Weapon perks.

[Karranthain]

I've mentioned Weapon perks before, but I thought it warrants a more in-depth explanation.

 

What are these exactly? In short they'd be similar to character feats (D&D) or perks (Fallout), only attached to a weapon (not all of them would be beneficial, however), e.g.

 

1) Harder to parry against (Flamberge);

2) Tiring to use (Greatswords);
3) Light (Smallsword);
4) Can misfire (Firearms);

5) Can be concealed (Daggers);

6) Ignores armour (Firearms);

7) Increased critical chance (Rapiers).

 

How would it be decided which weapon has which perk? Here are a few methods :

 

1) Some would be attached to a certain weapon type (or subtype) automatically, e.g. 

 

- all weapons categorized as Greatswords would have the Tiring to use perk by default. Flamberges (being a subtype of Greatswords), however, would additionally possess the Harder to parry against perk.

 

2) Others would be a result of training (or lack of one), e.g. 

 

- a character proficient in the use of Greatswords ignores the Tiring to use perk attached to them;

- someone not skilled in the proper use of rapiers can't exploit the Increased critical chance perk they possess;

- a particularly skilled combatant can add perks to a weapon, e.g. adding the Harder to parry against perk to rapiers.

 

3) Crafting could add or remove perks, e.g. 

 

- forging a Greatsword from a rare metal results in removing the Tiring to use perk from it;

- conversely, crafting a weapon from poor quality materials could add a detrimental perk to it (or not add the default beneficial one).

 

 

Perks would also allow the players to quickly asses weapons' strengths and weaknesses.

Edited March 3, 2013 by Karranthain

[JFSOCC]

This is a fantastic idea which adds a lot of gameplay. Maybe you can infiltrate that party and prevent an assassination, (or assassinate) but you'll have to carry concealed weapons.

 

Maybe you'll need to beat a heavily armoured knight (paladin, whatever) You can take a weapon which pierces armour, but is also tiring to use. etc.

 

This would further allow you to customize your party to play according to your playstyle, and perhaps further increase the value of the crafting system.

[Karranthain]

This is a fantastic idea which adds a lot of gameplay. Maybe you can infiltrate that party and prevent an assassination, (or assassinate) but you'll have to carry concealed weapons.

 

Maybe you'll need to beat a heavily armoured knight (paladin, whatever) You can take a weapon which pierces armour, but is also tiring to use. etc.

 

This would further allow you to customize your party to play according to your playstyle, and perhaps further increase the value of the crafting system.

 

New Vegas had concealable weapons (you weren't allowed to carry weapons in the casinos), which I thought was a nice touch. And good point about crafting - perks could make it a lot more interesting; especially if a master crafter would have a wider range of perks to choose from.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

I don't think weapons need "perks", I think that attributes can just be applied in the statistics. For example, if a weapon is light, it has a higher base attack speed.

[Karranthain]

I don't think weapons need "perks", I think that attributes can just be applied in the statistics. For example, if a weapon is light, it has a higher base attack speed.

 

Perks would allow for a wider range of weapon characteristics, e.g.

 

4) Can misfire (Firearms);

5) Can be concealed (Daggers);

6) Ignores armour (Firearms);

 

Not all of them could be easily represented statistically (unless you introduce a lot of them); besides, perks would way more transparent (due to being largely standardized). Each could be denoted by an icon, allowing the players to tell, at a first glance, what are the weapons' strengths and weaknesses, e.g.

 

- player inspects the weapon and notices it has 15 base attack speed speed and a -5 penalty to parrying.

 

Without context, that tells us very little, doesn't it? Perks would facilitate making informed choices when it comes to equipment.

 

Last, but not least, it'd be very easy to tell what player training does - beneficial perks added through it could be marked; detrimental ones could be greyed out etc.

[TrashMan]

Wouldn't all heavy weapons by tireing to use? Especially things like two-handed axes, which are heavier and less balanced that greatswords?

 

I'm kinda for and against this.

 

For because weapons could always use things to tell them apart.

Against because you don't really need perks. Stats would be sufficient in most cases (with possible exception being special checks - lik if the weapon can be hidden or not)

[Nonek]

This is a brilliant idea, don't know if it's implementable but I like it. How about the Dane Axe as sported by the Vikings and Saxon huscarls, a very light, thin but broad blade having a perk such as: Butchery (double damage against lightly armoured and un-armoured foes.)  Perfect for rogues and the mounts of cavalry.

Edited March 4, 2013 by Nonek

[Jarrakul]

I think that everything that can be incorporated into the weapon's stats should be. Speed, stamina drain (if that's a mechanic), damage, armor penetration, crit chance, all these things should just be part of a weapon's base stats. Other things, like "can misfire" and "can be concealed" are great as perks and I'm all for them.

[AGX-17]

A rapier should have increased armor penetration vs light/medium armored enemies and increased critical chance vs. light or unarmored enemies, rather than a blanket increase in critical chance. Maybe it could do increased critical damage if you successfully crit a heavily armored foe, but it should be essentially useless in terms of normal hits vs heavy armor. A rapier flat out can't penetrate steel plate armor. Rapiers and smallswords didn't emerge until heavy plate armor was made obsolete by firearms, and were made primarily for dueling, which didn't typically involve the use of armor.

Edited March 6, 2013 by AGX-17

[Karranthain]

I think that everything that can be incorporated into the weapon's stats should be. Speed, stamina drain (if that's a mechanic), damage, armor penetration, crit chance, all these things should just be part of a weapon's base stats. Other things, like "can misfire" and "can be concealed" are great as perks and I'm all for them.

 

My intention wasn't to replace weapon statistics altogether. For an instance, perks could also be used to denote a certain range, e.g.

 

Greatsword has 15 base attack speed, therefore it's categorized as a slow weapon (and thus has the appropriate perk attached to it).

 

And, as I've mentioned before, not every weapon characteristic could be easily represented statistically (nor should be, in my opinion; having too many weapon statistics could potentially lead to an over-complicated and obscure system. I feel that perks, however, would alleviate that problem while allowing for a greater range of weapon characteristics).

 

A rapier should have increased armor penetration vs light/medium armored enemies and increased critical chance vs. light or unarmored enemies, rather than a blanket increase in critical chance. Maybe it could do increased critical damage if you successfully crit a heavily armored foe, but it should be essentially useless in terms of normal hits vs heavy armor. A rapier flat out can't penetrate steel plate armor. Rapiers and smallswords didn't emerge until heavy plate armor was made obsolete by firearms, and were made primarily for dueling, which didn't typically involve the use of armor.

 

Naturally, but the perk examples I've posted were used to merely illustrate the concept.

Edited March 24, 2013 by Karranthain