Longsword vent and question

[hickfam]

I chose longsword for my character not knowing much about the game assuming there would be lots of magical longswords since they are so common. Have only found +2 longswords (2 of them) but have found lots of other cool weapons (not longswords, of course). Downloaded extra merchants hoping for +3 or better but no such luck. Are there any better longswords out there?

[Morgeruat]

there are alot of great longswords, the blade of roses is one of the first +3 weapons you can get and it does broadsword damage (2d4 instead of 1d8), Daystar can be found in a tavern at the city gates district(you have to detect secret doors) and there are alot of other extremely poewrful longswords.

[Jon Irenicus]

and if u use 2 weapon styles u can use two good swords at a time... like Daystar and Equalizer...

[Indemaijinj]

Long swords are a safe bet if you're in doubt. It is also amongst the first three magical weapons you find in the game.

[Illumina Drathiran'ar]

The longsword: Tried and true. A part of elven heritage. A military staple. Just about everyone in core DnD rules can use them. After all, what's there to know? Just pick it up and swing. They're easy to enchant, Exhibits A-Z being all the lovely magical longswords you'll find in the game. The Sword of Balduran, Daystar, Dragonslayer, Varscona.. They're not as powerful as Celestial Fury or Carsomyr, but they can be gotten MUCH earlier in the game. There are no "ultimate" longswords in SoA, but that's the tradeoff, I suppose.
And by the way, all in all you showed good judgement by taking a slot in longsword.

[Indemaijinj]

The weapon proficiencies: "Oh, what to choose, what to chose."

Blades:

Dagger:
This is without doubt the most common weapon. A dagger is only slightly longer than a normal knife but has two edges and a sharp tip, being so cheap and common that even peasants often own one. It can also double as a tool for cutting rope, carving wood or even a fork making it a rather innocious weapon in contrast to other weapons who are clearly tools of killing. Don't be fooled though. The dagger has a sharp edge and it's thrust is just as potentially deadly as anything else. A dagger requires almost no strength or skill to use making it usable by anyone, even the most feeble mage. Only the clerics and druids who must refrain from the use of such weapons are barred from it. The assassin knows the true value of this weapon. It's thin sharp blade almost welcomes the back of an unsuspecting victim and the concealability is second to none. Throwing daggers also exist. They are designed and weighted especially for throwing often lacking the grip that would make them a good meelee weapon, but instead making for an effective and easy to use ranged weapon.
Daggers can be found almost everywhere and they are dirt cheap. Even the magical ones are within affordable range by many. Rare and powerful daggers do exist, however. Some returning to the hand they have been thrown from, and others inflicting targets with powerful debilitating or lethal poisons. Powerful dagger include the Boneblade +4, forged out of a dragon's tooth, the throwable returning Firetooth +3, aso made out of a dragon tooth and the mighty Pixie Prick (don't laugh, this was once the two-handed sword of a great pixie hero) which inflict those struck with magical slumber.

Short sword:
Little more than an overgrown dagger the short sword usually is nothing more than a side arm for a warrior. A sword to give an archer, should to give him a bit of resolve against melee attackers. For a thief, however, it is one of the most commonly used weapons. It is short, hence the name, offering a degree of concealability not possible with other swords, but it is still a sword which is quite of a step up compared to the also commonly used dagger. It also just as good for thrusting as for slashing giving the backstabbing thief yet another incitament to employ this weapon.
Normal short swords are rather cheap and obtainable almost everywhere. Magical short swords are also rather common. +1 short swords are often found in the hands of gangsters and other elite thugs. You are are not finding the really big magical bonuses amongst the short swords. Rather short swords often have neat abilities and are often made to complement a rogue's skill. Such weapons include the Sort Seord of Bckstabbing +3 which power should self explaining as well as the excellent Arbane's Sword +2 which, besides having a spiffy red colour, gives the wielder permanent free action and occationally providing a haste should a quick getaway be in order. Both weapons are available early on. The mighty Cutthroat +4 is amongst the most powerful short swords in existence. Two of the recruitable NPC's come with some rather nifty short swords too.

