimono of the archmage, sun katana, wounding wakizashi, haori of resistance or anything like that.So...your DM prestige classed into Ass Clown? Not many people are willing to invest quite that many ranks in Perform (Douchebaggery)...
+1
Sounds like you're the one being unreasonable by tring to shoehorn a Japanese character into a very non-Japanese setting. Maybe he's not being "nippophobic," but trying to counter your "nippocentrism."
As the original designer of the urumi (which has undergone significant alteration since PF #9, and did even before it was published), here are my two cents about the weak/useless concerns:
The weapons in 3.5/PRPG use a certain calculus to determine their abilities. One of the conceits is that adding a benefit (such as higher crit range, or increased damage dice) also adds a restriction to use (increasing a simple weapon to martial, a martial or exotic, a one-handed to two-handed, etc.).
The urumi is a longsword with:
-an expanded crit range (18-20 vs. 19-20)
-a +2 bonus to disarm checks
-takes half damage from sundering attempts
That's three benefits, the last of which is fairly minor. At the very least, that warrants at least one increase. Keeping this a martial weapon would presume that you can improve any weapon in the game, and not require any sacrifice for use (and, as a result, you'd have a significant number of urumi-adopters switching from the longsword, but for flavor reasons stopping them).
By another calculation, the urumi is a scimitar with an increased damage die (d8 vs. d6) and the benefits to disarm and sundering. Again, keeping this as a martial weapon can't be justified according to the calculations governing weapon balance.
If you don't think the benefits are worth the feat, then don't take the feat. The same argument can be made for a bastard sword--if the increased damage die doesn't seem worth the feat, you don't wield it one-handed with Exotic Weapon Proficiency. Feeling that the feat isn't worth it for you or your character isn't an indication of weakness or imbalance; it's an indication that you're weighing the cost (a feat) against the benefits (increased damage, better disarming)--which is what you're supposed to do in the first place.
FWIIW, I would rule that this weapon is ineffective against anyone with a +3 armor bonus or higher.
That would be a cruel and pointless ruling, particularly since the thing doesn't get reach anymore and isn't at all spectacular; ultimately, it's just the standard small increase in damage for exotic weapons, with a couple minor incidentals.
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FWIIW, I would rule that this weapon is ineffective against anyone with a +3 armor bonus or higher.That would be a cruel and pointless ruling, particularly since the thing doesn't get reach anymore and isn't at all spectacular; ultimately, it's just the standard small increase in damage for exotic weapons, with a couple minor incidentals.
It isn't cruel, it's applicable. Its nothing than a glorified whip IRL. Anyone wearing better than leather armor would be unaffected by it. If you want to use it, fine, but don't expect to do damage against someone in plate mail.
It isn't cruel, it's applicable. Its nothing than a glorified whip IRL. Anyone wearing better than leather armor would be unaffected by it. If you want to use it, fine, but don't expect to do damage against someone in plate mail.
Except it is cruel, as the weapon gets absolutely no benefit whatsoever that could possibly justify such an extreme constraint. At least the whip (which hardly anyone actually uses) has reach beyond even a reach weapon as well as flexible reach, unique properties that no other class can boast. Still not enough to justify the, "And everyone in the universe is completely immune to it," constraint, but it's something.