The Grimm Society - PBP D&D Fusion RP

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THE GRIMM SOCIETY

The City of Brakenberg houses one of the top Adventurer's Guilds in the region, second only to the Adventurer's Guild in Stonehall. As of late, there have been more and more strange occurrences happening in and around the surrounding forests, plaguing the towns and villages nearby. A small faction founded by brothers Math and Ledger Grimm, has recently requested the aid of the Brakenberg Adventurer's Guild to lend some of their adventurers to assist them in investigating recent occurrences and eradicating threats found. There have been more than rumors about beasts and monsters, dark magic and strange instances, to which the brothers are working diligently to investigate and document before finding the means to stop it.

You are an adventurer. Whether you are newly recruited or a veteran of sorts really doesn't matter. The offer was still presented to you. Would you like to join The Grimm Society? The rewards and recognition will be great. There is chance to see and experience things beyond one's wildest imaginations. There is also a high chance of danger and threat to one's well being. The coin is helpful as well.

What kind of RP is this?
This is going to be a fusion between PBP (Post by Post) and D&D style. What that means is that there will be a heavy amount of rp that will be done in rp threads and/or to a connected server made specifically for the rp. It may also include setting aside a night to do some actual D&D style play through discord voice chat to play for a couple hours. This would mainly be for combat and/or to go over anything with the dm (that's me!) that may been explaining or clarifying. It is heavily requested, but not required to participate in the D&D discord voice chat portion, but you may be locked out of certain encounters that are made specifically for the case.


I don't know much/have not played D&D. Can I still join?
Of course! This is being built to cater to new players, so by all means, come to me and ask me questions! I will help you out as much as I can to incorporate your ideas into the story. I will provide links to resources if you need material as well. Don't worry if you've never opened up a D&D book, I'm here to aid and assist!


How is this going to work?
First, you will make a character the same way you make a D&D character. If you don't know how, I will set aside some time to sit down with you to help you fill out a sheet. But try to come up with some kind of character concept beforehand so I know what I'm working with. Once your character is created and accepted, we will discuss how they fit into the world, what their starting point will be, and then the rping will start from there!

For the most part, the rp will be like your standard group rp--where the narrator (or the dm, me, in this case) will set the stage, and you as the player can post as your character. You can interact with other characters as you so choose. And more or less, is a sandbox with a story if you so choose to pick it.
If you decide to take on story quests, some of them can be done through rping, which may take some plotting and discussion ooc to do, but it will be doable. Others may need to be done through D&D style rping. The kind of rping where we all come together in voice chat and play an actual D&D game. It will be no longer than 2-3 hours and the day and time will be scheduled in advance so that each player can schedule accordingly. Again, you are not required to join in on these D&D sessions, but it is encouraged to get the best experience.


If you have any other questions, please feel free to post here!
 
I'll bite. I don't do discord stuff, but it would be nice to get into a proper D&D game again. Some questions though:

1. What edition of D&D are we using? And when you say veterans and rookies are welcome, that means there's no restrictions on starting character level, etc? Or is it something we'll be working out as a group, based on interest?

2. Based on the names of people and places, I'm guessing the setting of this adventure is some analog of medieval Germany?

3. What is the Grimm Society? You describe it as a faction, but the name suggests something more like a social club, like the Freemasons, or Skull & Bones. I guess I'm wondering what it is they actually do, as a society, distinct from the broader culture of Brakenberg. If they can promise great rewards and recognition, they must already be fairly powerful? Or if not, then their offer would sound phony, particularly if our characters already belong to a powerful guild.


For my character, I might dust off an old female human paladin from a past group, depending on what the role of religion is in this setting (I could easily see her being some kind of 16th century Lutheran radical, deemed a heretic by the Pope, but hailed as a heroine by her local community, and following her own particular interpretation of holy scripture).
 
I'll bite. I don't do discord stuff, but it would be nice to get into a proper D&D game again. Some questions though:

1. What edition of D&D are we using? And when you say veterans and rookies are welcome, that means there's no restrictions on starting character level, etc? Or is it something we'll be working out as a group, based on interest?

2. Based on the names of people and places, I'm guessing the setting of this adventure is some analog of medieval Germany?

