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Doctrine of Arms and Armor; A Guide


Auriel_
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Arms and Armor; The Fables of Steel.

A treatice on arms and armor, as written by Payne, a random medieval renaissance enthusiast. Anything here should be taken as the semi-practical and pseudo historical means of protecting oneself in armored or unarmored combat.

 

Overview

This document contains the psuedo-historical and practical use of arms and armor, for the aspiring knight or radiant mage, this is a handy tool for those who wish to defend as a paladin, or be the daunting conqueror. The reality of arms and armor is that they all have limitations, and this is further explained throughout the document- armor and weaponry is the foundation of many cultures throughout any society throughout History, and as such, a crucial element in your Story.

 

Concerning Culture, and Defense/Durability

On an OOC standpoint, whether we consider eurasian, or european arms and armor is out of the question, if one person seeks to have the protection they want, they need to make sure if something is as viable as it is. Samurai armor for instance, will not fair great against blunt damage, nor will steel plate. There are caps to what arms and armor can and cannot take; this will be discussed in the document as well. Pride in a culture or appreciation for it does not always mean it is perfect or has no drawbacks.

 

Note: Everything has one, the stance on lamellar or plate armor is scaled, theoretically, to greater defense against slashing, but not conductive of concussive damage. Where as plate armor, be it full or not, will hold against concussive damage as well as slashing damage. ‘Samurai Armor’, coloquially recognized or not, typically did not boast large amounts of chainmail until the early 1800s, and even then it was still not wide-spread- changed to iron or steel plates, and thus a piercing weapon such as a spear to shortsword are great mediums for dealing with them in close proximity.

Steel Plate; the ever-popular. Effectiveness of weapons versus armor is an entirely different discussion that I'll not get to here beyond addressing appropriate reaction; armor does not convey immunity to attacks that do not pierce it. The impact is still tangible, and the presence of armor is not an excuse to fully disregard giving a reaction, it should be consistently drawn in RP and understood as a common ideal, honorably in combat. Iron is expected to have the same durability, but is immensely heavier by far. Gambeson, which stops against light slashing and doesn’t allow arrows to full penetrate, are affordable. Also fits fairly well with a counterpart of belts, or plate to aid in defense.


 

Materials and Weight

(Subject to change through future identification of metals, fabled or not.)

This covers the base foundation of Plate Armor, vs Samurai/Lamellar Armor; plate armor, while it is heavy, is distributed across the body and isn’t horrible detrimental to the user, the same holds true for ‘Samurai Armor’, while I will not drawl out on the names of each piece of the Oriental Armor set, one could simply wager it boasts the same protection of Western European steel plate armor, and is subjected to that same damage in a combat situation, with the equal protection.

 

Leather Armor

Leather is commonly revered for being far lighter and such, not fairing great against magic or slashing, and definitely not against blunt damage. It’s lightweight and allows for great movement, though. Arrows do not greatly impact against this, especially when backed by Gambeson.

Steel;

Commonly known for its lightweight, less dense ilk, steel is used commonly in arms and armor, varying deeply in color- from bronze to black, silver to matte black. Does not corrode easily past this point, requires an nigh-adept respective teaching in order to understand how to make it.

One Kilogram per Ingot. [1KG p/Ingot]

 

Iron;

Steel in its densest form, it's near raw and commonly impure, coming in deeper shades of silver, to black. Cast iron is under this category. Commonly for the less fortunate in the world, a poor man's metal; but effectively a potent one.

Two Kilograms per Ingot. [2KG p/Ingot]

 

Bronze:

Not common past these ages, it is consistently overlooked and while it is still a commonly prominent metal, its strength is dwarfed by even iron, and people will justify the latter simply because of its greater ilk. Its color is self explanatory, a light shade of orange and varying on its oxidation and under what level of acid it's under. Hard to corrode in a quick manner.

Four Kilograms per Ingot. [4KG p/Ingot]

 

Gold, or Various Sciences and Assets;

A matter of filigree in arms and armor, not contributing greatly to the practicality.

Cultural Based Armor;
Similar in stature to their compatriots from other cultures, weaponry really stays quite the same, though this doesn’t mean armor does, as that is completely different. Militaries sometimes opted for speed over raw strength where others sought to use less materials or less money so as to be more careful with costly deeds and arming their militant.

 

Valmyr, Tosgiv, and Artesia, all utilize platelettes and leather armor, which is far more mobile and less dense then lamellar or plate- or chainmail depending on wealth. Gambeson is seen very often.

 

Whereas lamellar and leather armor is common for Estahiir, Ti’Varnan, and Tunflow aswell as Zattaria, some differ based on preference, others do not.
 

Types of Weapons;

Small Arms;

The Rondel (Formally, the Mercy Blade.). Dagger. Knives.

The Knights Worst Nightmare. Or also their best friend. Those who use the rondel in armored combat are out to kill, not to be killed. These piercing daggers are used against chain and gambeson alike and are known to kill more oft and can be used to parry all the same.

 

Curved Weapons;

The Katana. Cavalry Saber. Falchion. Kriegsmesser (War Knife). Falx.

These weapons are commonly known for their ability to cut into things with ease, aside of steel or iron, these weapons can cause horrid lacerations that can prove difficult to heal from normally, and require an expert hand to wield their weight in combat.

Do not weeb out just because katanas are allowed. They’re a heavier weapon and ceremonially recognized as one of histories most beautiful weapons, just because you see Kiroto swinging that **** around like kingdom come doesn’t mean you have to mess with it like you shouldn’t.