Long Sword:
This proud weapon is for many the true definition of a sword. Used extensively amongst elite soldiers and among nobles as well as a fencing weapon. The long sword is the favored weapon of the elves and nearly all young elves gets a bit of training in the long sword as part of their general education. The blade is thin and double edged, usually being a human arm length long. It is wielded in one hand and requires quite a bit of discipline to use properly.
Long swords are common. You find them on most armed groups you encounter and you can generally count on all weapons dealers having several in stock.There is no dearth in magical long swords either. Long swords are probably some of the most common magical weapons you will ever find, ranging in enchantments from measly +1 blades to legendary überweapons. Amongst the most notorious are the fabled Equalizer +3 who strikes foes harder the more they deviate from the ideal of true neutrality, Adjatha the Drinker +2, a weapon with a dark vampiric taint, Daystar +2, a holy weapon feared by all undead, Flame Tongue +4, a sword of solid flame and countless of others more or less famous blades.

Bastard Sword:
This is a large sword, halfway between the size of a longsword and a two handed sword and more massive than it's close relative, the long sword. These factors make the bastard sword a very damaging weapon, but restricts it's to only dedicated warriors.
Magical bastard swords a not quite as common as long swords. A few good ones exists though. Notably the nasty Jhor the Bleeder +2 who prevent the blood from clotting in the wounds it causes as well as the Blade of Searing +3.

Two-handed sword:
No other weapon radiates the glory of the battlefield quite the way that the massive two-handed swords or greatswords does. Being almost as long as a man is tall and often polished shining the mere sight of these enormous tools of destruction held triumphantly high is often enough to send a lesser man fleeing in terror. If not they usually live up to their appearance dealing massive damage, sometimes splitting foes in half. They do require a warrior of both great strength and skill to be wielded properly as they are exceptionally heavy and unwieldy. Hence they are not common except among races where great strength and a warriors disposition is common, such as the mongrel race of orogs. Still they are quite common amongst adventurers who don't fight surrounded by friendly soldiers in regiments. Usually only fighting together with a few choice companions they have lots of space to swing their impressive armament without accidentally beheading any allies. Since two-handed swords are two-handed weapons (kinda obvious) they prohibit the use of a shield. A true loss for a fighter. Most wielders tend to make up with this by either being extremely tough, or wearing heavy plate mails.
Two-handed swords are expensive. There is not that much demand on them and they are both difficult and costly to make. Therefore weaponsmiths only make a few of these and they tend to get quite costly. Magical two-handed swords abound and one is more powerful than the other and so forth. The proudest examples are insanely powerful and should cause anything short of a demigod to shiver. Fine examples are the abbyssal Soulreaver +4, that inflicts it's targets with bottomless despair, The mighty but slightly retarded intellegent sword known as "Lawrence Lilacor" (+3), the dreaded githyanki Silver Sword +3 that has a tendency cut people's heads clear off their necks, the impressive babarian Warblade +4 that makes even fellow two-handed swords seem small in comparison, the majestic holy avenger Carsomyr +5, almost forged of pure paladinhood and many more pieces of portable instant doom. If you are adventurous (like you should be) you might even stumble into one at the very start of the adventure.

Scimitar:
The scimitar is a sword of medium length with a single edged curved, often quite broad blade that is common among the Calimshites. It's a good fast slashing weapon that is quite good at causing deep cuts. It is also kind of a "sacred" weapon to druids. Probably because of it's similarity to a sickle and is the only bladed weapon they are allowed to use. Characters who are skilled in the use of scimitars can also use their skill with the more advanced wakasashi from the Kara Tur region as well as the assassins weapon known as ninja-to. Only the basic scimitar is sanctioned by druidkind however.
You will not find that many magical scimitars. Of those few especially Belm +2 is of note. A scimitar granting you extra speed and expertise allowing extra attacks per round. The wakasashi known as Dakkon's Zerth Blade is of special interest to fighter/mages due to it's ability to increase the spellcasting abilities of it's wielder.