3. What is the Grimm Society? You describe it as a faction, but the name suggests something more like a social club, like the Freemasons, or Skull & Bones. I guess I'm wondering what it is they actually do, as a society, distinct from the broader culture of Brakenberg. If they can promise great rewards and recognition, they must already be fairly powerful? Or if not, then their offer would sound phony, particularly if our characters already belong to a powerful guild.


For my character, I might dust off an old female human paladin from a past group, depending on what the role of religion is in this setting (I could easily see her being some kind of 16th century Lutheran radical, deemed a heretic by the Pope, but hailed as a heroine by her local community, and following her own particular interpretation of holy scripture).

1. 5e -- It's the one I know and I feel easier to get into if you're newer to the game. All published sources will be applicable. Homebrew content would have to be discussed.
By rookies and veterans (which, I should have more accurately said rookies and more vested adventurers) I mean the characters themselves have either just recently joined the Adventurer's Guild or have been a part of it. Character levels will be decided depending on the level of experience the players have collectively. if I've got a bunch of new people that have never played, I'll more than likely start them off at level 1. If they're people that have played before or have some experience then more than likely will start around level 3.

2. To be honest, I randomly generated the names so they're not really based off of Germany at all lmao. It's a generic medieval-ish 'European'-esque setting. It'll have influences from a lot of places blended into one.

3. As mentioned in my blurb, it is a small faction founded by the two Grimm brothers. Essentially, they have put together a group that works in conjunction with the Adventurer's Guild but they handle more specific quests and missions pertaining to the supernatural, monstrous and spooky things that have been happening within the local area. They investigate, record, document, and then decide how to approach the threat. Most of the time by eradicating or exterminating it. They were approved assistance with the Adventurer's Guild, so really it's up to the discretion of the character if they believe the faction is phony or not and depending on the character background, how much knowledge they have on TGS.

Polytheism, and I'm using deities from the D&D books. So if there's a deity you see that fits your character's themes then I could work something out. You can find a list of deities here.
 
OK cool, I remember the Forgotten Realms deities from when I used to play Baldur's Gate. And I think I already have a 5e sheet for a level 1 paladin, so I'll dig that up and promote her if necessary. I guess FR paladins typically follow a combination of Torm and Tyr, right? With some due respect given to Ilmater, and probably my character will also make the odd sacrifice to some of the LN and NG deities, especially Helm, Deneir, and Eldath, when the situation calls for it and there's a temple nearby.

So the Grimm Society is in the business of hunting the supernatural? I get it now. Kind of sounds like the Witcher, or Van Helsing type stuff. Does that mean supernatural events are relatively rare in this setting? In any case, definitely sounds like something a paladin might want to get into, in the interest of protecting humanity from things that go bump in the night. Sort of a Men In Black type of gig, I see it as.
 
May as well post my sheet here now, whether or not this goes anywhere.

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Name: Farah Swann
Race/Age/Height/Weight: Human / 20 / 5'8" / 135 lbs
Class/Level: Paladin 1
Str: 14 (+2) Dex: 13 (+1) Con: 14 (+2) Int: 10 (+0) Wis: 14 (+2) Cha: 15 (+2)
AC: 16 Speed: 30' Max HP: 12
Saving Throws: Wis (+4), Cha (+4)
Languages: English (or German, or whatever people are speaking in Brakenberg)
Passive Perception: 12
Skill Proficiencies: Athletics (+4), Animal Handling (+4), Insight (+4), Survival (+4)
Tool Proficiencies: Cook's utensils, Land vehicles
Weapon Proficiencies: All martial and simple
Armor Proficiencies: All armour and shields
Background: Folk Heroine

(Let me show you her) Features:
- Divine Sense (thrice per day)
- Lay on Hands (5 hp)
- People in her home country will help her out

Equipment:
- Commoner's outfit (Linen tunic, wool pants, leather boots, leather belt, wool hooded cloak)
- Chainmail hauberk, full sleeve, hem to mid-thigh, with integrated coif
- Cervelliere, fitted underneath her mail coif
- Pair of Gauntlets, with the left one displaying the Eye of Helm, and the right one painted white as a holy symbol of Torm
- Bronze necklace with the holy symbol of Tyr
- Red rosary band of Ilmater tied to her belt
- Arming Sword (recorded in D&D as a Longsword) sometimes at her left hip and sometimes attached to her explorer's pack (but only if she's not wearing her cloak)
- Kite Shield slung over the left shoulder, painted in a red and white 4-square pattern
- Mace holstered at her right hip
- Explorer's Pack (I forget what all is in there, but the PHB should list it, and it includes cooking tools and a cast-iron pot)
- Her pack also contains a stubby beeswax candle etched at the base with the Eye of Deneir, which is meant to be used by scholars for meditation

