Weapons And Armor Guide And Description For Combat Rp.

[Jistuma 1995]

Weapons and Armor

 

As to aid in combat rp, one must know how their weapons and armor works.

A descriptive guide on many weapons shall be made here for you to learn more on your characters weapons of choice, as well as some tips on how to rp them. All emotes necessary IG are dependent on the circumstance but I will try and give a guide as to how I at least would do the emotes. It is quite extensive so perhaps just reading your weapon of choise would be more wise.

General guidelines for Combat RP

Emotes during a fight: When in combat rp one should be careful of the emotes he gives. Never give too small of emotes that don’t state anything on how you are attacking or defending. Example of this: *swings his sword at Jistuma*, *blocks with his sword and tries to counter attack*, *tries to evade the attack* *prepares his weapon for the next attack*. These emotes don’t really say anything on how your character reacted and what really happened. The same examples with more information: *Swings his sword from above, trying to cut into Jistuma’s neck on the left side*, *raises his sword to the upcoming attack to block it, making a sweep with the sword at chest level, after the block is done*, *sees the sword coming at him, and jumps back trying to evade the sweep* *raises the sword over his head preparing the next attack*. More specific things can be said and asked via tells. To those experienced with great emotes in fighting, perhaps a tell or making it less confusing to those new should be done. Example, this: *stares at his opponent's eyes, the sword pointing into his face from a relaxed position in front of his waist. The feeling seems right, and in one quick moment, Jistuma pushes onto the ground with his front foot, sending him in a big step forward as he as pulls the sword over his head in an arc, letting it turn and gain speed throughout the movement until it descends in a diagonal swing towards the opponent's face in a cutting motion.*, can then be translated to clarify into this: “/t opponent I attacked your face from above”.

Weapons when fighting: There is something very important about weapons in a fight, they have disadvantages and advantages. Each and every weapon is like that and those should be rp’ed. Another thing that should be rp’ed about weapons, your character can’t walk around with a warhammer, a battleaxe, 3 swords, a heavy crossbow, 6 javalins and 20 throwing knives and still be able to fight well and change weapons whenever he wants. He can however walk around with all these in his possessions, then chose one and fight with it.

Receiving blows: When a fight starts, someone is always going to get hurt, and if weapons are involved, then at least one is going to get very hurt. Your character can never be the master of fighting, there will always be ways your character will get hurt, they will have weaknesses and sometimes just not be able to defend or evade. A fight can last from seconds, when a master is facing a weakling, to hours, where two masters face off and know that any false move can mean death so hold it until they can know they won't die. If your character is in armor he will probably risk more, and face more hits to give an ending to someone, while someone without will have to try to evade and defend himself with fear of a one hit death. Small injuries can be accommodated throughout the fight, or a big one could come up to end it. Small cuts, miss hits from a warhammer, punches that did not fully connect are normal to happen, someone should be more interested in surviving than in killing the other person, so defence and evasion would be enforced before attacks. This also means the attacks will be subjected to not being in a position where a miss would mean a dangerous counter attack, and as such a miss would end in a more safe zone, but the attack more easily avoidable. While rp'ing there should be no fear of the character receiving blows, keep in mind your character's abilities and receive the appropriate blows at the correct times.

Dead fights: There are many many situations where a fight happens, but remember that most fights could end with someone dead, and as such the fights should be avoided IC the best one can. Someone insulted your family and your honor, you don’t draw a sword and threaten to kill him, you just insult him back. Some drunk starts drooling on you, you don’t draw a dagger and stab him, you punch him until he is knocked out. You are a wanted criminal and get found out, you should not try to kill all the guards and die in combat, you should try to escape or be captured. The guards in this situation on the other hand, should try to incapacitate and apprehend the wanted man, instead of killing him. When a fight finally happens, you must consider that if the other person is also trying to kill you, then you would not advance into an attack like crazy, that could mean death, and would be something stupid to do.

Entering an ongoing fight: Combat rp is not like other types of rp. When emoting in a fight, you basically create emotes that would be an action that would take less than a second. For outsiders entering the fight, you should keep this in mind and not just barge in when probably the fight would be over before your character could arrive. I would suggest in these situation, emoting a lot more than normal, but letting the others emote in between. Example would be spotting the fight, recognising one of the fighters (for guards this one should not be done), placing a hand on the weapon, drawing the weapon, slowly moving closer, placing the weapon in a defence stance, await opportunity and only then, attacking/helping. All these actions give time for those fighting to at least finish an attack and know you are there to enter the fight.

Distance in a fight: Distance between adversaries signals in person will be able to have time to react well to an attack, or if the attack is even possible. If the distance is fairly big, someone with a bow will be able to shoot before someone with a non ranged weapon arrives to attack. In a close distance, long range and ranged weapons are made useless, while small weapons and grappling rule. Keeping distance also dictates what your characters intentions are, keeping a safe distance means the character is trying to stay protected, delaying the fight, or trying to run away. In this circumstance, evading an attack or blocking it is not hard, but that also means your character will not be able to damage the adversary and doing more than an attack to keep him away expecting it to hit full on, could be called for powergaming. Someone trying to enter a safe distance has to acknowledge that he more than likely will not be able to hit the first strikes, and should not call powergaming for that happening. Running to him will also mean you won’t be able to change directions well, and so the attack will have to be repeated if he escapes to the side. Remember that the defender has the advantage.

Losing a fight: One of the things I really wanted in LOTC would be that the fights that happened would not be mostly to the death. Death limits the game, the character that dies, unless deciding himself to give a drawback to himself for dying, will just have a blurry vision of an event, while if kept alive he will have to rp the drawbacks of the fight. He will remember who did it and be afraid to confront him or want revenge. He will know that he lost and how, and train better based on that. He will be incapacitated and walk around like that. He will have to be healed by someone or himself. Losing a fight should have more meaning than losing items and losing part of a memory, and I would suggest if your character dies, you create some more rp than just arriving at home cured of everything. An injury could remain, unknown fear for the one who kills you could remain. He could lose important rp possessions after dying. A lot of rp can be created by the death of someone, and by losing. Never be afraid to lose a fight, think of the rp that can come for others and for yourself.

Bows

There are many types of bow to chose from, but I will talk of only three, as I doubt anyone rp’s other bows unless they know plenty about them.

 

Normal bow

 

Description:
The normal bow would be in reach of anyone. Be it power and distance reached, it would be it would be midpar. Normally made of only a piece of wood, and quite small, they can be transported anywhere on the back or in hand. The string can be removed as well, as to let it have a bigger lifetime. It is the cheapest of all the bows, and the bow of choice to an amateur, or a hunter. Shooting against strong armor would not have much effect, but can give great advantage as support in a battle or a fight. Being of poor quality can make the bow break more easily while pulling, and the accuracy it provides is not that good.

Pros:
• Cheap.
• Light and easy to transport.
• Quick draw.

Cons:
• Does not have much power.
• Easily breakable.
• Doesn’t exceed in distance.
 
Rp’ing with this bow:
This bow should be used in rp specially by someone beginning training with it. Those that make their own bows should perhaps also use this type, the quality varying with the type of wood used and the experience of the archer in making one. Anything besides close range with this bow should probably at least partly miss (aiming for the torso, hitting the shoulder), unless very close to the opponent.
 

