Shattered Kingdoms

For a front-line character going for power, I think that's right. Toughness can't match great armor, and going into a cabal that helps with that problem is always going to be a strong choice. No weapon that passes builder guidelines seems very likely to change that.

If the goal is encouraging more griffons to play a different cabal, it's probably more productive to make a good griffon crossbow for scouts.

Every single ranged weapon type for griffons already exists in the game. The material of the ranged weapon itself doesn't matter, only the ammo material. As for melee weapons, it does. You really cant do much against high end level NPCs with ironguard.

Having a separate class of weapons for one race is dumb. Especially when that race's talons more or less function the same way as the opposeable thumbs of primates. It boggles me that a race that is supposedly as smart as humans and a gripping mechanism that works very similar to them cannot fathom how to pick up a stick and beat something to death with it.

Talon grip weapons should just go away.

Watch out, we're applying real-world anatomy logic to fantasy game weapon mechanics. Pretty soon people are going to start flaunting their ARMA membership cards.

Limited availability is a balance mechanic. Whether it's from talons or the scarcity of Sanctified Iridium in the earth's crust, it's about not giving everyone everything.

If you think Griffons would be imbalanced by using normal weapons... there is no convincing you. They are imbalanced currently, in the not so good way.

With the way attributes and size bonuses are constructed, there are natural winners and natural losers in character races for various builds. It's up to the player to make her natural selection.

Limited availability is not a balancing factor. It's the exact opposite.

I don't buy your argument that griffons are imbalanced. I'm also not sure which side of the argument you mean to take. Imbalanced - overpowered or imbalanced - underpowered.

Either way, you failed to provide any evidence. Right now, people still play griffons. They are still competitive. That, in itself, is a pretty solid argument against them being currently imbalanced.

my problem is that if you play a griffon and it is not a barbarian you would go into that cabal. claws being a natural attack and you can parry and use there skills make them brutal. The problem most people had when the MR thing came out was that those characters became a suicide run PK machine. No issue with losing any eq because they did not need anything. When your weapons are mostly tanso and cold iron and you just buy them from a shop, whats the point? Your saying there are a decent amount of weapons that are good because no one plays them is idiotic. only new players play griffons because they do not need anything and are really easy, toughness claws no eq extra stat points are really good. Only griffons that are really strong are the ones that are built that way and can be brutal, But thats after you twink the entire build and the only way is to go into that one cabal.

here is my question though? besides the fact its a cool feature that griffons cannot use other weapons and shields, What would giving them the weapons everyone else uses make them so Over powered? If they already have good weapons like you say then it shouldnt matter.

This is a silly argument.

Because griffon-only weapons of a superior material type exist, there is no point in making griffons spend time, effort or resources finding those weapons - just negate that racial weakness and give them access to all weapons.

Because IG items and potions exist, there is no point in making deep-elves, sprites and elves spend time, effort or resources finding those items or having the potion brewed - just negate that racial weakness and remove iron vulnerability.

Because fire protection and resist elements items exist, there is no point in making centaurs or giants spend time, effort or resources finding those items - just negate that racial weakness and remove fire and lightning vulnerability.

Because reflex and magical protection items exist and can be enchanted, there is no point in making deep-elves spend time, effort or resources finding or enchanting items for reflex or magical protection - just negate that racial weakness and remove light vulnerability.