"Eastern" Weapons

[Teutonic Knight]

Specifically Chinese and Japanese. Preferably those not found in Oriental Adventures.

Does any one have a list of such weapons, or where I can find it, or if not, does anyone have a homebrewed list of these weapons.

For example, all the different Chinese/Japanese spears and possibly their 3.5 equivalents.

[SparkMandriller]

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?

[deuxhero]

For eastern (Use it, "Oriental" is agreed to sound stupid) weapons just gie them the stats of an equivlent western weapon.

The standard example is katana=bastard sword.

@SparkMandriller on the subject of "Katanas are just better" (however sarcastic you are being) R. Lee Ermey showed on Lock and Load that even giving the Katana the inaccurate advantage of decent quality metal, it's advantages over the longsword are minimal (and said test did not factor in the advantages of 2 blades).

[Teutonic Knight]

Anyone have something other than katanas?

[The Glyphstone]

You forgot

Special: Automatically scores critical hits vs. tanks, even if the target would be immune to critical hits.

[kjones]

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?

I see what you did there.

[Sinfire Titan]

Anyone have something other than katanas?

Kusari-Gama are in the DMG. Fukimi-Bari are in the Arms and Equipment Guide (3.0).

What exactly are you looking for, or is it just eastern weapons in general?

[LurkerInPlayground]

Katanas are simply the best sword that the world has ever seen, and thus, require better stats in the d20 system.

Are you being tongue-in-cheek?

You are aren't you? Troll-baiting?

Oh god.

But no. Katanas aren't simply the best sword the world has ever seen because the internet said so.

[Mando Knight]

The standard example is katana=bastard sword.

@SparkMandriller on the subject of "Katanas are just better" (however sarcastic you are being) R. Lee Ermey showed on Lock and Load that even giving the Katana the inaccurate advantage of decent quality metal, it's advantages over the longsword are minimal (and said test did not factor in the advantages of 2 blades).

This. So much this. Read about Katanas being "better" before counting out a well-made European-style arming sword. (European armor was also better, because of the more widely available iron to allow more metal in the armor to protect against the blades)

A good katana was good, but a good longsword would have been better.

[LurkerInPlayground]

Apparently the jury is still out on whether SparkMandriller is being ironic.

I vote that he is. Being ironic that is.

[kjones]

For those of you wondering whether or not you are being trolled, the reference (and endless variations upon it) can be found here.

[SparkMandriller]

If you guys want me to start posting Sacred Blacksmith screencaps I can do that.

[Sinfire Titan]

If you guys want me to start posting Sacred Blacksmith screencaps I can do that.

Please stop. You're not helping anyone, just instigating.

[Teutonic Knight]

Kusari-Gama are in the DMG. Fukimi-Bari are in the Arms and Equipment Guide (3.0).

What exactly are you looking for, or is it just eastern weapons in general?

For example: the different Japanese yari. Wiki list eleven types of yari. Some look like simple spears, while others look like ranseurs. Which is which?

And is the yumi equivalent to the composite longbow, and is it the same as a dai-kyu?

I'm looking for answers to this and other like this in the form of either a homebrewed weapon chart or a simple explanation.

P.S. Thank you Sinful Titan for the:

Please stop. You're not helping anyone, just instigating.

[Foryn Gilnith]

A good katana was good, but a good longsword would have been better.

Better is a matter of context. The katana developed its shape to deal with the targets of its time. Same with the longsword. In today's context, I'm not sure whether the longsword or the katana would be superior (IMO switchblade would beat both for modern use lol :D)

http://dana.ucc.nau.edu/~msb46/Weapo...ent_China.html has some decent information. A bit of a pain to read.
http://www.shaolin-society.co.uk/weapons/water.php is another list.

Just google these things, "List of chinese weapons", "historical chinese weapons", "ancient japanese weapons"...
If you really want to shake things up try Korean or Filipino weapons.


As far as stats go, just use basic PHB stats. They're pretty generic. If you want something other than 1d8 19-20/x2 martial slashing for a sword, you might want a different system.

[Roland St. Jude]

Sheriff of Moddingham: Okay, that's enough with the flamebaiting copypasta katana meme crap. Please post genuinely in response to the OP or don't post in this thread. Thanks.

[Sinfire Titan]

For example: the different Japanese yari. Wiki list eleven types of yari. Some look like simple spears, while others look like ranseurs. Which is which?

I believe it would be a matter of decoration there. Really, the visual differences between a spear and a ranseur in 3.5 is minimal, so you can get away with calling it either one. Perhaps have a variation ala Longspear/Shortspear, where one of them is as the spear, but the other is as the ranseur?

And is the yumi equivalent to the composite longbow, and is it the same as a dai-kyu?

Dunno myself. Again, same idea s above (but Longbow/Shortbow/Greatbow/Bone Bow).

I'm looking for answers to this and other like this in the form of either a homebrewed weapon chart or a simple explanation.

This I can actually help you with. I need to get a PDF creator program before I can upload it, but I'm working on a comprehensive weapons fix for 3.5 based on Fable's Augment system. I included some of the eastern weapons as defaults (most of them are in the fluff). It isn't entirely accurate realistically (Flamberg=Bastard Sword, for example), but it does need playtesting.

P.S. Thank you Sinful Titan for the:

... I've seen Sunfire, I've seen Sinfire_Titan, but I've never seen someone call me Sinful before.

[Teutonic Knight]

Sorry about that Sinfire Titan.

[Sinfire Titan]

Sorry about that Sinfire Titan.

Its fine really. Its when people address me using the common acronym of my screen name (SiFi) that I get a little touchy. I dislike having a nickname that close to SciFi (despite being a SciFi fan myself), and prefer SiFir (as in Cypher). Just thought it was unusual.