Katana:
This weapon is truly formidable and so is it's price. Even a totally mundane one (if this weapon can ever be said to be mundane) costs what you would expect an enchanted sword to cost. And rightfully so since the process of their manufacture is almost as time consuming and demanding of the blacksmith's skill as forging a magical blade. The process includes wrapping heir thin steel plates upon themselves to produce a light blade of both extreme sharpness and durability. Katanas are of bastard sword length and invariably single edge and slightly curved, following strict rules of design. The katana is the weapon of the Kara Tur knight, the wakasashi mentioned before being but a smaller version used only as back-up weapon. As such katanas are rare outside Kara Tur. Especially the magical ones that only seldomly reach hands outside the Kara Tur noble families. One magical katana is, however, of special note: The legendary Celestial Fury +2 that strikes with the irresistable force of a thunderstorm. Many a fighter has trained with this outlandish sword just because they dreamed to get hold of this fantastic blade.

[Indemaijinj]

The weapon proficiencies: "Oh, what to choose, what to chose."

Hafted weapons, spears, polearms and staves:

Axe:
The battle axe is the weapon of choice amongst dwarwen warriors and most magical axes of any note are of dwarwen make. A battle axe is a formidable slashing weapon that combines a broad slashing edge with the force of impact of a heavy axehead. Though it is not as elegant a weapon as a longsword they still require considerable skill to wield properly. Not a weapon for the average delver. Smaller axes meant for throwing also exists. A warrior skilled in the use of a battle axe is usually also quite handy with the thrown variety. Battle axes are also commonly used by the savage races such as orcs, goblins and minotaurs. Partly because they appreciate the straightforwardness of this weapon. Partly because it doesn't recuire an expert weaponsmith to create a decent battle axe. Most dwarwes would beg to differ on that matter of course.
Axes are common weapons. Just the initial waves of goblins have loads of them and throwing axes aren't too hard to get hold of either. Magical axes aren't exactly common, but they tend to rather powerful. Especially the magical throwing axes that return to one's hand after being thrown is sought after. Amongst the most powerful axes are the flaming Stonefire +3, the cruel Frostrea
ver +3 and the mighty undead slaying Azuredge +3 (that despite it's name is glowing red).

Halberd:
The halberd is a short polearm which is a combination of an axe and a spear. The halberd offers the best from both world both being useful in a close formation of pikemen or used wading into melee as a giant two handed axe. Being a two handed weapon it rules out the use of shields. Not a specially hard penalty when protected amongst buddies in a tight phalanx, but errant adventurers must resort to other means of protection. Usually big cumbersome plate armors. The halberd has become a widespread weapon amongst military forces in all civilised cultures, save amongst the elves who don't savour the battle tactics where halberds have their strengths.
Halberds have become somewhat cheap due to large scale production, but they are still very impressive weapons and effective ones at that. Magical halberds are not that common since halberds are most oftenly wielded by rank and file troops. A few magical halberds exists, however, and they are a rather impressive lot. Most notoriously the Wawe +4, said by some to be blessed by Umberlee, the godess of the restless sea, herself. But there are several others of interest. The Dragon's Bane +3 especially made to combat dragons, the Dragon's Breath +4 which uses the forces of the dragons to smite it's foes and the rather peculiar Blackmist +4, a paladin's weapon with the ability to summon forth a cloud of darkness.

Spear:
The spear is probably one of the oldest known weapon, aside from the simple club or rock. A spear is simply a wooden pole with a pointed metal head in one end. Sometimes the spearhead is fitted with barbs, extra points or whatnot for extra damage and very rarely the shaft is made of metal, but the basic design remains the same. Druids are allowed to use spears since they reckon that spears were used by the first humanoid tribes to hunt game allowing them to survive and is therefore an integral part of our place in nature. (As you can see druids are a pretentious lot). In reality spears are not used in hunting anymore, perhaps by savages but even they only really us them when fishing. Everyone uses the in this circumstance far superior short bow. Spears still live on though as a weapon of strife either in an elongated form as pikes or simply by virtue of being cheap and easy to use.
Spears are extremely easy to produce and can be found everywhere. Still they are not especially common anymore as specialized armament is becoming ever more commonplace. Amongst underwater races they are still widely used as the conditions underwater renders the spear far superior to any other melee weapon. There are a lot of enchanted spears to be found, but their enchantments are usually not all that powerful but two spears do stand out as being exceptionally nasty. The first is the orcish Impaler +3 which by own volition pushes itself further into it's target, always seeking to emerge on the other side. The other is the even more sinister, apparantly having been made from the heart of an undead treant the Spear of Withering excretes a powerful poison made of undead tree sap.