Background:

Farah's father, Sir Edgar Swann, is a retired knight who was awarded a small plot of farmland for his service to the realm. Her mother, Celine, used to be a traveling bard but after getting married she settled into the simple life of a farmer, occasionally playing music at the local tavern. Farah grew up in a peaceful farming village, working the land that her parents own, and exploring the surrounding forests in her spare time. While growing up, she picked up various fighting skills from her father and brothers and the other warriors in her village, whenever she could and from whomever was willing to spend the time to teach her. There was also an old friend of her father, a half-elven ranger named Erien, who would sometimes visit and teach her some things about hunting and bushcraft while telling her stories of the adventures he used to have alongside her father and mother when they were younger.

Farah ran away from her village as a teenager to escape an arranged marriage to an older nobleman whom she did not love. Instead, her heart was set on the mayor's son, Iain, who was also seeking to run away from the village to avoid being sent off to a mage academy that he greatly feared for its draconian system of discipline. The two of them became adventurers together--partners in crime--and they traveled the land doing odd jobs and looking for problems they could solve together, which sometimes looked more like drifting and thieving than actual adventuring. Disaster struck when they were chasing a gang of highway robbers and found themselves outmatched and beaten half to death on the side of the road.

It was Erien who saved their lives, having spent weeks tracking Farah down and being lucky enough to come upon her when he did. He brought both her and Iain back to the safety of the nearest town and put them up in a temple of Ilmater to rest. After their humiliating defeat, Iain lost his desire for adventuring and returned home, accepting his fate to spend the next decade of his life studying as a mage. Farah remained in the temple and buried herself in the religious texts there, spending her time asking many questions of the high priest as she tried to put her brush with death into proper context.

When her parents finally arrived to bring her back home, she refused to go with them, and insisted that she would not marry anyone but would instead devote her life to the path of a holy warrior. After trying and failing to convince her to reconsider, her father finally acquiesced and sent one of his old acquaintances to guide her, a female paladin of Torm by the name of Shaya, who took Farah on as a squire and trained her in the ways of the paladin for the next few years. They traveled from place to place, hunting down bandits and defending villages from monster raids. Shaya was already a minor celebrity in the region, and through association Farah came to make a name for herself as well, as a righteous protector of the people.

This reputation was cemented when at one point she returned to her village to find that her neighbours were being extorted by a predatory merchant guild during a time of famine. Acting on her own initiative, Farah confronted the foremost merchant and defeated his mercenary champion in single combat. Having shamed the merchants and proven her divine favour (partly with the help of a buff spell that Shaya had secretly cast), Farah successfully renegotiated the price of grain down to a reasonable level, and the return of all of the property that had been unfairly taken from her village.

Recently, Shaya got word of a grave matter she needed to attend to alone. She judged that it was an extremely dangerous situation that Farah was not yet skilled enough to face, and she didn't want her young squire getting caught up in it before she was ready. So she left Farah behind in the city of Brakenberg and rode off without disclosing where she would be going, or when she would return. Left idle in the city with no direction and dwindling coin, Farah joined the adventurer's guild, and soon learned about the call for the guild to send people to work with the Grimm Society in their investigations. This was exactly the sort of divine purpose that Farah had been looking for, and so she volunteered to be one of the agents the guild would send on this task.

Farah's primary deity is Torm, for which her right gauntlet serves as a holy symbol that she is always either wearing or hanging from her belt. She also pays respect to Tyr, Ilmater, and Helm by carrying their holy symbols on her person as well and carrying out prayer rituals to each of them in proper proportion with her personal ethos. In her pack, she also has a candle that serves as a holy symbol to Deneir, which is a token that Iain gave to her many years ago, a memory of happier times.
 
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Never have I ever played D&D but I've played a fair amount of MMORPGs so I'd like to give this a go. It'd be a learning curve but I pick up quickly. If it gets going I'd like to play a high elf wizard (if that's a thing).
 
