HYPERBOREA / Weapon range based on WC

**Posted by Bleapus** 1/03/2019 2:41 pm

Hello everyone,

This is my first time posting as my group is just now getting ready to try AS&SH for the first time, and are excited to do so.

The questions I have are in regards to the passage on pg. 248 where it says, " Combatants must be within weapon reach: 5 feet for WC 0–3 weapons, 10 feet for WC 4–5, and 15–20 feet for WC 6 weapons." Does this mean WC 4-5 must fight at a distance of 10 feet or can fight up to 10 feet? Also, for WC 6 it gives a range of 15-20 feet, must the weapons be used at this distance or up to?

Thank you for any and all help!

Edit: Thank you for all of your advice. I believe I will treat the given distances as the maximum range, and us DMPrata's advice to give the pike a penalty in close-quarters.

Last edited by Bleapus (1/07/2019 11:53 am)

**Posted by gizmomathboy** 1/03/2019 3:24 pm

The most charitable ruling would be that those distances are the maximum one could be away from an opponent and still be usable in melee.

A less charitable ruling would also add those are the minimum distances they could be used at.

Up to you which way you want to go.

I would apply some ruling my context. Have fun with that long pike or polearm in a 5 feet high by 5 feet wide passageway. :-)

**Posted by rhialto** 1/03/2019 3:26 pm

I don't recall it being specified any further, save that WC 5 - 6 weapons are referred to as being "unwieldy" in tight spaces (but again, no official rule on what that implies). One could interpret that mention, though, as allowing for further considerations of perhaps reversing the first strike priority in rounds after the first: that is, weapons 2 WC larger than another get first strike in the first round of combat, as per the rules, then weapons 2 WC smaller get first strike in subsequent rounds (to represent the unwieldy nature of lager weapons in tight quarters).

**Posted by Blackadder23** 1/03/2019 3:29 pm

In my experience players rarely choose to use the really long weapons anyway. It's almost a moot point.

**Posted by DMPrata** 1/03/2019 7:25 pm

Welcome to the forum, Bleapus! I can tell you that the intent of that weapon reach rule is that those are the maximum distances at which an attacker can strike (e.g., a combatant wielding a long spear can strike anyone within 10 feet). That said, the referee is free to adjudicate situations where a high-WC weapon is wielded in tight quarters. In “The Black Moss-Hag of Lug”, for instance, we recommended a –2 hindered attack penalty.

**Posted by rhialto** 1/05/2019 8:06 am

DMPrata wrote:
Welcome to the forum, Bleapus! I can tell you that the intent of that weapon reach rule is that those are the maximum distances at which an attacker can strike (e.g., a combatant wielding a long spear can strike anyone within 10 feet). That said, the referee is free to adjudicate situations where a high-WC weapon is wielded in tight quarters. In “The Black Moss-Hag of Lug”, for instance, we recommended a –2 hindered attack penalty.

Mirroring the "Defender is Hindered, -2" on table 88: that makes symmetric sense.