Spear vs Sword

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

Actually, I would suggest that the staff was the most versatile weapon ever invented.

The most versatile weapon ever invented is almost certainly the knife, as it's an extremely versatile tool that happens to also get used as a weapon.

[DanHoward]

I would class most knives as improvised weapons (there are some obvious exceptions). Swords were made specifically for combat. Some languages, such as Japanese, have a specific term to refer to combat blades as opposed to utilitarian blades. In Japanese, combat blades from knife-length to sword-length are all called 'to'. There is no distinction based on an arbitrary length.

[Rupert]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

Actually, I would suggest that the staff was the most versatile weapon ever invented. Towns would peacebond swords, they would not look twice at a staff.

That suggests that staves weren't that super-good as weapons. They are harder to use inside buildings and in narrow alleys, as another thing.

Also, staves are not terribly effective at killing, or even injuring, large animals. For that you really want something pointy, or failing that, slashy. A distant second comes things like axes and clubs. If you're wandering round in the woods, this is a consideration.

[Rupert]

Originally Posted by DanHoward

I would class most knives as improvised weapons (there are some obvious exceptions). Swords were made specifically for combat. Some languages, such as Japanese, have a specific term to refer to combat blades as opposed to utilitarian blades. In Japanese, combat blades from knife-length to sword-length are all called 'to'. There is no distinction based on an arbitrary length.

'Dagger' comes close in non-technical English.

[tbone]

Originally Posted by DanHoward

Some languages, such as Japanese, have a specific term to refer to combat blades as opposed to utilitarian blades. In Japanese, combat blades from knife-length to sword-length are all called 'to'. There is no distinction based on an arbitrary length.

Bonus info for the curious: "tō" is the Chinese word "dao 刀" (with modified pronunciation), a word any Low-Tech owner should recognize. Dao is any single-edged sword/knife, though Low-Tech sticks to the common usage of the word to mean big swords.

Taking that back to the OP: I would expect there to be lots of YouTube videos showing sword vs spear (dao vs qiang, if you will) in Chinese martial arts.

[hal]

Originally Posted by tbone

Bonus info for the curious: "tö" is the Chinese word "dao 刀" (with modified pronunciation), a word any Low-Tech owner should recognize. Dao is any single-edged sword/knife, though Low-Tech sticks to the common usage of the word to mean big swords.

Taking that back to the OP: I would expect there to be lots of YouTube videos showing sword vs spear (dao vs qiang, if you will) in Chinese martial arts.

When I watch any of the imports, those movies with subtitles - I always get a kick out of those movies with unusual blade weapons or those blades with extreme heft to them - almost as though they are meant to be chopping instead of cutting blades. The one looked like an arming sword as far as length, but more like a squared off falchion.

Asian blades definitely don't look like their Western counterparts!

[Plane]

Originally Posted by Kromm

In the video, the swordsmen who charged in, blocking, were probably doing the smart thing

Another option would be attacking the haft of the spear itself to try and cut it off to shorten it, which wouldn't require advancing past the spear and it would be harder for the spear to damage the sword since as metal it would have more DR.

[Maz]

Originally Posted by Plane

Another option would be attacking the haft of the spear itself to try and cut it off to shorten it, which wouldn't require advancing past the spear and it would be harder for the spear to damage the sword since as metal it would have more DR.

Its next to impossible to cut off any of the spear when wielded as in the video. As any force applied to the spear will mostly be spend pushing it. The spearman can easily deflect a blow aimed At the spear.

[AlexanderHowl]

It takes a lot of damage to chop a spear in half. They are homogenous, possess 14 HP, and DR 2. The average sword would need to deal 16 points of cutting damage to cut it in half with one attack.

[Rupert]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

It takes a lot of damage to chop a spear in half. They are homogenous, possess 14 HP, and DR 2. The average sword would need to deal 16 points of cutting damage to cut it in half with one attack.

Cutting does 1.5x damage to homogenous objects, so you need a base damage of 12 to take it to 0HP in one hit. Of course, that doesn't guarantee the spear is broken - it might take time before continued use while at 0HP or lower actually breaks it.