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hURR dURR dERP said:
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.
If by slab you are referring to a VERY small piece of steel, then yes. Given the simple fact your sword is MADE of steel, even incredible crafstmanship and top notch swordsmanship won't let you cut through something that would literally be called a slab (like, for example, a bar measuring 3" x 3" x 12 ").
hURR dURR dERP said:
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.
The blade itself can be well crafted and they certainly took ages to forge. Most of this however was due to the fantastically shitty quality of japanese iron available however. Yes, a Katana is an excellent weapon but it was also a product of a particular place and time. Eurpoeans produced plenty of swords of equal quality that were particular products of their time and place as well.
hURR dURR dERP said:
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.
And I am quite certain you are mistaken. To compare a weapon designed to combat a much lighter form of armor that came into it's modern incranation hundreds of years after the end of the era of the Knight is utterly silly. Sharpness of edge and whatnot is important, but when dealing with a man in a metal suit you would quickly find that cutting THROUGH the armor simply wasn't going to work. Thus why the Europeans utalized weapons like bill hooks, flanged maces, and pole-arms to do the job. Where an edge won't do the job, a sudden point or overwhelming impact forces will.
hURR dURR dERP said:
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.
That and it was really far away without any real resources worth exploiting. Also, during the Medieval period, European nations were more concerned with fighting one another and retaking the Holy Lands. As such, the REAL reason they weren't trying to conquer japan is because it had nothing to offer that made the effort worthwhile.
hURR dURR dERP said:
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?
Not only do you lose all credibility by citing D&D when referring to a real world weapon but you simply don't seem to understand the concept of balance.
