The way Pathfinder 2 has decided to implement versatile damage makes little sense for most of the weapons it applies to. For instance, what exactly is a character doing to switch a morningstar between bludgeoning damage and piercing damage? Why can't you use polearms, especially spear-like polearms, to deal bludgeoning damage? What is gained by removing the tempo advantage that a cut-and-thrust sword traditionally used to its advantage?
It simply doesn't make sense how the trait was assigned and why it takes an action to change between damage types.
It does not take an action for a versatile weapon to change between damage types. You're thinking of the modular trait. With a versatile weapon you simply declare what kind of attack you're making when you attack with it.
First, Versatile doesn't require an action to switch between damage types. I think there is a different trait that does though.
Edit: Modular trait is what I am thinking of.
My humble opinion on Versatile is that versatile damage trait is for one of two reasons.
1) The weapon inherently does both types of damage and the game mechanics simply need a way to reflect that. This would be for weapons like the morningstar - a mass-based weapon with piercing spikes. I think the Concussive trait of some firearms fits this idea too.
2) The weapon has two similar modes of operation that the user can consciously switch between without having to make any changes in their posture or the weapon itself. This would be for a sword that could be used for slashing or stabbing with.
It does not take an action for a versatile weapon to change between damage types. You're thinking of the modular trait. With a versatile weapon you simply declare what kind of attack you're making when you attack with it.
In that case my bad. Though it still doesn't make sense that something like a morningstar doesn't do both types at once.
It's one of many things in pf2 that doesn't make sense. Yet there is. Maybe they (designers) can change in some errata but I don't expect it.
Only after G&G the Concussive trait was added. Before it weapons have only one type of damage per time no matter how they works or look.
Morningstar mase
That says bludgeoning, not slashing.
But it is missing vast amounts of data needed for running a campaign
Not really. It doesn't have lore material, and it's missing certain monsters from APs, but in terms of the fundamental rules of the game everything is there.
It does not take an action for a versatile weapon to change between damage types. You're thinking of the modular trait. With a versatile weapon you simply declare what kind of attack you're making when you attack with it.In that case my bad. Though it still doesn't make sense that something like a morningstar doesn't do both types at once.
"Does whichever one is better" is functionally the same as "does both at once". It'd be silly to have a different keyword for the same mechanical result.
There definitely are a lot of swords that really should be able to use both slashing and piercing damage but for the sake of balance are not. The Bastard Sword, for example.
Yes there are some that I can begrudge being only one or the other. Rapiers are designed mostly as a thrusting weapon, and even though Scimitars are perfectly fine at piercing, they are much better at cutting and thematically are used as a cut only weapon.
Still, as a DM I don't really consider the ability to use both slashing and piercing damage to be that valuable and I usually allow either (Bludgeoning is the one that is extremely valuable to have along either of the other two).
This tends to make Greatswords feel kind of pointless (hehe) so I tend to throw Sweep on them and make them into Advanced weapons, and then have a Level 5 General Feat that allows you to treat Advanced Weapons as Martial Weapons.
There definitely are a lot of swords that really should be able to use both slashing and piercing damage but for the sake of balance are not. The Bastard Sword, for example.
The bastard sword really bugs me because the weapon entry specifically says that it was designed to be good at slashing or piercing.
Though it still doesn't make sense that something like a morningstar doesn't do both types at once."Does whichever one is better" is functionally the same as "does both at once". It'd be silly to have a different keyword for the same mechanical result.
Almost equivalent, but not quite.
If there is a difference in the two types (usually because the enemy is resistant or weak to one of them), then if it is doing both at the same time, like Concussive, then the player doesn't need to know which type to choose. With Versatile the player - or rather the player's character - needs to pick one of the types when they make the attack. If they don't know which type is better, they may choose wrong.
I am still learning how to use the Archives of Nethys. When I go to read the Core Rulebook by clicking the link Core Rulebook pg. 283 4.0 only to be sent to a marketing page when I thought the link would have do this Click here for the full rules on Base Weapons. You instead have to navigate through the menu and have a working knowledge of the sites workings.
Clicking on the source book link does take you to the store page to buy that book. Which is not helpful.
The rest of the links that are game terms do link to the game rules for those terms though. So if it has links for traits or names or other such things, those go where you expect them to.
Not everything has links though. The site isn't perfect.
The funny thing is that, as far as I can tell, Versatile S on a piercing weapon and vice versa offer extremely fringe benefits, but don't seem to be budgeted that way. Overlap of slashing/piercing resistance is almost 100% and weakness (or something similar) to only one type is similarly rare. Zombies having slashing weakness and Rakshasas losing their resistance due to piercing damage are the only prominent example I can think of.
At least piercing can turn your sword into an underwater sword (tm). That saved my character's life once, so I can't dunk on this too much :)
So yeah, that's a bit odd.
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I just let my players use any weapons that dont have a versatile trait that want to inflict a certain type of damage with a weapon that the weapon could reasonably do but can't do so, but at a -2 item penalty; like a soft improvised weapon type ruling. Most polearns aren't especially amazing staves, but the DO have a big long wooden haft, you can hit someone with the butt of your sword, etc