Longbow

 

Description:
Longbows are bows which are quite large in size. They are taller than the wielder, and so, can have quite more potency than normal bows. They are not easy to use or shoot because the force necessary to pull the string is quite large. Walking around with a longbow can be quite hard, because as I stated, a longbow can be taller than the wielder, it can be carried by hand but very difficult on the back. One of the good things about the longbow is that it is made of one solid piece of wood, and as such can be carried without the string attached to it, and so not damaging the string in the rain for example. Preparing the longbow would take time, as the archer would have to place the string back on the longbow, but longbows were used mostly on battlefields, with time to do so, as their size is not so good as to use in a dual. The archer would notch the arrow on the string and pull it with only two fingers. He would point it upwards as he pulls the desired amount and release. Even one longbowman can be quite powerful, yet many in a battlefield would be deadly, as the longbow can shoot further than every other bow. Elves would have the most destructive longbows, and with their many years of capable training, they could reach the state where one could even aim at longer distances.

Pros:
• Can achieve great distances.
• Can achieve great power.
• Somewhat cheap.
• Deadly in large numbers

Cons:
• Difficult in transport.
• The archer has to have strength to pull the string.
 
Rp’ing with this bow:

There are some limitations when rp’ing a shoot with this bow, the bow is larger, and the pull is bigger. Creating different emotes for pulling and aiming perhaps should be done. The range of this weapon is limited only by emotes done in shouts, if the target is visible of course, thought of long distances the shoot will be much harder. On the other hand in in groups it might perhaps be emoted a shower of arrows falling on the enemy in a shoot, after of course stating that you are there and and emoting drawing pointing and notching.
 

Composite

 




Description:
Composite bows are those made from various types of materials, normally made from combining wood and horns of animals. Making this combination creates a stronger but smaller bow, combining power with ease of transportation. The construction of these bows is not easy and is not cheap. Finding bones or horns that would work the same way on both sides of the bow is not an easy task, and when finding them they would still need to be combined to the wood using various methods, which are very time consuming. Even master bowman would have difficulties making this type of bow, as knowledge on how to work with bone and horns and how to combine them is not learnt because you perform archery, making them are the task for bow makers, which are also archers, but not of great expertise. The bending of the composite bow while pulling the string will be much larger and will provide more force to the arrow but needing less strength, so amateurs use the composite bow. For those that can keep the bow steady, they will send an arrow with great strength and great accuracy, while their draw is a fast one, being able to send as much shoots per minute as it would with the normal bow. Because of the glew use to make the bow, it doesn’t work well when wet, as the glew will be weakened and perhaps even letting the bow break from the tension of the string. As such, in the rain or after the bow falls in water, it should not be used.

Pros:
• Powerful shoot.
• Fast draw.
• Small, so easy to carry.

Cons:
• Incredible expensive.
• Has to be made by bow makers.
• Weakned when wet, might even break.

Rp’ing with this bow:
A composite bow is not something a character just gets out of nowhere, if possible the bow should be bought from a bow maker, and those making the bows, could perhaps hunt to gather the necessary tools to make the bow. An amateur archer could properly pull the string on a bow like this but should not start shooting better instantaneously. You have to remember that at long distances it is still hard to hit, a composite bow will not make a character an excellent marksman. From this bow it is still difficult to pass armor, but it should at least provide a decent hit.

Arrows

 

Description:
Arrows are made essentially from in 3 parts. The arrowhead which can be made from a metal or a rock/flint, the body and the arrow made of at least one type of wood, and the fletching normally made from feathers. The arrowhead can have various shapes, the stone ones being cheap, but when made from a metal, it can normally be removed from the arrow with ease, and have various forms. This makes it so that when the arrow hits, the arrowhead stays inside the body if they try to remove the arrow by only pulling on it’s body. Changing arrowheads can also be made this way, able to place a big arrow head for heavy bleeding but lower accuracy, or a small arrowhead for precision shooting but low bleeding. There are also arrowheads which can more than 2 sharp edges making so for more bleeding. The fletching is made to keep the arrow spinning in air so it keeps it’s trajectory. Wrongly made fletching will make the accuracy of the arrow bad, and no fletching will make the arrow not even hit right.

Rp'ing arrows
Arrows are one of the most fundamental parts of archery. A bad arrow will make the archer miss and even if hitting will create not much damage. A flecher should really be seeked IG to create the arrows, and rp'ing the diferent types of arrowheads, even those created by diferent cultures and nations can be quite entertaining. An arrow made by elves will be completly diferent from one made by dwarves.
 

Emoting

There is not that much difference between emoting the various bows if they are already with string and in hand. For firing emotes, the requiring is notching, pulling and aiming, shooting.

Example:
Jistuma with bow in hand, takes an arrow from his side and notches it.
Jistuma pulls the string as he turns his body, taking aim.
Jistuma releaces the arrow, aiming to hit in the chest area.

For changing an arrow head, I would at least create two emotes, but normally no one changes arrowheads ingame. it can be fused with the bow pulling emotes by adding an extra one between the first and the second.

Example:
Jistuma takes an arrow from his side and an arrowhead from his pocket.
Jistuma changes the arrowhead of the arrow for a larger one, before notching it in the string.

Placing a string in the bow can also be emoted, these emotes would be excellent as preparation for wars. They would consist of attaching the string on one side, bending the bow, and placing the string on the other side.

Example:
Jistuma places one end of the string on his unprepared bow.
Jistuma holds the bow on the ground with his foot, and pulls the other end of the bow, so as to be place the other end of the string.
 

Knives and Daggers

Knives and daggers are small weapons used for stabbing and cutting. They are easily hidden and very easy to transport due to their small size.

Daggers

Description:
Daggers are weapons to stab. They can be made from a rock like flint, from bone or from a metal, but they always have a pointy tip, normally with two edges not sharp enough to cut anything to do much damage. Composed by the blade and the handle. It’s length can vary, but should not be too long or it would be considered a sword, it is a low range weapon. It is kept in a sheath in normal use, and can be easy to hide considering the size they have. Normally not very used in battle, and even in a fight it’s use is quite hard to master. On the other hand, they are very used in rituals and sacrifices by religious or crazy people. A dagger is a weapon and not a tool, you can not get one by trying to get silverware for eating, it has to be gotten in a blacksmith, barracks, or weapon shop. A stab wound can give great problems to someone, especially if the wound is not treated immediately, it can cause damage to internal organs, and affect nerves and tendons, and can cause lots of bleeding. Being a small weapon also gives the possibility to be used as a defence weapon against swords, as more strength can be added to deflections and parries, this does not work of course against weapons with bashing power like hammers and axes. Against armor if targeted for the joints it can create a lot of damage, as the force is concentrated in the tip of the weapon, being able to pass the weaker protection and injury, as well as damage the armor making it harder to move in.

Pros:
• Small and easy to hide.
• Stab wounds are dangerous.
• Good fighters can use them to aid in defense.


Cons:
• Close range weapon, has to close distance.
• Can only stab.


Rp’ing with a dagger:
A warrior wielding a dagger will not start slashing it about, it would not do much damage that way. It can be held with the blade facing up or down in the hand. Anyone with no training can create serious damages with a dagger, a child stabbing a dagger at someone will create injuries. Experience would be useful for those who try to stab while fighting, as well as to create a far better stab wound. Daggers are also very used in ceremonies and as a something symbolic.

