I've been thinking about this over the last couple of days, and think I will stay with (2d3, 3) for a short, one-handed spear.
Why? I've been looking at lots of pictures of late medieval combat (tapestries, woodcuts, etc.) and note that in almost all of them the spear was used in both hands (while, at the same time, armour has improved). It seems that the one-handed spear was fine when most of your opponents were fairly lightly armoured, but fell out of favour as armour improved.*
* I may be wrong here, but that's what the images appear to convey.Also, in game terms, if you make the short spear a (2d4, 3) weapon, why would anyone in their right mind use a shortsword? A shortsword would be much more expensive to make, harder to train to use and, against most opponents (i.e. those with AF3 or less), would actually be an inferior weapon. The increase to 2d4 ABP appears quite high for a one-handed weapon.
Comparing the short spear (2d3, 3) to a mace (d6, 4), the short spear becomes better than the mace against opponents with AF2 or less, but the mace wins in terms of damage inflicted.
Acoma says:
Quote:
I think 2d4 and 2d3 for Great Spear and Standard Spear respectively are good...
...and now I agree.
As Hermes421 says...
Quote:
Even against a chainmail armour, I would prefer a sword
...and perhaps that's as it should be. In a vaguely "heroic" game the sword retains a certain mystique and it's good that it is not overshadowed by the spear.
I will retain the +4 Combat Initiative I give to great spears (otherwise they are a little weak as a two-handed weapon),* but will give only +1 to the short spear as it does not extend all that far (not that much further than an extended sword, for example).
* Compared to greatsword (d10, 5) or battle-axe (d8, 6).In my games, all weapons break on a "fumble",* but swords and greatswords are dropped instead. This gives swords another little edge over other weapons and is inspired from Greg Stafford's KAP game - so you might not want it in your own games.
* A roll of 20 is not a fumble: it is a miss and a potential fumble. A fumble occurs when an individual rolls a 20, then rolls over their Rank + Reflexes on a second d20 roll. An attack roll of 20 followed by another 20 is always a fumble. This is one of my own house rules.