[MA] Weapon Question: Rope Kusari?
 

A Kusari is a weighted chain wielded in two hands (B209). Martial Arts mentions the Rope Dart (p222) and it has a listing under Kusari skill (p228), but clearly its attached line it not made of chain (or even rope) - a half pound weight for 4 yards of line makes it light-weight cord.

So, assuming the ends were similarly weighted, what would be the stats for a kusari made of rope instead of chain? My thoughts:
From reverse-engineering the kusari, kusarijutte, and rope dart, it looks like a kusari chain is 1 pound per yard which doesn't include the weights on the ends (probably about 0.5 pounds each). 3/8" rope (B288) is 0.15 pounds per yard, so a 4 yard rope is 0.6 pounds, plus 1 pound for end-weights. We'll posit slightly thinner rope and call it 1.5 pounds; cost is very low (call it $15).
A weighted scarf (MA pp224, 227) can act as a flail for sw cr damage, and it has a Reach of 1. Our 4 yard weighted rope probably doesn't do quite as much damage as a 4 yard chain kusari (which does sw+2 cr), so we'll call it sw+1 cr. Parry penalty is the same for all weapons using the Kusari skill, so our weighted rope should have the same.

In conclusion: a weighted rope does slightly less damage, costs and weighs considerably less, and has the huge downside that a weapon doing 3 or more points of cutting damage will cut right through it.

Re: [MA] Weapon Question: Rope Kusari?
 

this actually makes for a cool character concept: the stable hand who uses a length of knotted rope as a kusari. I like it.

Re: [MA] Weapon Question: Rope Kusari?
 

I knew a summer-camp knotwork instructor who practiced what could be a Combat Art or Sport form of this - he had a length of rope with a heavy stopper-knot on either end. He could maneuver it fairly well, and used to put on demonstrations for his students... he sparred occasionally with another instructor who'd practiced with staff and sword in SCA, and its slow speed seemed to limit its utility, but I was always glad not to be in reach of the thing!

So, yes, I'd say definitely possible, and possibly even effective, assuming it's made by someone planning more for combat utility than looking nifty at campfires.

Re: [MA] Weapon Question: Rope Kusari?
 

Its slower speed is probably worth a -1 to skill compared to metal equivalents.

Re: [MA] Weapon Question: Rope Kusari?
 

This sounds kind of like the Chinese 'Meteor Hammer', which was a heavy weight on the end of a rope. If I recall correctly, it was used more like a rope dart (throwing and retrieving) than a kusari (swinging to strike), in addition to having just a single weight. Anyone want to posit stats for such a weapon?

Re: [MA] Weapon Question: Rope Kusari?
 

Why would it be slower? Swinging speed is based on how much momentum the wielder imparts, and a weighted rope kusari has a much better density distribution - all its weight is concentrated at the end. A chain kusari needs to have the closer chain parts swung up to speed, but the effort is wasted since that's not the part that connects with the target. It's the same reason why flywheels have all the weight at the outer rim.

Think of it this way: spinning poi (light cord with weighted ball at the end) is far easier to get up to speed than swinging a rope of similar weight (constant density profile).

The only thing going for kusari of chain is that they can't be cut with a realistic melee weapon. And for a weighted rope even that can be overcome with the right application of technology - silk or aramid rope, or reinforcing the rope with thin wires.

Re: [MA] Weapon Question: Rope Kusari?
 

Maybe start with a Bola Perdida, since it sounds like more or less the same weapon plus a recovery line?

Re: [MA] Weapon Question: Rope Kusari?
 

A chain, being made of denser stuff than rope, has a much lower overall surface area than a rope of comparable mass. This greatly mitigates the drag it feels, improving its speed as a weapon (basically, the long, skinny version of why a 4-lb. steel bar is more maneuverable than a 4-lb. boffer, even if the boffer has all of its weight at the far end as boffers often do). You could of course use a rope with the same surface area as a chain instead of the same mass, but then it would be unduly fragile.

Re: [MA] Weapon Question: Rope Kusari?
 

A chain also hits ahrder and is less flexable when striking a soft object then a rope.

Re: [MA] Weapon Question: Rope Kusari?
 

My SO spins poi, and has quite some skill. Speed isn't an issue. Damage, or HP of the rope, might be a serious issue, but not speed.