kenjib said:
Scouring the internet, almost all sources seem to indicate that the sling is typically fired best with a single overhand motion (like pitching a baseball), and not spinning it around several times. This perhaps creates physics similar to a spear thrower?
Yup, in reality, a sling isn't whirled around one's head, except to keep it in motion, like using a lasso. Tossing a lasso is really only one toss to make the loop hold shape, but it's easier to maintain the loop than to get it started. Similarly, a slinger can use momentum to keep the stone in place if he's holding for the proper shot. In practice, it's usually better to sling with one twirl so there's less chaos in the system, so to speak.
(I taught myself to sling in my mispent youth on a ranch, so perhaps my technique is muddled by my lasso training. I became quite accurate at it, and often hunted small game, like rabbits.)
Historically, the Romans used specially trained slingers are part of their troops. Slingers were taught the skill at a very young age as it's a knack difficult to pick up; aiming is less intuitive than a bow and far less than a crossbow. The Romans used slings to deliver messages from one unit to another in notes wrapped around a stone and to use a mass of slingers to deliver caltrops across a battlefield.
The Babylonians used sling bullets, usually cast from clay or bronze, often with curses scribed on the surface of the bullet to cause further harm to the target.
I think D&D badly maligns the sling. It should function more as a thrown weapon than a projectile weapon, but have 10 range increments. A strong man can sling a tremendous stone with a lot of force, although it lacks the penetrating power of bows.
Drawing from memory of some research I did awhile back, a typical military sling stone weighed in around half a pound.
Hope that helps,
Greg