Knife

Description:
Knives differ that instead of it’s use being for stabbing, it is used for cutting, and as so, they have many uses not only in fighting. It is used whenever something needs cutting, be it in a meal, while creating clothes, to carve wood, and of course in fighting. Due to the many uses a knife can have it can be made of many ways. It can have a saw, it can be big, it can be thin, but something it always has is at least a cutting edge. It can be made from stone or flint, from bone, or from metals. Acquiring a knife that can be used in a fight can be slightly easy, considering the many types of knives that can be used. As the same as daggers, the knife is a close range weapon, but it’s use in defence are lower, as a defence would blunt the blade, while in daggers only the tip matters. But unlike the dagger it is a lot easier to use in very close distances where quick cuts in succession can be dealt, while longer reach weapons are made useless. Delivering a cut at someone means they will start bleeding, and a cut will bleed for a long time unless treated. It the cut is deeper it will cut the muscles and create greater damage. Being a very lightweight weapon, the attacks can come very quick, but when faced with an armored adversary it will be quite hard to create any damage. Even in joints it will be hard to create a cut worthy of anything. Normally a knife can also have a tipped end, giving permission to stab as well as cut, even if not as powerfully as a dagger.


Pros:
• Small, easy to hide and transport
• Light, can be used with very fast attacks
• Easily accessable
• Might be able to stab as well as cut.
• Can be used in small spaces 

Cons: 
• Close range weapon, distance has to be shortened
• Almost useless against armor


Rp’ing with a Knife:
Obtaining a knife could be quite easy in RP. To fight with it, fast attacks would be made, and even defences and blocks would be tried to hit the incoming arm. A very interesting thing about cutting, is that if it’s done along the skin, instead of into it, makes the body start collapsing on itself, for missing a chunk of meat that should be there. But that should be a defense strategy while an offensive one would be to attack the veins and arteries, trying to create a death by bleeding, as the knife is too small for major cuts. The best use of a knife would be for surprise attacks, a hidden blade, an attack from behind.

Emoting

 

When trying to use a knife/dagger as a hidden weapon, the person has always to draw it beforehand, hide it, then advance into a position where the attack can happen. Ways to hide the weapon are many, be it behind the arm, inside the clothes, between a hand and the leg, etc.

Example:
*Jistuma finds Lerin in the crowd and carefully slides the daggere off it’s sheath.*
*Jistuma hides the knife behind his hand and arm as he moves through the crowd, approaching Lerin*
*Jistuma when near enough, raises the dagger and descends it onto Lerin’s back in one swift movement*

Fighting with a dagger probably means defence, by deflexing or parrying when the weapon comes close, and stabbing while with a knife it will be more concentrated on cutting, even when defending.

Example one:
*Jistuma holds the knife close to him before making two quick consecutive slashes in a horizontal motion*
*Lerin keeps his knife in front of him and close, when the slashes come, he moves the knife to the attackers arm to get him to shorten the attack.*

Example two:
*Jistuma turns the hand with the dagger and tries to intercept the attack to deflect it*
*Jistuma just after deflecting turns his hand once more and tries to stab his opponent*

Example three:
*Jistuma easily sees the battleaxe attack coming for his shoulder and places the dagger in it’s way to block it*
*Jistuma’s shoulder and arm get crushed by the great power of the attacking weapon, the dagger can't hold the hit.*

 

Staffs

Staffs are long weapons to thrust and bash with. They are normally seen in the hands of those travelling for aiding in their walk.

Description:
Staffs are normally used as a tool for aiding in walking, or as an ornament and tool for aiding in magic. In terms of combat, any of them works, while some have more characteristics as a weapon. Those not suitable for combat normally are ornamented or just a walking stick, but this does not mean that they would not create any damage, only that the weapon would not last long. For those made for fights, the staffs are made of good wood and can be strengthened by a metal. The staff can be made equal on both sides which makes it possible to turn the staff around and aim with either side. With the staff unequal on both sides, normally means one side is more suggested for attacks, but this doesn’t mean the other side can not be used. Staffs in fights are made to be very quick and used in circular motions gaining large advantage due to their long range. Defence is harder against heavy weapons, where the wielder has to be experienced not to use the staff to block, as the staff, even when having the staff fortified with metals could be damaged a lot, but against weapons of shorter reach a staff has great advantage. Thrusting can have great effects as staff can take a lot of power when thrusting, and if the wielder can hold, the staff will probably hold as well. Using it against an armored warrior will not have an effect bigger than perhaps denting the armor and pushing him to the side. It can still be used to trip the armored men but it would be hard to create much damage.

Pro:
•Long Range Weapon.
•Cheap and easy to craft if made of wood.
•Very Fast attacks.

Cons:
•No blade.
•Hard to create damage to armor.
•Hard to defend against heavy weapons.
•Dual hand held weapon.

Rp’ing with a Staff:
A staff in a fight is normally not rp’ed to it’s full potential, especially by the ones fighting against the weapon. The one wielding the staff will have a greater distance of attack, will be probably quicker and more mobile. A staff can, and will break bones, a random stick you grab from a tree will be able to hurt someone a lot, now imagine a long staff made from a very good and hard wood moving faster than a sword. A staff made for fighting is by no means a weak weapon.

 

Emoting

 

There are quite a few stances one can take with a staff, pointing it at your opponent, pointing it backwards, letting it spin to the sides of you. Attacks vary a lot, but normally they are thrusts, sweeps, and swings in an arc, coming from each stance can result in different attacks


Example 1:
*Jistuma points the staff in the direction of Arzota, gripping the staff in the center and in one of the ends*
*Jistuma sees the beginning of Arzota's attack and steps forward to thrust, trying to use the longer distance of the staff to hit before Arzota's attack is complete*

Example 2:
*Jistuma points the staff in the direction of Arzota, gripping the staff in the center and in one of the ends*
*Jistuma pulls the staff to the side and lets it turn around himself gaining momentum.Taking a step forward when the staff has half completed the turn, and aims the attack at Arzota's head from the side*

Example 3:
*Jistuma points the staff backwards, keeping an eye on Arzota.*
*Jistuma makes an arc with the staff as he advances foward, to sweep at Arzota's weapon.
*Jistuma lets the staff continue it's movement, so it turns around himself to strikes this time at Arzota's face*

Example 4:
*Jistuma readies the staff, beginning to move it in a figure eight motion to gain speed.*
*Jistuma steps forward,letting the weapon dip low before swinging up with all his force combined with that of the spinning staff to strike from below at Azorta’s chin.

Defending with a staff is something possible as well, and it uses the quick motions of the staff to create them, yet the location and the direction on where the staff hits the incoming weapon is very important. The staff can only deflect an axe, if it is not aimed at the head, and to counter longer weapons, hitting close to the swinging arm works very well.

