Elf swords

[ghosty]

Probably been asnwers before but pls humour me. What are the stats for the 2 handed elf sword used in the films? I'm starting a campaign and have to deal with a PC who doesn't agree that it has the same stats as a longsword. Personally I think so too. Any suggestions welcome.

[Ineti]

I'd simply use the stats for a standard longsword, damage 2d6+5.

[ben hur]

The usual 2d6+5 damage would be the natural choice, but I've found that although greater emphasis should be placed on a sword's lineage and so forth rather than it's stats, it does help if the stats do make it stand out just a bit.

So instead giving it a 3d6+1 damage wouldn't be at all a bad idea, and perhaps a bonus of 1 or 2 to Intimidate rolls made with the weapon.

The thing I'm saying here is: an Elf sword doesn't need different stats really, but it's certainly not a bad touch as it helps single out the sword as different (if not necessarily better or worse).

As always, have fun and do what works.

[ghosty]

Ultimately I decided to compromise. If you use a one handed weapon 2 handed you get a -2 penalty to defense but gain +4 to damage. Now its silly to believe that the elves would a sword which would expose themselves to attack so I halved the damage bonus and didn't impose the -2 penalty.

I bought the excellent book based on the movie showing the arms and armor used in the 3 movies with explanatory notes and its a valuable resource for gamers. Now all I need is for time to read it and redo the weapons in the RPG. Very limited IMHO.

[Sarge]

Another factor to consider is how effective this weapon is when you lose the use of one arm and have to use it one-handed. In the SCA, it's fairly common for fighters with greatswords to get hit in the arm and try to use a big sword with one hand. It doesn't work all that well. I'd say -2 to parry, -3 to attack, and -4 to damage if you're using a two-handed weapon with one hand.

I have to add that I totally disagree with that rule about a penalty to defense if you're using a weapon two-handed. I have quite a bit of experience using SCA swords that are comparable to the movie images of Narsil, Glamdring, etc, and they are much quicker on the parry if you're using them with two hands.