Marketplace of Pole Weapons Rules
One part of the original TFT rules that seems to bother a lot of people is the special rule for pole weapons. Double damage in charges, going out of order and sometimes a +2 DX to boot, put it all together and it seems to skew the game system a bit too much.
This is intended as a comparison of pole weapons rules (OK, fixes) invented by different players, and the old Interplay fix as well. Please add *your* rules here as well! The password for editting is available from the wiki god, see the hopepage for details!
And a final note: let's not get political here. If you cannot say something nice, don't say anything at all. This is NOT intended as some kind of competition!
Interplay 8: Paul Wagner
Swing to hit Poleweapon at -4DX with edged weapon.
(Non-cumulative) damage equal to 1/2 min ST to use breaks haft.
Occurs before striking with Polearm, regardless of DX
Craig B's suggestion:
Pole weapons in a charge attack or counter-charge attack get +2 damage, not x2 damage. Charge/counter charge attacks only exist if the player / NPC moves 3 hexes or more. Continue to use the +2 DX and going out of order rules. A quick fix that's easy to remember and use, not necessarily a seamless fix as part of a broader rules re-write.
Lord Inar's suggestion:
Regular pole weapons are -3DX to hit at one hex range, normal at 2.
Pikes are -6 DX to hit at one hex, -3 DX to hit at two hexes, normal at 3.
The pike does 1d6+1 against 1 hex figures and 2d6+1 against 2 hex or larger figures.
Pike is a separate talent (pole weapon prerequisite).
David O. Miller's suggestion:
My solution is to have pole weapons in a charge attack do an extra D6 worth of damage instead of the double damage that the original rules call for. This system still allows the smaller weapons to (basically) do double damage in a charge attack but slightly lowers the damage of the two bigger weapons, making them less devastating. Everything else in the main rules about pole weapons remain the same.
A charge attack does double damage if the player moved at least 5 hexes a straight line. It does double damage -1 if the player moves 4 hexes in a straight line. A charge attack does +1D damage if the player moved at least 3 hexes in a straight line. If the player moves 6 hexes or more and this is less than half his MA he gets to choose which damage option to use.
Bill Seurer's suggestion:
When used in a charge attack or to receive a charge attack, a pole weapon does an extra 1d+1 damage, not double damage as in the original rules. Thus a halberd does 3d+1 in a charge.
When a foe moves into the front hex of a pole weapon user who has not moved or turned, the user will attack at +2 DX, if attacking that foe. This is known as setting a pole weapon against an attacker. If a foe shifted into a front hex from a side hex, no bonus is gained.
The extra damage done by a fine pole weapon is not added to the damage done when charge attacking.
David Bofinger's suggestion:
Change the sequence of attacks to:
- Figures engaging or engaged by other figures at the start of the turn (i.e. before movement) may attack against those other figures (only) in melee or hand-to-hand. (DX order)
- Figures who were not engaged by other figures at the start of the turn may use missile weapons (once only), throw weapons or cast spells (DX order). If they are presently engaged then the attack must be against the figure(s) engaging them.
- Reverse missile spells and spell shields act against attacks in the category above. (in the same order)
- Pole weapon users may make melee attacks. (ST order)
- Non-pole weapon users may make melee and hand-to-hand attacks. (ST order)
- Figures not presently engaged and with sufficiently high DX may make second missile attacks. (DX order)
- Reverse missile spells and spell shields act against attacks in the category above. (in the same order)
Figures take at most one action in a turn, with the exception of high DX archers being allowed to shoot twice. If a figure is qualified to act in several different phases then it chooses which to act in.
- DX order means decreasing order of DX adjusted for things like footing, range and injuries but not for things like light.
- ST order means decreasing order of the ST required for the weapon used, and DX order as a tiebreak.
Some of the consequences:
- The pole weapon first attack advantage is only useful in the first clash, it can't be used to pre-empt a melee fight that's already in progress. (Harder to rescue a friend in trouble, harder to steal a kill)
- Long weapons have the advantage over short weapons in the first clash. Pole weapons are assumed to be longer than non-pole weapons, otherwise weapons requiring high ST are assumed to be longer than weapons requiring small ST.
- ST is more important, DX is less.
- Last shot at a charging figure emerges naturally from the rules and is no longer a special rule. Well, not as much anyway.
- An archer who is engaged but rescued during the turn may get a bonus shot off at the end.
I think I like all these consequences except maybe the last, about which I'm ambivalent.
Other polearm rules:
- Two figures are considered to be charging each other if they are now adjacent and were four hexes or more apart at the start of the turn.
- Javelins, Spears and Pikes used to charge or set versus charge have their damage doubled. Because they are just points, but except in the case of pikes this is play balance as well. May have to think about pikes.
- Halberds and Pikeaxes used to charge or set versus charge have their damage multiplied by 1.5, round down. Again play balance, but justified by the fact that halberd-like weapons have both an edge, that would not benefit from momentum, and a point that does.
- Naginata used to charge or set versus charge have the same damage as in normal attacks. This is play balance, but justified by the fact that the naginata has no point and therefore cannot be used to thrust. Note that the naginata retains its first attack advantages, and can still be used to "jab" at two hexes, so it isn't just a two-handed sword for ST 10.
- The NAGINATA talent is abolished, a character with POLE WEAPONS can use a naginata.
- Naginata base damage is 1+1. Play balance.
- There is no +2 DX modifier for "set versus a charge". As far as I can tell, armies usually chose to meet each other charging rather than set.