NormalDamage Weapons
There is one important exception to the rule that a weapon's damage cannot be more than doubled by the addition of DC from Extra DCs, Strength and so forth. In heroic campaigns, the rule about doubling applies to Normal-damage weapons. However, in superheroic campaigns, Normal-damage weapons simply add to a character's STR damage or maneuver damage, regardless of whether this would more than double the weapon's damage. In a heroic campaign, a character with a 2d6 Normal-damage brass knuckles and a 20 STR cannot increase the knuckles' damage beyond 4d6 (2d6 from the weapon, plus a maximum of 2d6 from STR); in a superheroic campaign, the same character would do 6d6 with the brass knuckles (4d6 from STR plus 2d6 from the weapon). Killing-damage weapons are treated the same in both superheroic and heroic campaigns: their damage cannot be more than doubled.
However, it is important to realize that there is a distinction between a maneuver in a Normal-damage weapon-based style and maneuvers in unarmed styles which may also be used with a Normal-damageweapon. A heroic-level character who buys a maneuver in a style which primarily uses a Normal-damage weapon can buy maneuvers which do more damage than twice the base damage of the weapon normally used with that style (Arnis/Kali/Escrima is the prime example here, but any style which has a Normal-damage weapon as its "Default" uses this rule).
Example: Greg and Jeff both practice Escrima. Each of them has STR 20 and buys the Redonda/ Punch maneuver (a Fast Strike) and 4 Extra DC. Thus, with this maneuver they can do 10d6 damage—despite the fact that an Escrima Stick only does 3d6 Normal damage, and ordinarily cannot be made to do more than 6d6 damage total. This "exception" reflects the high level of training with a particular weapon that has been undertaken by someone who purchases a style such as Escrima.
However, suppose that Greg and Jeffnow decide to learn Kung Fu, and buy the "Clubs" Weapons Element for their Kung Fu. When they use their Escrima Sticks with their Kung Fu maneuvers, they cannotdo more than 6d6 with them, as per usual— Kung Fu is not primarily based around a Normal-damage weapon as Escrima is.
The GM is free to alter this rule if he feels that it unfairly discriminates in favor of certain styles. For example, the GM could rule that any time a character buys a Weapons Element for a particular class of Normal-damage weapons, he can do full maneuver damage with that weapon, even if it exceeds the standard "doubling" limit.
Post a comment