Jump to content

rapier and swordstick


French Desperate WindChild

Recommended Posts

I have few questions about windchild weapons

 

- Is a swordstick the same that described in wikipedia or is it something else ? and what ?

- When I visited Scotland, I saw some medieval rapiers. What I understood was rapier were stronger and more efficient than earlier swords. Was it an error  (I m not specialist at all) ? Or Rapier in glorantha is different than scotish rapier ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Google "Bronze Age Rapier" for a good idea.  I believe these are what is meant by "Rapier" in Glorantha -- and it probably isn't much like you're envisioning.

If the "swordstick" is the thing also called a "cane sword" (that is, a very-thin blade hidden inside a cane, which thus acts as a sheath) then...  I don't think that's a thing, in Glorantha.  AFAIK, such long thin blades exist nowhere in the world of Glorantha.  I'm entirely willing to be mistaken on this -- and Arachne Solara knows, I've got loads of Glorantha still to learn! -- but that's my current understanding.

 

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1

C'es ne pas un .sig

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Borygon said:

Swordstaff of windchildren is just a sword on a stick, its a kind of polearm, like a glaive of sorts.

That makes very good sense, to me.  Flying creatures are well-suited to sweeping slashing styles.

I presume there's enough of a stabby point that a dive/charge is also available.

C'es ne pas un .sig

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, Borygon said:

Swordstaff of windchildren is just a sword on a stick, its a kind of polearm, like a glaive of sorts.

9 hours ago, Ian Absentia said:

I always imagined a naginata, but six of one, half dozen the other.

good that was my idea before I googled it

 

10 hours ago, g33k said:

Google "Bronze Age Rapier"

yes... of course, i didn't.. now I understand  why that's only for esrolian fashionista

 

thanks a lot !

another question, should swordstick be included in which category  ? (sword ? spear ? pole ? none ? )

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, French Desperate WindChild said:

Is a swordstick the same that described in wikipedia or is it something else ? and what ?

Conforming what others have said - it is more or less a sword on a stick, a polearm  - in the RQ3 Glorantha Bestiary, which I think is when a swordstick was first mentioned, it was described as being the wind child name for a naginata, but glaive will do just as well, I suspect the details of the sword follow local custom (and quite possibly the wind children trade for them, it seems unlikely they are great metalworkers). 

  • Like 2
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Brian McReynolds said:

Even though a Glaive's best suited for Slashing attacks, it still has a 'stabby end'. So it's capable of Impaling your opponent, which could be a useful tactic if diving from on-high with a mind to driving them off their feet. 

Depends on the glaive in question.

Some (most) have stabby ends, some (a few) don't (particularly Asian styles, which often hook backwards at the tip, presumably to unseat horsemen, reach behind shieldwalls, etc).

Edited by g33k

C'es ne pas un .sig

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Sir_Godspeed said:

A grabby function is probably not too bad to have for a race of flying people.

If there's a really rigid pole, it would allow a complete 180 (without magic) faster than wingpower alone could manage!

C'es ne pas un .sig

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, g33k said:

Some (most) have stabby ends, some (a few) don't (particularly Asian styles, which often hook backwards at the tip, presumably to unseat horsemen, reach behind shieldwalls, etc).

...but mostly for the slash-and-draw effect, a vestige from early development as cavalry weapons.  A variety of utility, though.

13 hours ago, Sir_Godspeed said:

A grabby function is probably not too bad to have for a race of flying people.

Check out the sasumata, or man-catchers.  I have to wonder why Windchildren would carry such things about, though.

!i!

carbon copy logo smallest.jpg  ...developer of White Rabbit Green

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 minutes ago, Ian Absentia said:

Check out the sasumata, or man-catchers.  I have to wonder why Windchildren would carry such things about, though.

To catch men?

Simon Phipp - Caldmore Chameleon - Wallowing in my elitism since 1982. Many Systems, One Family. Just a fanboy. 

www.soltakss.com/index.html

Jonstown Compendium author. Find my contributions here

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, soltakss said:

To catch men?

and then be weighted down to the ground? If they want to pick up somebody or something roughly man-sized, they will quite likely send in one of their sylphs to do so.

From the earliest description of the Wind Children I know about, the wind children keep sylphs about a bit like pets. "Personal winds" or whatever, probably quite permanently manifest. Possibly with at least animal cunning, too.

Telling how it is excessive verbis

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

36 minutes ago, soltakss said:

To catch men?

Yer slayin' me!

24 minutes ago, Sir_Godspeed said:

If someone aims a javelin or bow at you from below it might be useful, or maybe if you just wanna yoink some stuff from them. Who knows.

Maybe hooks or barbs on the backside of the swordstick blade?  I'm blanking on the home defense martial art where samurai wives would train in using a pruning hook to disarm -- sometimes quite literally -- intruders.  That could be nifty.

In general, though, I assume that Wind Children adopt the tactics of peltasts and light cavalry -- don't stay in one place and get whomped by heavier arms.

!i!

  • Like 1

carbon copy logo smallest.jpg  ...developer of White Rabbit Green

Link to comment
Share on other sites

47 minutes ago, Joerg said:
1 hour ago, soltakss said:

To catch men?

and then be weighted down to the ground? If they want to pick up somebody or something roughly man-sized, they will quite likely send in one of their sylphs to do so.

I mentioned catching men, not what to do with them afterwards. One problem at a time.

 

15 minutes ago, Ian Absentia said:

Maybe hooks or barbs on the backside of the swordstick blade?  I'm blanking on the home defense martial art where samurai wives would train in using a pruning hook to disarm -- sometimes quite literally -- intruders.  That could be nifty.

