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<blockquote data-quote="Yaarel" data-source="post: 7503069" data-attributes="member: 58172"><p>Spears.</p><p></p><p>Norse warriors prefer the sword for one-on-one combat.</p><p></p><p>However, for mass combat, Norse warriors prefer the spear. The spear attacks beyond a shield formation. The spear keeps an opponent away at a distance. At range, the spear can spy and hit a distant opponent.</p><p></p><p>Viking Period spears comprise a shaft of ash wood, and spearhead of steel. The shaft of a spear ranges between 2 and 3 meters.</p><p></p><p>All kinds of spears are in use. Around 3 meters and up to 3.5 meters, the spear performs as a polearm, like a pike. With a light thin shaft around 2 meters and down to 1.5 meters, and a smallish spearhead, the spear performs as a dedicated throwing spear, a javelin. With a heavy stout shaft around 2 meters, and sturdy spearhead, the spear performs as a dedicated lance for horseback.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH]101974[/ATTACH]</p> <p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH]101975[/ATTACH]</p> <p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH]101985[/ATTACH]</p> <p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH]101972[/ATTACH]</p> <p style="text-align: center"></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>The spearhead is steel and comprises the blade and the socket. Occasionally the socket engraves with decorations. The total length of spearheads corresponds to the function of the spear, whether all-purpose spear, or lance, polearm, or javelin, and can range between 20 and 80 centimeters.</p><p></p><p>Especially if reminiscent of earlier Pre-Viking Period Frankish spears, a spearhead might occasionally feature ‘wings’ on the socket below the blade. These wings derive from hunting spears, where their function is defensive to prevent a speared dangerous prey, such as bear and boar, from approaching any closer. However, these wings are less useful in human combat, and during the Viking Period fall out of use. But occasionally a later spearhead might feature smaller vestiges of wings, perhaps for symbolic reasons, or possibly to hook an opponents weapon or shield.</p><p></p><p>The wings might retain use when wielding a lance from a charging horse, to prevent the lance from thrusting so deep as to become irretrievable, or to knock an opponent off from an other horse. Below is a Viking Period figurine depicting two warriors. One is on horseback with an early winged lance fastened to the horse saddle. (Her long hair is knotted in the back.) The other carries a shield. (Her long hair is tucked in a hood.)</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH]101979[/ATTACH]</p> <p style="text-align: center"></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>The spear and javelin are common. The lance for horseback combat is less common, because mountainous terrain discourages horseback combat. The polearms below are uncommon and rare, but can happen. Polearms require the use of both hands, while Norse warriors strongly prefer to use the offhand for a roundshield.</p><p></p><p>Some spearheads are barbed like a harpoon, namely the fleinn.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>D&D weapons represent the Viking Period spear types well enough. All feats relating to spears and polearms are appropriate. But there is still a need for certain spearfighting mechanics: conducive to the spear-and-shield fighting style and preventing an opponent from entering an adjacent square.</p><p></p><p>Atgeir is a rare Norse term whose referent is disputed. On balance, the textual evidence suggests, it is primarily a thrusting weapon with a long shaft, probably resembles a pike, but it can slash too, thus likely corresponds to the archeologically known, very long, very thin blade, at the end of a 3 meter or longer shaft. An other term for something like a pike is broddspjót, referring to a long thin blade forming a four-edge point, whose cross-section is diamond-shape, at the end of a extra-long shaft.</p><p></p><p>There is also textual evidence in the sagas of polearms that primarily deal slashing damage, namely the hǫggspjót and bryntrǫll. But the identity of these blades remains archeologically uncertain. Possibly, they are simply one of the known spearheads that feature a large wide blade. Or possibly, the terms refer to foreign imports of a continental halbert or glaive. Tentatively, treat the hǫggspjót as a wide-blade spearhead that is equivalent to a two-edge glaive.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH]101998[/ATTACH] </p> <p style="text-align: center"></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>There are also several other obscure Norse terms relating to spears that possibly refer to specific spear types or to Non-Norse polearm types.</p><p></p><p>Archeologists sometimes refer to a sling-like ‘spear-thrower’. But they use a (Non-Norse) modern Norwegian term ‘snor-spyd’ to refer to it. Presumably, the device is unknown in Norse texts thus uncertain or rare. If of interest for D&D, its costs a bonus action to double the range of any spear or javelin throw. For what it is worth, the Norse term for a ‘sling’ is slønga, to sling stones, heh, mainly for use by shepherds to punish sheep who stray too far away.</p><p></p><p>The following table lists Norse weapons. By far, the most frequent Viking Period weapon is the standard spear, the spjót. Other types of spears are also known. The table omits any weapons from foreign lands, but certain Norse individuals are occasionally known to use them, and on rare occasions they appear in viking burials.