Example 1:
*Jistuma turns the staff in a figure eight motion in front of him, making the staff keep in motion protecting him.*
*Arzota attacks with his sword to the head of Jistuma from above.*
*Jistuma uses the movement of the staff, and shifts it a little, creating a sweep at the incoming attack, to deflect it*

Example 2:
*Jistuma points the staff to Arzota, and readies himself*
*Arzota already prepared, advances fast with his single handed battleaxe, making a diagonal swing to the head.*
*Jistuma lifts the staff over his head towards the axe, as to block it. The staff breaks on impact.*

Example 3:
*Jistuma points the staff to Arzota, and readies himself*
*Arzota already prepared, advances fast with his single handed battleaxe, making a diagonal swing to the head.*
*Jistuma turns the staff to one side and lets as he goes back, then pulls it to the front again, to hit the axe on the side and deflect it.*

Example 4:
*Jistuma points the staff behind him, as he looks at Arzota dressed with black clothes and mask*
*Arzota thinks himself as a ninja and swings his katana at from above at Jistuma.*
*Jistuma pivots around his back leg, and swings the staff to block in an upward motion at Arzota’s Katana, near the handle, to deflect*
*Arzota’s attack fails and he throws to the ground a smoke bomb, disappearing into the night*

 

One handed Swords

Normally smaller swords, they are gripped with only one hand

Gladius

Description:
A Gladius is a short sword with the focus on stabbing. It has two edges which can be used for cutting, but the main purpose of the sword was for stabbing. This word has no hand guard making it a little more dangerous when exchanging blows with another weapon, as if the opponents weapon may slide off the blade of the gladius and hit the hand, wrist or arm. This sword is normally used with a shield on the other hand. It this not too long and is light weight, the motions with this sword can be very quick. The blade does not continue down through the handle, making it have a weak point, able to break on the handle after a strong block or hit. Not having much weight, against armor swinging motions will probably cause more damage on the weapon than on the armor, while stabbing motions can be used quite well, and the weapon resists it. This weapon was designed for war and battles, but it can still be used for one on one fights and small combats. The bottom of the handle can be used for hitting as well, great for blunt damage.

Pros:
•Easy to transport.
•Great for stabbing.
•Good when used with shield.

Cons:
•No hand guard.
•Not very suitable for swings.

Rp’ing with a Gladius:
A Gladius can be easily transported on a sheath on someone’s belt, more than likely visible by everyone else. When fighting with the gladius, a stab hit will have great consequences, but a cut wound will not leave much damage. The weapon does not have a hand guard and it should be rp’ed like that, if weapons interlock and one slides through the gladius, more than likely the one holding the gladius will get in the hand or arm. Against armor it has to be aimed at the joints, even if a stab might create a small hole, it has no way to fully injure someone.

Sabre

Description:
From the sheaths of the warrior’s waists, the sabre is the sword which is better used to cut. It’s handle can only be used by one hand and it normally holds a hand guard. The handguard on this sword is not meant to bash with, only to protect the hand from cuts. The blade has a single edge for cutting, and it’s curved outwards. When used correctly, a sabre of any kind, of somewhat decent quality, might even go as far as to cut some bones. It is normally a light weight blade, as it is used only with one hand, and so easy to handle, posibilitating fast movements (not as fast as with a knife), and is easy to transport. Normally is is carried on the waist of the fighter, yet as it is not too big, it might be hidden from sight. The way it is created will state how much it will cut, and how long it will last, as this weapon is made to cut, and perhaps to stab, but bashing against other swords or armor will greatly weaken it and dull the blade. While it’s primary use is cutting, a pointed tip is made on the blade to stab as well. Against unarmored foes, this weapon is of great use.

Pros:
• Great cutting abilities.
• May be used to stab.
• Lightweight so easy to handle and transport.
• Still small enough to hide from sight.

Cons:
• Can not be used to bash.
• Great difficulty to be used against armor.
• One handed, creating force with it will be hard.

Rp’ing with a Sabre:
There are two main situations where this blade can be used against, armored and unarmored foe. The player has to understand that with a cutting weapon, fighting against armor will create almost no damage, and since the sabre is a single handed weapon, not even much bash will happen with it. On the other hand, if it is against an unarmored foe, he must understand that one hit from the blade will probably will create great damage, the cut will probably big huge, and the blood loss alone might end the life. Defence with this weapon is more than possible, but a good opportunity for interesting rp is the damage that the blade might receive while defending, and if alive at the end, repairing and sharpening the blade once more.
 

Longsword

Description:
The longsword is a straight, double edged blade that can be wielded with one hand with the proper strength. Used by a number of knights, it’s a very effective and versatile weapon, generally used to cut, thrust, and slice. The sword is about 100 to 122 centimeters and is commonly carried within a scabbard located at the warrior’s waist. It is lightweight when used with two hands, sturdy, and fairly easy to transport and maneuver this way. If used with only one hand, the maneuverability will greatly decrease, unless the proper needs of strength and training are met. Commonly made from steel, the weapon is made to last, but this makes it lose some of the cutting abilities. On the other hand, the pommel of the sword can also be used for the wielder's advantage by utilizing it to knock the opponent off balance. For a one handed blade, it is quite long, which makes hiding it quite a challenge.

Pros:
• Superior thrusting.
• Can be used to cut and slice.
• Lightweight is used two handedly, enables easy maneuvering.
• Might be used with one hand, making it possible to use a second weapon or shield.
• Pommel can be used to bash.

Cons:
• Unable to fully pierce plate armor with cuts and slices.
• Not easy to hide.
• One hand use turns quite more difficult.

Rp’ing with a longsword:
When an opponent is unarmored, the longsword will prove extremely effective. With the proper force backing it, this weapon can deliver a slice that removes a limb from the body. Using the pommel to stagger and daze your opponent, the weapon can also be used to thrust, very dangerously. Fighting against an armored foe is more of a challenge with this type of sword. Cuts are mostly useless against the dexterity of plate armor, and will not damage the opponent sufficiently. Slices, however, can be used to cut any bare skin, or loose hands. However, to be more successful against armor, the longsword must be used to thrust.

 

Rapier

Description:
An incredibly thin and light sword, a Rapier is used only to stab. Other than deflecting other lightweight swords with the same purpose and weight, it has no more uses. With this weapon you can not sweep, cut, or bash. The movements are incredibly fast, as there is no lighter sword than this, but it’s uses normally fall only for duals against the same type of weapon. With this kind of weapon, the skill of the warrior is but all that can be used to win, one without training will quickly find himself dead. For proper use of this weapon, the stabs have to be precise, between the ribs, in the eye or neck, as hitting a bone will hurt a lot, but not cause much damage. It is an incredibly hard to use blade. It can be used alone or with another weapon, normally a long dagger, on the other hand. The way this sword is made, it’s sole purpose is for stabbing, and it can resist those effects quite well, but it is important to state that it will not hold blocking any other weapon of weight higher than it’s, and while deflecting and blocking the weapon will be bending. Against axes, greatswords, and even cutting swords, the sword will most likely break. On the other hand, against armor, in the hands of a skilled swordsman, it will be the best small weapon to use, made to point and stab at the small opening that the armor might have, using the thin blade to enter those openings. The swordsman will have to use his speed and technique to work around the good defences of the slower armored man.

Pros:
• Best of the small weapons to use against armor.
• Incredibly light and fast.
• Thin blade capable of entering small openings in the body.
• Another weapon might be used on the other hand.

Cons:
• Can not cut or bash.
• Will not hold blocking.
• Requires a lot of training to use efficiently.

Rp’ing with a rapier:
If the wielder of the rapier does not have many years of training with it, it will be a horrible fighter. While it is the best small weapon to use against armor, hitting the small spots in the armor requires a lot of training, and evading an attack without blocking and sending a counter to kill the armored man requires even more. An untrained fighter will use this sword like any other, most likely blocking with it and making cuts, which will break the weapon in about one or two blocks, and the damage even if hit will be almost non. It is a sword for masters, normally nobles which have trained with it all their life. The small opening are what is used to win fights, it’s thin blade able to go and hit them, but again, great precision and speed are required, only master able to achieve it well.

 

War Hammer

One of the weapon of choice against armor.

