(10-07-2014, 02:58 PM)Val Wrote: Val is definitely more of a finesse fighter, and he dual wields daggers and waits for his enemy to make a mistake before he commits to a strike. If he fails, then he's likely going to get beat up in a bad way! It's happened more than once. If they attack him, the /best/ he can do is try and avoid the attack entirely or get sliced up! It's definitely risk/reward, or at least that's how I play it!

(10-07-2014, 03:08 PM)Kage Wrote:

(10-07-2014, 02:58 PM)Val Wrote: Val is definitely more of a finesse fighter, and he dual wields daggers and waits for his enemy to make a mistake before he commits to a strike. If he fails, then he's likely going to get beat up in a bad way! It's happened more than once. If they attack him, the /best/ he can do is try and avoid the attack entirely or get sliced up! It's definitely risk/reward, or at least that's how I play it!

I don't know if it's realistic but I read this young adult novel series where they were essentially like "Ranger"s of LotR and using daggers and knives for the most part meant they had a specially designed knife that, when crossed so it was used in conjuction with another dagger or knife, it would be able to catch something like a broadsword.

Of course it meant both your hands were caught in catching it but you know... if that was a last resort.

(10-07-2014, 02:58 PM)Val Wrote: I'm not against dual wielding, per se, but people need to understand that it's NOT a very defensive fighting style...

(10-07-2014, 03:54 PM)C Wrote:

(10-07-2014, 02:58 PM)Val Wrote: I'm not against dual wielding, per se, but people need to understand that it's NOT a very defensive fighting style...

Historically, dual-weilding is an extremely defensive fighting style. Sword-and-dagger, sword-and-cape, sword-and-shield (yes, a shield is a weapon). All focus on using the second weapon to bolster defense.

(10-07-2014, 03:40 PM)FreelanceWizard Wrote: I guess I'm the outlier here in that I see the world of the player characters as more of a mid-power "superheroic" setting, similar to a low Essence Exalted game or the more down to earth issues of Ultimates. Note that I say "the world of the player characters;" the PCs are a tiny subset of Eorzeans. Most Eorzeans are just average people living average fantasy lives in a setting where magic is relatively commonplace (how else do you explain those ceiling fans, huh? ). Those with combat skills are a subset of that, adventurers are a subset of that, competent adventurers are a subset of that, and you can go further if you want to subdivide based on access to Jobs, possession of the Echo, and so on. Yes, the vast majority of people are "grunts," as are the vast majority of adventurers; however, the player characters are the exceptional members of society -- the Company of Heroes sorts who can face down Primals, explore the depths of Allagan ruins, and go around generally being Big Damn Heroes.

However, just because the PCs are Heroic doesn't mean that they don't face significant challenges. It takes 8 highly skilled adventurers to take on a single high-ranking Garlean commander and 24 to challenge the beings within the Crystal Tower. There's always someone or something more powerful. Characters can be powerful without being unimaginably Advent Children or Super Saiyan powerful. They can (and should!) have weaknesses, mental issues, and an underlying construct to explain why they can do what they do.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with playing a character that's less powerful, but I don't think there's anything wrong with being powerful in the XIV setting. In fact, there's a lot of fun that can be had in exploring the implications of that power. How do you handle mundane issues like paying your rent or going out to dinner (or, Twelve forbid, trying to figure out how to split a check)? How do you best apply -- or don't apply -- that power? What's a real threat to you when you have magical healing, and shouldn't fates worse than death terrify you more?

(10-07-2014, 05:05 PM)Aya Wrote: I definitely fall into the Magic Girl category! \o/

(10-07-2014, 03:40 PM)FreelanceWizard Wrote: I guess I'm the outlier here in that I see the world of the player characters as more of a mid-power "superheroic" setting, similar to a low Essence Exalted game or the more down to earth issues of Ultimates. Note that I say "the world of the player characters;" the PCs are a tiny subset of Eorzeans. Most Eorzeans are just average people living average fantasy lives in a setting where magic is relatively commonplace (how else do you explain those ceiling fans, huh? ). Those with combat skills are a subset of that, adventurers are a subset of that, competent adventurers are a subset of that, and you can go further if you want to subdivide based on access to Jobs, possession of the Echo, and so on. Yes, the vast majority of people are "grunts," as are the vast majority of adventurers; however, the player characters are the exceptional members of society -- the Company of Heroes sorts who can face down Primals, explore the depths of Allagan ruins, and go around generally being Big Damn Heroes.

