Fantasy Blacksmithing

Umbran · Mar 31, 2023

Ryujin said:
Works for the Indian Patah, but that's a very different use case

Yes. Poking/slashing a guy in the guts is not chopping wood.

Dannyalcatraz · Mar 31, 2023

Thing is, if you look at the history of weapons, there’s a whole bunch of them that are impractical on some level, but still were made in enough quantities that we know about them. Some even still get used- as in, modern people are trained in the fighting techniques developed to use them.

I could easily see forearm axe/katar as being associated with some kind of institution or religion. Maybe forest ninja elves. A militant gnomish sect. A guild of one-handed thieves.

MGibster · Mar 31, 2023

I can't even tell what I'm supposed to be looking at in the photo.

Mad_Jack · Apr 1, 2023

MGibster said:
I can't even tell what I'm supposed to be looking at in the photo.

Same. It's an axe that straps to your forearm?

Dannyalcatraz · Apr 1, 2023

Sort of. It’s a short, wide punch-dagger- similar to what Ryujin posted, but with blade dimensions more akin to a katar- with a forearm axe as well.

Ryujin · Apr 1, 2023

Dannyalcatraz said:
Sort of. It’s a short, wide punch-dagger- similar to what Ryujin posted, but with blade dimensions more akin to a katar- with a forearm axe as well.

There are Patah that are the length of a European sabre; more than 3 feet.

Mad_Jack · Apr 1, 2023

If you're going to have a forearm blade on a punch dagger, it should run parallel to the entire forearm with (maybe) a short pointy bit going past the elbow - almost like a bearded axe. That way, you could at least get some slashing action while pulling back the dagger after a punch or on a backswing, and use the pointy bit for an elbow strike...

Dannyalcatraz · Apr 1, 2023

Ryujin said:
There are Patah that are the length of a European sabre; more than 3 feet.

Right. That’s why said it was a punch dagger- that part on the weapon in the video is only a few inches long. Punch daggers rarely exceed a foot in blade length.

Dannyalcatraz · Apr 1, 2023

Mad_Jack said:
If you're going to have a forearm blade on a punch dagger, it should run parallel to the entire forearm with (maybe) a short pointy bit going past the elbow - almost like a bearded axe. That way, you could at least get some slashing action while pulling back the dagger after a punch or on a backswing, and use the pointy bit for an elbow strike...

View attachment 280718

The smith was clearly more interested in punchy-choppy instead of punchy-slashy.

Zardnaar · Apr 3, 2023

Dannyalcatraz said:
Thing is, if you look at the history of weapons, there’s a whole bunch of them that are impractical on some level, but still were made in enough quantities that we know about them. Some even still get used- as in, modern people are trained in the fighting techniques developed to use them.

I could easily see forearm axe/katar as being associated with some kind of institution or religion. Maybe forest ninja elves. A militant gnomish sect. A guild of one-handed thieves.

That or they weren't designed for the battlefield or the context (execution, decorative, failed designs, fashion etc) has been forgotten.