Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Flying Dice]

Eh, I'm not arguing against absurd fantasy weapons, just the idea of pretending that they bear any resemblance to reality.

Perfect example: Guts' sword. It's (obviously) completely unrealistic, but the concept behind it would be sound in a world where someone could feasibly carry around and wield a sword like the Dragonslayer; it's not a cutting tool so much as a crude wedge with so much force behind it that things come apart anyways. Sort of like a conceptual opposite to the archetypical 'mono-molecular blade' that cuts almost purely because of the sharpness of the blade rather than the force behind it.

:|

But yeah Sephiroth's sword can die in a fire, that thing is moronic even by JRPG standards.

But then there's the actual size of the weapon affecting leverage (which isn't easily handwaved by unusual materials) and other considerations, like oversized blades getting stuck or being more easily intercepted.

Intercepted by what?

Enemy swords. Allies. Trees. Buildings. The ground. Rocks. Painted backgrounds. Stunt doubles. Air resistance. Invisible fairies. Magic space whales. All of creation.

[Neonivek]

But yeah Sephiroth's sword can die in a fire, that thing is moronic even by JRPG standards

Conceptually Sephiroth's sword is essentially a long spear. It is quite practical the way it is used.

Also no JRPG standards makes Sephiroth's sword stand out around tops... or shall we forget maces in Monster Hunter that would be completely useless (and people in Monster Hunter don't even have the super strength excuse).

I just will accept weapons that are CRAZY so long as there is a reason why the crazy design actually works.

In what way does Sephiroth's weapon... One that wouldn't be stopped because it clashed with the scenery be impractical?

Enemy swords. Allies. Trees. Buildings. The ground. Rocks. Painted backgrounds. Stunt doubles. Air resistance. Invisible fairies. Magic space whales. All of creation

Better hope they can withstand such materials.

[WillowLuman]

(ninja'd)

And TES weapon design tends more towards the realistic side than the, well, JRPG side.

tl;dr: TES doesn't have giant mallets, Volendrung is the closest there is, and I think that's a good thing.

[NullForceOmega]

What part of grip configuration did you fail to understand?  The part where it is the grip, or the part where it is the configuration of said grip?   I fully comprehend the concept of using leverage to elongate the arc and increase the force, but that has its maximums as well, as does the mass you can reliably swing.  I seriously don't know how anyone can fail to grasp that it is the combination of all features of a weapon that determine its effectiveness, and that lighter does not equal better in the majority of cases, nor does longer, heavier, wider, thicker nor any other singular feature of a weapon.

[Neonivek]

What is odd is that TES could even justify the Barrel Mallets.

It would probably be a much better weapon for Giants, for example, then a typical Warhammer.

Afterall their typical enemy are humans who die with one hit, their armor being pretty much useless against that kind of force... While a Warhammer will get stuck a Barrel Mallet will not only remove them from play, won't get stuck, but also might also destroy more then one target if they hit another person.

[WillowLuman]

What part of grip configuration did you fail to understand?  The part where it is the grip, or the part where it is the configuration of said grip?   I fully comprehend the concept of using leverage to elongate the arc and increase the force, but that has its maximums as well, as does the mass you can reliably swing.  I seriously don't know how anyone can fail to grasp that it is the combination of all features of a weapon that determine its effectiveness, and that lighter does not equal better in the majority of cases, nor does longer, heavier, wider, thicker nor any other singular feature of a weapon.

No one's saying that lighter=automatically better. I was just arguing against the supposed virutes of giant mallet hammers. If you want a better hammer, you want a denser, not a larger head.

Which makes it kind of weird that a glass warhammer would be better than, say, a dwarven or steel one.

[Neonivek]

Honestly the glass warhammer is CLEARLY "Fantasy materials progression" at play.

Because I can imagine glass being a harder and sharper material then steel... But I wouldn't think it would make a superior hammer...

If you want a better hammer, you want a denser, not a larger head

Depends what you are using it for.

Warhammer designs seem to be made around the concept of armor.

[NullForceOmega]

The 'advantage' of mallet type weapons is the capacity to cause wide-spread blunt force trauma to mostly unarmored targets, such as horses.  Most mallet type weapons were made of wood banded with iron/steel, and were used against horses and peasant conscripts.  Not that the weapon ever saw significant use.

[WillowLuman]

Against softer targets, you don't really need some kind of specialized hammer. The armor-piercers would smash bones pretty well. A wooden mallet is something you'd use because you can't afford a proper warhammer.

[Neonivek]

The 'advantage' of mallet type weapons is the capacity to cause wide-spread blunt force trauma to mostly unarmored targets, such as horses.  Most mallet type weapons were made of wood banded with iron/steel, and were used against horses and peasant conscripts.  Not that the weapon ever saw significant use.

I don't know... I'd still say a mallet hammer in a giant's hands would be far superior to the spike hammer. Since their prime enemy aren't other giants.

Then again I personally think that the club is their ideal weapon. Probably banded with sheet metal but no spikes.

[WillowLuman]

Giants have the longer limbs to make using oversized weapons feasible. And to them, a giant mallet with a long handle is proportionally like a warhammer anyway.

[NullForceOmega]

The average soldier in any medieval/fantasy setting is a conscript, reserve, or must otherwise provide their own equipment, and a iron banded wooden mallet is vastly less expensive than any solid metal weapon, freeing up funds for other vital considerations, such as that extremely protective chain shirt and steel cap.

[Neonivek]

Yeah...

Club > Mallet > Warhammer

For Giants

Though I do wonder if there is an even better weapon for them than a Club.

Because I know that the larger you are the less effective blades become essentially.

[NullForceOmega]

Unless said blade is made and proportioned for a giant, then it would still be about as effective.

[Teneb]

Honestly the glass warhammer is CLEARLY "Fantasy materials progression" at play.

Because I can imagine glass being a harder and sharper material then steel... But I wouldn't think it would make a superior hammer...

It's not real glass, just a really hard and not very dense crystal.

That said, not being dense does make it a shitty material for a hammer.

Unless said blade is made and proportioned for a giant, then it would still be about as effective.

Only for giant-sized enemies. Otherwise it'd behave like a club against significantly smaller opponents.