 
Description:
A War Hammer is a weapon designed for combat against heavy armor. While weapons with a blade would normally be deflected by the curvature of the armor, the War Hammer can inflict great blunt damage. The hammer is made from a wooden handle, which can vary greatly in length, from a close range weapon to a long range weapon, this means the weapon may be easy to transport. A war hammer with a long handle would not be the ideal weapon to have when in combat not in a war field, this because the weapon is hard to handle even with a short handle. The tip of the weapon is of a very heavy hammer, which may have a pointed tip on one of the sides. The blunt side, the side of the actual hammer, it used for blunt force damage, while the pointed tip would be used to perforate the armor. The handling of the weapon is quite hard, not hard as in you can’t aim, but to make it gain speed is hard, but especially to stop the weapon is hard. A miss gives a large opening, but a hit will leave the adversary with serious damage. Defence with a warhammer is also something difficult to do, as the hammer is heavy and so it can not be place fast in the correct location for a block or to deflect. For this reason, a warhammer is normally used with a shield in the other hand as well. The creation of a warhammer is not of great difficulty, a decent blacksmith can create one with good functionality.

Pros:
• Great against armor.
• Great damage received from a hit.
• May be easy to transport.
• Can be used with a shield

Cons:
• A miss results in a great opening in defence.
• Hard to handle.
• Difficult to defend with.

Rp’ing with a War Hammer:
If your character chooses the weapon he uses in each fight, he will not choose the war hammer against those with no armor. It’s attack may be very strong, but it will be a lot slower than other weapons. This means that escaping an attack from a warhammer by dodging without armor is not something hard to do, and after a miss strike the wielder will have a great opening in their defense. The larger the length of the handle the further the attack will be, but the harder it will be to stop the attack.
 

Emoting:

 

The warhammer must be prepared to make an attack or the attack will not have much strength.

Example 1:
*Jistuma unclips his warhammer and lifts it over his head.*
*Jistuma takes a step forward and swings the warhammer down into Ford’s helm*

Example 2:
*Jistuma unclips his warhammer and leaves it hanging on the side*
*Ford loses focus on Jistuma*
*Jistuma swings at Ford from the hanging position, but the attack goes weak and Ford’s armor can hold the attack well*

A miss will create an opening, because the warhammer can’t be easily stopped.

Example:
*Jistuma takes a step forward and swings the warhammer down into Ford’s helm after having prepared it*
*Ford having no armor quickly steps back to evade the swing*
*Jistuma’s swing misses, and he tries to stop it, but the weapon continues leaving an opening to his attacking arm.*

When someone gets hit by a warhammer, he will not just continue fighting normally. This of course if the attackers makes a good swing.

Example 1:
*Jistuma takes a step forward and swings the warhammer down into Ford’s helm*
*Ford can not fully dodge and gets hit, his helm bends and he falls to the ground disorientated.*

Example 2:
*Jistuma takes a step forward and swings the warhammer down into Ford’s helm*
*Ford, having no armor can escape with his head, but the shoulder is hit, completely shattering on impact*

Example 3:
*Jistuma takes a step forward and swings the warhammer’s pike into Ford’s chest*
*Ford tries to resist the attack, so the pike gets through his armor hitting his chest.*
*Ford falls back, from the force of the hammer and with a wound in his chest.*

 

Battle Axes

A normal axe can bring down a tree, one for battle can bring down many enemies.

Great Battleaxe
 

Description:
A Great Battleaxe is two handed axe, with a long handle and a heavy head with blade, which makes it a power bringer. With the weight very concentrated on the axe head, it’s momentum when it is swing is enormous. Evolved from lumberjacking axes, it’s primary use was to cut down huge trees using power combined with an blade. Blades normally do not hold great forces without bending or breaking, yet the head of an axe is made so that only in the bladed end is it thin, while on the connection with the handle and most of the head it is a solid piece of metal, capable of resisting the great forces, and makes dents and small fissures not take away from the use. The great momentum will provide that a hit carries a lot of force, and the blade makes it so that the force is concentrated on a tiny area. Result, someone even with the best of armor will be subjected to broken bones, and the armor shattered in the impact point. Without armor, the axe blade will not have nothing to stop it but the bone, but the huge impact of the battle axe means that it will will destroy the bone, and probably pass most, with exception of the hipbone, or if the attack passes too many. Using a great battle axes is is quite a hard feat to accomplish correctly, it requires both stamina and strength. Stopping or even changing trajectory of this type of axe after the swing is started is almost impossible. Being a long weapon, at close range it loses most of it’s power, making it more of a block of weight than a weapon. The weight is one of it’s greatest weaknesses, making it so that travel with it is hard, but also that fast momentents required for defence are non existing.

Pros:
• Great power.
• Long reach.
• Great to use against armor.
• Even against shields it is effective.
• Overall, the offensive power is the greatest that can be achieved.

Cons:
• Very Heavy.
• Not good at close distance.
• Requires both strength and stamina to use efficiently.
• Two handed weapon.
• Defense is almost non existing.

Rp’ing with a Great Battleaxe:
This weapon is the weapon of warmongers, used only for attacks. Against armorless and armored enemies it is a weapon that should be feared. An attack with destroy a shield in one hit, if it hits right, and it’s reach makes it so that evading it, even without armor is still hard. The greatest weakness of the battleaxe is simple, it has no way for defence. The head might be able to defend against one attack, but that also means the wielder can not prepare the axe from a counter attack, and would most likely be hit again before he can even prepare it. With and without armor it can be used, but the movements of the wielder get considering slower. Evading against a great battleaxe is a hard feat, but once done, an opening is made on the wielder. Distance of attack is one of the most important features to consider when rp’ing with a weapon such as this, as the defender against the weapon would have a hard time coming close, but once close the axe wielder would be the one in trouble.

Single Handed Battleaxe
 

Description:
A one handed battle axe is made so as to be used with one hand. Quite smaller than a Great battleaxe, it still gives quite a punch. Having still the head of the axe quite heavy, it is no longer than a sword. While a sword causes cuts, but not much blunt damage and the warhammer great blunt impact, but no cutting, the battleaxe brings both together to give a powerful attack which is inflicted thought a bladed edge. The head once more would hold great impacts, being developed from logging axes, which had to hold hit after hit against hard wood. Even if not as powerful as the great battleaxe, it gives the advantage of being a lot quicker and easier to use. Against armor it is still ideal, being able to cause great dents, and even pass the weaker parts of the armor. Against a shield, it can still damage quite severely, especially against the wooden ones. Defence against these weapons is possible, and if successful means the weapon is made useless, but whatever blocked it will take damage if hit by the head, and it won’t hold up for long. In terms of defence, it is not really fit for it, as quick movements with the axe will not be possible, instead, the wielder depend on the other arm to carry a shield or a weapon fit for defence. Because it is a single handed weapon, it is able to be easily transported.

Pros:
Great power.
Great to use against armor.
Can be used combined with shield.

Cons:
Heavy.
A miss results in a great opening in defence.
Difficult to defend with.
If defended against, the defender gains time to attack.

Rp’ing with a One Handed Battleaxe:
This weapon being able to be used by one hand, is a lot less powerful, yet it still carries the force. Those hit, if not wearing strong armor will get their bone’s broken, and if wearing a strong armor, the hit will still give impact. The opening when missing is still about the same, as the weapon is lighter, but it is used by one hand only. As the other two heavy weapons, if the weapon is not prepared for an attack, the force will be small, and the result fruitless. Defence with this axe is also not very good, even if the first attack has been defended, the one after that will be harder to, counter attacks are something incredibly hard to do with axes. A shield can fix this defect, but the problems of carrying a shield would arrive. Evading against a smaller axe is easier, as the reach is smaller, and counter attacks become easier this way. Blocks against an axe of this size are possible, but if it is blocked by the head, the tool used to defend would be damaged if not broken.