 

Straight Swords/Cleaving Weapons;

Straight Sabre. Longsword. Shortsword. Estoc. Handaxe. Waraxe. Ulfhbert. Tomahawk. [See Ranged]

Most of these are used in single combat or beyond, the estoc for long range piercing or dueling, axes and their ilk are used against armored or unarmored combat, and are somewhat blunt, though not greatly detrimental to the man in armor. The longsword, as it is known throughout history and manuscripts, can be used as something of a hammer when using the hilt.

 

Two Handed; (Bladed)

The Bidenhander (German: the Two Hander.) The Flamberge. Greatsword. Etc.

These all mostly fall under the same category admittedly, and are oddly sometimes the heaviest weapon; they cannot be proficiently swung with one hand as they’re great big slabs of iron and steel, and most typically covered in ornates and such. These weapons are known to concuss and break into iron and sometimes steel depending on situation, and are commonly used to snap the stakes at which polearms are built on.

Two Handed; (Blunt/Utility)

The Lucerne (Polehammer). War Scythe. Crows Beak. Halberd. Glaive. Poleaxe. Billhook. Guisarme. Bec de Corbin. Voulge. Horsemans Pick. Lochaber Axe. Pican ot Picot. Pike. Lance. Quarterstaff. Etc.

While many of these weapons vary in their utility, many of them boast the ability to kill from afar, act like a spear, or be a hammer or blade depending on situational circumstance. The blunt end of the weapon, the butt cap, can act like a brutal means of bludgeoning someone from behind or to parry and riposte.

 

The Voulge, Lochaber Axe, and Lance, are different. The Voulge boasts a horrifying blade of great thickness, where the lochaber axe simply has a brutal density that comes down akin to a hammer, and the lance is used for mounted combat on horseback, while it is known to snap in combat, it is horrifying to the footsoldier and even more hellish to the mounted knight who is on the receiving end. A befitting end to a chivalrous soldier.

 

Blunt One Handed;

The Flanged Mace. Pipe. Maul. Morning Star. Flail. Etc.

These weapons, while formally known as the bludgeon, are horrifying to the man in armor who is not experienced. While some are easily counterable, for those in a rough situation, these blunt weapons, be them in the form of iron or steel, are a war-crime to armor of any stripe, be it plate or not.

The Morning Star and Flail can come in the form of a pipe of wood/handle, attached to it is a chain, with multiple balls spiky or not.

 

Shields;

Kite Shields. Towershields. Scutum. Buckler. Etc.
Commonly known to go along the length of the body, and protect your sides in formation while you move forward. Formally, wood inlay and iron plated locks on the outside/edges. Accompanied by nearly anything. Account for weight.

 

The buckler and anything similar to it’s smaller ilk, are commonly used to cover one’s extremities or face, or even to parry. Inventions like the Lantern Shield are to be taken up with Lore Team.

 

Ranged;

Crossbows. Arbalest. Javelins. Etc.

  • Crossbows; Lighter than the Arbalest, less range, great accuracy. Imagine 20 feet.

  • Arbalest; Heavier, shouldn’t really even be carried at all times. Home defense. Insanely powerful.

  • Javelin; The throwing spear, a viable weapon against the unarmored or horses alike.


 

Appearance and Economy

 

Armor comes in many shapes in sizes, be it full plate armor, or down to leather and hauberk, a coat of chainmaille. Armor, as seen in feudal medieval societies, even from the ages of the Great Lion, to the days of the true ghoulish Impaler, were laden with filigree and commonly be-held some of the most beautiful designs, coming in black, red, sometimes even

We will break it down from the top in the form of full plate armor. Full armor is full coverage head to toe, with very few spots where someone could truly make a good strike, most visible at the back of the knee, or in a poor knights side or arm where a joint isn't covered and they cannot protect it. Coat of plates is nearly a full length coverage, except far less in that it protects you from blunt damage, but slashing damage.

Plate armor, as it stands, is possibly one of the more expensive projects for a warrior of any creed or banner, and is even more so known for being a means to protect oneself in a grand way; using countless steel plates to wrap around the body of the user, when well-kept and polished, serves well for any night looking to get his moneys worth. This implies that even if it’s the most rag-tag of armor and weaponry, the armor can still be expensive, as can nthe sword or polearm dependant on material.

Brigandine, or Hauberk, or even leather sacrifices some level of protection in exchange for full coverage of plate armor, leaving them far more distracted with less armor on them is distressing. Well knit together pieces of steel plate latched together in the form of riveting. Helmets are traditionally on to protect ones noggin in any given circumstances, and anything below that would be asking for trouble. Random modifications have been done to armor to increase fairness. Below are great examples of what your armor should be similar to in any given circumstance, atleast in practical use.

As an addendum, even for items that are acquired in events; If you take armor from another character make sure it is the same size as your character before using it. A general rule of thumb is if you take someone's armor, take it to a blacksmith or a craftsmen to have it adjusted to fit you ICly. Also if you are a human and take a orc or demonic entity, armor no amount of fitting is going to make that work and vice versa. Use some common sense; fix it right nor not at all.

Areas near the couter, armpit, and behind the knees, are commonly places people will strike if not uncovered, mind this. Any piercing weapon with enough force can be horrifyingly detrimental to a character. The couter is commonly known to have the ability to parry and deflect even the most brutal strikes from longswords and even some axes all the same, the apparent of this goes the same for pauldrons aswell as poleyns.


Vanity:
This also accounts to mixing bits and pieces of armor, if you are going for a different look for vanity reasons, make sure that if you want to have that same protection of the ‘norm’, you mix-match properly, and account for actual pieces of arms and armor. Vanity is completely okay, it’s when you start doing things like adding uranium onto your armor that people will be annoyed.

 

-Payne

 

Edited by Raphael Payne
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I can't give more than +1 rep but damn this is very detailed, great job!

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