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>NORSE WEAPONRY</strong><em></em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Simple weapons</em></p><p><strong>spjót</strong> (spear) 1d6 piercing, 1d8 versatile, thrown (20/60)</p><p> <strong>gaflak</strong> (javelin) 1d6 piercing, thrown (30/120)</p><p></p><p><em>Martial weapons</em></p><p><strong>atgeir</strong> (pike) 1d10 piercing, heavy, reach, two-handed</p><p><strong>hǫggspjót</strong> (double-edge glaive) 1d10 slashing, heavy, reach, two-handed</p><p><strong>burtstǫng </strong>(lance) 1d12 piercing, reach, special − disadvantage v target within 5 feet</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Yaarel, post: 7503069, member: 58172"] Spears. Norse warriors prefer the sword for one-on-one combat. However, for mass combat, Norse warriors prefer the spear. The spear attacks beyond a shield formation. The spear keeps an opponent away at a distance. At range, the spear can spy and hit a distant opponent. Viking Period spears comprise a shaft of ash wood, and spearhead of steel. The shaft of a spear ranges between 2 and 3 meters. All kinds of spears are in use. Around 3 meters and up to 3.5 meters, the spear performs as a polearm, like a pike. With a light thin shaft around 2 meters and down to 1.5 meters, and a smallish spearhead, the spear performs as a dedicated throwing spear, a javelin. With a heavy stout shaft around 2 meters, and sturdy spearhead, the spear performs as a dedicated lance for horseback. [CENTER][ATTACH=CONFIG]101974._xfImport[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]101975._xfImport[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]101985._xfImport[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]101972._xfImport[/ATTACH] [/CENTER] The spearhead is steel and comprises the blade and the socket. Occasionally the socket engraves with decorations. The total length of spearheads corresponds to the function of the spear, whether all-purpose spear, or lance, polearm, or javelin, and can range between 20 and 80 centimeters. Especially if reminiscent of earlier Pre-Viking Period Frankish spears, a spearhead might occasionally feature ‘wings’ on the socket below the blade. These wings derive from hunting spears, where their function is defensive to prevent a speared dangerous prey, such as bear and boar, from approaching any closer. However, these wings are less useful in human combat, and during the Viking Period fall out of use. But occasionally a later spearhead might feature smaller vestiges of wings, perhaps for symbolic reasons, or possibly to hook an opponents weapon or shield. The wings might retain use when wielding a lance from a charging horse, to prevent the lance from thrusting so deep as to become irretrievable, or to knock an opponent off from an other horse. Below is a Viking Period figurine depicting two warriors. One is on horseback with an early winged lance fastened to the horse saddle. (Her long hair is knotted in the back.) The other carries a shield. (Her long hair is tucked in a hood.) [CENTER][ATTACH=CONFIG]101979._xfImport[/ATTACH] [/CENTER] The spear and javelin are common. The lance for horseback combat is less common, because mountainous terrain discourages horseback combat. The polearms below are uncommon and rare, but can happen. Polearms require the use of both hands, while Norse warriors strongly prefer to use the offhand for a roundshield. Some spearheads are barbed like a harpoon, namely the fleinn. D&D weapons represent the Viking Period spear types well enough. All feats relating to spears and polearms are appropriate. But there is still a need for certain spearfighting mechanics: conducive to the spear-and-shield fighting style and preventing an opponent from entering an adjacent square. Atgeir is a rare Norse term whose referent is disputed. On balance, the textual evidence suggests, it is primarily a thrusting weapon with a long shaft, probably resembles a pike, but it can slash too, thus likely corresponds to the archeologically known, very long, very thin blade, at the end of a 3 meter or longer shaft. An other term for something like a pike is broddspjót, referring to a long thin blade forming a four-edge point, whose cross-section is diamond-shape, at the end of a extra-long shaft. There is also textual evidence in the sagas of polearms that primarily deal slashing damage, namely the hǫggspjót and bryntrǫll. But the identity of these blades remains archeologically uncertain. Possibly, they are simply one of the known spearheads that feature a large wide blade. Or possibly, the terms refer to foreign imports of a continental halbert or glaive. Tentatively, treat the hǫggspjót as a wide-blade spearhead that is equivalent to a two-edge glaive. [CENTER][ATTACH=CONFIG]101998._xfImport[/ATTACH] [/CENTER] There are also several other obscure Norse terms relating to spears that possibly refer to specific spear types or to Non-Norse polearm types. Archeologists sometimes refer to a sling-like ‘spear-thrower’. But they use a (Non-Norse) modern Norwegian term ‘snor-spyd’ to refer to it. Presumably, the device is unknown in Norse texts thus uncertain or rare. If of interest for D&D, its costs a bonus action to double the range of any spear or javelin throw. For what it is worth, the Norse term for a ‘sling’ is slønga, to sling stones, heh, mainly for use by shepherds to punish sheep who stray too far away. The following table lists Norse weapons. By far, the most frequent Viking Period weapon is the standard spear, the spjót. Other types of spears are also known. The table omits any weapons from foreign lands, but certain Norse individuals are occasionally known to use them, and on rare occasions they appear in viking burials. [B]NORSE WEAPONRY[/B][I] Simple weapons[/I] [B]spjót[/B] (spear) 1d6 piercing, 1d8 versatile, thrown (20/60) [B]gaflak[/B] (javelin) 1d6 piercing, thrown (30/120) [I]Martial weapons[/I] [B]atgeir[/B] (pike) 1d10 piercing, heavy, reach, two-handed [B]hǫggspjót[/B] (double-edge glaive) 1d10 slashing, heavy, reach, two-handed [B]burtstǫng [/B](lance) 1d12 piercing, reach, special − disadvantage v target within 5 feet [/QUOTE]
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