Roman Gladius

[Aaron2]

Some points:
Caesars battle descriptions in his "Gallic war (sp?)" say more than once that the infantry fought with the pilii in melee till the cavalry came. The gladii were the last resort when the formation broke or was dissolved.

Here's a quote from De Bello Gallico. In book 1 (paragraph 52) the romans are face to face with some gauls ...

"the enemy so suddenly and rapidly rushed forward, that there was no time for casting the javelins at them. Throwing aside [therefore] their javelins, they fought with swords hand to hand."

Notice how they threw away their pilum rather than try to use them in hand-to-hand. The latin of this last line is "Relictis pilis comminus gladiis pugnatum est." So we are for sure talking about pilum v. gladius.


Aaron

 

[Necronomicus]

It was a gladiatorial weapon designed by either Tiberius' brother or son (depending on the source) called suprisingly Drusus. It was supposidly a superior design and manufacture of the Gladius which would cause more bloody wounds.

Alright, I know that in the 2nd Edition AD&D Fighter's Handbook they listed both Drusus and another sword as Gladitorial weapons. Was that the Gladius?

 

[Rel]

Mmmm... Now that's some tasty thread necromancy.

Fun to read some conversation from the old days though.

 

[Klaus]

I bow to the potent necromatic powers banging around the forum!

 

[Necronomicus]

*cackles heavily* Thanks, just joined in.

 

[Desdichado]

EDIT: D'oh! Didn't realize this was a really old thread. Here I answered the OP in good faith!

 

[Woas]

Whoa. We had internet back in 2004?!

 

[Necronomicus]

LOL! Yeah, my fault. I've been looking all over the net for info on the two swords 2nd Edition AD&D listed in the Player's Handbook (I assume its 2nd Edition) that were the Drusus and... something else. I can't recall what, but I am trying to write a story and my character is a dual-wielder.

 

[El Mahdi]

It's not the size of the sword, it's how you use it that counts! (IYKWIMAITYD)

 

[Thanael]

LOL! Yeah, my fault. I've been looking all over the net for info on the two swords 2nd Edition AD&D listed in the Player's Handbook (I assume its 2nd Edition) that were the Drusus and... something else. I can't recall what, but I am trying to write a story and my character is a dual-wielder.

Try the 2E Arms & Equipment Guide and the 2E Complete Fighters Handbook. (Here's a very useful link for 2E: Core rules)

Gladius

The gladius is the first refined version of the short sword. It has a double-edged blade and a strengthened tip. The grip is made of wood, bone, or ivory and is topped with a round pommel. The sword is carried on a warrior's right side, slung from a baldric passing over the left shoulder. In terms of damage and length, the gladius or drusus resembles the short sword.

A drusus is a gladius of exceptional quality, and consequently has a series of special things associated with its care in order to maintain a sharp edge. The restrictions are listed in The Complete Fighter's Handbook (Equipment Chapter)."

Drusus


The Drusus is a Gladius (short sword) of Exceptional quality (as per the types of weapon quality described in the Character Creation chapter of this rule book). It looks just like an ordinary gladius; only by testing the sharpness of the blade can someone tell the difference. The Drusus has been forged so that the metal is better-tempered and holds an edge better, and then sharpened until it has a razor-like edge.

Because of this, it does +1 damage and confers a non-magical +1 to attack rolls over the normal gladius. (This means the wielding character gets a +1 to attack rolls when using the weapon, but the weapon does not give him the ability to hit monsters which require magical weapons to affect.)

The Drusus also has a disadvantage. In order to keep its keen edge, it must be regularly sharpened with a lot more attention and time than an ordinary weapon requires. After any day in which the Drusus has been fought with (even one attack!), someone with either the Armorer or Weaponsmith secondary skill, or the Blacksmithing, Armorer, or Weaponsmithing nonweapon proficiency, must sharpen the blade for half an hour . . . or, on the next day, it will act as an ordinary short sword (losing its to-hit and damage bonus) until it is so sharpened.

Exposure to high heat (a smith's forge, dragon's breath, lava, etc.) will ruin the temper on a Drusus, turning it into an ordinary short sword and forever destroying its bonus on attack and damage rolls.

The Drusus uses the same weapon proficiency as the short sword. If a character can use a short sword, he can use a Drusus with equal proficiency. Weapon specialization with one does transfer to the other.

In cultures where there are gladiators, any weaponsmith with a weaponsmithing ability check of 14 or better can make a Drusus for the cost shown. These weapons are seldom exported, as local demand is high for the few made. A foreign weaponsmith could not make one merely if it were described to him; he would have to study with a local weaponsmith. Having done so, he could make the weapon.

There's probably more in Combat & Tactics. (which is considered 2.5E)