Let me clarify that I'm not looking to use a Khopesh with two hands. I'm looking for a weapon that's bigger than the described Khopesh in the books. A khopesh is described as being 20 to 24 inches long (total length, not just blade). To me that's really short. A sickle could up to 18 inches long. Of course, the khopesh is meant as a one-handed weapon. I'm looking for something a little bigger. Something that would be around 42 inches (3.5 feet) long. Similar to a bastard sword that is described as 4 feet long.
If there a weapon like this that I'm over looking? If not, then I'm looking to create one. But even though I looked over the weapon creation rules... I really have no idea what to do.
To me, the weapon would be exotic. For one, Khopesh is exotic. And two, a bastard sword (being hand & half) is exotic. It could still offer the Trip feature. That's not important to me, but to keep in line with Khopesh.
I guess my main question would be... what would be the base damage of this type of weapon? With it being bigger, thus heavier than a khopesh, I would think it would do more damage than 1d8. So here's what I'm thinking:
1) 2d4 -- Same as a Falchion since they are similarly large, curved slashing weapons.
2) 1d10 -- Same as a Bastard Sword since both are hand & half. Also similar to the Dwarven Waraxe. With the Khopesh's curved blade, probably more similar to the Waraxe.
3) 1d12 -- Same as a Great Axe. The curved blade is more similar to an axe than a sword. Probably not as big and devastating as a Great Axe, but maybe.
4) 2d6 -- Same as a Great Sword, but I think this is too much damage since it's not a dedicated two hand weapon. Nor is it 5 feet long.
I'm actually leaning towards 1d10. With the forward-setting curved blade, the weapon's damage threat is truly more like an axe than a sword. Of course being in the form of a sword give more flexibility with attacks and parries. For me, I'd say 1d10, putting the weapon in line with the Dwraven Waraxe and Bastard Sword.
If it is more like an axe, then it brings up the question of the crit stats. I'm surprised the Khopesh is 19-20 x2 like many swords, and that it's not more like an axe with a crit on 20 x3. Thoughts welcome on crit stats as well.
I would think you have two choices:
- Falchion - it's curved, it's 2-handed
- Elven curved blade - same deal.
Stick with existing weapons, and just modify the name.
If you really want to one-hand it, then the bastard sword is your go-to. Or katana, if you're stuck on the curved part.
Wayfinder #12 (free!) has a great khopesh in the "The Binding Blades of Osirion" article (pg 16). It's an exotic two-handed weapon that does 1d10/19-20x3 damage.
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A hand-and-a-half weapon can't be much bigger than a standard 1-hander, or it won't be usable. The khopesh is fairly small because it's really a chopping weapon like an epsilon axe, so the weight is towards the end of the blade and that makes it unwieldy. Also bronze, low-tech, etc.
So really, just bump the standard khopesh damage up one step (1d10) and otherwise use the Bastard Sword handedness rules.
Thanks for the advice guys! Just discovered the Shotel. Seems to be what I'm looking for. Reading real life descriptions of this weapon's historical usage mentions that it was commonly used by both mounted and dismounted warriors. Which fits the Mounted Fury Barbarian character (that's going to use this weapon) perfectly.
Shotels are generally around 40 inches long, so perfect length. With a weapon of this size, I was hoping for a little more damage than a 1d8. But when dismounted and using 2-handed, I'll get the 1.5x bonus from my Barbarian, which should be decent enough. And it has a pretty neat special ability that gives it +1 attack against shields (except tower).
Historical records mention that it was used with hooking techniques. And that it was commonly used to rip cavalry off their mounts. Wish there was a special ability to show this. But alas, you can't have it all. Happy I discovered the Shotel. It should fit in with the character's background and story well.
Thanks again!