So, we all know a medieval mace usually weighted somwhere in

>>51530588
Because most of the melee builds detractors are insecure bullied nerds and they want get back at them in their fantasy.

>>51530588
melee builds are taken seriously in MOST games. The issue tends to be that in high level games the things that "high levels" tend to do tend to directly counter melee strategies that don't incorporate those same tactics.

Also, the most popular RPGs do not often reflect the damage a single hit could do to a person, instead abstracting it as HP or similar mechanics.

>>51530588
>A trained human, weighting around 190-250lbs with great physical prowess, could swing his fist hard enough to cause disfiguring or even lethal injuries, given mechanics dictates it would have the same effect as medium sized bludgeoning weapons.

Top idea chum. Shattering your knuckles on shit like metal plate, chitin, dragonscale, crystal - why didn't I think of that? And of course when fighting an invisible flying wizard I can just flail around uselessly and really show those nerdcasters who's the alpha in the party.

The reach and arc of your hands is limited by the reach of your arms and nothing more.
The reach and arc of a 3ft long mace is at least 2ft longer than your fists and has the added bonus of hittingyour target with hard, possibly sharp, metal instead of your fleshy soft hands. So insteadof breaking your fist on some dude's helmet you instead dent it something fierce along with their skull.

>>51530878
>Top idea chum. Shattering your knuckles on shit like metal plate, chitin, dragonscale, crystal - why didn't I think of that? And of course when fighting an invisible flying wizard I can just flail around uselessly and really show those nerdcasters who's the alpha in the party.
OP was considering useful melee-oriented characters. Why would he use an edition of D&D so broken that anyone with a melee specialty is immediately written off as dead weight?

>>51530588
+3 magic boxing gloves are not in the book +3 magic sword is

>>51531132
Monks should be able to use shit like brass (adamantium?) knuckles.

File: Physical Adept.jpg (29KB, 500x320px) Image search: [Google]

29KB, 500x320px

>>51530588
Unarmed adepts in shadowrun can become much better than weapon-using melee. With the right picks, they can literally punch walls open, which is useful in its own right beyond just kool-aid-manning their way through everything.

It's a question of what game you're playing, really.

>>51531150
They already have magic ki fist

>>51531213
And that's not even considering the fact that security scanners won't ping on your badass roundhouse kicks. Well, they might make a *ping* noise when you kick them to pieces, but usually that happens before they have a chance to scan you.

>>51530920
So those alphacasters can show those beta cuck nerdwarriors whose the real bitch of the party

>>51531213
>>51531241

To this day I dream someone will make a game where I can play as a powerfull Space Marine Chapter Master who is also a Librarian, but has taken a vow... a holy vow to only punch and kick everything to death.

Jesus Christ it would be glorious.

>>51531249

Or the people who value realism in their game because we all know fighting men only ever swung a sword and never sullied themselves with any sort of training like wrestling or boxing. I mean, who does anime shit like that?

>>51530588
Someone already pointed it out but maces were exceptionally effective in comparison to fists because they could be constructed out of bronze, iron, or steel, and had an extended reach. Finger bones are less durable than craniums which is why boxers aim for the face and jaw which in theory will dislocate or break before a hand will. Second, mass is only one aspect that ties into determining the impulse a target will experience, the other variable is velocity and the extended reach of a mace acts as a lever which amplifies velocity.

If you hammer fist down ontop of someones head your hand will break before their skull, and you can't generate enough force to shatter skulls anyway because you arent a gorilla and your hand is just too squishy.

A warhammer or mace will absolutely pulverise someones skull though, even if swung by someone on the weaker end. Using fists against steel helmets is even more stupid, and it becomes obvious why maces are orders of magnitude better.

Fists=\=dedicated steel warhammers

>>51531150
That's not what RAW says

>>51530588
Because weapons offer more reach, do more damage due to longer leverage, penetrate armor much better, can be used to parry other weapons...

>>51530588
>two or three-foot long shaft with a leather handle at the end
yes.
Attached to two more two-or-three foot long muscly handles at the end of that.

If you were swinging a mace attached to your shoulder it would be much less impressive I assure you

>>51530588
>But wait.

But no!

A mace has mechanical advantage in that by being farther away from the pivot point, in this case your shoulder, it builds up greater momentum and therefore hits much harder than your fist.

Just punching someone in the face is enough to break your hand IRL, look up "boxer's fracture." That's why boxers tape up their hands so they hold the strongest shape and then put gloves on top of that. Punching a guy in the face is an excellent way to break your hand rendering you unable to continue punching them in the face.

This doesn't take into consideration the fact that your opponent is probably going to have some sort of armor on. Armor is harder than your hand and therefore no matter how hard you hit it you're not actually going to do any real damage, except to yourself.

Monks are special because they have weeaboo fightan magic instead of regular magic so they can make it work.

Feel free to flail away like a retard though if you want to.