Nodachi vs Large Katana

[crashcanuck]

I'm considering making a character that focuses on using a two handed sword with good crit range. With the build I'm looking at he could use a Nodachi or a Large size Katana, would the -2 to hit be worth the damage dice being 2d6 compared to the Nodachi's 1d10?

[lemeres]

1.5 damage in return for -2 attack?

...no, it would be better to avoid that entirely. Better to just get the nodachi and enlarge and other tricks than to try to make heads and or tails of how various effects interact with improperly sized equipment.

[Lady-J]

falchion

[lemeres]

Lady-J wrote:

falchion

Just a note:

nodachi- 1d10= 5.5
Falcion- 2d4= 5
large katana- 2d6= 7, but with a -2 to attack.

Nodachis are ever so slightly better than the falchion.

[Lady-J]

slightly higherminimum damage> slightly higher max damage

[Grandlounge]

Higher average damage is higher average damage. The benefit of 2 dice is more consistent damage but it does less damage on average so if the op wants the most damage falcion is worse at doing damage. -2 to attack is about a -4 to damage.

So the ranking based on the average is:

Nodatchi
Falcion
Large Katana

[Matt2VK]

Another factor is that Nodachi can do either piercing or slashing damage. Katana only deals slashing.

[lemeres]

Matt2VK wrote:

Another factor is that Nodachi can do either piercing or slashing damage. Katana only deals slashing.

although the usefulness of that is...questionable in most circumstances.

There are very, very few creatures with dr/piercing (rakshasha?). There are also underwater rules, and...maybe some stuff like swashbuckler (although obviously not swashbuckler itself, since this si 2 handed).

I have theorized before that piercing was more of a nerf that was grandfathered in from older D&D (bows, long spears, rapiers, etc- all piercing, all of which might be worth nerfing a bit)

[deuxhero]

One thing to note is the Nodachi is both a heavy blade and a polearm. There are a (very) few tricks that opens up (It's a huge advantage with Path of War though).

(Also it has Brace, but the readied action rules are too much of a mess for that to be worthwhile)

[Kalindlara]

Thanks to the Shield Brace feat, in some cases, the nodachi is a better katana than a regular-size katana. ^_^

[Snakers]

Deuxhero, could you elaborate on how polearm and heavy blade advantages someone in Path of War? I'm curious on which disciplines you'd pick that you couldn't combine otherwise. PM me if you want since it's a bit off-topic. You might have insight I'm missing.

[deuxhero]

It's not that you can't combine them otherwise, it's that you get the discipline weapon bonus on both without spending a feat.

[lemeres]

another advantage of the polearm listing is that it can be used by sohei archetype monks, and it is fairly much a default for them if they use weapons and don't go for reach.

I will note that soheis are the one that are actually good at fighting (they get weapon training from fighters, so they can match full BAB even without flurries, and can get about fighter levels of attack bonus during flurries), so this is worth considering. I would go for reach weapons myself personally, but nodachis are fine too.

[Darksol the Painbringer]

Another big benefit is that, since Nodachis are on the Polearm Fighter Weapon Group, you could use Nodachis with the Shield Brace feat, whereas you could not with a Katana.

Same goes for Falchion.

Appears minimal, but when I can use a Heavy Shield with a Nodachi, whereas I otherwise couldn't with a Katana or Falchion, that's a big difference in both the early game (+2 AC) and the late game (upwards of +7 AC and other benefits) that neither weapon can utilize.