 

Emoting:

 

From attacks with axes can come a lot of number of events, a hit, a defence or an evasion. Even the type of axe will have different results.

Example 1:
*Jistuma charges at Lerin, great axe over his head, and when close enough swings it down at him*
*Lerin side steps the great axe swing to the right, dodging the heavy swing.*
*Jistuma's great axe hits the ground, and looks at Meta, defenceless for the time being*

Example 2:
*Jistuma charges at Meta great axe over his shoulder, and when close enough swings it horizontally at his chest area*
*Meta lifts his shield to intercept and block the attack. The axe goes through the shield, breaking the shoulder on the other side.*

Example 3:
*Jistuma charges at Meta, small axe over his shoulder, and when close enough swings it horizontally at his chest area*
*Meta didn’t see it in time, and can only place his sword to block it. He falls back and notices a crack forming in his weapon.*

Example 4:
*Jistuma charges at Meta, small axe over his shoulder, and when close enough swings it horizontally at his chest area*
*Meta blocks the horizontal swing by intercepting with his own blade; only getting the blade thrown out of his hand and flung to the side leaving him defenseless.*

Example 5:
*Jistuma charges at Meta great axe over his shoulder, and when close enough swings it horizontally at his chest area*
*Meta believes his great armor can withhold the power of the attack, and so goes flying a few meters and ends dead in the ground*

Defence on the other hand is clearly impossible with a great axe, and with a short axe is still hard.

Example 1:
*Meta turns maniac and suddenly swings twice his scimitar at Jistuma*
*Jistuma was resting his great axe as the attack comes, he leans away from the attacks as he can’t lift the axe in time*
*Jistuma gets hit by the second cut, and releases the grip in his axe.*

Example 2:
*Jistuma grabs a smaller axe as Meta laughs as if possessed by a demon*
*Meta ends his laughter and starts swinging again before Jistuma can atack*
*Jistuma is able to read the attacks and block the first one with the axe head, yet he can not move it quick enough to defend the second one.*

 

 

Polearms

Long weapons to inflict damage before they can even reach you.

Spears

 
Description:
Spears are long range weapons, being a little shorter than the wilder to more than three times the height of him. The longer spears only have battle use, their size making them useless is used outside of formation with many more men also wilding them. The shorter ones can be used in single fights, where the skill of the warrior is more important than the skill of the union. The spears are made all the same, a long wooden shafts, with a metal or stone tip of which it’s primary use is to thrust and stab, cuts can also be made, but never very serious. It is a very easy and cheap weapon to produce, only needing a little bit of iron at it’s tip to create the blade, while all else is just a long stick. Being long, it’s primary use is to stab at longer distances, keeping the enemy away out of range of attack, but if the range is shortened, the use of the spear turns almost useless, and harder to use. While using the range of the spear, it can be used to both attack and defend, but more difficult to use in defence than with a shorter weapon. When trusting, especially against those with armor, the attack has to be powerful, or the results will be weak. This means each attack takes time, and making two repetitive attacks with them will result in a “recharge” where the spear needs to be pulled back before thrusted again. Against armor, the joints of the armor are always the target, but against chainmail, with enough strength, it can pierce. The spear can be long and used with both hands or shorter where it can be used with only one hand, giving use to the second hand for a shield or another weapon. A spear can also be thrown, but doing so, makes the combaten, spearless. Being a long weapon, hiding it is almost impossible, but it can be used like a staff when walking, sometimes even aiding in long travels.

Pros:
• Longer range than most.
• Able to be thrown
• Easy and simple to produce
• Can pierce chainmail

Cons:
• Ineffective at close range
• Limited ways to attack
• Difficult to conceal
• Long "Recharge" period between thrusts
• Weak mobility in tight spaces

Rp’ing with a spear:
When rp’ing with a spear, you have to always mention you have one on you, it is pretty impossible to go around with one and it not sticking out somewhere. When fighting, distance is the most important aspect, as one with shorter distance will not be able to do much until he gets closer. Charging at a spear is something horrible to do, you will not have time to evade or defend against it, and will be hit strong. When going closer, one can evade, deflect and even walk around the spearman, and try to enter the range. When the range is entered, the spearman has not much he can do, but try to enlarge the distance once more.

 

Throwing weapons

Weapons of ranged capacity, thrown by hand.

Throwing Knives

 

Description:
There are two types of throwing knives, a regular knife and a specific made throwing knife. A specific made throwing knife has no hilt and will sometimes have a blade going that direction as well. It is built for the weight distribution to be in a way that the blade with hit when thrown. A regular knife is as it sounds, a regular knife you happen to throw. A regular knife has more power to it and might cut through leather. The problem with a regular knife is it has a 25% chance of hitting the target with its hilt. It also tends to fall more than a throwing knife and can not be thrown as far due to its uneven weight with the hilt which can only be thrown up to 10 meters. A throwing knife however can be thrown up to 20 meters. This is due to its balance, and it being lighter. The throwing knife can be thrown more accurately but does not take as much damage. This is due to the lesser weight. A throwing knife will have trouble piercing hardened leather and chainmail. Belt, boots, and back sheaths are all good places to store away a throwing knife. If a throwing knife makes a direct hit on someone's unguarded torso, it will most likelly never kill them, as hitting between ribs is almost impossible. When being hit in a location where the trowing knife could make damage (like the neck or the belly) the damage might be worse than being stabbed because the inertia behind is bigger, and the knife with shake for a bit from impact, getting loadged in a bit of a tricky way, which removal might prove with horrible consequences. A throwing knife to a limb might cause serious bleeding, if hit in an artery or vein, and would require medical help immediately, though the normal is a normal cut. The knife will only cut 2-3 inches into the body leaving the victim wounded but not dead. To throw a knife to use it’s full potential, the thrower has to prepare it. Grabbing the knife correctly and placing the knife behind the head, and only then throwing it. Unprepared thrown knives will not cause great damage, as they will not have much speed in it, and the accuracy will not be good. To throw a knife efficiently the thrower has to have free and fluid movements of the arm and hand, meaning with use of armor, the force and the accuracy will decrease. A throwing knife is a knife designed to be thrown, trying to use it to stab someone or to cut, will prove extremely difficult, as the knife has no handle to use as such. Throwing a knife is also a hard thing to do, it has to be trained, especially when throwing an ordinary knife.

Pros:
•Lightweight.
•Easy to hide.
•Ranged weapon.

Cons:
•Useless against good armor.
•Using with armor will prove less powerful.
•Needs to be trained to use efficiently.
•Throwing weapons are made for that purpose, they can’t do anything else.

Rp’ing with throwing knives:
To throw a throwing knife, first one needs preparation, by grabbing it by the open blade in the sheath. From there, the arm has to be pulled behind the head like throwing a baseball. Only then will the the knife will be thrown will full effects. The longer the distance the harder it is to hit and the weaker the effects are. A regular knife is the same process except you have to take it out of the sheath and grab it by the blade before throwing. Throwing it in critical situations without preparation will mean that the knife thrown will be sloppy and only used for distraction or to stop a charge. This will take make the throw less powerful from a regular throw and less accurate. Someone can not walk around with huge amount of throwing weapons, while they can be hid with ease, having too many will affect the way one walks. Remember that you should represent your knives in MC items, so if the character has 20 knives on him, the player should have 20 swords in his inventory.

