Weapon Classes
UO's current weapon classification hierarchy is unbalanced and rigid. There needs to be more diversity and flexibility. In particular, I propose broadening the number of weapon classes, reclassifying some of the existing weapons, and adding some additional attributes.
The new weapon classes I would like to see are as follows:
- Ranged weapons: this class would include all thrown items such as bolas, throwing stars and darts, and old items like whips, and would also include new items such as throwing knives (dartboard) and hatchets (like what gargoyle destroyers used for a while). These items are either not used, or do not currently use any kind of skill test, which is just nuts--the idea that somebody with zero skill can throw a bola at a moving rider is just ridiculous. Most of the weapons in this class would be consumable, would do fast and light damage, and would have different ranges (a whip might only work with targets that are between 2 and 6 tiles, for example).
- Axes: this class would include all of the weapons that can be used for chopping wood, meaning all axes, plus items like halberd, and also including the war axe from the macing class. This is needed for two reasons: first is that the swords class is just way too large (it is several times larger than macing class), and also because the swing style is different (axes use a double-handed hip swing, while swords use a one-handed arm swing). The hatchet should be included in this class, but should be changed to a one-handed weapon.
- Polearms: double-handed poking thingies like the spear and the pike, plus double-handed bashing things like the staffs from macing, and even the fishing pole. These weapons should have longer reach than other weapon classes, capable of hitting a target from two-tiles away, but with slower swing timers.
The existing classes would be winnowed down a little bit, but can be added to again. They would look like:
- Archery: all sticks-with-string. A glove-bow should also be introduced that can hold four or five darts, fired in rapid succession, with no more than a maximum cumulative damage of 30 or 40 hit-points, but with each dart having a separate hit/miss chance and range check, and which must be removed to be reloaded.
- Swords: everything except the axes, plus a couple more two-handed swords (like the Claymore).
- Maces: add to it, but otherwise the same set of maces as currently exist. Polearms would move to the polearms grouping. The ball-and-chain mace should be added.
- Fencing: all of the sharp poking-things that are currently defined.. Polarms would move.
Apart from simply restructuring the weapons classes, I would also like to see some weapons become dual-use, so that they could be used by multiple combat skills. For example, instead of a ware axe simply saying "skill required: Axes", it would have a second "skill required" attribute for "maces" that allowed it to be used by either a macer or an axer. Similiarly, a hatchet might be useful as a throwing weapon and an axe simultaneously.
Also see the proposal to make resource-gathering more effective in combat through additional changes to the weapons classification system.