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Yogibear41
2013-07-12, 02:07 PM
So, I'm working on the details for a woodsman esque character in a game I'm playing in now and I know I want him to use an axe, but I also know that you really don't use a battleaxe for nomal woodsman-e stuff you use a wood chopping axe, but I also know that wood chopping axes aren't exactly meant to be weapons. In addition the character is a sort of nature ascetic in that he just sticks to the bare minimum for survival, so he really wouldn't be carrying around multiple axes and things for chopping and then fighting. So my question is what sort of axe should I be using for this guy? And which type of DnD weapon would it best be represented by?


He also happens to be a were-bear so I would tend to lean toward using the axe as a tool more than a weapon because he has his claws for that, but I also don't want the other players knowing this just yet as they have just met.

Jay R
2013-07-12, 02:26 PM
Get him a woodsman's axe, and then spend time publicly second-guessing your decision.

If you can get the DM's help, ask him how much damage a woodsman's axe does, and have him prepared to say, "I told you before; it isn't sold with a damage rating. You'll find out when you use it in combat."

Spiryt
2013-07-12, 03:19 PM
Hmm, I'm missing something - what's "LF"?

Anyway, great amount of medieval(ish) axes are in fact huge pain for any scientist to classify - if they're weapons, tools or both?

Some shapes are obviously for carpentry, splitting wood etc. Some are obviously for hurting other people, especially if they have spike or hammer on the other side -then it's really obvious.

But great amount of shapes and profiles doesn't leave any obvious clues about it's intended use.

So any of such axes can be 'all around utility' one.

Axes in two first pages from the left in spoiler below were most probably battle axes, for example. Those on the right are trickier cases.

http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/6862/tablice.png

Some more.

http://images27.fotosik.pl/241/5eb915bfdbba9141med.jpg



D&D in it's entirety is largely not the system dwelling in such subtleties.

I guess you can just take battle or great axe stats.

Perhaps giving it -2 penalty for being not for battle use, but some bonuses to certain 'outdoor' skills? Survival, some Profession checks.

Skill system allows +2 bonuses to skill checks for having 'perfect' tool. One could work around it.

Yogibear41
2013-07-12, 04:57 PM
LF means looking for. :smallsmile:

Arkhosia
2013-07-12, 05:56 PM
A handaxe could work.

erikun
2013-07-12, 06:30 PM
Please note: I am not an axe expert.

In general, you aren't likely to run into something that is both a good-quality functional waraxe and a good-quality functional toolaxe. The problem is that waraxes tend towards lightness for finesse and repeated use, with a sharp edge designed to focus the point of impact. Toolaxes tend towards heavy and imbalanced heads so as to provide a better impact in one swing. In some cases, these two goals align - the maul, for example. But in general, waraxes trade weight and impact for easy of use against moving targets and toolaxes trade speed and accuracy for the force of impact against a (generally) nonmoving target.

D&D doesn't tend to handle stuff useable for both tools and combat very well. With the D&D system, it's either designed for combat (and so is a poor tool) or it's designed for tool use (and so is an improvised weapon in combat). I'd actually recommend talking with your DM about the situation and see if you can get a "masterwork axe" that can be used as both a tool and weapon. It's certainly not unreasonable, especially with everything else they have in the system.


Also: what are you planning on using the axe for? Chopping off branches or brush would probably call for a handaxe. Cutting down large trees and chopping firewood would call for a two-handed axe. Also note that there are a lot of weapons that have use for a woodsman other than axes: daggers and knifes for skinning game, swords are probably better and chopping down undergrowth, clubs or hammers for pounding in posts, bows for bringing down game, etc.

Jay R
2013-07-12, 08:17 PM
I'm moderately competent with a modern camping axe. I've also fought with an axe in the SCA. (But I prefer a mace or sword.)

I would be quite happy using a modern hand-axe as a small one-handed weapon, and I'd be quite comfortable using a modern 3/4 axe as a two-handed weapon. I wouldn't want to use a full-sized axe, but somebody bigger and stronger than me could do so easily.

If I were statting it, a woodsman's axe would work as well as a standard battle-axe, except, with no beard, it couldn't hook shields as well. But since nobody uses it that way in D&D, It's probably fine. It isn't designed for some of the battle moves, but the damage would be about the same - it's still a wedge-shaped mass weapon of roughly the same weight and maneuverability

Yogibear41
2013-07-12, 11:02 PM
Thanks for the suggestions guys, What is SCA? Also I just noticed Spirtys avatar is a guy holding an axe, pointing at a stump :smallsmile: must be a woodsman, tottally not a beheader or anything.

The Fury
2013-07-13, 12:22 AM
Thanks for the suggestions guys, What is SCA? Also I just noticed Spirtys avatar is a guy holding an axe, pointing at a stump :smallsmile: must be a woodsman, tottally not a beheader or anything.

SCA= Society for Creative Anachronisms. Sort of similar to a reenactment group but there's some differences.

As everyone else has mentioned a felling axe is generally thicker and heavier than a battle axe, and for that reason a woodsman's axe would probably suck to use in a fight. With that said, I think this might be one of those cases where realism can slide a little. If it were me running the game I'd let your character have a battle axe which can primarily be used for felling trees.

Scow2
2013-07-13, 12:32 AM
If it can chop through armor and bone, it can chop through wood!

Greylond
2013-07-13, 12:52 AM
Related story;

Back when I was going to SCA events I was heavily into various target missile weapon competitions, including Axe throwing. The last group that I threw with would go to the local location of a regional hardware store and buy up some hatchets when they went on their yearly clearance sale. The thing is that we found out that this utilitarian tool was a perfect throwing axe.

Here's a pic;

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y160/Greylond/hand_axe_zps91ea9772.jpg

I won't post a link to the company's website, but if anyone wants to know where to get one, PM me. :)