08-20-2019, 06:53 PM | #1 |
Join Date: Oct 2013
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Low Tech Favorite Weapon
What is your favorite weapon from Low Tech and why?
My personal favorite is the spear. It's cheap, works for throwing and melee, can deal impaling or cutting (tip slash), can be used as a staff for defensive bonuses and to deal crushing damage, can be used one handed with a shield or two handed, has reach, is balanced for parrying... the humble spear is truly a worthy weapon in skilled hands, with its primary disadvantage being that it's rather inconvenient to carry around day to day, unlike a sword which can easily be worn on the hip. |
08-20-2019, 08:40 PM | #2 |
Join Date: Jan 2015
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Re: Low Tech Favorite Weapon
My inner min-maxer loves Dueling Halberd and Katana, and my spirit advisor, George Silver, is nagging me to say Backsword, but it's hard to pick one weapon I really like.
That said, the first weapon that came to mind is Hatchet, it's a cheap axe that can work as both weapon and tool, pretty neato. As for the Spear, it's a great weapon indeed. I wish it could poke at reach 2 when used with one hand, feels odd a katana can swing at reach 2 and a longsword can stab at this range but a spear can't. Also, IIRC parry bonus for using spear as staff is just +1, but I honestly can't remember where I read that, |
08-20-2019, 10:29 PM | #3 |
Join Date: Feb 2016
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Re: Low Tech Favorite Weapon
I generally use a staff with hooks (one cutting and one crushing) and prongs (+$100 and +0.5 lbs). The extra utility for the Staff skill is well worth the extra expense.
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08-20-2019, 11:36 PM | #4 |
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Lawrence, KS
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Re: Low Tech Favorite Weapon
The quarterstaff. It's not purely a weapon, being helpful as a source of mobility. It's pretty effective when it IS used as a weapon. And in particular it gives you a great bonus to parry, and thus to defend yourself. And besides, when I was a kid I was impressed by Robin Hood's duel with Little John. . . .
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Bill Stoddard I don't think we're in Oz any more. |
08-21-2019, 03:16 AM | #5 |
Join Date: Oct 2013
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Re: Low Tech Favorite Weapon
I love me some polearms, Sorenant, and the hatchet is absolutely beautiful, but honestly I can't really get behind a sword in a TL 3-4 setting. They're just way too expensive for the benefits they give, often eating up more than half of your default starting cash for just a basic sword when a dueling halberd or a pollaxe offers so much more as a main weapon.
I could definitely see a cheap sword as a sidearm, or just a walking around weapon, but not really as a primary. That said, my campaigns tend to use the "Blunt Trauma and Edged Weapons" rules from page 102, which really limits how much use the swing attack with a sword is. |
08-21-2019, 05:02 AM | #6 |
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Brighton
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Re: Low Tech Favorite Weapon
earlier stuff a spear, nice duelling halberd later on
But swords, swords are just nice things! (long sword is my fave)
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Grand High* Poobah of the Cult of Stat Normalisation. *not too high of course Last edited by Tomsdad; 08-21-2019 at 06:10 AM. |
08-21-2019, 06:03 AM | #7 |
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Pisa, Tuscany, Italy
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Re: Low Tech Favorite Weapon
Of course, it depends on setting.
If my character can, usually I opt for a polearm coherent with the setting. If possible, the first choice would be a Dueling Halberd or a Pollaxe, both with Butt Spike (thr+2 imp, +$20) and rondel guard (Hilt; +1 to Parry,+$30, +0.25 lbs.). |
08-21-2019, 07:37 AM | #8 |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Austin, TX
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Re: Low Tech Favorite Weapon
For the fantasy delver, an axe with hammer head ($25, 0.5 lbs) and spike ($30, 0.5 lbs) provides solid cutting, crushing, or impaling damage, while still allowing the use of a shield to ward off arrows.
A dueling glaive with hammer is also useful, but gives up the use of shield for a little more reach and the ability to cross-check people. As a back-up weapon, I like the long knife - cheaper than a cheap shortsword, adequate for parrying swords and axes (unlike a large knife), useful in a grapple or at reach 1, uses the easy difficulty knife skill instead of the medium difficulty shortsword skill, and can be fast-drawn. My preferred emergency weapon. The fine large knife is a little more expensive, doesn't parry as well, and is vulnerable to breakage, but does slightly more damage on a thrust. That's generally not a worthwhile trade-off to me.
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08-21-2019, 07:44 AM | #9 |
Untagged
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Forest Grove, Beaverton, Oregon
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Re: Low Tech Favorite Weapon
The humble knife is a near must have as weapon and tool. Ubiquitous from pre-mankind all the way to the present.
Almost never one's primary, but almost everyone's tertiary or even secondary weapon.
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08-21-2019, 07:57 AM | #10 |
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: earth....I think.
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Re: Low Tech Favorite Weapon
A fine kukuri, does same swing damage and range as a long knife, better thrust damage than said long knife, and won't break as easy as said long knife, it also cost $200.
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