Siangkam

[pawsplay]

So it is identified as a weapon of Kuntao in a non-RPG source. And the source was published in 1972. Excellent. :) I notice that they use the spelling siangkam.

[Ze'Manel Cunha]

Originally Posted by pawsplay

So it is identified as a weapon of Kuntao in a non-RPG source. And the source was published in 1972. Excellent. :) I notice that they use the spelling siangkam.

When you're transliterating a sound which sounds like "gh" or "gk", you can end up with many variations.

Popping Siang kam into google translate comes out as a compound of cleaned with camp, which if I were to guess at the etymology could possibly mean an origin as a cleaning tool for fishermen, like a fish gutting knife.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by pawsplay

My theory is that it is:

1. very obscure, before being thrust into prominence by the Palladium author
2. actually a fairly modern made-up weapon that appeared in a magazine or was introduced to the Palladium author through a student, or
3. fake

It doesn't clear up whether it's 1 or 2. but I did see the weapon used in a Chinese movie of some sort (no, I can't remember the title but it wasn't recent, late 70s-80s).

It was as appears in the usual ilustration (which appears to be taken from Draper and was alter used in D&D1e Oriental adventures), an 18' or so metal shaft with a handgrip on one end and an arrowhead-like point on the other. It was used in pairs as a thrusting weapon as a signature weapon of one of those neatly dressed kung fu lady types.

I also remember this question coming up during the playtest for considerable frustration and it basically came in on the strength of Draper as a source.

I couldn't prove that it wasn't as modern a creation as the ninja-to but it isn't just a paper chimera.