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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tarek" data-source="post: 379295" data-attributes="member: 6661">Double-weapons in generalThe Latajang is an RL martial arts weapon.The inspiration for the "double-sword" is obviously the dual-bladed lightsaber used by Darth Maul. However, the inspiration for the dual-bladed lightsaber (and the associated fight sequence) comes from various "staff vs. two swordsmen" katas/forms. A staff wielded by a skilled individual is a scary thing...The dire flail, orcish double-axe, and gyrspike are all garbage weapons. They look cool but are less effective IRL than the single-weapon versions of the same. All weapons rely on leverage or momentum, and these weapons have the problem that part of that energy is "stolen" by the other half of the weapon.There are a number of "chain-and-*" weapons, but the weapons attached to the chain are all Small weapons in D&D terms; the kama and the dagger being the two most common examples.The two most ridiculous weapons, however, aren't double-weapons. They are the spiked chain and the tumbling bolt. Knowing how chain weapons are used in RL martial arts, (it frequently involves wrapping sections of the chain around your own body in order to change the direction of attack) I wouldn't want to be the cleric in any party where one member uses this weapon.And the tumbling bolt shows a complete and utter ignorance of physics. "I know, let's take a fin-stabilized crossbow bolt and make it unstable! That'll make it hurt a lot when it hits, and it'll still have the same range as a regular bolt! No, really! Why are you laughing at me?"A hint for the designer of that particular piece of crap: a spin-stabilized .223 rifle round moving at super-sonic speeds is quite different from a  fin-stabilized crossbow bolt moving at far sub-sonic speeds. Making a crossbow bolt tumble means that the bolt is no longer presenting its smallest cross-section to the direction of travel, which increases drag, which reduces range (drastically), accuracy, and steals energy from the missile (meaning it does less damage if it hits). A .223 bullet only becomes unstable when it hits something.Tarek</blockquote>

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