You fly in with a hook on a stick, drag someone off a horse and throw them to the ground, pull someone up into the air and drop them, drag someone over the edge of a cliff and drop them, grab a horse's leg and pull it over. Lot of ways to use a swordstick in combat.

Simon Phipp - Caldmore Chameleon - Wallowing in my elitism since 1982. Many Systems, One Family. Just a fanboy. 

www.soltakss.com/index.html

Jonstown Compendium author. Find my contributions here

Link to comment
Share on other sites

27 minutes ago, soltakss said:

I mentioned catching men, not what to do with them afterwards. One problem at a time.

Except that the time between "got him!" and "splat!" isn't that long. At least objectively. Subjectively the approach of the ground may take quite a while before impact.

27 minutes ago, soltakss said:

You fly in with a hook on a stick, drag someone off a horse and throw them to the ground, pull someone up into the air and drop them, drag someone over the edge of a cliff and drop them, grab a horse's leg and pull it over. Lot of ways to use a swordstick in combat.

You don't want to entangle a weapon that you might wish to use in your next swoop.

A grappling hook on a line might be as effective. Or a net.

  • Like 1

Telling how it is excessive verbis

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 minutes ago, Joerg said:

You don't want to entangle a weapon that you might wish to use in your next swoop.

A grappling hook on a line might be as effective. Or a net.

The primary limitation that seems to get overlooked when dealing with the Wind Children is that the action of their wings occupies a huge volume of space (assuming they need to pay at least some lip service to physics and flap their wings to fly -- God, I'm growing weary of this "cuz magic" Rune-affiliation hand-waving).  Swinging a sword?  Spinning a sling?  Unh-uh.  Bows, problematic.  Javelins?  See swords.  Poignards and naginatas make great sense, as do skillfully managed grapples and nets.

Keep those wings free.

!i!

  • Like 2

carbon copy logo smallest.jpg  ...developer of White Rabbit Green

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm envisioning windchildren-vs-landlubber combat...  Humans, mostly (of course) but all the races, really.

Agreed that  lifting to a dangerous height, then dropping  is likely a tactic they delegate to their sylphs, rather than personally pursue (mayber their Rune Levels do it, via magic-boosted flight?).  But just unbalancing (mounted fighters, climbers, etc) seems really promising!

Also, it looks to me like there's a huge amount of potential tactics/methods/etc unexplored in the conventional RW combat examples RQ-grognards like to cite, because we don't have the RW examples.  Human/etc sorts fighting over their own heads would seem to have a bunch of considerations...


ALSO -- windchildren tactics.  Missile weapons -- arrows, darts, etc.  From overhead, they effectively have unlimited range (shooting straight down).  Massed bowfire from half a kilometer away?  Easy-peasy!!!  Fold their wings tight (like a stooping raptor), draw & release bow in a few seconds, and then lower bow, open wings, & swoop out of the dive, never coming in range of return-fire (which would have to be straight upwards).  Ordinary hand-thrown darts, too -- no bow needed, but half a km (or more, if desired!  Full km?  even more?  yep, and yep-yep!) to accelerate downward... BAM!

Edited by g33k
  • Like 1

C'es ne pas un .sig

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, Ian Absentia said:

... "cuz magic" Rune-affiliation hand-waving) ...

Only 'til their Rune-Pool is depleted!!!  😉

Or rewards of heroquesting... But at that level, it's a bit less of a ubiquitous handwave, and more of a "jeepers, grampa, where can I get some o' those kewl rune powerz!?!"

C'es ne pas un .sig

Link to comment
Share on other sites

38 minutes ago, g33k said:

Fold their wings tight (like a stooping raptor)... [snip] ...open wings, & swoop out of the dive, never coming in range of return-fire (which would have to be straight upwards).  Ordinary hand-thrown darts, too -- no bow needed, but half a km (or more, if desired!  Full km?  even more?  yep, and yep-yep!) to accelerate downward... BAM!

You have my attention.  I'm still iffy on bows while airborne, but, hey, if a horse archer can manage it....  You have me re-thinking javelins, if used like a large dart in a tucked dive.  The real point, though, is that Wind Children generally hold the advantage of elevation and mobility against grounded opponents.  Spock, re: Khan -- "He's intelligent, but not experienced.  His pattern indicates 2-dimensional thinking."

Hrm.  Next up: Aquatic combat among the Triolini.  Dog-fighting with spears and nets!

!i!

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1

carbon copy logo smallest.jpg  ...developer of White Rabbit Green

Link to comment
Share on other sites

no bow, just sling as described in bestiary. probably stone resists better than arrow when winds are strong.

 

but I think windchild's fights are mainly against flying creatures (hipogriff, harpies, birds ...) and not battle, just few people engaged

except lunars (and they have probably others priorities, maybe a slave merchant, or a solar looking for notoriety, or something like that) I don't see who on ground would be interested to fight them where they are located. They are friend with beastmen, sacred (or about) by orlanthis ....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, g33k said:

ALSO -- windchildren tactics.  Missile weapons -- arrows, darts, etc.  From overhead, they effectively have unlimited range (shooting straight down).  Massed bowfire from half a kilometer away?  Easy-peasy!!!  Fold their wings tight (like a stooping raptor), draw & release bow in a few seconds, and then lower bow, open wings, & swoop out of the dive, never coming in range of return-fire (which would have to be straight upwards).  Ordinary hand-thrown darts, too -- no bow needed, but half a km (or more, if desired!  Full km?  even more?  yep, and yep-yep!) to accelerate downward... BAM!

 

Darts. WW1 dart bombing tactics might be more appropriate.

  • Like 2
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...