Double bladed swords

[Refplace]

So after watching a youtube vidio I wrote up what I think is a reasonable fantasy version for my fantasy setting.
Would love any feedback on the stats.
https://refplace.blogspot.com/2019/0...war-sword.html

[DanHoward]

No way to tell whether it is reasonable without seeing the youtube video.

[Imbicatus]

Fantasy Tech 2 has stats for multiple type of double ended weapons including a double ended swords. Instead of an individual skill it uses the base weapon skill at a -2 penalty which can be bought off with a perk.

[Anaraxes]

Do dwarves want a weapon which is "hard to use in tight spaces or formations"? Stereotypically, while they have some vast halls and caves, they're also holding tunnels and advancing into warrens. On the surface, they're known as heavy infantry, not skirmishers. Your dwarves may be different, of course.

[AlexanderHowl]

Multiblade swords in real life are either fragile or unwieldy due to their weight. It is almost always better to just have a wider single blade, as the individual blade will go deeper with every strike, making it more likely to hit something vital. It is also more likely to penetrate armor. If you want a multiblade though, I would reduce effective quality for breakable purposes by one, give the weapon a (0.5) armor divisor, reduce skill by -2, and increase cost and weight by 50%.

Of course, you could instead have a blade staff, which would effectively be two shortswords welded together. The primary advantage would be having a second blade in case of breakage while the primary disadvantage would be attacking yourself with every critical failure (attack or parry), in additional to the other results of the critical failure. Due to the inability to shift grips, I would not give a Parry bonus or extra reach, and I would give a -2 to attack due to unfamiliarity, as well as doubling weight and cost.

[evileeyore]

I'm guessing your Dwarves don't have Pickaxe Penchant?


Regardless I see this as better than a regular sword, staff, and jitte combined* so it should be a Hard skill. At which point it only makes sense if your Dwarves are the type to look at something ridiculous and say to themselves "I have decades to master using this ridiculous thing and make it look easy, let's do this" which most fantasy ascribes as an Elven mindset (but hey, your world†, your rules†).

I can see this being learned by the crazed type of Dwarf that decides to go hunting monsters (so an adventurer), especially if the enchanted version isn't particularly hard to aquire.

Also I see clusters of Dwarven Wizards with this, with an upgraded Staff enchantment that works on metal tools.



* Or rather exactly as good as all three combined.
† For instance Elves in my worlds sometimes have crap long term memory and are a bit flighty so they rarely dedicate themselves to long-term projects like learning ridiculous martial art styles. Though they are still incredible craftsmen and wizards.

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by DanHoward

No way to tell whether it is reasonable without seeing the youtube video.

Its at the bottom, but here its is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQApbJ29QJQ
The one I made addresses the guard problem by having outward facing guards and dwarves hands are smaller. But they still use the spear grip.

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

Do dwarves want a weapon which is "hard to use in tight spaces or formations"? Stereotypically, while they have some vast halls and caves, they're also holding tunnels and advancing into warrens. On the surface, they're known as heavy infantry, not skirmishers. Your dwarves may be different, of course.

My dwarves are similar to typical fantasy dwarves but have several different styles of combat.
https://refplace.blogspot.com/p/dwar...al-styles.html
This would be an unusual one rather than a primary. But I like the pokiness of this one, especially for vermin patrol against bats and rat hordes.
Plus every once in awhile a player asks for something like this because it looks cool.

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

Multiblade swords in real life are either fragile or unwieldy due to their weight.

Of course, you could instead have a blade staff, which would effectively be two shortswords welded together. The primary advantage would be having a second blade in case of breakage while the primary disadvantage would be attacking yourself with every critical failure (attack or parry), in additional to the other results of the critical failure. Due to the inability to shift grips, I would not give a Parry bonus or extra reach, and I would give a -2 to attack due to unfamiliarity, as well as doubling weight and cost.

This is more like a double bladed staff. As for the steel dwarves are overall TL 4+1 due to common use of magitech. I gave it the reach of a broadsword.
Did you watch the video on how he uses it?

Originally Posted by evileeyore

I'm guessing your Dwarves don't have Pickaxe Penchant?

Nope.

Originally Posted by evileeyore

Regardless I see this as better than a regular sword, staff, and jitte combined* so it should be a Hard skill.

I can see this being learned by the crazed type of Dwarf that decides to go hunting monsters (so an adventurer), especially if the enchanted version isn't particularly hard to aquire.

Also I see clusters of Dwarven Wizards with this, with an upgraded Staff enchantment that works on metal tools.

Yeah, I was considering making it DX/H. The style will have some perks and such.
Also advanced students will use it with Imbuements like Telescoping Weapon.
And the enchanted version is not hard to acquire (or unreasonably expensive), at least if your a dwarf.
Interesting idea on the staff spell. Dwarves mainly use Sigil magic which is based off Rune Magic from Thaumatology combined with Imbuements.
Yeah crazed is about right, its meant for the kind of personality that will charge a swarm or horde (where shields are less useful).

[AlexanderHowl]

Yes, I watched the video. The problem with the weapon is that the blades are too long for effective use (except in a cinematic campaign...). If I was to allow something like that in a realistic campaign, the blades would be shorter (making it $800, 4 lbs, and ST 8!) and a DX/H skill would be warranted, defaulting to DX-6, Staff-4, or Two-handed Sword-4, with a critical failure causing a self-inflicted wound on a random location (on any failure if used at a default). I would allow it to halve penalties for DWA or Rapid Strike with the weapon though.

[Refplace]

New version based on your feedback.

Dwarven War Sword
DX/Hard

Default: DX -6, Spear -4, Staff -4.

This two handed double bladed weapon can be used to thrust like a spear, parry as a staff, or disarm like a jitte/sai. This grants +2 to parry and +2 to disarm a rigid weapon (see p. B208). It also halves the Rapid Strike penalties.

Swing +2 cutting; Reach 1, 2

Thrust +2 Imp; Reach 1,2

Thrown Weapon (Harpoon) Thrust +5 Impaling, ACC 1; Range *1/*1.5 ROF 1; Bulk -6

Weight 8. Min ST 12.

Sometimes tethered to a chain in the center allowing it to be pulled back like a harpoon when thrown, adds 2 lbs to weight and is typically clipped on or off as a Ready maneuver or specialty Fast Draw roll.

Standard blades are awkward to carry and enclosed in two separate scabbards so each blade requires a separate Ready maneuver to unsheathe, reduced to one with a Fast Draw roll.

When sheathed they do crushing damage.

[evileeyore]

Originally Posted by Refplace

It also halves the Rapid Strike penalties.

Is there a weapon that does this?