However, just because the PCs are Heroic doesn't mean that they don't face significant challenges. It takes 8 highly skilled adventurers to take on a single high-ranking Garlean commander and 24 to challenge the beings within the Crystal Tower. There's always someone or something more powerful. Characters can be powerful without being unimaginably Advent Children or Super Saiyan powerful. They can (and should!) have weaknesses, mental issues, and an underlying construct to explain why they can do what they do.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with playing a character that's less powerful, but I don't think there's anything wrong with being powerful in the XIV setting. In fact, there's a lot of fun that can be had in exploring the implications of that power. How do you handle mundane issues like paying your rent or going out to dinner (or, Twelve forbid, trying to figure out how to split a check)? How do you best apply -- or don't apply -- that power? What's a real threat to you when you have magical healing, and shouldn't fates worse than death terrify you more?

(10-07-2014, 03:40 PM)FreelanceWizard Wrote: I guess I'm the outlier here in that I see the world of the player characters as more of a mid-power "superheroic" setting, similar to a low Essence Exalted game or the more down to earth issues of Ultimates. Note that I say "the world of the player characters;" the PCs are a tiny subset of Eorzeans. Most Eorzeans are just average people living average fantasy lives in a setting where magic is relatively commonplace (how else do you explain those ceiling fans, huh? ). Those with combat skills are a subset of that, adventurers are a subset of that, competent adventurers are a subset of that, and you can go further if you want to subdivide based on access to Jobs, possession of the Echo, and so on. Yes, the vast majority of people are "grunts," as are the vast majority of adventurers; however, the player characters are the exceptional members of society -- the Company of Heroes sorts who can face down Primals, explore the depths of Allagan ruins, and go around generally being Big Damn Heroes.

However, just because the PCs are Heroic doesn't mean that they don't face significant challenges. It takes 8 highly skilled adventurers to take on a single high-ranking Garlean commander and 24 to challenge the beings within the Crystal Tower. There's always someone or something more powerful. Characters can be powerful without being unimaginably Advent Children or Super Saiyan powerful. They can (and should!) have weaknesses, mental issues, and an underlying construct to explain why they can do what they do.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with playing a character that's less powerful, but I don't think there's anything wrong with being powerful in the XIV setting. In fact, there's a lot of fun that can be had in exploring the implications of that power. How do you handle mundane issues like paying your rent or going out to dinner (or, Twelve forbid, trying to figure out how to split a check)? How do you best apply -- or don't apply -- that power? What's a real threat to you when you have magical healing, and shouldn't fates worse than death terrify you more?

(10-07-2014, 02:58 PM)Val Wrote: I agree that just regular swords would be fine, but if the guy has two ten feet, massive swords, it's a bit much. And with these smaller blades comes the need, in my opinion, to dodge or parry rather than outright block attacks unless they're well-armored, but then the ease of motion range of movement is limited to the excess weight.

(10-07-2014, 06:38 PM)Nako Wrote:

(10-07-2014, 02:58 PM)Val Wrote: I agree that just regular swords would be fine, but if the guy has two ten feet, massive swords, it's a bit much. And with these smaller blades comes the need, in my opinion, to dodge or parry rather than outright block attacks unless they're well-armored, but then the ease of motion range of movement is limited to the excess weight.

I just wanted to pick up on the bolded bit here.

It is actually a historical Falacy that well armored people had a limited movement range compared to an unarmored or lightly armored opponent. In well fitted/made plate armor, for example, the wearer had a near normal range of motion, they were, for instance (if the wearer was indeed that flexible) able to touch their toes, mount up onto a horse with ease, and sprint.

That being said, they would be slower, but only marginally so.