How are weapons carried when not in use?

[Emirikol]

How are weapons carried when not in use? Specifically,
pole arms
mace
morningstar
battleaxe
spiked chain
other non-sword items

Are the "sheath" and "unsheath" rules the best for handling how long it takes?

jh

 

[Klaus]

pole arms
In hand, usually resting the shaft on your shoulder.

mace
You run the haft through a belt loop, and the head keeps it from going all the way through.

morningstar
Same as above, but the loop should be thicker/padded and out of your arm's way when you walk.

battleaxe
Same as mace, and usually has a leather "cap" to cover the business end of the blade.

spiked chain
The one depicted in the PHB, I have NO idea. But a regular chain with spikes on the links near the ends would be rolled about (like a lasso) and secured with a leather cord to your belt/backpack. When needed, a tug on the cord undoes the knot, and the chain is free for you to use (you need two hands for this).

other non-sword items
Depends on the item.

Are the "sheath" and "unsheath" rules the best for handling how long it takes?
If you're trying not to overcomplicate things, yeah, pretty much. Except for the spiked chain. I'd rule it at least a full-round action to stash it properly. Maybe even 1d3 rounds.

 

[Emirikol]

Are there any actual comments on this sort of thing in the D&D books?

jh

 

[Greylock]

Not that I know of. With my polearm carrying chars, including the two I am running, I assume they have straps of some kind that are worn, and ready to hold the armaments. It's kinda hard to say to a char that his Spear or Glaive is always left behind when the char gets heroic. Swords have sheaths, and no one ever asks the archer if he/she is unstringing the bow and slinging it over his shoulder.

 

[kenobi65]

Spiked chains are carried in big sacks with the word "CHEESE" emblazoned on them.

 

[frankthedm]

Are there any actual comments on this sort of thing in the D&D books?

jh

Left out intentionaly by wotc because they know players won't buy a book with that info in it.

 

[VoidDragon]

Greatswords?

How would one carry a greatsword? What about those using the Monkey Grip feat to carry larger weapons?

EDIT:
What I meant was: "I've heard that carrying a sword over your back is a bad idea because you expose too much of your arm when drawing it."

 

[Bront]

Greatsword would be straped diagonaly across the back.

Axes similar, though though a loop of some kind.

Larger stuff? I've no idea.

 

[Galethorn]

The problem with a weapon across the back is that it's impossible to draw anything with a blade longer than your arm. Of course, in real life, this was solved by pulling off the whole sling and throwing it to the ground at the beginning of a fight, or just keeping the sword in hand while fighting was expected, and then stashing it with the horse/wagon/henchman when not fighting.

One thing you'll notice a lot in histortical records is the mention of sword-bearers, all the way back into biblical times. These were more or less guys that carried your sword for you while you weren't actively stabbing guys with it, because, as anyone who's ever done so will tell you, carrying a sword is mildly uncomfortable and awkward at best.

Another thing to consider is that you have no 'good' reason to be carrying a long, unwieldy, decidedly battle (as opposed to self-defense) oriented weapon other than expecting a fight. And if you expect fighting, it makes sense to just have the weapon in hand.

Of course, in a world of dungeons, and carrying multiple weapons, things change--you need to use a bow, or climb, or whatever--and you have to change your tactics. For 'realism' I would vote for using smaller, easier-to-handle weaponry, but, knowing all the players I've ever met, I'd opt for just ignoring the matter entirely.

In short, if you want to worry about carrying weapons, you should also be thinking about the logic of bringing halberds down into narrow mine corridors and tombs. And, of course, none of this is covered by the rules, so it's up to you to either ignore the obstacles in the name of fun, or make the judgement calls if 'realism' is what your players want.

