I was wondering if other DMs out there would allow a weapon to deal an alternate damage type, and how they would modify the roles. For example if a PC wielding a great axe was fighting a jelly that is immune to slashing damage, could he use the flat of the axe to instead cause bludgeoning damage since jellies are immune to slashing? I know the rules mention allowing a PC to turn blades to deal non lethal damage if started before attack to knock out vs kill an enemy.
The simplest and most by-the-book way to handle this is to use the improvised weapon rules. If you're feeling generous, you could let them keep their proficiency bonus.
Spellcasters who specialize in one damage type have that problem too. It’s part of the game. My suggestion is either have 2 different damage types or be creative and come up with a way to work with what you have on the fly when your only weapon isn’t useful.
The simplest and most by-the-book way to handle this is to use the improvised weapon rules. If you're feeling generous, you could let them keep their proficiency bonus.
This is how I'd do it too. You're using the weapon in a way other than how you've been trained to use it, so it's basically like bashing someone over the head with a shield. But the idea of letting them keep their proficiency bonus in this case has merit, because you're swinging it in much the same way you normally would. So your accuracy wouldn't suffer as much as the damage. Thinking more about it, I'd probably halve the proficiency bonus, especially for a greataxe. You're losing the aerodynamics of the blade by swinging it flat-side to the enemy :)
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I was wondering if other DMs out there would allow a weapon to deal an alternate damage type, and how they would modify the roles. For example if a PC wielding a great axe was fighting a jelly that is immune to slashing damage, could he use the flat of the axe to instead cause bludgeoning damage since jellies are immune to slashing? I know the rules mention allowing a PC to turn blades to deal non lethal damage if started before attack to knock out vs kill an enemy.
What is the best way to cover this.
The simplest and most by-the-book way to handle this is to use the improvised weapon rules. If you're feeling generous, you could let them keep their proficiency bonus.
Spellcasters who specialize in one damage type have that problem too. It’s part of the game. My suggestion is either have 2 different damage types or be creative and come up with a way to work with what you have on the fly when your only weapon isn’t useful.
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This is how I'd do it too. You're using the weapon in a way other than how you've been trained to use it, so it's basically like bashing someone over the head with a shield. But the idea of letting them keep their proficiency bonus in this case has merit, because you're swinging it in much the same way you normally would. So your accuracy wouldn't suffer as much as the damage. Thinking more about it, I'd probably halve the proficiency bonus, especially for a greataxe. You're losing the aerodynamics of the blade by swinging it flat-side to the enemy :)