This post is about to suggest a complete redoing of absolutely everything. I'm not the first one to do this, but my way is distinct from the other ones floating about. Where the other posts work within the mechanics of SK for rebalancing, this proposition entails radically altering the mechanics altogether. I don't expect this to ever be implemented, but I find it interesting to talk about anyway. If you're going to object to the suggestion because of all the logistics involved in transitioning (weapons getting radically different purposes meaning people wasting CE on things they wanted for something else (not unlike people who bought Radiant Sun Shards!)), save it. I already know.

This started as a "what if" while I was driving a couple of days ago. One day and too much spreadsheet editing later, I have a sheet with every armour, shield, helmet, weapon and monster rewritten to fit in a system in which there are six damage types.

So why should the damage types be expanded? Keep it simple, stupid!

SK has a lot of underused weapons. A good 30% of end-game weapons collect dust or are never created in the first place due to inflicting the dreaded normal damage. Nobody wants a Cold Iron Vanquisher when you could be using a Brandish! This proposition will turn every weapon specialized, giving them all a reason to be used.

OOO painted themselves into a corner with enemy families grouped together but having different weaknesses. The Argent Peacemaker and Radiant Sun Shards were initially elemental/piercing in order to be "anti-evil" weapons against both undead and fiends. They later wanted to remove split damage (except for normal/shadow and normal/elemental) because it didn't really fit the mechanics. I'm not suggesting the new damage types to avoid split damage. In fact, my spread sheet has at least half the weapons using some kind of split damage! But it will implement a damage type specifically targeted at both fiends and undead at the same time.

Alright, whatever, let's see your fantastic damage type that will fix everything

Thanks, captain sarcastic! These are the types:

Pierce, Slash, Blunt, Magic, Energy, Shadow

The observant reader will notice that I basically split "normal" damage into Slash and Blunt, and Elemental into Magic and Energy. This is because I think a hammer should have a very different effect from a sword on targets. The weakness/strength relations work similarly to the old ones: Each element is strong against two enemy types and weak against two others. It looks a bit like so:

Piercing

Effective vs: A piercing weapon can easily penetrate the soft flesh of Gremlins and Beasts, damaging vital, internal organs.

Neutral vs: Fiends have somewhat tougher skin, and though Slimes are easily pierced, their cores can take quite a beating anyway.

Weak vs: Constructs have too tough exteriors to pierce, and Undead are kept alive by dark forces, meaning there are no specific organs to damage.

Slashing

Effective vs: Since ancient times, swords have been the go-to weapon for cutting apart Fiends. The soft, fleshy bodies of Beasts are vulnerable to slashing as well.

Neutral vs: Though open to piercing weapons, Gremlins wear thick coats resistant to slashing. Undead are vulnerable to being cut to pieces as well, but are usually tougher than fiends.

Weak vs: Constructs have too tough exteriors to slash, and Slimes regenerate slashing wounds without effort.

Blunt

Effective vs: Undead's brittle, rotten bodies are easily crushed by blunt forces. Slimes are easily squashed to juices by them as well. All the spookats died from a madman squishing their live kitty bodies with hammers so they're deathly afraid of blunt forces.

Neutral vs: Of all the melee-forces, blunt is the most effective against Construct shells. Though by no means a weakness, their chassis can be dented in with a bit of elbow grease. Fiends are small and squishable, but their softness provides some resistance as well.

Weak vs: Gremlin armour is especially effective against blunt forces. It was built to withstand gremlin thwackers due to all the infighting between Gremlins. Beasts have tough, soft bodies that resist blunt forces more than most other things.

Magic

Effective vs: Holy forces of nature have always been the dreaded enemy of Undead and Fiends.

Neutral vs: Gremlins and Constructs are not the target of ancient, godly wrath.

Weak vs: Slimes and Beasts are children of nature and are thus under spiritual protection.

Energy

Effective vs: Constructs have sensitive circuits vulnerable to fluctuating magnetism and voltspikes. Slimes are highly conductive so energetic forces will destroy them from within.

Neutral vs: Beasts and Undead share a casual relationship with scientific forces.

Weak vs: Gremlin armour is designed specifically to withstand things like lasers, flamethrowers and bombs as that is exactly what other Gremlins use. Occult magical seals protect Fiends from them as well.

Shadow

Effective vs: Constructs have sensitive circuits vulnerable to chaotic forces. Gremlins aren't prepared for them either.

Neutral vs: Slimes and Beasts share a casual relationship with dark forces.

Weak vs: Undead are practically made out of shadow magic and Fiends thrive in it as well.

Some of those were pretty weak. Why don't you do it better?

So how will weapons factor into this? I have it all detailed out somewhere, but this post is getting plenty long enough already. If it turns out people have an interest in this I'll get into detail about each weapon and how they'll fit into this new system. In short, though, most swords will deal at least partial slash damage, large swords will do blunt, and piercing swords will... well, be piercing. Guns do a lot of pure force damage (magic, energy, shadow) and Bombs are kind of oddball about it, but favouring energy for explosions. No weapon will have bonus damage against specific enemy types, but some armours do.

Before I end the post, there is an important point yet to be addressed, which is which damage types each monster do:

Gremlins have Energy weapons and mages that do Magic. (This calls for a new mage-type gremlin that can enchant Thwacker hammers and cast offensive spells. They already have healing mages so why not?)

Constructs have Blunt physical attacks and Energy-based ranged weapons.

Beasts have teeth and claws that both Pierce and Slash.

Slimes no longer have spikes, they do Blunt full body attacks and Magical ranged attacks. The whole spike-thing felt pretty forced anyway.

Fiends have Piercing forks and teeth that also do Shadow damage.

Undead Slash with their claws and evil swords that also do Shadow damage.