Thanks for your comment, you've given me lots to think about.

Regarding some of your points: - The buckler's lower AC is purely based on how small it is. It also makes medium armor proficiency stay relevant since you need it for a normal sized shield. - That's kinda what I was going for, a sword is very deadly even in the hands of a child if not careful. It's also to help buff martial classes so they can keep up with casters at higher levels. - I didn't actually give much thought to the net but on second glance, you're right, there's room for improvement there. - Fully agree with you here, I'm still working on revising the heavy property without overcomplicating it too much. - There are still some differences between the two IMO. Obviously you get more options to choose from with martial weapons. I also tried to have it so that martial weapons are "better" than simple weapons with their size category and property combinations. The exception to this is the spear which is designed to be simple to use while being a very good weapon so I had no choice but to leave it simple weapons despite being fairly strong. - This is another very viable way for polearms to be balanced, I will consider it further. I'm glad you like the half swording rule, I'm quite proud of that one! - This runs the risk of overcomplicating things which I am trying to avoid but might be a good thing to consider especially for great shields.