 

[Steverooo]

How are weapons carried when not in use? Specifically,

This gets asked, so much around here, that you really should search for other threads on this same topic! It has been discussed many, mnay times! I will reiterate, again, what I know something about...

pole arms

These were usually carried in-hand, by footmen. They can be carried two-handed, held losely in one by gripping them about the center-point (and thus unready for use, but freeing one hand, although short spears can be wielded, thataway), or held against the shoulder, with one hand. Many had small "blade covers", made of oiled leather, tied to the shafts behind the heads, to protect them from rain (and eventual rust).

mace

Besides sheaths, the typical methods for carrying weapons were frogs, and rings. Frogs were pieces of leather which were worn on the belt, and which wrapped around a part of the weapon. A ring was a simple ring (like you put keys on, today) of sufficient diameter, attached to a belt, through which the handle of a weapon was passed, allowing the head to hold it in place. A Mace could be held by either, or (as someone else already pointed out), simply by passing the handle through the belt (or, again, carrying it in-hand).

morningstar

There is no general agreement, on this one. "Spiky-things" are kinda problematical, as they tend to poke you... A simple Morningstar was probably carried in-hand, or one-handed over one shoulder, like the polearms. It could also be thrust through a ring, belt frog, or belt, although the spikes would tend to poke you... You could also attach a quiver-like device to the back/side of a pack, and insert the spiked end into it, handle up.

More controversial is how to carry the Morningstar-Flail. A Sturdy leather pouch seems the best bet, and some have even suggested a box! In-hand would be my guess. Historically, I have never seen/read anything else.

battleaxe

Axes, unless in-hand, are almost always sheathed. The sheath for an axe is generally worn on the belt, at the side, and has a hole in the bottom through which the handle passes. A flap goes over the top, protecting you from the blade, and the blade from the rain. The flap is secured by a button, or loop and peg. Alternately, an axe sheath could be thonged on, as with polearms, and the axe carried in the pack (as many woodsmen did).

spiked chain

Obviously, this was not a historical weapon. Besides the obvious pouch solutions, the one in the PHB has a big ring right in the middle, which screams to me that it could be attached by thonging it to a ring (of maille, perhaps?) at the center of the chest. The ends would dangle & rattle, unless carried in-hand, or tucked into pouches, etc. I have no really good answer for this non-historical weapon.

other non-sword items

Any bladed weapon was sheathed. The sheaths for axes may look different, but they were still sheaths. Anything with a head attached to a short (one-handed) handle could be frogged/ringed to a belt. Anything short and slim (like arrows & javelins) could be carried in a quiver (non-historical wands, too). Historically, quivers were ALWAYS worn on the belt. It wasn't until the Amerindians were met that wearing quivers on the back was adopted (and that's post-Medieval).

Two-handers were, as previously mentioned, carried on a baldric (a wide leather strap worn diagonally across the back, over one shoulder, usually the right), usually attached to a belt, which was well-nigh, if not totally, impossible to draw from, and which was removed and discarded before battle, to be retrieved later (if one survived). This was the most typical solution, and the best protection against rain.

Another, less rain-proof, solution was a "sheath" that covered about one foot of the bottom of the blade, attached to the bottom of the baldric, which had a couple of "hooks" at the top, to secire the two-hander's cross-piece. This allowed the sword to be drawn, but offered little rain protection.

The third method is the most complicated, and least-used, and then usually by horsemen. It involved the two-handed (or bastard) sword sheath, on a baldric, with or without a belt (but most usually with), but incorporating a series of rings and straps or thongs. When on horseback, or otherwise wanting the sword out of the way, a ring on the shoulder was pulled down, pulling the sheath (and sword with it) up to the shoulder, and the ring was then attached to the belt. When the sword was needed, the ring was detached (usually by pulling a pin), and the sheathed sword dropped down, hanging at the side of the belt, where it could be drawn cross-handed. (Unless, of course, you roll a 1!)

Incidentally, Roman soldiers typically carried a gladius (shortsword) on a sheath at their belt, but their main weapons were spears and javelins. These were usually carried on their mules, in the baggage, unless they were going to an expected battle. I'm not sure how they carried them during combat. Perhaps in-hand, but I am suspecting a wicker-basket (as quiver), as I know of no source that survives to tell us (and wicker wouldn't have)... but that's just a guess.

Also, for the longer gear, lances were often carried in a leather "weapons boot" slung along the horse's side, similar to the ones the US Cavalry carried their carbines in. Any relatively long-handled weapon could be inserted, handle-first, and carried that way, although the weapon's head would be pointed at the rider's leg, and might bother the horse (a morningstar, as the primary example).

Bows were most often carried in hand, although bow cases did exist. These were mainly to store and protect the wooden bows from rain and dust, when not in use. They were (almost) never used to carry a bow into combat.