Sakabatou (new weapon)

[Kashell]

The Sakabatou (reverse-bladed sword) is a traditional Japanese weapon used to subdue the enemy...and not kill. With the blade on the other side, it becomes very simple to bring foes down without harming them. Weilding the blade the other way (due to the curve) causes it to become slightly unweildy. When sheathed, the Sakabatou looks like any other deadly sword of its type.

Exotic Weapon (Masterwork Basterd Sword)
Dmg 1d10 (m)
Crit 19-20/x2
Weight 6 lb.
Slashing
335 gp
The user takes -2 to attacks when not doing subdual damage, and does not take the normal -4 penalty when doing subdual damage.


I think the Justicar would find this weapon very useful.

 

[haiiro]

Inspired by Ruroni Kenshin, or is it an historical weapon?

In any case, it's a neat idea and I like your implementation of it -- rules-wise, it's interesting and seems sound to me.

 

[DreamChaser]

Obviously inspired by Rurouni. A quick search for sakabato in google will show that (in the opinion of most sword experts) a sakabato is not only historically unknown but also an unsound weapon because a blade on the wrong curve of a sword that long would create sword-breaking tensions.

And the sakabato should be a bludgeoning or slashing weapon (depending upon which edge is used) but the reverse edge is definitely shown as bludgeoning both in the manga and the anime. I agree with the penalty to using the sword as a lethal weapon.

DC