There's an online resource: https://www.5esrd.com/ that has the game rules all laid out in different sections. D&D basically boils down to rolling a 20-sided die for just about everything you want to do, adding a bonus based on your character's abilities, and trying to meet a target number. One thing that sets it apart from video games though is that in D&D it takes a long time to gain levels, and you start out fairly weak and vulnerable at level 1, especially with spellcasters where they only get a few spells per day, and the spells they have are of limited use. But as you get to higher level, spellcasters become the most powerful classes while warrior types lag behind: Linear warriors, quadratic wizards, as they say.

They also say that D&D is initially hard at level 1, where you're likely to be killed by some random trap or critical hit from an orc, but at least it's easy to just roll up a new character when that happens. Then it gets easier at early-mid levels (in the level 2 to 6 range), because you have more hit points as a buffer against sudden death, and your skills are better, but the enemies are still fairly mundane. But then as you keep gaining levels it starts to get way harder, as by the time you reach level 10 and above you're fighting extremely powerful monsters that can kill you in all sorts of different ways if you don't prepare your defences accordingly and carefully plan out your strategy. At least in 3rd edition, which I'm more used to, the two major threats at high level are giant creatures that can grapple you and just crush you with their superior size and strength, and spellcasters using high level spells that will kill or cripple you if you fail the saving throw (or monsters that have such spell-like effects, for example vampires with their level-draining touch).
 
Never have I ever played D&D but I've played a fair amount of MMORPGs so I'd like to give this a go. It'd be a learning curve but I pick up quickly. If it gets going I'd like to play a high elf wizard (if that's a thing).

Why hello! High elf wizards are a thing! And don't worry, I'll definitely be able to help you feel things out if you're willing to learn!


OK cool, I remember the Forgotten Realms deities from when I used to play Baldur's Gate. And I think I already have a 5e sheet for a level 1 paladin, so I'll dig that up and promote her if necessary. I guess FR paladins typically follow a combination of Torm and Tyr, right? With some due respect given to Ilmater, and probably my character will also make the odd sacrifice to some of the LN and NG deities, especially Helm, Deneir, and Eldath, when the situation calls for it and there's a temple nearby.

So the Grimm Society is in the business of hunting the supernatural? I get it now. Kind of sounds like the Witcher, or Van Helsing type stuff. Does that mean supernatural events are relatively rare in this setting? In any case, definitely sounds like something a paladin might want to get into, in the interest of protecting humanity from things that go bump in the night. Sort of a Men In Black type of gig, I see it as.

To be honest, I'm not basing the world off of just Forgotten Realms structure. So if you want your paladin to follow a certain deity that's not Torm or Tryr or Ilmater, then I can work with whatever you're wanting to bring. The books are guidelines, not rules in terms of lore and socio-mechanics. I don't follow them TOO strictly, because in reality, this world his homebrewed.

The Grimm Society is very much inspired by The Brothers Grimm (if you haven't guessed lol). But instead of just story writers and griefers (like in the movie), they actually do record things and handle them appropriately. So Not exaaactly like Van Helsing and the Witcher, but... close? I guess? lol. Supernatual events, creatures and monsters exist, but there is still a division between different planes like the Feywild, Nine Hells, Shadowfell, Astral Plane, Abyss, Far Realm, etc. So while there are some more what could be considered beast and supernatural things, they're an extent of them before it comes just completely out of the norm.

Anyways, your thoughts aren't too far off.
 
I did some reading up on the 5e rules just now, and the paladin class actually looks like a lot of fun to play in this edition, with the way spell slots work, and how they can be converted into Smite uses, and then the Sacred Oath at level 3... I'm gonna have some fun with this character. Probably put her on the path of Devotion, Mercy, or Hospitaler, and turn her into an off-tank healer, at least if we don't get a proper cleric. I'd like to see her paired with a strong fighter, ranger, barbarian, or rogue for flanking DPS, while of course her typical combat placement will be protecting the glass cannon wizard.
 
I've been reading up and I am not going to go with a caster going to take one of these other "beginner friendly" classes first
 
Is this still going? I guess we still need more players?

