http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kris
With the flurry about the Falacata, I was wondering about the Kris all of the sudden. Read the wikipedia rules and give your opinions on this, seemingly exotic, weapon.
:)
The one that posts the best rules will win one of those "no-prize" prizes. Okay, I may use the dagger in my adventure.
Elton.
Dagger. Piercing damage -1 because the wavy shape makes for lousy penetration, and the uneven edges dull, bend and snag on stuff. Unbalanced for throwing, slashing dmg as normal. Martial weapon. Used basically only by fanatic cultists of serpent-loving deities who don't care that it's an inferior weapon as long as it evokes snakes.
===Aelryinth
Just make it a dagger.
Not to be a downer but reading the Wikipedia article, it seems like an inferior dagger to me. It looks neat but just not as effective. It seems to be more of a cultural/ritualistic item than anything else.
The kris usually has a curved pistol-grip hilt that aids in stabbing strikes.
Piercing weapon, +1 to hit, stacks with any masterwork or enhancement bonus the weapon might have.
It allows the palm of the holding hand to add pressure to the blade while stabbing.
Increase the damage that the dagger inflicts by one step. 1d6, I believe.
The intention is to get the blade automatically turning to slip past the ribs but this works poorly and makes the weapon less durable.
The weapon has half the hp that a typical light metal weapon would have, making it much easier to break/destroy.
I agree with DrDew, it´s more ritualistic than anything. wikipedia tells us that it is a symbol of prestige and used in self defense by commoners but I don´t see it as a real offensive weapon (the typical use of a dagger is being able to cut and holding someone at distance, which is does, however)
wikipedia also says, that the Kris is made of a good steel alloy, folded many times - my advise, make it a basically inferior weapon which is only produced in masterwork quality (or make it a common masterwork dagger)
Other idea: base a class around it. The javese think that the Kris is home to a ghost, which sounds a little bit like the paladin's weapon bond. Create some low armor divine gish (some cleric spells, maybe a spell progression like a bard, maybe WIS to AC, a paladin alike bonded weapon and some ability of speaking with ghosts? Maybe even a Dervish Dance-variant for being armed only with a Kris? Probably not innovative or versatile enough for Paizo to adopt but a fun homebrew class, eh?) who fights with a kris and we're done
It's "Malaysia".
And the weapon referred to as a Keris have blades that range in size from a few inches (a knife) to about a foot and a half (a short sword).
Like wise not all keris have so many bends in the blade. Some have as few as 3 slight curves all the way up to 7 obvious curves.
Some are ceremonial, some were designed for more practical work (such as stabbing someone). Usually the larger blades had fewer curves.
So really a single stat block doesn't really cover them.
I would just use the standard stat blocks for various light blades.
I worked up a Keris in Paths of Power from 4 Winds Fantasy Gaming, as an exotic weapon a gladiator might use.
in short, Exotic, One-Handed, Keris 5gp 1d4(s) / 1d6(m) x2 3 lbs Piercing.
What about something specific? Say, a bonus to bleeding attacks?
The King of fighting knives is the Kris; a slashing, stabbing knife which depends upon its' shape for its' cutting utility. The undulate movement of the blade provides a continuing entering cut for the edge, the point is very sharp with a wound channel wider than any part of the blade. The 'pistol' grip allows for instant repositioning to accommodate changes in the combative distance. The etching of the knife forms a microscopic saw edge that cuts like terror through cloth or meat. The kris has no secondary usage as a tool, it can serve as a badge of rank and certainly reflects the "tribal" affiliation.
The King of fighting knives is the Kris; a slashing, stabbing knife which depends upon its' shape for its' cutting utility. The undulate movement of the blade provides a continuing entering cut for the edge, the point is very sharp with a wound channel wider than any part of the blade. The 'pistol' grip allows for instant repositioning to accommodate changes in the combative distance. The etching of the knife forms a microscopic saw edge that cuts like terror through cloth or meat. The kris has no secondary usage as a tool, it can serve as a badge of rank and certainly reflects the "tribal" affiliation.from this KunTao KnifeFighting site
I call bunk. I would expect a similar kenjutsu site to claim katanas could cut steel or a karate site that claims you can kick boulders apart. I suppose that it is an interesting source for some fictional flavor as long as it is taken with a grain of salt. Although the implications are a little bad for the knife if we look at it from the European perspective the game offers.
It is a knife (read bad)
The whole system of using it forgets about concepts of armor and shields, not to mention weapons longer than itself.
It is unable to remove a limb or deal with bones well.
So read from that site it would just be silly favoritism to say it is better than the khukri knife as a 1d4 18-20 x2 type knife.
Still the OP refrences the falcata, so it is clear that he is looking for it to be a 1d4 17-20 x2 or something like that. I would not go that route as it would be silly broken wrong. At turbo best here I would like to see it as a 1d4 18-20/x2 knife with this special addendum as an exotic weapon. You can apply your dex and/or strength to damage against foes without an armor bonus to AC, and you get neither your dex or strength to damage against foes with armor. Silly, sure, but making it better than the European dagger or the khukri or the punching dagger would be more silly.
The Kris is all-round crap. There is nothing to stat, its just a dagger.
Agreed
the (foot soldier's) Kukri can remove limbs, bone and all. It cut through shields and still left moderate wounds. It could take a horse's leg off it one swing, and punch through most anything less than a full metal breastplate.
Perhaps if it were a pegasus whith hollow bird-like bonues. I suspect that horse leg is a bit of an overstatement. Also the shields thing, I doubt that it would fare well against any reasonably built shield. Though if we follow prescident the kukri would look like a small sized falcata which we do not need in the game. Both blades suffer from the same exact overestimations.
The Katar can deliver pulverizing thrusts that crush ribs and pierce 6 inches deep into the cavity at the same time, while providing forearm guards for defense (very under-stat-ed weapon there) A B+P at the same time that will rip up armor and the man inside.
It is probably a better canidate for making a stronger exotic version of, something other than that x4 tri bladed one.
To be fair, a kukri does have a lot of chopping power. It's a utility tool, used for chopping wood, preparing livestock (cleaning, skinning, etc), and basically all the things you'd use an axe for. It also is a first rate combat knife, and is known to amputate limbs and credited with doing to same with heads.
There is a larger tool similar in design to the kukri that is used for beheading large hoofed mammals.
However, I don't think it's especially great against armor. Now, the Gurkha method of sentry disposal takes steel helmets into consideration - if the sentry is wearing one, they chop at the back of the neck below the rim of the helmet, severing the spine. If the sentry is not wearing a helmet, they chop into the skull. Both methods inflict traumatic nerve disruption and if death isn't instant, it's quick enough while the sentry is unable to even shout for alarm. Both methods are also a lot easier than wrestling someone down and slitting their throat.