Fix the Bastard Sword in two steps!!

[Damionic]

1. Increase the to-hit distance of the weapon (It's the longest 1 handed weapon in the game so the distance from the monster to hit should be longer then the Khopesh!)

2. Add a damage enhancement with Bastard Swords/Longswords for Humans. (The Bastard sword is built for damage NOT crits so this should be reflected)

and Humans don't have a weapon spec enhancement line but other races do.

[grodon9999]

Khopesh would still be better.

[Kinerd]

In terms of full damage output, and assuming that the proposed weapon enhancement line would be a total of +2 to damage like the elf and dwarf enhancement lines, we use the following equation for total damage:

19 * (base damage + enhancement) + (threat * (multiplier - 1) * (base damage + enhancement))

First investigating the case of no Keen/IC, no seeker, and no Kensai:

total damage (bastard sword) - total damage (khopesh) = 19 * (5.5 + enhancement + 2) + (2 * 1 * (5.5 + enhancement + 2)) - 19 * (4.5 + enhancement) - (2 * 2 * (4.5 + enhancement))

total damage difference = 19 + 19 * 2 + (-3 - 2 * enhancement)
total damage difference = 54 - 2 * enhancement

Hence, the bastard sword will be superior until a damage enhancement of 27 (before the +2) is reached, after which the khopesh will be superior.

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Next, considering the case of Keen/IC, while noting that the non-crit part of the damage difference cannot change by adding any of the effect listed above:

total damage difference = 57 + (4 * 1 * (5.5 + enhancement + 2)) - (4 * 2 * (4.5 + enhancement))
total damage difference = 57 + (22 + 8 - 36 - 4 * enhancement)
total damage difference = 51 - 4 * enhancement

Hence, the keen bastard sword will be superior until a damage enhancement of 13 is reached.

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Finally, considering the case of Keen/IC along with rank 3 Kensai and a Bloodstone (for a total of seeker 10):

total damage difference = 57 + (5 * 1 * (5.5 + enhancement + 2 + 10)) - (5 * 2 * (4.5 + enhancement + 10))
total damage difference = 57 + (27.5 + 10 + 50 - 45 - 100 - 5 * enhancement)
total damage difference = -0.5 - 5 * enhancement

Hence, the khopesh will essentially always be superior.

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Of lesser interest due to the intermittent nature of Smite Evil is the Exalted Smite line of Paladin enhancements. Because the critical multiplier increase is additive, the amount that the bastard swords lags behind the khopesh closes somewhat on those levels of enhancements and increases on the next level when threat is increased.

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To make a long story short (too late), the higher critical multiplier and equal threat range combined with the very high damage enhancements attainable in DDO make it impossible for any reasonably balanced line of enhancements to close the gap on the khopesh. We can show this by making the bastard sword enhancement line the variable instead of other enhancements, setting those to 50 as a reasonably attainable level 20 figure, and setting the damage difference to 0:

total damage (bastard sword) - total damage (khopesh) = 19 * (5.5 + 50 + enhancement) + (5 * 1 * (5.5 + 50 + enhancement + 10)) - 19 * (4.5 + 50) - (5 * 2 * (4.5 + 50 + 10))
0 = 19 + 19 * enhancement + 27.5 + 250 + 5 * enhancement + 50 - 45 - 500 - 100
0 = 346.5 + 24 * enhancement - 645
298.5 = 24 * enhancement
12.43 = enhancement

So just to be even with a khopesh, the bastard sword would need a 13 point boost to damage enhancement line, or more than six times larger than any other weapon enhancement line.

[AuriliusTyr]

The number crunching you just did is all greek to me, but if your good with them would you mind running a bastard sword with a +1 threat range modifier vs current kopesh so 18-20 x2 vs kopesh 19-20 x3? Just if you have time and are really bored.

I do frenzy, not math ;p

[Khurse]

The number crunching you just did is all greek to me, but if your good with them would you mind running a bastard sword with a +1 threat range modifier vs current kopesh so 18-20 x2 vs kopesh 19-20 x3? Just if you have time and are really bored.

I do frenzy, not math ;p

18-20 x2 is the same as a scimitar. (although with a bit more damage) Khopesh still wins.

[ekniff]

1. Increase the to-hit distance of the weapon (It's the longest 1 handed weapon in the game so the distance from the monster to hit should be longer then the Khopesh!)

actually, this alone will convince me to use bastards.

[Zachski]

Actually...

How about increasing the threat range of Bastard Sword so it becomes 17-20 / x2?

1. The bigger threat range would give players a reason to get it over any other weapon.
2. What the Khopesh has in bigger crits the Bastard Sword would have in more frequent crits.

[dormetheus]

Give it glancing blows when TWF (and all appropriate "add effect on glance" properties)

[Kinerd]

18-20 x2 is the same as a scimitar. (although with a bit more damage) Khopesh still wins.

The bit more damage proves to have a decisive impact:

total damage (bastard sword with 18-20 threat) - total damage (khopesh) = 19 * (5.5 + enhancement + 2) + (3 * 1 * (5.5 + enhancement + 2)) - 19 * (4.5 + enhancement) - (2 * 2 * (4.5 + enhancement))

total damage difference = 19 + 19 * 2 + 16.5 + 3 * enhancement + 6 - 18 - 4 * enhancement
total damage difference = 57 + 4.5 - enhancement

So unless your character had a damage enhancement of 62, he or she would be better off with the bastard sword. For the keen comparison, the value is 34.

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It occurred to me that I hadn't done a comparison with greensteel base damage values. I will use a seeker value of 6 and no modifiers to threat or multiplier besides keen/IC, and first look at the case of the current bastard sword threat:

total damage (GS BS with 19-20 threat) - total damage (GS khopesh) = 19 * (9 + enhancement + 2) + (4 * 1 * (9 + enhancement + 2 + 6)) - 19 * (5.5 + enhancement) - (4 * 2 * (5.5 + enhancement + 6))

total damage difference = 19 * 5.5 + 68 - 44 - 48 - 4 * enhancement
total damage difference = 80.5 - 4 * enhancement

So the GS khopesh will be superior at and above a 21 damage enhancement.

Now, for the proposed 18-20 threat bastard sword:

total damage difference = 19 * 5.5 + 102 - 44 - 48 - 2 * enhancement
total damage difference = 114.5 - 2 * enhancement

So the GS khopesh will be superior to a GS bastard sword with 18-20 threat at and above a 58 damage enhancement.

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In sum, making the bastard sword an 18-20 threat weapon would absolutely make it comparable to a khopesh, even in end-game situations (and especially as an off-hand weapon). Making it a 17-20 threat weapon would give it the same value for (threat * (multiplier - 1)) as the khopesh, and with its higher base damage it would be superior to the khopesh in every situation.

[WangoFett]

Actually allow them to be used as two-handed weapons as well as one-handers.

Overhaul the weapon wielding system so that this is possible.

Do it.