Katanas = Underpowered in d20

That’s it. I’m sick of all this “Masterwork Bastard Sword” bullshit that’s going on in the d20 system right now. Katanas deserve much better than that. Much, much better than that.
I should know what I’m talking about. I myself commissioned a genuine katana in Japan for 2,400,000 Yen (that’s about $20,000) and have been practicing with it for almost 2 years now. I can even cut slabs of solid steel with my katana.
Japanese smiths spend years working on a single katana and fold it up to a million times to produce the finest blades known to mankind.
Katanas are thrice as sharp as European swords and thrice as hard for that matter too. Anything a longsword can cut through, a katana can cut through better. I’m pretty sure a katana could easily bisect a knight wearing full plate with a simple vertical slash.
Ever wonder why medieval Europe never bothered conquering Japan? That’s right, they were too scared to fight the disciplined Samurai and their katanas of destruction. Even in World War II, American soldiers targeted the men with the katanas first because their killing power was feared and respected.
So what am I saying? Katanas are simply the best sword that the world has ever seen, and thus, require better stats in the d20 system. Here is the stat block I propose for Katanas:
(One-Handed Exotic Weapon) 1d12 Damage 19-20 x4 Crit +2 to hit and damage Counts as Masterwork
(Two-Handed Exotic Weapon) 2d10 Damage 17-20 x4 Crit +5 to hit and damage Counts as Masterwork
Now that seems a lot more representative of the cutting power of Katanas in real life, don’t you think?
tl;dr = Katanas need to do more damage in d20, see my new stat block.

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This is stale pasta
But to make it easier for everyone who sees the thread:
Katanas are two handed sabres, thus retarded by definition as the two concepts take away each others main strengths

That's it. I approve of all this "Masterwork Bastard Sword" bullshit that's going on in the d20 system right now. Katanas deserve just about that. Just about exactly that.

I should know what I'm talking about. I myself commissioned a reproduction katana made from modern mono-steel from Chenness Cutlery for 135 dollars (that's about $140) and have been practicing with it for almost 2 years. I can even cut through a tatami mat wrapped around a bamboo stick with an additional couple layers of rawhide wrapped around the exterior with my "katana".

Japanese smiths spend months working on a single katana and fold it up to a couple dozen times maximum to produce the finest blades with an even distribution of carbon and a minimum of impurities that they were capable of, given the low-grade iron they started with
Katanas are possibly somewhat sharper than European swords due to a harder albeit more brittle cutting edge although less durable too, although softer layers of steel in the core and back of the blade mitigate this to a degree. Anything a longsword can cut through, a katana may or may not be able to cut through just as well, depending on on a whole lot of variables. I'm pretty sure a katana could easily mortally wound a man-at-arms in hardened leather armor with patches of maile or iron banding with a simple verticle slash.

Ever wonder why medieval Europe never bothered conquering Japan? That's right, they were not yet in the Age of Sail and weren't entirely aware that Japan was a place, and entirely too concerned with killing other medieval Europeans and, when possible, Saracens. Even in World War II, American soldiers targetted the men with katanas first because killing enemy officers is sound tactics.

So what am I saying? Katanas are simply a perfectly functional sword if you're not likely to encounter opponents wearing chainmail, plate armor, or using decent shields, and thus require about the same stats in the D20 system. Here is the stat block I propose for Katanas.
Cost: 80 gp
Damage (Small): 1d8
Damage (Medium)1: 1d10
Critical: 18-20/x2
Range Increment: —
Weight2: 5 lbs
Type3: Slashing
HP4: 5
Hardness: 10

Now that seems a lot more representative of the cutting power of Katanas in real life, don't you think?

tl;dr: Katanas do about the right amount of damage in d20, see the SRD.

Veeky Forums, we really, REALLY need to talk about the recent surge in popularity of "katanas" around here, especially the trend of recommending it as a good weapon for "introducing" fighters to warfare.

I understand that there is an obsession with being subversive and finding the most super specialest alternative to bastard swords possible, but having finally taken the time to read into kenjtsu and the reasons why this weaponry has caught on around here and other battlefields I feel the need to be frank: this NEEDS to stop. I try as hard as I can not to be a "badwrongfun" style curmudgeon, but this is not a sword. Full stop. This is not a sword, and this disingenuous promotion of it as such is legitimately dangerous to this army. This is an exercise in self-congratulatory knife tricks.

This is a "sword" where the skill of literally any warrior is by design arbitrary, not just from technique to technique, but from handgrip to handgrip. There's no actual combat or tactics at play, everyone takes turns basically switching up a "combat stance" and resolve everything through "single attacks" and "draw out techniques" triggered at the sensei's whim. This is a weapon proud of being anti-peasant, where the goal is to explain to the lower classes how many cool things your samurai do instead of actively overcoming any challenges in your way.

It's chaos. Consequences of certain metal failures are ignored haphazardly. The master is encouraged to be more of a sparring partner than an actual referee of any skills. At Veeky Forums's suggestion I watched a few videos of people wielding this. At one point the *teacher* asked the *students* what things their katanas could cut.

I get that the people involved in this swordwork by admission shill it everywhere, but please stop pushing this as a weapon for beginners. It's dangerous to our army and the behaviors it promotes encourages entitled soldiers with disruptive expectations for how battles are meant to work.

Stop.

fpbp

Is this the same guy who p0sted the "Fedora Tipper Stole 'my gf' rwar" Thread yesterday?

iHope he sticks around and keeps doing it :*)

Thanks for the input, Matt Easton.

Though for the record, the knife is pronounced "Boo-ee", you limey fucker. Still, keep up the good work.