I have another question that came up as I was going through the rules. It says that the Protection from Evil spell (which I assume I'll need to start casting a lot once I hit level 2, if we're dealing with spooks and spirits a lot) has a material component of holy water or powdered silver and iron, but it doesn't say how much this stuff costs. I remember in 3rd edition holy water was 25gp per vial--the base material cost for crafting a level 1 potion--and there was a Bless Water spell that creates it for the cost of that same value of powdered silver, but I don't see these things listed in the SRD. Do you have a price on these components? Or is it just something the market decides by supply and demand? In that case, is 25gp per use a reasonable assumption as a baseline market value? I'm thinking at some point after the first adventure Farah will need to start stocking up on holy water vials and/or scrolls of PfE.

EDIT: Oh never mind, I googled and found the answer.

Also another question. In the combat rules it says you're allowed to interact with one object per turn for free without burning an action, and the example given is drawing a sword in the same turn as making an attack. What I'm wondering is if two objects are bound together, like a sword scabbard strapped to my backpack, can I drop the pack and draw the sword in the same motion, like in the Skallagrim video I linked, and call that a single object interaction? And also what about if the sword is sheathed in my hands, can I pull the sheathe off in the same motion as slipping out of my backpack? I'm just running different road-ambush scenarios in my head as I work out Farah's equipment loadout.
 
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@humon
1. Prices might also vary depending on where you buy them and the accessibility. Not everywhere is going to have those components readily available. But also keep in mind that if you're a paladin, you more than likely have a spell focus, so you can bypass the requirements of needing components unless on the components list for that spell specifically states it's monetary value. So for example, if the spell says you need a diamond worth at least 500GP, then you would need to have that diamond to cast that spell.

2. Drawing a sword from the scabbard, regardless of where the scabbard is placed on your person is a free action. In reality I've never seen anyone have to be conscious about dropping their bags to go into combat. To me that's a bit ridiculous and too micromanaging, so it is assumed you do whatever is necessary to be sure you can actually fight. I will never force a player to drop their bags before going into an encounter UNLESS they specifically say by themselves that they intentionally drop it for whatever reason. And that would still be considered a free action.

What they are referencing is the difference between drawing a weapon and interacting with an object. Say you're in the middle of combat and you run over to give your player a potion to keep them up. Giving them the potion is your action (I rule that if you yourself drink a potion during your turn, it's a bonus action). Another example is if it is your turn and you go to try a door to see if it opens instead of attacking a creature, would be considered taking an action.

But taking out your weapon, or (if you use multiple one handed weapons) swapping to another weapon is considered free actions.
 
OK cool. Does that also extend to shields? The way I see my character traveling, she has her shield slung over her back and her sword at her hip, and when ambushed she's going to draw the sword first, so she has something to parry with, and then when there's time, flip the shield off her back and into her hand. If this can all be done in the first round as a free action, that's great, but I don't mind also fighting two-handed in round 1 and then pulling out the shield in round 2. In terms of real time, bringing a shield to bear takes a second or two, compared to the half-second it takes to draw a sword, so that's why I'm asking.

As for potions, good to know, although I'm probably going to avoid using them in combat unless absolutely necessary. If you think about it, trying to drink something while someone is wailing on you with a sword is a bit of a tricky task. More often than not you just spill the potion all over your face and then get stabbed because you were distracted. I did wonder about pulling out material components, though. For example, Shield of Faith is a bonus-action spell that requires a strip of paper with holy text on it, so there'd have to be some efficient system for having a bunch of these little paper scraps on hand somewhere (maybe tucked into the back of a gauntlet, or tacked onto the hollow of her shield?).

A trickier one is the Bless spell, which requires a sprinkling of holy water... easy enough to provide, but not so easy to whip it out in the middle of a fight... seems more like something you'd want to do in preparation for a fight, when you have a surprise advantage (but since the spell only lasts 1 minute, it has to take place immediately before combat begins). Although maybe as you say I can just make my holy symbol substitute for it by, for example, dipping it in holy water on a regular basis so that there are always some drops available. Maybe the leather lining on the inside of her Torm gauntlet could be dabbed with holy water each morning, and because it's up against her skin all the time it stays moist all day.

So yeah, the rules I found on Roll20 say at level 2 I can create my own holy water with a spell slot and 25gp worth of silver powder, so I'll just do that during downtime between adventures. And if I can't afford the silver I'll try to negotiate with the Brakenburg temple priests to loan me some of their holy water, pay them back later.
 
