Katanas are underpowered

[Stella Brando]

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.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

 

[PrettyDeadman]

Fake news. Katana can *easily* slice through metal and steel ->

 

[PrettyDeadman]

And if you will say that only true master of the blade can properly utilize katana to cut through steel, here is a video of a stupid gaijin using katana clumsily and still being able to cut another sword with it ->

 

[Corvinus]

But who in their right mind would destroy the sword by cutting metal? In a fight, I mean. Much better to cut into the flesh!

 

[Horvatii]

What would actually be the best designed 1h weapon for a 1vs1 duel to the death? No shields or huge handguards.
Interdasting.

 

[Stormcrowfleet]

weebs

 

[OSK]

What would actually be the best designed 1h weapon for a 1vs1 duel to the death? No shields or huge handguards.

 

[Shitty Kitty]

What would actually be the best designed 1h weapon for a 1vs1 duel to the death? No shields or huge handguards.

 

[Cryomancer]

2d10 damage is ludicrous. An freaking halberd deals d10 damage. An warhammer, d8. An heavy crossbow, d10. An musket deals d12. d20 for an katana is too ludicrous... Katanas has poor range(even for swords), no thrusting capability, you can't half sword and the guard is too poor. Anything that a Katana can cut, an axe can cut with far less force and technique required.

What D&D should do is to make slashing weapons far less effective vs armor and heavy armor in particular.

too scared to fight the disciplined Samurai and their katanas of destruction.

Oda nobunaga using firearms conquered Japan... But you don't even need firearms. British longbowmans would easily kill hordes of samurais

 

[Shitty Kitty]

2d10 damage is ludicrous. An freaking halberd deals d10 damage. An warhammer, d8. An heavy crossbow, d10. An musket deals d12. d20 for an katana is too ludicrous... Katanas has poor range(even for swords), no thrusting capability, you can't half sword and the guard is too poor. Anything that a Katana can cut, an axe can cut with far less force and technique required.

What D&D should do is to make slashing weapons far less effective vs armor and heavy armor in particular.

Monks and battledancers can do 2d10 with fists

the problem is, you're a fucking monk or battledancer

 

[Cryomancer]

Monks and battledancers can do 2d10 with fists

Only high level monks who are SUPERNATURAL can do that on 3.5e. Monks on 5e are far weaker than 3.5e. Their unarmed attack only grows up to d10 at lv 20. But there are no reason to make an katana, twice as deadly as a freaking heavy crossbow. Can you imagine how ludicrous would be if a knight in heavy armor fears more a guy with an katana than a guy with an mace or an guy with an musket? Anyone here would say that a musket or a mace is less effective vs heavy armor?

 

[Thac0]

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.

Nice copypasta, is it an original recipe?

What would actually be the best designed 1h weapon for a 1vs1 duel to the death? No shields or huge handguards.
Interdasting.

From watching a lot of historical youtube shit (so take it with a pinch of salt) and knowing one (1) historian who does not specialise in weaponry:

It really defends on wether any participant wears armor. Also if horses are involved obviously it becomes the lance.
For unarmored duelling 1v1 there are two or three runners up.

- normal spear:
Supremely reach, enough power to probably incapacitate you in a single stab. Can be utilised with very little training. Main disadvantages at being bad against armor and against multiple opponents do not matter.
Disadvantages are that once your opponent gets really close and past your guard, or gets hold of the shaft you are fucked.

- Slashing sword (Katana, Sabre or Straight Sword):
Swords are favored for their versatility, and a single slash will kill any unarmored opponent. So it doesn't make a terribly huge difference what sword you use. A good guard is definitly helpfull, so later duelling swords are good. The Katana is a sword that is much worse against armor, and requires very specific care, but it would absolutely be very good in a duel.

- Thrusting Swords (Rapier)
The apex of duelling culture before guns took over.

The thrusting swords probably beat the slashing swords, since the advantage of slash or hybrid swords is that you really kill someone in a single slash. But in a duel whoever lands the first stab probably wins anyway. That said it is interesting wether the rapier beats the spear. I think it does in skilled hands, but I might be wrong. Spears are really really good. That said they are most effectively used 2 handed, so if you have to fight with 1 hand behind your back the rapier is better.

With armor its the warpick. I don't think anything even compares. Maybe with superheavy fullplate a warhammer becomes better.






