Author Topic: Why arent Slings used?  (Read 3631 times)

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Dawnmor

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Why arent Slings used?
« on: May 19, 2011, 08:01:45 PM »
I was pouring through my books considering different character types when I came across a SLING.  It seems to be a very unloved weapon of choice, why ?.

They have the Sling of winds? in Weapon of Legacy that if you spend almost 18k on different levels of rituals you can unlock the different levels of the weapon, and a normal human can deal 3d6 + str pts of damage with the sling.  If I remember right it can be enchanted as well.  But from what I have seen on the boards, it seems to be a very unused weapon, never mentioned not even once.  Why is this ?

After all that weapon of legacy sling does slightly more damage then a greatsword.

weenog

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Re: Why arent Slings used?
« Reply #1 on: May 19, 2011, 08:04:43 PM »
Actions are among the most important resources in any fight.  A sling takes a move action to load, and there's no option are few options to obviate that.  You normally cannot full attack with it, nor can you even move and fire.
« Last Edit: May 19, 2011, 08:13:52 PM by weenog »
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X-Codes

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Re: Why arent Slings used?
« Reply #2 on: May 19, 2011, 08:07:33 PM »
Actions are among the most important resources in any fight.  A sling takes a move action to load, and there's no option to obviate that.  You cannot full attack with it, nor can you even move and fire.
Actually, there's a Bloodstorm Blade variant that you can use to enable a slinger.  Functionally, however, they're not much different from any other Bloodstorm Blade build.

snakeman830

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Re: Why arent Slings used?
« Reply #3 on: May 19, 2011, 08:29:20 PM »
The only offical way to make slings useable is getting Hand Crossbow Focus and using an Aptitude Sling for free action reloads.  That's why.
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veekie

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Re: Why arent Slings used?
« Reply #4 on: May 20, 2011, 01:23:29 AM »
Well, if you're in Pathfinder at least theres Halfling Warslingers
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awaken DM golem

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Re: Why arent Slings used?
« Reply #5 on: May 21, 2011, 05:11:48 PM »
Pay for a Metamorph to make whatever Crossbow into a Sling.

skydragonknight

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Re: Why arent Slings used?
« Reply #6 on: May 21, 2011, 09:01:25 PM »
Slings are best used by Halflings with Warslings and Skiprocks.
It always seems like the barrels around here have something in them.

zook1shoe

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Re: Why arent Slings used?
« Reply #7 on: May 21, 2011, 09:50:07 PM »
The only offical way to make slings useable is getting Hand Crossbow Focus and using an Aptitude Sling for free action reloads.  That's why.

thats why slings suck :p

PhaedrusXY

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Re: Why arent Slings used?
« Reply #8 on: May 21, 2011, 10:47:23 PM »
They're quite a good "starter" weapon, for the levels before you get iterative attacks. Even the PHB sling has a decent range, and lets you add strength to your damage.
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Jim Profit

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Re: Why arent Slings used?
« Reply #9 on: May 22, 2011, 03:48:20 AM »
As said, the demand on actions is too terrible. Even if it's the most cheapest ranged weapon around. It's damage output is just pathetic as well. A more important question would be why anyone would pick a heavy mace.

Morningstar: Cheaper, and is piercing AND bludgeon damage. (How cute... he thinks he has damage reduction!)
Club: FREE, and not metal. (Therefore not the bane of any fighter who comes across a rust monster or other corrosive entity. A far more likely situation then sunder attempts.)

The weapons are all kinds of imbalanced in the 3.5 manual. But then it's hard to balance out a weapon. But they could've tried harder.

Market price.
Damage output.
Critical hit ratio, Critical hit multiplyer.
Hardness. (They could've given them innately different hardness)
Weight. (If weight was actually important in D&D, this could've made a difference.)

Slings actually manage to suck even in the weight category. Because they need rocks as ammunition. Which raises whole new concerns when a rock is dealing less damage then a staff.

veekie

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Re: Why arent Slings used?
« Reply #10 on: May 22, 2011, 03:50:50 AM »
The funny thing though, is that realistically speaking, crossbows take a hell lot longer to load than slings.
The mind transcends the body.
It's also a little cold because of that.
Please get it a blanket.

I wish I could read your mind,
I can barely read mine.

"Skynet begins to learn at a geometric rate. It becomes self-aware at 2:14 a.m. Eastern time, August 29th. At 2:15, it begins rolling up characters."

[spoiler]
"Just what do you think the moon up in the sky is? Everyone sees that big, round shiny thing and thinks there must be something round up there, right? That's just silly. The truth is much more awesome than that. You can almost never see the real Moon, and its appearance is death to humans. You can only see the Moon when it's reflected in things. And the things it reflects in, like water or glass, can all be broken, right? Since the moon you see in the sky is just being reflected in the heavens, if you tear open the heavens it's easy to break it~"
-Ibuki Suika, on overkill

To sumbolaion diakoneto moi, basilisk ouranionon.
Epigenentheto, apoleia keraune hos timeis pteirei.
Hekatonkatis kai khiliakis astrapsato.
Khiliarkhou Astrape!
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Mixster

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Re: Why arent Slings used?
« Reply #11 on: May 22, 2011, 09:20:15 AM »
The funny thing though, is that realistically speaking, crossbows take a hell lot longer to load than slings.

Yeah, it's silly, I can load a sling as fast as most people can load a bow. But DnD just never thought of slings as a useful weapon.

I'm also pretty certain I can outrange most bowmen and do about the same damage to a target.
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veekie

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Re: Why arent Slings used?
« Reply #12 on: May 22, 2011, 09:39:38 AM »
No idea, slings hit pretty hard too, realistically speaking. I mean, armies used to have slingers in a major role and herders use them on wolves. Wolves won't stop just because you chunked a rock at them.

Possibly it may be an imagery breakdown or something.
The mind transcends the body.
It's also a little cold because of that.
Please get it a blanket.

I wish I could read your mind,
I can barely read mine.

"Skynet begins to learn at a geometric rate. It becomes self-aware at 2:14 a.m. Eastern time, August 29th. At 2:15, it begins rolling up characters."

[spoiler]
"Just what do you think the moon up in the sky is? Everyone sees that big, round shiny thing and thinks there must be something round up there, right? That's just silly. The truth is much more awesome than that. You can almost never see the real Moon, and its appearance is death to humans. You can only see the Moon when it's reflected in things. And the things it reflects in, like water or glass, can all be broken, right? Since the moon you see in the sky is just being reflected in the heavens, if you tear open the heavens it's easy to break it~"
-Ibuki Suika, on overkill

To sumbolaion diakoneto moi, basilisk ouranionon.
Epigenentheto, apoleia keraune hos timeis pteirei.
Hekatonkatis kai khiliakis astrapsato.
Khiliarkhou Astrape!
[/spoiler]

There is no higher price than 'free'.

"I won't die. I've been ordered not to die."

skydragonknight

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Re: Why arent Slings used?
« Reply #13 on: May 22, 2011, 10:06:24 AM »
Yeah, slings are undervalued. I mean heck, you could easily kill a Goliath with one.
It always seems like the barrels around here have something in them.