Post by blind on Oct 15, 2008 22:06:35 GMT -5
I. Staff Weapons
Bo- Basic staff. Typically used by wanderers and the like, it has no special attachments at all. Still, there are a number of styles based off of the sheer versitality of the regular bo. Also, travelers with bos are rarely required to disarm themselves, as a bo is more of a tool than a weapon. Typically six feet long and rather light.
Spear- Attaching a sharp point to the end of a bo changes its usage entirely. A much more suitable weapon, and much more obviously deadly. Has an advantage of range, but in close the size of a spear blunts its effectiveness. same size and weight as a bo.
Shortspear- A shorter spear that reduces its effective range in exchange for being more useful in close melee. Roughly three feet long, and light enough to be thrown short distances with a moderate chance of success.
Longspear- On the other end of the spectrum from the shortspear. Truly immense range in exchange for true uselessness up close. Fully nine feet long, heavy, and cumbersome enough to prevent quick movement while wielding one.
A. Bo Modifications
Nadata- Essentially a shortened bo. Unusual to be seen, as it provides less leverage than its longer cousin, but still used by some estoric weapon styles. Almost always dual-wielded in order to maximize effectiveness.
Chombo- A bo that seperates into two parts, revealing a pair of shortspears. An assassin's weapon, as it is meant for deception and quick kills. No one that is known to wield one of these is very well trusted.
Three Section Staff- A staff with three joints in it, allowing an advanced level of manipulation over the staff. Takes an extreme amount of training to use, but highly effective given a proficient user.
B. Spear Modifications
Naginata- A spear with what amounts to a sword blade on the end, this is a very hostile weapon, meant for full combat. Balanced in order to provide easy use, this is the most common weapon of most human armies in the world of Taro because of its relative deadliness and easy production.
Glaive- Essentially a western naginata, with differences only noticeable to expert users of the naginata styles. Its most remarkable feature is the fuller that runs down the blade, which lightens the weapon and is a unique feature of Western design.
Guisarme- A naginata modification that applies a hook to the back of the blade. Allows quick, disarming movements, tripping sweeps, and a lethal backhand swing, none of which are usable by an ordinary naginata.
Ranseur- A naginata with a crescent-shaped blade arcing out around the central blade. A master's weapon, with nearly limitless possibilities for disarming, hooking, tripping, and parrying techniques.
Lance- A heavier spear that is meant to be used from horseback. Far sturdier than its cousins to withstand the added impact, and too heavy for use in basic melee combat.
C. Shortspear Modifications
Javelin- A shortspear that has been modified for throwing. Very well balanced and accurate over long distances, but too heavy and cumbersome to carry many of. Mainly meant as a kind of sniper's weapon. Too frail to be effective in close combat, as well.
Light Lance- An extremely exotic weapon, these are paired lances meant to be used from horseback. The great majority of warriors have nowhere near the strength necessary to wield two lances simultaneously, but the devastation that can be wrought with these weapons is nearly unmatched.
D. Longspear Modifications
Pike- A very Western weapon, only used by the troops of one great emperor. These weapons were meant to be used in formation, and are a full eighteen feet long, allowing multiple rows of troops to strike simultaneously. Makes an infantry unit nearly invincible. Alone, this is a very stupid weapon to use.
II. Blades
Longsword- The basic blade, and the most versatile of them all. There are thousands of styles based off of the straight-blade design, and in truth, this is the originating form of all swords: a three-foot blade, a hilt, and a handle.
Katana- The second form of blade, this is essentially a longsword with a curved blade. However, the Eastern swordsmiths have transformed this type into a masterpiece of design, making it one of the premier weapon styles of the East. Typically somewhat longer than a longsword, averaging three and a half feet of length with decent heft.
Dagger- a very short blade and a handle make up this design. Light and fast, easy to conceal, and deadly in the right hands, this is a favored secondary weapon. Not good for straight-up combat, though; just too mall. An average dagger is about a foot long with ignorable weight.