Staff:
The staff is very much a spellcasters weapon rarely seen in the hands of others than wizards, clerics or priests, or the occasional vagabond that need something to lean on to. The staff in it's simplest form is just a wooden stick, albeit a very sturdy one if it is to survive the wear and tear of combat or just daily use as a walking stick. It is usually a bit taller than a human, though smaller races prefer smaller staves that looks less awkward and are less unwieldy to them. Sometimes staves are shod with metal in one or both ends and some are even adorned with gems and inlaid with precious metals. These tend to be magical too. While requiring little strength to use the staff still requires a bit of finesse to use properly. Yet most mages endavour to learn it's secrets as it will be a reliable last ditch defence if things should go royally wrong. Also many mages simply don't feel properly dressed if not wielding a staff. It goes with the trade. A staff is like the dagger one of those innocent looking weapons. After all it doesn't necessarily have to be a weapon. It could just be a walking stick or staff of office. It gets a bit suspicious when it is heavily shod with iron in both ends, but still.. Many clerics also prefer wielding staves when out amongst people in order to look inoffensive but still be ready for an eventual confrontation.
Ideally quarterstaves are not to be bought but rather found out in the woods and then maybe fitted with a few refurnishings, like iron bands. Still some merchants go out in the woods to find some good specimens, bring them home, polish them a bit and then sell them to some city mages who can't be bothered to go fetch them themselves. Druids, of course, frowns upon such business insisting that a druid's staff should be aquired by an elaborate ceremony where a piece of local foilage must be "convinced" of giving a stick or two of it's body. They believe that this gives the staff more "personality". (It can work wonders sometimes, Cernd should know ). Magical staves tend to stick out from other magical weapons. Where other weapons' enchantments tend to be based about the weapon's primary function: Bashing, slashing or piercing foes to oblivion staves tend to have another focus. They are created to augment the abilities of the wielder. Either by being able to fire spells themselves or by increasing the wielder's spellcastin abilities or provide various continous powers. Still there are some staves whose power lies in being a very strong weapon. Especially the Staff of Rynn +4 comes to mind here containing a bit of the soul of a very angry witch who was wrongly burned. This very staff being the stake where the foul deed was done. Amongst magical staves there is a great diversity of different powers to be had. Among the clerical and druidic staves
there are the excellent Staff of Curing that not only heals the wounded but also grants the wielder a degree of protection allowing her to tend the wounded unmolested (or aiding her in removing the source of injuries). The druids also have some truly fantastic staves with the abilities to summon forth the forces of nature in full brunt. Either as the Staff of Woodlands +4 by summoning forth nature's minions to do one's bidding or as the Staff of Arundel +3 by giving the druid access to undreamed spellcasting prowess. The true gems, however, are to be found amongst the mage's staves. The Staff of Power +3 is truly formidable with it's ability to erect magical defences or send enemies into torpor with the irresistible force of lightning, but it fades completely when compared with THE pinnacle of magecraft. Representing the unceasing labour and study of many of the most skilled wizards for decades, nay centuries! this staff will supply you with magical might that even demigods sometimes only have to dream of. The powers are immense beyond normal reason and the possibilities are endless. This staff is THE item if you are a wizard or sorcerer and if you are not it is pretty darn useless.

[ 08-31-2002, 03:13 PM: Message edited by: Indemaijinj ]

[Warby]

I'm just tryin out a swashbukler. I'm duelwieldin longswords at the moment but I'm gonna get daystar and celestial fury to duel wield. Should be interestin. Mainly cause I can get 3 stars in duel wielding and a few in normal.

Warby

[SixOfSpades]

(Pssst.....Dragon's Breath+4 Halberd....)

[Indemaijinj]

I'm intent on doing all of the weapon proficiencies. Do you like the idea or should I quit posting?