 

Edited May 21, 2013 by Jistuma

[Jistuma 1995]

I will be keeping the log and parts to come in this post as to not overcroud the other one
 

To come:

•Two handed Swords (Claymore, Katana, Greatsword)
•Polearms (Halbergs, Glaives)
•Crossbows
•Armor (Light, Normal, Heavy)
•Shields
•Fruits and vegetables
•Throwing weapons (Javalins, throwing axes)
•Maces and clubs
•Bread
•Whips and ropes
•Pillows
•Scythe
•Gloves and Gauntlets
 
Log:
 
Changed part of the composite bows.
Added Knives and Daggers
Changed longbows and composite bows
Added staffs section with a little help from Azorta
Added receiving blows in the General Guidelines for combat rp.
Added Gladius to One handed swords.
Added warhammer section
Changed the layout a little
Added Battleaxes
Added more emotes to the staves section.
Added spears, begining of the polearm section.

Added Sabre and Rapier to One handed swords as well as Longswords written by Altiak.

Added Throwing knives, mostly written by Porkchopp2.

Thank you section:

Edwyle
SteelMarshall
Mingpow321
Meta
Arzota
KittyYuln
Dohvi

Altiak

Porkchopp2

[Jistuma 1995]

[reserved]

[The Best Basileus 97]

There's actually a huge problem with composite bows that you didn't mention. They completely fall apart when damp, because the glue used to combine the elements of the bow together only works when completely dry.

[Jistuma 1995]

There's actually a huge problem with composite bows that you didn't mention. They completely fall apart when damp, because the glue used to combine the elements of the bow together only works when completely dry.

I did not even know that, thanks, I'll add that in.

[Ford 1990]

Seems okay. Nice, nice. :D

[Evilbanana5757 153]

Cool! One thing though....

 

To come:

•Daggers and knives
•Swords
•Warhammers
•Battleaxes
•Spears and Halbergs
•Crossbows
•Armor (Light, Normal, Heavy)
•Shields
•Fruits and vegetables
•Throwing weapons

 

Uhh, fruits and vegetables? Man, I can't wait to see that one!

[craotor 617]

Realy nice.Also a request.You should add maces and clubs

[Jistuma 1995]

Realy nice.Also a request.You should add maces and clubs

Will do, added to things to come.

[Caln McHarnish/porkchopp2 71]

Good guide. I feel like some people needed this.

[SteelMarshall 190]

They are easy to train with and easy to shoot, but their accuracy and time taken to reload can be quite tricky.

I would just like to point out that you may have this mixed up with the normal bow, for several reasons.

 

Longbows were not easy to train with and hard to shoot, but their accuracy and time to reload was very fast. This may sound like im just saying the exact opposite of what you stated, but let me explain. A longbow was the hardest to train of all ranged weapons. It required immense strength to draw back a longbow to full draw, especially for long periods of time. In fact, IRL speaking, finds of dead longbowmen show that their shoulder and arm bones were deformed because of the strength it took to draw a longbow. There are historical records of men at arms in the peak of their physical ability being unable to draw a longbow to quarter draw. They simply did not have the musculature, and it is something that could not be learned easily.

 

Not only that, but the difficulty it took to train with a longbow was one of the reasons that it declined in use, despite the fact its accuracy and reload time were faster than that of a musket. England, which, as most every bow enthusiast knows, deployed longbowmen to devastating use, had a long period of peace after the hundred years war. They had no need for longbowmen, who needed to be trained from about the age of 5 to be proficient with their weapon, and so stopped doing so. The fact is, when wars started again, there simply weren't enough longbowmen to fill their battlefield roles, and there was not enough time to train people to use it, and there was no point, when you could simply teach a peasant how to use a musket, which only took a few weeks or months.

 

Longbows were, despite their cons, very accurate. English longbowmen (mentioning them again, sorry XD) were expected to shoot a knight through his visor at 200 yards, a masterful shot. Their accuracy was mainly due to their decades of training, of firing over and over and over again. This is why knights and footmen showed such hatred towards archers, and why they were usually of yeoman status despite being elite warriors. Also, a longbowman was expected to loose AT LEAST 12 arrows in a minute. A great organized network was needed simply to ensure the production and safe shipping of hordes of arrows along with the army.

 

It is an easily made mistake to assume longbows were easy to use. Longbowmen outnumbered men-at-arms 5 to 1 in most of England's battles during the hundred years war. The fact that yeomen and sometimes even peasants were longbowmen is another indicator that would seem to point to the fact that using a longbow was easy; however, the opposite is true. England fielded so many archers because they were fully trained with the longbow, a deadly and powerful weapon that was easy to make and was rather durable. England understood the use and power of longbowmen on a battlefield and used them to defeat the french in many battles, despite being outnumbered by plate-armored knights. The reason that land-holders were longbowmen rather than nobility, and the reason longbowmen never attained elite status as knights did, was because they were looked down upon. Ironically, they were looked down upon because they were, in today's terms, too overpowered; and it was unchivalrous to kill a challenger at 400 yards, and deemed cowardly.

 

I hope that helped, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask :) I know I seemed like I was being a stickler, and the rest of your post was fantastic; I just see many people RPing longbows incorrectly, such as elves shooting longbows 'from the hip.' Elves generally used shortbows anyway, for their maneuverability and effectiveness in wooded areas... but oh well. Anyway, I plan to make a guide, if I ever can, in the future, which will go extensively into longbows and their uses, and how to properly RP one.

[Jistuma 1995]

I would just like to point out that you may have this mixed up with the normal bow, for several reasons.

 

Longbows were not easy to train with and hard to shoot, but their accuracy and time to reload was very fast. This may sound like im just saying the exact opposite of what you stated, but let me explain. A longbow was the hardest to train of all ranged weapons. It required immense strength to draw back a longbow to full draw, especially for long periods of time. In fact, IRL speaking, finds of dead longbowmen show that their shoulder and arm bones were deformed because of the strength it took to draw a longbow. There are historical records of men at arms in the peak of their physical ability being unable to draw a longbow to quarter draw. They simply did not have the musculature, and it is something that could not be learned easily.

 

Not only that, but the difficulty it took to train with a longbow was one of the reasons that it declined in use, despite the fact its accuracy and reload time were faster than that of a musket. England, which, as most every bow enthusiast knows, deployed longbowmen to devastating use, had a long period of peace after the hundred years war. They had no need for longbowmen, who needed to be trained from about the age of 5 to be proficient with their weapon, and so stopped doing so. The fact is, when wars started again, there simply weren't enough longbowmen to fill their battlefield roles, and there was not enough time to train people to use it, and there was no point, when you could simply teach a peasant how to use a musket, which only took a few weeks or months.

 

Longbows were, despite their cons, very accurate. English longbowmen (mentioning them again, sorry XD) were expected to shoot a knight through his visor at 200 yards, a masterful shot. Their accuracy was mainly due to their decades of training, of firing over and over and over again. This is why knights and footmen showed such hatred towards archers, and why they were usually of yeoman status despite being elite warriors. Also, a longbowman was expected to loose AT LEAST 12 arrows in a minute. A great organized network was needed simply to ensure the production and safe shipping of hordes of arrows along with the army.

