Post by cartomancer on May 5, 2010 6:20:32 GMT -5
So your MR 16 Goblin just picked up a weapon that flew out of the hands of an attacking hero admidst the fray. Can he use it?
For a real simle solution, you could just say that, yeah sure he can but, it doesn't make him a better fighter because he doesn't know how to wield it properly. His MR stays the same and the bonus he receives in combat is that the character that dropped it, must find another weapon to use.
This is a good, on-the-spot solution for when a situation has caught you unaware but, i figure if weapons make PC's a better fighter, they should for monsters too and, not just fully stated monsters but, ANY monster. So i thought a little about the idea and, here is what i came up with.
In order to use a weapon a monster must meet the following 3 conditions:
1: The monster must have an opposable thumb. All of the weapons within the rulebook require this in order to be used at all as they are designed for humanoid fighters.
2: The total of the STR and DEX requirements of the weapon must be no greater than the rated MR of the wielder.
3: The weapon D+A (Dice + Adds) must be modified appropiate to the SIZ (Size)
Size:
This is a new element that i am introducing with this house rule that allows it to function but, the good news is, the majority of creatures already possess this attribute an, it is none to difficult to determine for those that do not. SIZ is determined with the following sum:
(Height Modifier + Weight Modifier)/2
SIZ affects a weapon in the following 3 ways:
1: The SIZ is considered relative to the creature in question. For example, if a giant picks up a humans weapon, the weapon's SIZ modifier is appropriate to the human (he was wielding it comfortably) but, if a human tries to take a giants discarded weapon, the SIZ modifier of the weapon is appropriate to the giant (as it was the giant that was wielding it) and the human will most likely struggle to lift it.
2: STR and DEX required to wield the weapon are also multiplied by the SIZ modifier. This is another reason the human from the above example would struggle to wield the giants weapon.
3: The D+A for the weapon are also multiplied by the SIZ modifier. So a giants club does more damage as it is larger than humans club but, it also weighs more and requires higher attributes to wield.
How this affects combat:
A monster using a weapon no longer gains the dice that they had for 'tooth and claw' fighting but, gain the appropriate ones for the weapons they wield instead. They do however still receive half-of their Personal Adds, rounded up.
The other major change is that MR now represents CON unless the mosnster for some reason resorts to 'tooth and claw'. This may happen if the MR is reduced to a point where the monster is no longer capable of wielding the weapon they are using (if the STR + DEX requirements of the weapon exceed the current MR).
Monsters and Armour:
In addition to weapons, monsters may also wear armour that they find in order to reduce the damage received during combat in the manner that it does for delvers.
In order to wear a piece of armour, a monster must have a MR at least equal to the STR requirement of the armour and, the cost in MR for also wielding a weapon is cumalative. SIZ is also a factor here.
A piece of armours STR requirement is multiplied by the relative SIZ, as is the number of hits it will take.
