This guide is still heavily WIP. So far, the current iteration consists only consists of the light pointers, tips and guidelines that have been written so far. Below is a list of what I hope to do for this guide and post at a later date.
This guide may not contain the answers to all your questions and it is for this reason that if you want the best results you may need to conduct some research of your own.
No word that is posted here is law, and so, there is room for discussion in this topic but we aim for realism and fairness here so all points here should be studied and applied carefully before inquiring.
This guide is the result of one person's research and knowledge and there may be some errors or misconceptions within. Again, it is recommended that you conduct your own research to correct these. If you do find one of these please do not hesitate to post and let the writer know.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------This guide may not contain the answers to all your questions and it is for this reason that if you want the best results you may need to conduct some research of your own.
No word that is posted here is law, and so, there is room for discussion in this topic but we aim for realism and fairness here so all points here should be studied and applied carefully before inquiring.
This guide is the result of one person's research and knowledge and there may be some errors or misconceptions within. Again, it is recommended that you conduct your own research to correct these. If you do find one of these please do not hesitate to post and let the writer know.
Guide to the Weaponry and Armour Present in Mesalia
So you're making a character and want them to have one or more weapon proficiencies. That's good!
You want to research your choices before commiting. That's great!
You are reading this VERY thoroughly and giving all points thought. That's Excellent!
You want to research your choices before commiting. That's great!
You are reading this VERY thoroughly and giving all points thought. That's Excellent!
The Mesalia setting plays host to a cornucopia of nations, races, cultures and subtypes of each and even more that are yet to be revealed. As the need for weaponry and armour arises, different types of weapon are utilized; from the humble dagger and worn leather padding all the way up to the devastating war hammer and polished full plate armour. This guide is not to say that there won't be additions later as they are brought to Staff's attention ((or as the setting progresses.))
It is important to know how your weapon works, it's pros, it's cons and especially how it is used if you are to use it properly IC.
It has to be remembered that some of these weapons have no IG representation, so it should be brought to the attention of all concerned what exactly your character is using.
This guide does not account for improvised weaponry such as things in the environment that have a blunt or sharp edge that can be exploited. That will be left to your imagination, but please be sensible: No marble-D'artagnan-bust-death-clubs, for example.
But before we get to the actual article, a few notes to consider when you are deciding what weapons your character will use or have experience using.
Finally, this guide does not contain ALL the answers. There is a wealth of knowledge on further weaponry not mentioned in the guide, techniques, materials needed to make and maintain etc. Use this as the first stepping stone to help whittle down your choices to one or more you favour then do a little research. Even Wikipedia will do, just have some knowledge of the weapon beyond what is written here and you're golden.
Weapon Use
Training and ExpertiseIt is essential that you remember that your character will never just pick up a weapon and become a master on the spot, and when they are used improperly can cause harm to the user as well as it's intended target. In order to become proficient in the use of any weapon it can take years of practice to handle what some may call expertly, even longer, decades even to become a true master of their weapon-art.
That said, there is nothing wrong with your character entering the setting and having a slight head start, prior training, necessity or even natural affinity all have some say in how well your character can use a weapon, but these do not count for much. Only hard practice over a few years can earn a character true expertise. If your character begins as good as they come then it leaves little to no room for improvement and this can detract from the enjoyment of your RP experience and can quickly become boring if Duskspawn fall before them like wheat to a scythe with the character barely taking a scratch.
Lastly, your character should train regularly with their chosen weapon to suggest intimate familiarity with their capabilities and limitation. Both their own and their weapon's. There are often ample opportunities to act this out in RP or even simply allude to it .
It might not seem like much but this is an important factor. Even if your character is a master of a specific weapon, reinforcement and preventing deterioration of these skills is important, especially if they are departed from it for a while.
If by chance they find someone to impart their knowledge onto or vice versa, great! But remember that as with the first point they will never magically absorb all their new master knows instantaneously. At this point, the pupil begins at square one and the cycle begins again.
Fairness in a fight
A further and more expanded guide to a fighting RP and keeping it fair can be found here.
Your character having a weapon does not make them all-powerful. An important part of RP, not just for yourself but others taking part, is fairness and a good sense of realism. An armed character will usually have the advantage over an unarmed character, but skill, as always, plays an important part in this. Someone who is not an experienced fighter with a club may not win against a character experienced in fighting using only their fists. All characters have their weaknesses; if you play against your opponents', the chance of victory swings in your favour, but odds are high that they will play against yours. These principles apply to all combat RPs, whether a weapon is used or not.
The Right Weapon
Size and StrengthWeapons are not one-size-fits-all. Your character's physical size, strength, agility and other factors will play a part in dictating what kind of weaponry a character is suited to using. While, of course, it's not impossible for a small character to wield a huge battle axe and pose something of a threat, their size makes them more suited to something smaller. If they want to be a risk to anyone but themselves. They tend to benefit from smaller weapons while larger characters benefit from larger ones-- they'd be able to use them more effectively due to larger characters' generally greater strength and often the style of use of these weapons requires a good measure of brute force.
Think about your character's physical appearance, are they tall with long arms? Then a weapon that extends that naturally long reach like a spear or a pike would be ideal. Considering details like this can be key. Another is considering how your character moves, both normally and while fighting, if they prefer to remain still and defend then some practice with a shield wouldn't hurt to have. If they prefer to move about and disorient then a paired weapon such as two war axes is likely a better option.
Versatility
Less important then the other tips, but this can help make or break a character's choices of armament. The most versatile of weapons can be used for multiple tasks, not just combat but hunting, construction etc. For example a bow and arrows, an excellent projectile weapon, they can be deadly to approaching enemies and can be used to bring down a hunter's prey too. They can be used on foot and, if they are the right size, on horseback. The same cannot be said for of most melee weapons in a similar situation, however, while they are not really designed for such a purpose, the likes of war and battle axes may be used in construction and lumbering.
Maintenance
An often overlooked trait of our remorseless pieces of metal is that unfortunately they do eventually need some TLC or even break. Failure to maintain weaponry can result in injury to the user and they should strive to take good care of these tools.
Not all weapons are equal in this area, the ones requiring the least maintenance often being simple melee weapons like clubs made from a tree branch. These do not require maintenance per se, but a little cleaning every now and again. A crossbow on the other hand would require cleaning, checking for rot or weakness, checking the torsion and capacity to store kinetic energy of the drawn string and so on.
When considering projectile weapons, ammunition is an important consideration to make. Arrows break, split or get used up and will eventually need replacing. Most of the ranged weapons a character can get their hands on require simple made ammunition of arrows or sometimes small rocks or darts. It should be noted somewhere how much ammunition your character has. Some of your ammunition will not be IC and therefore are not able to be used IC and so on. A small, simple byte of RP where a character fletching or even collecting rocks can remedy this.
All bladed weapons need sharpening eventually, a whetstone or a grindstone are the most common and the best option of sharpening a blade.
While none of these are essentially hard to learn, it is still important that you display your character having some knowledge of these skills.
![[+]](/images/collapse_collapsed.png "[+]")
Spoiler