So how exactly do people fight with scythes?

[Hans Rancke-Madsen]

Originally Posted by Mailanka

I find your claim that Gygax included the scythe because of warscythes (and that's exactly what Wikipedia, which you claim is superior, calls them) dubious.

Is the tern "war scythe" a historical or a contemporary term? If it is historical, how come Gygax included the agricultural implement in the tables and not the military version? You'd think that he'd either include the military version or both of them.


Hans

[Dalillama]

Originally Posted by Hans Rancke-Madsen

Is the tern "war scythe" a historical or a contemporary term? If it is historical, how come Gygax included the agricultural implement in the tables and not the military version? You'd think that he'd either include the military version or both of them.


Hans

As I noted above, there's no indication that Gygax included any type of scythe in his weapon tables. AFAIK, he was no longer involved by 3rd edition, and that appears to be the first edition that has them.

[DungeonCrawler]

Originally Posted by DAlillama

I would like to point out at this juncture that I can't find any mention of scythes in the Advanced D&D Player's hand book (1st or 2nd editions), but there is a listing for a scythe in the Aurora's Whole Realms Catalog, which is illustrated with the agricultural implement. The OP didn't mention D&D, and the only references people have mentioned have been #rd edition D&D, so I suspest that Gary Gygax wasn't thinking of any type of scythe at all, as he didn't include them in the game, and based on the illustration, the editors of D&D Third edition probably did mean the agricultural implement, whethere they should have or not. In my 3ed GURPS basic book, the listing for the scythe says that it can be swung for impaling at -2 to hit, which implies that the GURPS editors at the time were also thinking of an unmodified scythe, as bills, glaives, and naginatas can't do so.

Try AD&D 1st edition DMG. Look under Magic Items, Deck of Many Things. Find the Skull card description. The minor Death attacks with a scythe, symbolic of all life being chaff before the Grim Reaper...and a minor Death is a Grim Reaper junior.

I always figured the scythe really was symbolic and this was a touch attack. But apparently some folks were impressed by the fact the minor Death always attacked first, never missed, and did some impressive damage...and wanted that weapon for themselves. *heavy sigh*

[Dalillama]

Originally Posted by DungeonCrawler

Try AD&D 1st edition DMG. Look under Magic Items, Deck of Many Things. Find the Skull card description. The minor Death attacks with a scythe, symbolic of all life being chaff before the Grim Reaper...and a minor Death is a Grim Reaper junior.

I always figured the scythe really was symbolic and this was a touch attack. But apparently some folks were impressed by the fact the minor Death always attacked first, never missed, and did some impressive damage...and wanted that weapon for themselves. *heavy sigh*

I'll stand by my contention that it's not in the weapon tables, although it does appear where you have stated :).

[Agemegos]

Originally Posted by DAlillama

As I noted above, there's no indication that Gygax included any type of scythe in his weapon tables. AFAIK, he was no longer involved by 3rd edition, and that appears to be the first edition that has them.

In which case my original reference to the "later editions of D&D" was accurate.

[Agemegos]

Originally Posted by Mailanka

I find your claim that Gygax included the scythe because of warscythes (and that's exactly what Wikipedia, which you claim is superior, calls them) dubious.

I don't claim that Wikipedia is superior in general, only that in this case it was a better source than your dictionary, and showed that knowledge that scythes were used in war does not require any special historical insight. It is not an obscure fact.

I don't know of any contemporary accounts referring to "warscythes". The official (King Charles II's) account of the Battle of Sedgemoor (which I quoted above) refers to "scythemen", and other accounts that I came across while looking for something quoteable, both contemporary records and recent scholarly historians, say "scythes", not "war scythes".

[Agemegos]

Originally Posted by DAlillama

I'll stand by my contention that it's not in the weapon tables, although it does appear where you have stated :).

I'm pretty sure that I came across some reference to D&D druids being armed with scythes before I encountered D&D 3.0. However, as even that is a fair while ago now it is possible that I am confused.

[Dalillama]

Originally Posted by Brett

I'm pretty sure that I came across some reference to D&D druids being armed with scythes before I encountered D&D 3.0. However, as even that is a fair while ago now it is possible that I am confused.

Sickles, the one handed kind. They were allowed to use any sickle like weapon, which includes sickles, Khopeshes, and scimitars.

[Polydamas]

Back in the sixteenth century, a crazy German named Paullus Hector Mair published a fechtbook including instructions on fighting with the scythe and sickle. You can google it for some information (scans of the book with Latin/German text are online), or watch this YouTube video. So some people did fight with unmodified scythes, although anyone planning on fighting with one would re-mount the head like Brett suggested.

[sjard]

Originally Posted by Polydamas

Back in the sixteenth century, a crazy German named Paullus Hector Mair published a fechtbook...

I should have remembered that. Though I didn't help with any of the interpretations for the translation of that book. Just some of the beginning stuff and mostly as target dummy. This version. One of the authors lives 25 miles north of me.