isoChron said:
Or the javelins with the tips that could be used only ones (for the "don't-throw-it-back" reason...
) ? Why should I buy or fight with such a primitive weapon ? If not for the reason to overcome the DR of some critters ?
IIRC, the "don't-throw-it-back"-reason was only one of two, the other was the "Oops-I-got-a-bent-Javelin-in-my-Shield-and-can't-use-it-anymore"-reason. That's what the
pilum was designed for: to overcome the feared greek
phalanx, a heavy infantry with mighty tower shields. The romans would throw their
pili in the "first round", but not to kill their enemies directly. The greek of course tried to block the missile with their shields, and the pilum got stuck. Because the tip was made of soft (cold?) iron, the spear bent and was impossible to remove quickly, which rendered the shield useless and the phalanx defenseless.
/closes ancient roman military tactics book/
regarding cold iron, I found a (german) passage
here. I try to translate: Iron ore is melted by use of coal burning, the result is
raw iron, with a rather high carbon content (4%, makes the iron brittle). The smith
refines the raw iron by heating it strongly, thereby reducing the carbon content to 0.6-1.5% (steel) or 0.5% (wrought iron).
Wrought iron can be formed in the warm or in the cooled state. The product of the latter process would be called
cold iron.
But somehow I doubt it will be so easy to acquire in 3.5
