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AustontheGreat1
2010-01-17, 05:15 AM
how much damage would you say that a character wielding lead gauntlets (assuming that he took an exotic weapon proficiency and has a sufficient strength), would deal? or is it just a bad idea?

Innis Cabal
2010-01-17, 05:19 AM
1d4 points of constituion damage to self. Probably some wisdom damage to

AustontheGreat1
2010-01-17, 05:20 AM
heh, lets also assume he has proper protection from lead poisoning as well...

Grumman
2010-01-17, 05:24 AM
1d4 subdual, and he suffers a penalty on dexterity-based skill checks for bending his gauntlets out of shape.

Veeda Vidlak
2010-01-17, 05:25 AM
Why would lead gauntlets hurt more than traditional gauntlets? Unless you plan to poison your enemy with them or something.

AustontheGreat1
2010-01-17, 05:29 AM
Why would lead gauntlets hurt more than traditional gauntlets? Unless you plan to poison your enemy with them or something.

...be...because they are heavy...:smallfrown:

Admiral Squish
2010-01-17, 05:30 AM
Well, they are exceptionally dense, which would translate to more momentum, with enough strength to use them in the first place.

ondonaflash
2010-01-17, 05:35 AM
Steel is also heavy and has he benefit of not being one of the softest metals in existance. Also, not poisonous.

AustontheGreat1
2010-01-17, 05:39 AM
so im gonna go ahead and mark this one down as bad idea

wouldn't be the first one...

BobVosh
2010-01-17, 05:47 AM
Heavy weapons with little or no reach are traditionally bad weapons. Adding to that prolonged contact can be poisonous, while short term (hitting someone) isn't is probably bad.

Anyway, they should do more damage than a regular gauntlet. While being damaged quicker, and maybe just use the inferior materials all around. Then they deal 1 less damage.

Anyway use a lead pipe, it is a classic.

averagejoe
2010-01-17, 05:58 AM
Heavy weapons with little or no reach are traditionally bad weapons.

It's not really because it doesn't have reach, it's just that it's more effective to generate momentum by swinging a weight at the end of a long pole than by swinging a weight on your hand. This is speculation on my part, not having extensive knowledge of lead, but I'd imagine that it would be soft enough that the blow would be at least partially cushioned. It would still mess up someone's face, but hitting anything harder than a human face would be pretty ineffective. However, even ignoring that, your arm is a pretty inefficient way to deliver energy when you come right down to it, and any increase in weight would likely be counteracted by a decrease in speed, and plus you'd get tired really fast. In general, you want weapons to be hard (but not brittle) instead of heavy. Even, say, wooden knuckles would probably be more effective than lead ones, because it's more about the impulse (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impulse) than the weight of your hand.

ShippoWildheart
2010-01-17, 01:36 PM
I got an idea.

1. Shattered Lead Gauntlet affected with Animate Objects
2. Shove a piece in the mouth of every enemy you see
3. ???
4. Congratulations monster #x! You now have lead poisoning. Roll for fortitude save.

Vizzerdrix
2010-01-17, 01:40 PM
I'd apply the heavy weapon property out of Magic of faerun. But I'd make them have less hardness, but cost less.

Drakevarg
2010-01-17, 02:21 PM
Well, no one would be able to scry your hands, so there's that...

Draz74
2010-01-17, 02:27 PM
Well, no one would be able to scry your hands, so there's that...

LOL, that was my first thought upon considering the thread title, too. :smallamused:

"What's that, Galadriel? You're really concerned about keeping your magic ring hidden from Sauron's knowledge?"

Drakevarg
2010-01-17, 02:29 PM
I'm honestly suprised I was the first one to mention it. On seeing the thread title I thought two things;

1) Scry-Proof Hands.
2) Lead Poisoning.

Foryn Gilnith
2010-01-17, 02:54 PM
I only thought Scry-Proof hands. Lead poisoning is trivial with Naberius and clerics running around.

Coidzor
2010-01-17, 03:02 PM
Well, in 3.5 DND, Gold/Platinum weapons (which require some kind of enchantment to make 'em as strong as steel) do damage as one size category larger.

But lead being softer would definitely have a lower hardness and possibly lower hitpoints than equivalent weapons.

I can't really think of it having a mechanical impact on the game to have someone wearing lead knuckles as opposed to brass knuckles or even just lead gloves vs. steel/iron/bronze.

Hmm. Maybe apply the penalty to attack/damage that bronze has, due to being a weaker metal... Or maybe just the one to attack due to its possibility of being mangled

lsfreak
2010-01-17, 03:12 PM
Lead, is really, REALLY soft. You could potentially deform it just by punching someone in armor.

(On scry-proof hands: there's precedent for lead fibers in cloth in Complete Scoundrel. Get lead-woven gloves! But, when wearing a heavy cloak, don't be surprised when people call for hand checks every 30 seconds.)

awa
2010-01-17, 09:01 PM
Now lead weights in the gauntlets would increase the damage of a punch (the weights give you the joy of a heavier blow with out dealing with the disadvantage of the metals softness) Id increase the damage one size and increase the weight

sofawall
2010-01-17, 09:07 PM
Umm, are we doing another "Let's use physics, but not really!" experiment?

Seems like the Commoner Railgun fallacy here.

awa
2010-01-17, 09:17 PM
It sound more like asking if he can have a custom exotic weapon rather then trying to abuse physics and besides their is a precedent for using different material than steel for weapons

sofawall
2010-01-17, 09:20 PM
It sound more like asking if he can have a custom exotic weapon rather then trying to abuse physics and besides their is a precedent for using different material than steel for weapons

Lead is not bronze. Bronze can at least be made to hold a shape when some force is applied to it.

awa
2010-01-17, 09:25 PM
I'm not saying a pure lead weapon is a good idea, it's not for anything other then a projectile your not worried about using twice but all hes doing is asking whether it would be useful (it wouldn't) not trying to abuse physics like a commoner rail gun

Signmaker
2010-01-17, 09:27 PM
Lead is not bronze. Bronze can at least be made to hold a shape when some force is applied to it.

Arguably, you can layer lead elements in to the workings of the metal (lead fibres, perhaps?) but this is swiftly leaving the realm of a fantasy setting and heading in to industry.

For the purposes of DnD, lead has one very specific usage: to block lesser forms of divination. If it's useful in that sense, go right ahead. Otherwise, you might as well argue layering your gauntlets with wonderflonium, because for the sake of homebrew doing either or is equivalent.

sofawall
2010-01-17, 09:28 PM
I'm not saying a pure lead weapon is a good idea, it's not for anything other then a projectile your not worried about using twice but all hes doing is asking whether it would be useful (it wouldn't) not trying to abuse physics like a commoner rail gun

What the hell does that sentence mean?

awa
2010-01-17, 09:33 PM
Lead makes a bad material for any weapon other then simple projectiles like
say a sling bullet.

sofawall
2010-01-17, 09:43 PM
Lead makes a bad material for any weapon other then simple projectiles like
say a sling bullet.

Ah. That makes much more sense.

I am inclined to agree with you, which is why I was arguing with everyone saying it would "do more damage" and whatnot.

Kelb_Panthera
2010-01-17, 10:59 PM
Isn't there an alchemical version of lead (and gold) in magic of faerun? IIRC it increases damage one step but comes with a drawback of some sort too.

unre9istered
2010-01-18, 10:57 PM
Making a pair of gauntlets with a sack of lead shot over the fist might make sense. I would work like a dead blow hammer (almost 100% energy transfer) and cushion your fists a bit.