Bladed Melee Weapons

Dagger difficulty 6, Minimum Strength 1, Strength +2 lethal damage, Special Traits: Grappling, light, throwable, may be used for armor bypass maneuvers. 2 silver pieces   Knife difficulty 6, Minimum Strength 1, Strength +1 lethal damage, Special Traits: Grappling, light, throwable 1 silver piece  

by Eron12 with Heroforge

-Zajac of the Fumayan Lanterns

"A dagger is a weapon that can be used as a tool. A knife is a tool that can be used as a weapon.   Even if a realm restricts who can own weapons, they usually aren’t going to restrict knife ownership. Cooks, tanners, farmers, fishermen, seamstresses, and a hundred others professions all need to cut things as part of their or to just cut meat at their dinner table.   So what determines whether a small blade is a knife or a dagger? Well, daggers are normally sharpened on both sides of the blade and taper off to a point. While knives are usually only sharpened on one side and are not likely to end in a defined point. But some knives do have two sided blades and some end in a point. You might be able to pass a dagger off as a knife and not get arrested or fined for violating a weapon ban but you will come across as suspicious and have your actions monitored closely.

  If weapons aren’t restricted, no one really cares if you are wearing a visibly sheathed dagger. It’s the daggers you don’t see that are what people are afraid of. The concealability of daggers makes them a favored weapon of assassins and politicians."

 

by Eron12 with Heroforge

"More knights are killed by daggers than any other weapon.   Daggers have small sharp blades that can penetrate gaps in armor, the joints, the eye holes of a helmet, between the straps. If you can knock around a heavily armored opponent with your primary weapon until he is prone or staggered, than you can finish him off by shoving a dagger in one of these gaps, or several of those gaps...just make sure it's not an opponent you intend to capture and hold for ransom later."   Sir Casmir, Grand Marshal of Fumaya

  Parrying Dagger difficulty 7, Minimum Strength 1 Special Traits: Grappling, light, may be used for the armor bypass maneuvers. +2 parrying, +1 disarm maneuvers 6 silver pieces      

by Eron12 with Hero Forge

-Almon Genmaer, grey elf sailor

"The parrying dagger is a three-bladed dagger that resembles a conventional dagger, but with two other blades acting as “wings” on the side. All the blades are sharp enough to do real damage, but unsurprisingly, the main purpose of a parrying dagger is to parry with. The splayed blades are good for defecting enemy strikes and with a skilled or lucky wielder the wielder can hook an enemy’s weapon and disarm them.   Typically parrying daggers are typically paired with rapier swords or less commonly with other swords. Parrying daggers are rarely seen on the battlefield. They are wielded primarily for self-defense. Fighting with a rapier and a parrying dagger became the crux of Imperial Dueling style, often erroneously called Elven dueling style, though only grey elves have taken to this weapon and not a great many at that.

  The use of a parrying dagger started on Lunatus among the upper classes and gradually trickled down to the lower classes of the Empire and then to other nations via Imperial merchant vessels. These weapons and this style of fighting has been picked up by some humans, but you rarely see humans fight like this outside of port cities."

    Short Sword difficulty 6, Minimum Strength 2 Strength+2 (S)/+3 (H) lethal damage Special Traits: light, may be used for armor bypass maneuvers 1 gold piece  

by Eron12 with Hero Forge

-Daana, Defender of the Hearth, Paladin

"Essentially short swords operate like longer daggers. These blades are typically between 12 and 20 inches and primarily intended for thrusting though they can and sometimes are used for slashing.   More often than not, they are carried as a backup weapon as last resort or a self defense weapon for people who find it inconvenient to have a sheathed arming sword with them.   Short swords are good at fighting in close quarters or in cluttered battlefields like house-to-house to fighting. Also short swords are a good secondary weapon for those warriors who prefer to fight with a weapon in both hand rather than fighting with a shield or a two handed weapon. A short sword is more practical as an offhand weapon than anything else I've seen at least."

      Cutlass difficulty 6, Minimum Strength 2 Strength+3 (S)/+2 (H) lethal damage 1 gold pieces  

by Eron12 with Hero Forge

Tridal, cyclops pirate hunter

"A cutlass is a short sword crafted to favor slashing attacks over stabbing attacks. A lot of cutting power for a one handed weapon, but it is not great at penetrating most metal armors.   Cutlasses are ideal for boarding an enemy vessel or resisting boarders. Among the ships rigging, even an arming sword is long enough that it can easily get tangled up. Cutlasses are small enough to be good for the cramped close quarters fighting of a boarding action. Since it's one handed you have a free hand to carry a shield, hold on to something if the ship is being tossed or dual wield a second cutlass.   Also, you aren't going to see a lot of warriors wearing metal armor on a boat 'cause any man who falls overboard in metal armor is all but certain to drown, and even if he don't fall overboard, the tropical sun combined with metal armor will boil a sailor in his own sweat. Thus, a cutlass' lack of armor penetration is not normally a problem out at sea."

