[MA] [LT] Dueling Buckler and Shield-Hand Knife

[DanHoward]

Originally Posted by Verjigorm

It's the distal tip. Notice the difference in the tips between the modern knife at the top, and the 18th century one at the bottom? The 18th century example has a reinforced distal tip. Allowing a distal tip weapon the bonus to targeting chinks in armor sounds reasonable.

The ideal shape for penetrating armour is a long, thin spike. Reinforcing the tip makes it harder to penetrate armour, not easier. These kinds of weapons were not designed for armour penetration but to strengthen the blade. The tip was reinforced to make it less likely to break when it incidentally encounters armour or bone.