Also to skip that entire historical power of Katana's bullshit:
Katana's are really good for the role they served. They don't 100% hold up against western swords from the same peroid, because in the high middle ages Germany/Italy/England were in an arms race that lead to the strongest armor and weaponry on the face of earth at that time. That said the difference isn't huge or anything, some Katana's were imported to the west and adored even then because they are really good and good craftsmanship.

 

[Horvatii]

Spear would be 2h though. You gain nothing by holding a rapier with 2 hands... A small spear becomes very mobile with 2 hands. If spears than only 1h.

I imagine the duels would be very pokey, with circling and feinting and trying to get an unpunished hit, even a small one.
The idea would be not only to survive but also not to get irreperable damage.
Like you are not allowed to try to run into a rapier, let it pierce your guts, grab their arm and try to repeatedly knife the enemy. And then eat some stimpacks. You have to be able to fight again.

The reason I'm thinking about this is basically sword vs rapier. Can the weight and strenght of a sword on offense create a maneuver that slaps the rapier away and/or damages the opponent.
Or is the rapier enough to deflect a swing and counter?
Its probably not by chance that rapiers evolved to be lighter and lighter. But there is always the fashion aspect among the nobles faggots.

Imagine a medium sized katana swinging full force down. You know this attack is coming now. Can you step a bit sideways, block/deflect the shot with a rapier and get your own in?
Or will the swing move your hand too much, graze you?

 

[Reinhardt]

British longbowmans would easily kill hordes of samurais

Samurai is a mounted bowman. See mongols. Katana is for larpers who just want to fight single named enemies.

 

[PrettyDeadman]

British longbowmans would easily kill hordes of samurais

Samurai will slice the arrows in half.

 

[Gregz]

In Daggerfall the Katana is the most powerful long blade.

 

[Thac0]

Spear would be 2h though. You gain nothing by holding a rapier with 2 hands... A small spear becomes very mobile with 2 hands. If spears than only 1h.

I imagine the duels would be very pokey, with circling and feinting and trying to get an unpunished hit, even a small one.
The idea would be not only to survive but also not to get irreperable damage.
Like you are not allowed to try to run into a rapier, let it pierce your guts, grab their arm and try to repeatedly knife the enemy. And then eat some stimpacks. You have to be able to fight again.

The reason I'm thinking about this is basically sword vs rapier. Can the weight and strenght of a sword on offense create a maneuver that slaps the rapier away and/or damages the opponent.
Or is the rapier enough to deflect a swing and counter?
Its probably not by chance that rapiers evolved to be lighter and lighter. But there is always the fashion aspect among the nobles faggots.

Imagine a medium sized katana swinging full force down. You know this attack is coming now. Can you step a bit sideways, block/deflect the shot with a rapier and get your own in?
Or will the swing move your hand too much, graze you?

An average rapier blade is longer than a metre (40 inches). Almost twice as long as the katana blade length at 60 cm or so.
A rapier is so thin to keep a manageable weight level at a rididculous blade length with almost as much reach as a short spear.
The rapier absolutely gets the first hit in against any other 1 handed duelling weapon, but a stabbing wound is much less immediatly lethal and devastating than a slashing wound. If its live or death and you get stabbed in the leg or so you can maybe countercharge and kill, provided you are a battle hardened mercenary.
You will die from bloodloss or infection afterwards tho.

Samurai is a mounted bowman. See mongols. Katana is for larpers who just want to fight single named enemies.

Based. For a culture that actually fought a fuckton with swords and had good metal look at the Chinese Dao.

 

[NJClaw]

the problem is, you're a fucking monk or battledancer

The Battledancer can take away from an other character the ability to make attacks of opportunity FOREVER. It's sick.

 

[hello friend]

Based. For a culture that actually fought a fuckton with swords and had good metal look at the Chinese Dao.

Jian if you're an autist who's spent years learning how to use it tho. One of the great advantages of the Dao is how easy it is to use. It's a machete.

 

[Shitty Kitty]

the problem is, you're a fucking monk or battledancer

The Battledancer can take away from an other character the ability to make attacks of opportunity FOREVER. It's sick.

WotC: "Hey look, we made a monk one-off that can actually hit shit because it has full BAB"
Everyone else: "Awesome, a dip to give my sorc CHA to AC"