I think you are thinking far too literal. I'd think of it more like an mmorpg or jrpg. Where do they hide all their components? Dunno. It doesn't really effect anything though other than the player's piece of mind. Similar concept to taking a potion during combat. You can use potions to heal up the characters in rpgs in an instant and it's not like the boss is actually waiting for you to take it, but there is a time allowance on your turn.

Isinglass components doesn't take an action itself--as it's part of your spell. You don't need to take a separate action in order to use them. It's a free action just like pulling out your weapon.

Using a one handed shield effectively has the same rules as a one handed weapon. Actions only matter if you're going from one handed weapons to two handed weapons and vise versa. It actually takes an action to put one form of weapon away to trade for another form of weapon because you're basically changing up your fighting style in that regard.

When you use your spell focus for spells, it's so that you can forego using components. So utilizing your spell focus, you don't NEED to use the components. If you want your spell focus to be an anointed item then it'll be in you to remember to do it. Otherwise it could be something as simple as wearing and emblem or symbol of your oath or an amulet, pendant, ring, etc. as a paladin, it should be connected to your oath. Paladins aren't necessarily just connected to deities and faith in 5e. Clerics are though.

Keep in mind though that if you're holding two weapons and are trying to cast a spell with semantic components, you won't be able to cast it unless you either drop a weapon or have a feat that allows you to cast regardless.
 
Ah yeah, I was wondering about needing a free hand for casting. I suppose I could always let go of the shield and have it hang on the sling for a turn before I grab it again. Though my plan is eventually to discard the shield altogether at around 4th level and wear plate armour instead, with a two-handed weapon like a halberd or greatsword, once I can afford those things (would have preferred a pollaxe, actually, but it's not on the list).

By the way, what are the languages available in this world? I see from the PHB that humans are allowed to speak two languages. Are we doing Forgotten Realms languages? Or European languages? Or something else? Is there an ecclesiastical language, like Latin? That would be the best pick for her, I think. Something she picked up while studying old texts in a temple or monastery... or maybe there's one language for the commoners and a different language for the nobility (like in the days when the kings and lords of England all spoke French)? With her father being a knight, he might have raised her to speak both languages fluently so that she might marry into the nobility one day.
 
You can start off with a two handed weapon so long as your class has the proficiency for it... in terms of the armor, it really depends on what is approved for the backstory and if it would then be included.

At no point is this going to have ties with real life places so languages like Latin and French do not exist. You can pick out of the list of languages that would make most sense for your character to know. Common is the universal language so that's a requirement to have. Otherwise nobility can be multiple languages, depending on which region she is coming from. In Brackenberg any form of nobility speak common. Elven and dwarvish are also very common in this area of the world.
 
OK, so it's just one language for each race? Nothing regional? I'll probably pick Elvish then. Sounds like something nobles would want to speak, to show off to their friends how cultured they are.

What I meant with the weapons was just me thinking out loud about my plan for future levels. At level 1 she's concerned with defence, so she carries a shield. But as she gains levels and gets better armour, she's going to leave the shield behind and upgrade to a bigger weapon, just like knights did in the 15th-16th century as plate armour got advanced enough to stop arrows. Early medieval period (eg. Bayeux Tapestry), they all wore chainmail and carried shields. Late medieval, they're wearing plate and carrying polearms. No need for a shield anymore if you can just wrap yourself in steel; better to have the extra hand free.

So that's what I plan to do with this character. Except in D&D the choice of polearms is limited, so that makes me sad. The weapon I seek, a poleaxe, is essentially a spear, quarterstaff, battleaxe, and warhammer all combined into the same weapon, which is designed specifically for fighting knights in plate armour -- it's kind of like a halberd, except that a halberd has a short spike in place of the hammer, and it's designed for breaking up formations of pikemen.

late-medieval-men-arms-armour-260nw-606174644.jpg


The guy on the right has a halberd, and the other two are carrying poleaxes. You can see how the poleaxe is a bit shorter and has a disc guard to protect the hand, because it's meant for close quarters fighting like you would do with a staff. It's a nice versatile weapon that would be perfect for an adventurer who doesn't know what to expect.