Blade damage

[Murdoc]

I haven't found anything in the errata about this, so does anyone else find it odd that most blades do the same damage? I mean, the vibro-blade of all things does the same damage as a little dagger. o: Is this errata? Or is there some explanation for it? If not I feel another house rule coming on...

And while we're on the subject, does anyone know what a 'space-ax' is anyway? I mean it sounds cool, but what makes it different from a normal ax?

 

[silversides207]

I haven't found anything in the errata about this, so does anyone else find it odd that most blades do the same damage? I mean, the vibro-blade of all things does the same damage as a little dagger. o: Is this errata? Or is there some explanation for it? If not I feel another house rule coming on...

And while we're on the subject, does anyone know what a 'space-ax' is anyway? I mean it sounds cool, but what makes it different from a normal ax?

Is that the vibro-blade from Randall Garrett's book, Unwise Child?

A vibroblade is a nasty weapon. Originally designed as a surgeon’s tool, its special steel blade moves in and out of the heavy hilt at speeds from two hundred to two thousand vibrations per second, depending on the size and the use to which it is to be put. Make it eight inches long, add serrated, diamond-pointed teeth, and you have the man-killing vibroblade. Its danger is in its power; that shivering blade can cut through flesh, cartilage, and bone with almost no effort. It’s a knife with power steering.

 

[Supplement Four]

It would be nice if Blade damage was somehow influenced by STR (or mabe even DEX, with certain weapons). That way, the weakling STR 3 character would do less damage than the strong STR C character.

CT approached this by having min/max mods for weapons. If you've got STR X or less, then you get a negative to hit. And, if y ou've got STR XY or greater, you get a bonus to hit.

That semi-sorta influenced damage becuase the attack roll is an attack and penetrate (attack and damage) roll, in CT. So, the weak are less likely to penetrate (damage) than the strong.

And, different weapons have different min/max ratings.

 

[BytePro]

Damage is a range based on dice, so I can see (given I've seen nothing indicating T5 uses partial dice) the abstract points range potentially being the same for most* bladed weapons. Abstractly, both dagger and a longsword can cut critical blood vessels and organs arguably just as well as each other...

However, if that is the case, what should be different based on the weapon, even abstractly, are the odds to hit and penetrate protective gear (armor), and as S4 pointed out, the advantages/disadvantages of str and dex (using a broadsword vs using a dagger). I.e., the likelihood of doing damage should go up, at least.

CT did this given its attack/damage abstraction DMs for attributes and with its weapons matrix against armor types. It also supported the differences between half a dozen bladed weapons with range modifiers. 4 of the five, though, had the same 2D wound points (Foil w/only 1D and Broadsword with 3D). [Not to say its abstractions didn't suffer plausibility issues. ]

So, in T5 - even though the damage dice are the same - what other things are different about dealing damage with these weapons?

[*tech enhanced 'blades' - vibro, monofilament, plasma, etc. - which easily cut bone without any deflection, I tend to think should do higher damage.]

 

[cuTTer]

It would be nice if Blade damage was somehow influenced by STR (or mabe even DEX, with certain weapons). That way, the weakling STR 3 character would do less damage than the strong STR C character.

It is for certain weapons.

BKs, GBKs, As and Maces (no code...) all have D2=C1, i.e. add STR.