Common Arguments From Throwers
1 - We don't have much ammo
Response - For one any thrower with a brain stem can find 40 axes laying around and two, the low ammo is a result of your weapon being the launcher and the ammo
(whereas bows and xbows have a second item taking up slots)
2 - Throwing weapons are expensive
Response - This expense is a failed attempt to make a skill void style only viable to devoted
pre-FOTM throwers. Other ranged classes require that you buy a weapon in addition to the somewhat expensive quiver. high tier crossbows (heavy/sniper) (with steel bolts) cost more money to deploy than 3 bags of javalins or the more likely 2 bags of jarids (3 bags of jarids with sniper)
3 - Archers and crossbows have long range so we deserve to be faster and deal more damage
Response - Long range combat is a term not known to most ranged. Their accuracy and range plays a minor role as combat in M&B is frequently a bar fight with swords. And due to this accuracy archers cannot mow down plate armored beasts coming to fight them. A feat that is frequently more valuable than random headshots to people that do not pose direct threat
Realism Argument Thrown In
While some of you scoff at realism and call it =/= to balance i am inclined to agree.
Realism is not balance but realism guides balance, would you not say?
For instance would it make sense that a club does more blunt damage than a mace? no it would not but this is a rather crude example of this thought.
Balance is built around realism all the while making things fair for all
so why does it make sense that a weapon, thrown into the air by imperfect human hands, traveling through air resistance effecting it significantly due to the large surface area (compared to other projectiles) and fighting the wind, to hit the target at a most likely flawed angle, does more damage than an awlpike.
A weapon meant exclusively for the purpose of thrusting. Thusted or run through with the weight and strength of a man's TWO arms. The same arms that would throw the javalins and such.
Backed by the weight of a man and motivated by the strength of his arms, his legs, or both, an awlpike does less damage than a javalin thrown with one arm fighting through all the above mentioned forces.