Greatsword- The big daddy of blades, the greatsword crushes smaller weapons by its sheer heft. A hit from this is almost guaranteed to kill, but first it has to hit, and with its weight and cumbersome design, that's a problem. About five to six feet in length, thick, and weighs far, far too much.
A. Longsword Modifications
Rapier- A longsword without a blade, as oxymoronic as that sounds, is a rapier. Remarkably swift with decent range, this is a duelist's weapon. Novices and anyone fighting multiple people need not apply. Average length, but much lighter than a longsword in order to provide its much-vaunted mobility.
Crossblade- While most weapons have a hilt in order to protect their wielder's hands, a crossblade lengthens that hilt into hooked points. No longer protection, these hooks are just as deadly as the blade. As long as a longsword, but slightly heavier due to the crosspiece.
Broadsword- Essentially just a longsword with a heavier blade. Trades out some flexibility and mobility for weight and durability. More of a brawler's weapon than anything. Broadsword users are infamous for using their nearly invincible weapons to shatter those of others.
Bastard Sword- This is a hybrid weapon between the longsword and the greatsword, attempting to balance their weight and mobility in a single weapon. A failed experiment, considering that they still must be used two-handed. Still, there are legends of men that could wield a bastard sword in each hand. Those were men that utterly dominated the battlefield.
B. Katana Modifications
[/b]Wakiszashi- A shorter katana, and often a katana and wakiszashi are paired in a set. Used as a defensive weapon rather than offensive, but some remarkable swordsmen have been known to use both wakiszashi and katana simultaneously, dual-wielding. Roughly two feet long, on average.
Nodachi- Not quite fitting into the greatsword category, this weapon is essentially a longer katana, measuring five feet in length. Still possesses some of the mobility of its smaller cousins, but also has the terriying power of its larger brothers.
C. Dagger Modifications
Throwing Dagger- A dagger balanced for throwing. Requires much training to use effectively, but is a favorite among armsmasters and their kin. Nine inches long and very, very light for flight.
Stilleto- A single-edged blade half a foot long with a groove for poison down its length. The ultimate assassin's weapon; easy to conceal, light and eathereal, doesn't reflect light, balanced for throwing, and deadly.
Jabari- A thick-bladed dagger nearly two feet long, and in truth much more of a sword than a dagger. Typically used by hunters to dismember their dead prey. Much heavier than other dagger forms.
Tulwar- A somewhat less thick cousin of the jabari that is capable of being dual-wielded. A very warlike weapon, and used only by a rare few. About two feet in length and of medium weight.
Kunai- A knife specially modified for throwing. Extremely accurate and far easier to use than the throwing knife, but equally ineffective in close combat due to its streamlined, minimalist design. Light and only six inches long, but thickened for maximum damage when thrown.
Trench Knife- A knife with a set of knuckle guards to make punches more devastating. An obviously Western design: ugly and effective. Has a nine-inch blade, and is suprisingly light.
Asara- A design that seems to have come from nowhere: trench knives that are streamlined and have curved guards, so that they can actually be spun around the wielder's hand. Deadly and almost unheard of.
D. Greatsword Modifications
Zweihander- The culmination of greatsword mastery, this weapon is specially balanced and possesses a wicked curve. What that amounts to is that this weapon is never meant to stop moving; it channels momentum with unearthly ease. A terror on the battlefield, as its user looks like he is mowing down wheat. Lighter than the basic greatsword, but still very heavy with a six-foot length.
Daikatana- The greatest of all Eastern weapons, the Daikatana is seven feet long. No man yet has had the strength and the size to wield a weapon such as this except for one.
Crescent- A highly unusual weapon, the crescent is nothing but a giant curved blade, akin to the zweihander. However, its blade is subtly warped so that it is actually possible to throw this blade, and then watch it return to the thrower. However, considering its six-foot size and sheer heft, that return is highly likely to be lethal to the wielder.