 

It is an easily made mistake to assume longbows were easy to use. Longbowmen outnumbered men-at-arms 5 to 1 in most of England's battles during the hundred years war. The fact that yeomen and sometimes even peasants were longbowmen is another indicator that would seem to point to the fact that using a longbow was easy; however, the opposite is true. England fielded so many archers because they were fully trained with the longbow, a deadly and powerful weapon that was easy to make and was rather durable. England understood the use and power of longbowmen on a battlefield and used them to defeat the french in many battles, despite being outnumbered by plate-armored knights. The reason that land-holders were longbowmen rather than nobility, and the reason longbowmen never attained elite status as knights did, was because they were looked down upon. Ironically, they were looked down upon because they were, in today's terms, too overpowered; and it was unchivalrous to kill a challenger at 400 yards, and deemed cowardly.

 

I hope that helped, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask :) I know I seemed like I was being a stickler, and the rest of your post was fantastic; I just see many people RPing longbows incorrectly, such as elves shooting longbows 'from the hip.' Elves generally used shortbows anyway, for their maneuverability and effectiveness in wooded areas... but oh well. Anyway, I plan to make a guide, if I ever can, in the future, which will go extensively into longbows and their uses, and how to properly RP one.

Thanks for this, many of these things I didn't know. But I don't know if some would be true. As you stated you said drawing a bow and shooting would be hard, while I say it was easy, but then you say accuracy would be easy, while I said hard. I think I said this because I thought in reverse than you did. I thought in a ways of how an amateur with strength could pull the bow and easily shoot an arrow quite far but with no accuracy, while you thought that after having the necessary strength to pull the string they would already have the ability to aim properly. For someone not very familiar with the longbow, it would take longer to pull and aim anything decent, and normally would still miss but shoot very far.

Perhaps I should change the easy to train, I think it would still require some training for it to be used well. On the matter of the army of bowmen, I remember reading something that peasants had to train every week for a few hours, making it that, for the use of hundreds of longbowmen in battle, accuracy would not be that important, perhaps only in the area to hit. The reasons I stated for the composite were about the same, someone not trained won't be able to even pull the string of a composite, the strenght it would require would be quite a bit to keep the bow steady, the same I applied for longbows, but asumed that those with not much training could infact pull the string more, because it uses the whole body to pull.

I'll have to think on how to change it, if you have a sugestion on how to, please do not feel bad for posting it, I have a lot to write and help is always asked by me :P

Thanks for the post

[SteelMarshall 190]

It was no problem! The one thing that should be taken into account is the strength part. As I stated, most knights in their prime did not have the strength to pull a longbow to quarter draw. This is because we must take into account the fact that in medieval times, and most likely in LotC times as well, people didn't lift weights. Coincidentally, longbowmen were the first to do body weights, the sole reason being they needed a strenuous activity to accelerate muscle growth and regeneration because of the pure power needed to use a bow.

 

And from what you read, although my sources may be wrong on this part (As i only have with me historical sources on english longbowmen ATM) The normans were the ones who trained their archers as you described, to great effect. However, in the time of the english longbowmen (and in LotC's time frame as well) longbowmen needed to be very accurate to counter the change from mail-and-plate armor to mostly plate. Back in the the time when the tactic of volleying was at its peak, many only wore mail coats or leather. However,  As full plate offered so much more defense, and because it was so hard to supply enough arrows, archers were often instructed to wait until about 200-300 yards to begin aiming; at ranges longer they would just inaccurately volley, as you said. However, once the enemy was in this distance, archers were trained to aim for visor-slits and mainly horses, which is how they won the battle of Poiters and the famous Battle of Agincourt, where a force of 6000, 5000 of whom were archers, defeated the french force of 20,000 armored knights and couple thousand Geonese crossbowmen. This also testifies to the longbow's durability; the geonese, who charged first, were slaughtered, as their crossbow strings had dampened in the rain.

 

(many of them were in fact then trampled to death by french knights impatient to fight. This was another reason to shoot at the horses; the mud was deep and thick, and rain filled the ruts of the farmer's fields the battle took place in. When a horse was shot the rider usually either fell under the horse or out of the saddle. Heavy plate armor is not made to allow someone to push themselves up, and so there are accounts of french knights drowning in an inch of water on that day, as they could not get up and out, and many were stepped on, presumed dead, and pushed farther under and asphyxiated in mud. However, sadly for longbowmen, there is neither sticky mud nor horses in minecraft.)

 

Also, I can write and send you a suggestion on how to change it once I have the time, gotta do some homework XD 

 

and trust me, I already +1'd this article, as I loved the rest of it. I just felt, being one who has an inordinate love for longbowmen, that I should elaborate on your article.

[Mingpow321 285]

I'm not particularly sure where you got your information on the longbow, but in reality it took a master bowman to use a powerful longbow with any semblance of skill. The most powerful of longbows have a draw-weight of 150 pounds, a massive pull that would take years to adjust to. The majority of medieval longbowmen began training in early childhood, starting with bows that had a weak draw and working their way up to the massive longbows that could punch through all but the finest plate armor.

 

Now, a composite bow was actually easier to use due to its recurved ends and the materials it was made of, allowing for more power with less draw-weight. However, it was less accurate at long ranges and less powerful than the English longbow. The main advantage of the composite bow (and where it saw most use) was the fact that it could be fired from horseback, making it an extremely useful weapon in the hordes of Genghis Khan. A commonly used tactic of mounted archers was to gather into a revolving circle in front of the enemy, firing arrows as you came around to face them, then continuing on in the circle to reload.

 

All of that aside, I believe the guide will be a useful one. Good work!

 

Edit: Dun got ninja'd by SteelMarshall! This is why I need to take the time to read...

[Jistuma 1995]

I'm not particularly sure where you got your information on the longbow, but in reality it took a master bowman to use a powerful longbow with any semblance of skill. The most powerful of longbows have a draw-weight of 150 pounds, a massive pull that would take years to adjust to. The majority of medieval longbowmen began training in early childhood, starting with bows that had a weak draw and working their way up to the massive longbows that could punch through all but the finest plate armor.

 

Now, a composite bow was actually easier to use due to its recurved ends and the materials it was made of, allowing for more power with less draw-weight. However, it was less accurate at long ranges and less powerful than the English longbow. The main advantage of the composite bow (and where it saw most use) was the fact that it could be fired from horseback, making it an extremely useful weapon in the hordes of Genghis Khan. A commonly used tactic of mounted archers was to gather into a revolving circle in front of the enemy, firing arrows as you came around to face them, then continuing on in the circle to reload.

 

All of that aside, I believe the guide will be a useful one. Good work!

 

Edit: Dun got ninja'd by SteelMarshall! This is why I need to take the time to read...

 

It wuite seems I have some changes to do to the guide. I will probably make a change between the longbow and the composite bow about how it's used and it's limitations. I would be exchanging so, longbow being a powerful and difficult to use bow, but not very hard to make, and a composite bow as being easier to use, with more power than a normal bow, but very expensive and with less power than a longbow.

 

On composites, I know their use with the horses, but in lotc that use is not very good, so I believe it being a better bow than the normal cheap one would perhaps be a better use for it.

 

I will also remove the accuracy factor from the bows, as I came to believe that accuracy is almost fully dependent of the archer and arrow and almost nothing on the bow.

 

On the matter of continuating the guide, I have finnished daggers and knives, but am having a little difficulty in making example emotes on how to use them. While bows are fairly easy to state how it has to be rp'ed, other weapons are a bit harder because their use is changed in every situation.