Actually, that thread wasn't bad, he almost had it. I generally enjoy this pasta, someone will always sperg everywhere over it and it's hilarious. I hope he tries again too, maybe he'll succeed.

tfw OP posted this thread just to post this reaction image

That's it. I'm sick of all this "Dex Fighter with 2-hander" bullshit that's going on in the d20 system right now. Landsknechten deserve much better than that. Much, much better than that.

I should know what I'm talking about. I myself inherited 10 square kilometers of farmland (that's about 2500 acres) and the 3000 German serfs (that's about 30 human beings) that came with it and have been ordering them around for almost 2 years now. I can even assault the Prince-Archbishop of Trier's palace with my Landsknechten.

German wenches spend years working on giving birth to a single Landsknecht-to-be and beat them up to a million times to produce the thoughest beings known to mankind.

Landsknechten are thrice as strong as üntermenschen and thrice as fast for that matter too. Anything a Jew can lift, a Landsknecht can lift better. I'm pretty sure a Landsknecht could easily bisect a Jew wearing ill-aquired full plate with a simple vertical slash of his bare hand.

Ever wonder why medieval Israel never bothered conquering the Holy Roman Empire? That's right, they were too scared to fight the disciplined feudal lords and their Landsknechten of destruction. Even in World War II, American soldiers targeted the men with retinues first because their killing power was feared and respected.

So what am I saying? Landsknechten are simply the best warriors that the world has ever seen, and thus, require better stats in the d20 system. Here is the stat block I propose for Landsknechten:

28 STR
28 DEX
49 CON
16 INT
16 WIS
50 CHA

DEX modifier as a bonus to to-hit and damage
CHA modifier as a bonus to to-hit and damage
Gains Power Attack, Cleave, Weapon Focus (all), Weapon specialization (all), Greater Weapon Focus (all), Greater Weapon Specialization (all) as bonus feats.

Now that seems a lot more representative of the fighting power of Landsknechten in real life, don't you think?

tl;dr = Landsknechten need to be stronger in d20, see my new stat block.

Now to be completely serious, virtually all swords in D&D should be near useless when facing armor, with only swords possessing quillons being able to take an action to chance stances to change their damage to blunt or piercing at the cost of halving their reach.

That’s it. I’m sick of all this “Twenty-Sided Die” bullshit that’s going on in the d20 system right now. d20s deserve much better than that. Much, much better than that.
I should know what I’m talking about. I myself commissioned a genuine plastic d20 at my FLGS for 25 cents Yen (that’s about $0.25) and have been practicing with it for almost 2 years now. I can even roll my d20 over slabs of solid steel.
Chinese injection molds spend milliseconds working on a single d20 and print numbers on it up to twenty times to produce the finest dice known to mankind.
d20s are twice as round as d10s and have twice the numbers for that matter too. Anything a d6 can roll on, a d20 can roll on better. I’m pretty sure a d20 could easily predict whether or not my character bisects a knight wearing full plate with a simple vertical slash.
Ever wonder why medieval Europe never bothered conquering Japan? I have to, but that's not really relevant to my discussion about d20s as the dice of destruction. Even in World War the 1980s, American nerds rolled d20s in their primitive RPGs because their killing power was feared and respected.
So what am I saying? d20s are simply the best dice that the world has ever seen, and thus, require better stats in the d20 system. Here is the stat block I propose for d20s:
(die used in attack rolls) double every number on the die, and a 20 is treated as an automatic kill
(on skill checks) roll the die three times and pick your favorite number
Now that seems a lot more representative of the power of d20s in real life, don’t you think?

Funny how there are virtually no vocal weeaboos on the internet anymore compared to mid-2000s, yet people still feel compelled to endlessly post about how katanas are barely better than pointy sticks and how a knight could kill 1,000 samurai with one blow of his superior European sword, arguing with a non-existent strawman over and over and over again.

Someones been reading 1d4chan

I think people just like old memes.

>ITT

Pure fucking gold

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That’s it. I’m sick of all this “Masterwork Tartaros Armour” bullshit that’s going on in the Horus Heresy system right now. Artificer Armour deserves much better than that. Much, much better than that.
I should know what I’m talking about. I myself commissioned a genuine suit of Artificer Armour on Mars for 2,400,000 Astartes Progenoids (that’s about $20,000) and have been practicing with it for almost 2 years now. I can even ignore lascannon shots to the head with my artificer armour.
Mechanicum techpriests spend centuries working on a single suit of artificer armour and fold it up to a million times to produce the finest armour known to mankind.
Artificer Armour thrice as tough as Terminator Armour and thrice as hard for that matter too. Anything a suit of Terminator armour can survive, a suit of Artificer Armour can survive better. I’m pretty sure a suit of Artificer Armour could survive a Volcano Cannon shot at point blank range.
Ever wonder why Eldar never bothered conquering Terra? That’s right, they were too scared to fight the disciplined Astartes and their Artificer Armour of survival. Even during the Great Crusade, Eldar Aspect Warriors targeted the men with the Artificer Armour first because their killing power was feared and respected.
So what am I saying? Artificer Armour is simply the best armour that the galaxy has ever seen, and thus, require better stats in the Horus Heresy system. Here is the stat block I propose for Katanas:
>2+/3++ can reroll any failed armour saves, Feel no Pain 4+, Relentless, It Will Not Die
>Now that seems a lot more representative of the survivability of Artificer Armour in real life, don’t you think?
>tl;dr = Artificer Armour needs to offer more protection in 30k, see my new stat block.

>Sword, bastard | 35 gp | 1d10 | 19-20/×2 | — | 6 lb. | Slashing

There you go OP, a sword that requires special training to use and is actually pretty good for a one handed weapon. If it's made by a master sword smith than it becomes mastercrafted. Done.

(you)

Does anyone have one for Greatswords?

They do seem to half multiple men in one swipe.