A different idea for changing the way combat and q&d works

[Zetetic]

This thought is a continuation and amalgamation of other peoples ideas about adding minimum agility to weapons.

My idea is to replace the current quick and deadly system by making all weapons have a strength and an agility statistic (not minimum). A sliding scale is then created to represent what happens if you have more or less strength or agility than the required stats. I would not modify the swing speeds from what they currently are.

The below system would be much nicer if we halved critical, smash and bash damage. Also, the accuracy bonus currently given for strength would need to be removed (that never made sense to me in the first place).

If your strength and agility match the stats of the weapon, you receive no bonuses or penalties.

This is a suggestion for the scale, I presume it would need to be modified.
For every 5 strength above the strength stat, you receive +0.25 min and +0.5 max damage.
For every 5 agility above the item's agility stat, you receive +0.5 crits and +1.5 accuracy

These would be in addition to the currently given bonuses.

Example:

Half Ogre with 140 strength and 45 agility, wielding a titanic stone maul (Strength stat 120, I suggest 55 for the agility).

Under the above system, the half ogre would receive +1 min and +2 max damage, -1 crits, -3 accuracy
Result: A weapon nicely suited for smashing with.

The above character with an ethereal sabre (70 strength, I suggest 100 agility)
+3.5 min and +7 max damage, -5.5 crits and -16.5 acc
Result: The half ogre would hit hard, but considerably less often with this weapon.

This would also mean that races with lower strength could now use the high strength/damage weapons, but they will forfeit decent amounts of the damage bonus given by these items. I would expect to see a halfling Ranger attempting to use the tree trunk (DeathCow, I'm looking at you).

The messages could be along the lines of the following:
(strength) This weapon is well weighted/light/effortless/weightless in your hands.
(agility) You are able/mobile/agile/deadly with this weapon.

The desire behind this change is to make the high agility and low strength classes a valid choice with the weapons that are currently available in the game. It also pushes strength based races more towards hitting less in combat, but when they actually do, it's supposed to hurt.

Your thoughts, suggestions and criticism?

[DeathCow]

Agility standards with +/- to acc, and crits is not a half bad idea.  On those same lines I've always prefered the idea of str bonuses being based on the weapons str min, rather than being standard for all weapons.

[The Crazy Animal]

You could take the idea further than two stats....

Str = dmg
agil = acc
intel = crits
wis = ac
hea = dr
cha = dodge

Each weapon would then have a personality unique to itself when wielded by each race and change continually with character growth until max stats are reached. It would really change the current stagnancy that weapons are treated with in the game as it is now.

I'd actually like to see q&d go away and be replaced by a experienced based weapon level system which is based in exp accumulated with the weapon and would be determined by a weapon difficulty rating. Each level gained would add and unlock certain bonuses in the way a player can strike with the weapon as well as static bonus while wielding the weapon. In this way a player could then specialize in a particular weapon type beyond the common norms that is 1h, 2h, blunt, blade, staff, or bow. As it could be taken to the point of differentiating between broadsword or scimitar and other the base weapon types that can be found in the game. 

[Zetetic]

Wow, there I go thinking that someone has actually taken an interest in this old post, and it's just an affiliate link-spammer.

[Thesifer]

Wow, there I go thinking that someone has actually taken an interest in this old post, and it's just an affiliate link-spammer.

Duh.. :)  Always check what they are linking to in the profile sig.