It gets personal when my real name is involved (people spell that wrong all of the time, to the point that I actually need business cards to hand out). You'd think it would be easy to remember the name Kris...

[Mando Knight]

I dislike having a nickname that close to SciFi

Of course, because no one likes to have a nickname that's close to SyFy, which is as evocative of Science Fiction as it is of syphilis.

I'd reiterate using the standard PHB weapons for the Japanese ones: Naginata are glaives, use normal swords for the Japanese ones of similar size, etc.

[jiriku]

Specifically Chinese and Japanese. Preferably those not found in Oriental Adventures.

Does any one have a list of such weapons, or where I can find it, or if not, does anyone have a homebrewed list of these weapons.

For example, all the different Chinese/Japanese spears and possibly their 3.5 equivalents.

Given that Oriental Adventures has about as exhaustive a listing of Asian weapons as you're going to find in WotC D20, you're really tying our hands by asking us to exclude it.

And yet...I have that mojo...check the Complete Exotic Arms Guide. You will find more eastern-themed weapons than you can shake a rajatang at.

[Teutonic Knight]

And yet...I have that mojo...check the Complete Exotic Arms Guide. You will find more eastern-themed weapons than you can shake a rajatang at.

Thank you; I will look it up.

[TheOOB]

I'll take a longsword over a katana any day. A straight, double edged sword made of good European steel will break a curved single edged sword made of poor Japanese volcanic steel fairly easily.

It's true katana where usually only made by master swordsmiths(steel was too expensive otherwise), but there where equally good swordsmiths in the west.

Anyways, Oriental weapons are swords and spears just like western weapons, the difference in states is beyond the level of abtraction for D&D.

Ohh, and katana are longswords, not bastard swords. Longswords where about 3 feet long in the blade(usually a little less), and katana rarely hit 3 feet.

[bosssmiley]

For example: the different Japanese yari. Wiki list eleven types of yari. Some look like simple spears, while others look like ranseurs. Which is which?

And is the yumi equivalent to the composite longbow, and is it the same as a dai-kyu?

I'm looking for answers to this and other like this in the form of either a homebrewed weapon chart or a simple explanation.

Most Oriental weapons should really be treated as "counts as..." in D&D, simply because they're functionally equivalent IRL. What is equivalent to what is a function of common sense and knowledge. Anything beyond that is just people going gooey over the exotic aesthetic (*cough* Deadliest Warrior *cough*).

Sure, you get the occasional systemic oddity like [insert Monk weapon here], but even wacky stuff like Shaolin shovels, Sudanese throwing irons, Aztec mācuahuitl, or Maori mere is easily adaptable to "counts as..." (halberd, throwing axe, battle axe, mace).

[MickJay]

Ohh, and katana are longswords, not bastard swords. Longswords where about 3 feet long in the blade(usually a little less), and katana rarely hit 3 feet.

For all it's worth, they were made to be wielded either with one or both hands.

Baldur's Gate had 2d4 19-20x2 crit for bastard swords and 1d10 19-20 x2 for katanas (same as for two-handed swords, only katanas were treated as one handed), if that's of any help. They were also much more expensive than other weapons.

In any case, this refers to the later katanas, original ones were fairly short, heavy, and designed for powerful strikes rather than speed.

[kamikasei]

For all it's worth, they were made to be wielded either with one or both hands.

So are longswords (in D&D), though.

But really, the real-world variation in both European and Japanese swords maps on to D&D categories imperfectly enough that it's probably a mistake to think that "a katana" need be modeled as a single game-mechanical type of sword. Certainly what people think of as a katana is a pretty broad category.

[Matthew]

For example: the different Japanese yari. Wiki list eleven types of yari. Some look like simple spears, while others look like ranseurs. Which is which?

Have to decide for yourself, I suspect. There is no perfect definitive nomenclature for western spears, but various types of yari might equate to the spear, partisan, spetum, or ranseur depending on broad characteristics and your view of them.

And is the yumi equivalent to the composite longbow, and is it the same as a dai-kyu?

Basically, "kyu" and "yumi" are just different ways of reading the same character; there is no functional difference:

yumitori (弓取) = Bowman
kyuhei (弓兵) = Bowman

hankyū (半弓) = half bow
kokyū/shokyū(?) (小弓) = short bow
daikyū (大弓) = long bow

You can see a similar pattern repeated in other military terms, where the same characters are read differently, but still have the same meaning:

souhei (槍兵) = spearmen

koyari (小槍) = short spear
ōyari (大槍) = long spear

kenshi (剣士) = swordsman

tantō (短刀) = dagger (general)
shōtō (小刀) = short sword (general, includes kodachi, wakizashi, etcetera)
daitō (大刀) = long sword (general, includes tachi, katana, etcetera)

kodachi (小太刀) = small sword (specific type)
tachi (太刀) = big sword (specific type)
ōdachi (大太刀) = great big sword (specific type)
nodachi (野太刀) = field sword (specific type)

[Katana_Geldar]

I heard my name being mentioned.

What about a Tao or a Jian? Jian I guess would be a longsword, right?

[Matthew]

I heard my name being mentioned.

What about a Tao or a Jian? Jian I guess would be a longsword, right?

Depends how abstract and how specific you want to be. The approach in the early years of D20/3e was to group weapons together broadly, so that a jian would be a long sword (or short sword) and a dao would function as a scimitar or some such thing. As time went on, the tendency increasingly became to differentiate very specific weapon types, so you end up with stuff like the "elven thin sword" or what have you.

[kamikasei]

A jian can't very well be wielded two-handed, can it? (Genuine, not rhetorical, question.) So it would probably need to be a short sword rather than a longsword.