      Arming Sword difficulty 6, minimum Strength 2, Strength +3 lethal damage. 15 silver pieces  

"Often wrongly called a 'long sword' by the ignorant, the arming sword is the most commonly used sword in Scarterra, widely seen in every human and elven nation. Generally if you just say 'sword', people will assume you are talking about an arming sword.   There are many variations, but arming swords are all essentially long sharp metal bars intended to be used one handed. Arming swords have two separate cutting edge and a sharp point letting it be used for cut or thrust attacks with equal ease.   Arming swords are commonly carried by commoners and nobles alike for self defense.   In times of war, few use an arming sword as their primary weapon but many carry an arming sword as a backup weapon."   -Ujarek, Herder of Men

      Rapier difficulty 6, minimum Strength 2, Strength +3 (S)/+2 (H) lethal damage. Special Trait: Duelist+1 20 silver pieces    

"Some peasants who have never held a real sword fight joke about rapiers being thin and weak, a weapon for women and weaklings, light and fragile.   Rapiers are not for weaklings and they are a lot heavier than one would think. They have the full weight of a typical arming sword but stretched over a longer thinner blade.   Rapiers are intended to make quick thrusting attacks. Rapiers are good for duels. Wielded one handed you can turn your side to your opponent and present a smaller target. More important, rapiers are ideal for quick savage thrusts putting a lot of force into a small striking area making the attack difficult to see and block.   The downside is that rapier are less effective against multiple opponents, you cannot wave off a crowd of attackers with a wide slash like you can with other swords."   -Brigid, swordsmith, among other things.

    Saber difficulty 6, minimum Strength 2, Strength +4 (S)/+2 (H) lethal damage 20 silver pieces  

by Eron12 with Hero Forge

"Sabers are often but not always curved blades. A saber is essentially an arming sword optimized for slicing cuts. They are commonly wielded by cavalry, but I have no problems slicing my foes on foot or while mounted.   I am told they are not especially popular in other lands, but we use them a lot among the Meresh and the Colassian Confederacy in general. I have slain many dabeshi with my trusty saber."   -Janesh, Meresh Outrider

      Falchion (2H) difficulty 6, minimum Strength 3, Strength+6 (S)/+4 (H) lethal damage. 35 silver pieces    

"Falchions are relatively short two handed blades that put a lot of weight and force into a single slicing edge.   They have a lot of damaging power and can slay a typical goblin or any other lightly armored target in a single strike. You have to give up a shield to use these, but they are less top heavy than most two-handed weapons, so falchions are reasonably good for parrying making this the two-handed weapon of choice for a great many dwarves.   A few humans have adopted this weapon, but not many."   Brother Nozeth, of the Order of the Stone

    Long Sword (2H), difficulty 6, minimum Strength 2*, Strength +5 lethal damage 5 gold pieces   (Long swords can be wielded one handed if the wielder has Strength of 4 or Strength 3 and Melee 3).  

Sometimes called hand and a half swords or bastard swords, the longsword is a well balanced two handed weapon used for quick, devastating attacks. By sacrificing a shield a warrior gains more powerful strikes while still being able to carry the sword comfortably. The sword is light enough that spell casters are also able to remove a hand from the hilt to work magic. Sufficiently strong and skilled warriors can even wield the blade in one hand.   -Kormatin of the Order of the Lantern

    Great Sword (2H) difficulty 6, minimum Strength 3, Strength +6 lethal damage Special Trait: Reach, 6 gold pieces  

"Great Swords are essentially crafted like arming swords but much better. Great swords are great battlefield weapons for a knight fighting on foot. Less clumsy than other two handed weapons but still with mighty striking power and can effectively slash and thrust.   Great Swords are too expensive for most of those below knightly status to afford and this is just as well. Since a great sword wielder is without a shield it is important that the wielder wear full plate or a equivalent magical protection. Properly protected, a knight with a great sword can chop down lesser warriors down like wheat.   On the open battlefield, the long reach of the great sword advantage, but in close quarters fighting or cramped battlefields such as anything in doors, the size of great sword can move from being a strength to a weakness. A great sword is not for casual adventures or simple self defense, it is a weapon of war, and should be treated as such.   Sir Derecho, Knight of the Red Lion

      War Scythe (2H) difficulty 7, minimum Strength 3 Strength +7 (S)/+6 (H), Special Trait: Top Heavy 20 silver pieces  

by Eron12 with Hero Forge

-Green Reverend Brynn

"A war scythe is a militarized version of the common farming implement. It can deliver very devastating strikes but is more than a little awkward to use, especially for defense.   It rarely seen on the battlefield. When you do see a war scythe it is large ceremonial or ritualistic in some manner. The Stewards of the Gift occasionally use them as ceremonial weapons because of their association with our mission to promote and defend agriculture.   Sometimes the Children and Testers use them for the shock value (generally against helpless targets) because scythes are associated with the reaping of souls in the folklore of the bards and minstrels."