about the passive vs active abilities controversy: why not use it to differentiate weapons so they actually play differently?
Maces & Flails: no perks (boost damage to compensate)
Axes: 1 or 2 passive abilities (cleave)
Polearms & staves get some active abilities (and possibly also passive ones). Maybe focus polearms on defense and staves on disabling the enemy.
Long blades: most elaborate, with a mix of passive and active abilities.
short blades: already have stabbing.
That way, we can keep a straightforward gameplay for newbies/casual/jpeg with M&F and axes, and also have a more varied and tactical gameplay with the other weapons.
Also, active abilities don't have to be (a)bilities. One can be activated with ctrl-dir, and maybe another one with alt-dir.
I like this idea. I would like to suggest that each weapon can play differently, so that there would be more of a tactical choice in weapon type choosing.
currently in my experience, choosing a more powerful weapon is usually a better option,
no matter the type!should i go with great mace? or demon whips? or great sword? or bardiche? or executioner axe?
There may be a few circumstancial differences (ie using a great sword against a hydra, and race dependencies), but other than that, theres no obvious tactical difference. they all play the same, just arrow key spam.
As a newbie a few versions back, i noticed this early on, and figured that it doesnt matter which type of weapon i use, as long as i actually specailise in ONE weapon type. even now, the weapon type seem meaningless, and i seem to always choose long blades simply because they look cool.
adding some active or even passive quirks to the weapon types at least adds some meaning behind the weapon type.
for example, these are my suggestions
great swords or large axes have the "cleave ability", but cant be used in corridors. i suggest that this cleave ability be passive for the larger weapons, such as great swords or battleaxes.
large maces/giant ogre clubs have a passive (strength dependant) knockback ability
and if there's the "maxwell silver hammer" enchantment, striking the ground makes an area of effect damage, followed by a large thump noise that alerts others.
whips in reality are medium range weapons, they can reach as far as spears. i've seen whips of reaching, but ive never bothered to use whips because of the "more damage is better" mindset. however, it would be cool if whips could have more "nimble" abilities, since whips are the weapons of dexterous characters. for example:
tripping a monster(with legs or course) using whips is more likely
weapon stealing(the chances of disarming increases with skill and strength), after all whips can grab the handles of spears, large axes, staves, maces etc except long blades. with these abilities, a dexterous nimble character can have the incentive to train "Mace and flails" for this specialised weapon. of course, other monsters with the whips may be able to
disarm you!
unless your weapon is cursed!
as for polearms, i'd like to their 2 tile range become permanent, otherwise, besides race aptitudes and the current "reach" brand, theres no obvious difference between how it plays with other weapons. spears in reality are used for their advantage in ranged melee, after all whats the point of using a spear if you cannot pierce your opponent when you are a few feet from their striking distance?
i can't seem to think of anything realistic for short blades except dual wielding, but i remember there was a suggestion once for dual wielding, and it didnt go very well.