In my next campaign, I'm going to experiment with fixed weapon damage according to hit die type. So regardless of whatever type of weapon they're using, fighters will do 1d8 damage, clerics 1d6, and magic-users 1d4. I'm hoping this will encourage a little more variety in weapon selection.
My question concerns what to do with two-handed weapons. They clearly should have some sort of additional benefit to compensate for the lack of a shield, but I can't decide what it should be. Here are some options I'm considering:
a. A flat +1 bonus to damage rolls
b. Roll two damage dice and take the higher roll
c. Use the next higher hit die type, so fighters would do 1d10 damage with two-handed weapons, clerics 1d8, magic-users 1d6.
(a) still doesn't seem enough to outweigh the loss of a shield, (b) caps the damage at the same amount as a one-handed weapon, and (c) allows for the possibility that a fighter could do just as much damage with a staff (1d10 plus STR) as with a two-handed sword. Actually, come to think of it, all three end up making the staff on a par, damage wise, with any other two-handed weapon.
Thoughts?
EDIT: I've decided that I like (c) best, so I'll just make an exception for the staff. Instead of giving it a damage bonus as a two-handed weapon, I'll allow it to be used defensively, giving a +1 bonus to AC against melee attacks.