I made a flail when I was a kid. It was a softball full of nails attached to a broomstick. It was wicked.

I can't believe this doesn't have more views. Solid video, you've earned a new subscriber!

Crazy how adding depth to weapons steps on the battlemasters toes so much. Almost like these maneuvers shouldn't be relegated to a single subclass in the game.

@gratuitouslurking8610

2 ай бұрын

Mood. Even though it's clear they tried to fix it via Weapon Masteries in the Unearthed Arcana playtest, I think a better option would be to just swap that out with Maneuvers becoming a core feature instead, or just full-on complicating weapons instead like this vid series and other sources I've shamelessly stolen from have.

Narratively, Flails are in an odd space, being far more variable than the game itself allows but also being one of the most redundant weapons in context. In theory, the nunchaku is practically indistinguishable from the existing Club; the horseman's flail is functionally similar to a (realistic) mace; two-handed infantry flails are very comparable to a long staff or club. One correction I feel I need to make though: much of the loss of momentum associated with the flail hitting its target is a byproduct of the active attempt at stopping the weapon. In practice, the flexibility of the weapon would allow a competent and trained user to swing the weapon through the impact via centripetal acceleration. Additionally, because the weapon relies so much on moment to be effective, you would actually want to keep swinging the weapon in circles around you, whether or not you hit your target. In Bjorn Ruther's video on the Mangual, he compares the weapon to the German "Battle Sword," suggesting that, at least that weapon could be used as a fast-moving area-denial weapon. To that end, I would consider borrowing the "Reliable X" tag from the game Lancer. In that game, certain weapons have the ability to deal damage even when they miss. This would also fulfill the anti-shield implication as well, assuming Shields primarily serve as an Evasion buff. I mention this only because most metal flails would also be powerful anti-armor weapons in ways very similar to the mace, bypassing some damage mitigation. Further, I could see the weapon expanded into 2 or 3 new options. The current Flail could be made Versatile, allowing it to also fit into the role of the Mangual and other long-chained flails. Meanwhile the Threshal could be added as a "Heavy, Reach" option at the cost of some Reliability.

@lordilluminati5836

2 ай бұрын

Reliable would be a good tag to have. Can't think of any other dnd weapons that would have it tho

@Kingfisher_2376

2 ай бұрын

@@lordilluminati5836 As I mentioned, the Greatsword would likely be another. In our world, such Montante systems focused on large, whirling arcs that closed off paths of approach while also using a weapon heavy enough to blow through most guards. Quarterstaff could be an option as well for the same reasons. It could also be an interesting option for magical weapons that correct their path during the attack.

@Wodan85

2 ай бұрын

I think it should also be a polearm

@gratuitouslurking8610

2 ай бұрын

Another option for flails for a new keyword would be Distracting, removing any enemy struck by the Flail's ability to do Opportunity Attacks to the attacker, as they are focused on not getting smacked again by the weapon. As far as my current homebrew, as well as including the Chain Club (which is basically the Threshal in all but name) and the primary Flail, there's also the Dire Flail (a staff with a flailhead on each side, but not retractable like a Split-Staff), a Greatflail which covers the Heavy variation (think the Diablo 3 Crusader as the main inspiration for it), Meteor Hammers that can be used dexterously with two hands, and a Quadflail that makes use of a multi-attack feature to strike with multiple heads per attack.

@themasterseye

Ай бұрын

The mechanical problem lies in the limited number of damage dice available. Weapons like nunchaku or the flail were useful in history because the chain or rope was used as a force multiplier to the user's strength. Swinging comparably sized hammers and a flails with the same amount of force results in the flails hitting the target harder, and there just isnt enough dice variety to represent that small difference. Maybe adding a flat 1 or 2 damage to flail attacks would be enough to give it the right feel, maybe not. I personally grant auto flanking bonus to flail wielders due to the somewhat indirect nature of the weapon as well as its level of difficulty to parry.

I'm glad you're talking about this 😁

I like the video. Good analysis. I will say that from the options you provided as fixes to the weapon, the third seems like it fits the design philosophy of 5e the best, and would be the one I suggest picking if you are only changing some weapons.

7:55 shot me thru the heart 💔

What I did was give it a d10 damage but get a -1 to attacks except if the opponent has a shield.

was that picture of "the one eye Zizka"?

@altrolerpg

2 ай бұрын

Indeed it was!

🥳❤️👍🏿