Thresher
First Post
One of the things thats always annoyed me about just about any game system you'd care to name is the consistant lack of research by the designers to apply some of the more historical aspects of both fighting styles and weapons. Now, maybe youre all not crazed history buffs like me, but I like things to work as they where used in history. After reading about some of the more advanced fighting styles in the 'Complete Warrior' I thought, yep I can add to some of them and I can add a few things.
Mostly because I like playing a fighter in RPG's, its fun, you get to hit people really hard and leave a trail of smashed a-holes and tears wherever you go. Something thats not always possible in our day to day lives to people who really deserve it and infinatly easier to believe in than setting someone on fire by waving your fingers and not a white phospherous grenade in sight
Also one of the things that always really annoyed me in D&D was the lack of a decent Sheild + Longspear style for fighters, particually defensive fighters even though theres a historical precedent for them since... oh several hundred years BC when the spartans kicked the junk out of damn near everyone and what they didnt do, the romans managed in short order as well.
This I have ammended with a few feat-chains.
Speaking of chains, you wont find any here. None of that 'Spiked chain' bullsh#t that some idiot decided looked cool in a martial arts movie one day
Oh no, these are real mans weapons.
Polearms, spears and nasty things to do to people with big knives, because that was the primary way of killing other people for a very long time, otherwise countless hero's would have wandered over our history like chain wielding punks smashing dragons, defending ol England and generally being punks that look like a biker gang rather than hero's. Bit hard to imagine Excaliber being a length of chain isnt it?
But I digress, before I get tempted to waffle any longer.
Peltast style
Prerequisites: Quickdraw, Point Blank Shot
Benefit: Made famous by roman infantry by use of the Pilum thrown from a distance of under 30ft before closing with the enemy in hand to hand combat, though they where not alone in this technique first invented by the Persians.
On a charge you may make one attack with a thrown weapon (Hand axe, Javelin, dagger or Pilum) as a free action prior to closing with the enemy and attacking in hand to hand combat.
Phalanx style
Prerequisites: Proficiency in Shields, Combat Reflexes, Wep Focus: Longspear or Pike
Benefit: First used by the spartans to great affect in the classical era, to present a wall of spear points to defend against an enemy charge. They are specially trained to wield a Longspear or Pike in one hand while carrying a shield and attack without penalty. Though when the foe became adjacent to the user it often came down to using closer combat weapons.
Legionnaire Style
Prerequisites: Strength 13, Tower Shield, Power Attack, Imp Bull Rush
Benefit: Traditionally the roman legionnaire’s tactic upon closing with the enemy was akin to a rugby scrum with the express purpose of pushing the enemy back and pinning their weapon arm against the shield, all the while slashing and stabbing with the blade. Against enemies who favoured longer, 2 handed weapons this was extremely effective as it denied them the ability to bring their own weapons to bear on the soldier.
On a successful Bull Rush attack the fighter can attempt to pin one of the opponents weapon against the shield for that round, additional successful bull rush attempts continue to pin the weapon denying its use.
Greatsword fighting style
Prerequisites: Proficient in Greatsword or Bastard Sword, Wep Focus: Greatsword or Bastard Sword, Two Weapon fighting
Benefit: A brutally efficient fighting style developed by English and Germanic knights in the Middle Ages that uses the whole of the weapon to deliver attacks primarily in very close combat using the guard, pommel and ricasso in addition to the blade.
The fighter may make 1 additional off-handed attack using their full strength bonus that deals 1D6 of bludgeoning damage, standard modifiers apply for using an off-handed weapon to both the primary attack and the additional attack.
Left Axe Style
Prerequisites: Proficient in Great Axe or Poleaxe, Wep Focus Great Axe or Poleaxe
Benefit: A technique practiced by Huscarls of Dark ages Britain but probably invented by the Danes, the axe is wielded to the left of the user, directly opposite the weapon arm of the opponent, rather than hacking through the defenders shield on their left arm to get to them. As a result, any armour bonus provided by a shield is negated by half, rounding down to the nearest whole number or 0.
Charge Breaker
Prerequisites: Power attack, Wep Focus (Polearm or Longspear), Combat Reflexes, Hold the Line
Benefit: When charged by an enemy opponent the force of your blows is sufficient to halt the charge and prevent their movement for the round if they fail a Fortitude save after you successfully hit and deal damage.
(DC = 10 + ½ the attackers character level + Strength modifier)
Poleaxe
Developed late in the middle-ages, the poleaxe was developed to destroy heavily armoured opponents in close combat. While it lacks the reach of some of the longer polearms, its flexibility and ability to deal powerful blows capable of piercing, crushing or hacking through heavy armour made it popular with both knights and common foot soldiers alike. It features a thick, wooden handle 6ft long reinforced with metal lamellar at each end and the head of the weapon consists of an axe blade backed up by hammer head plus a spike extending from the tip. While it is an extraordinarily powerful weapon,(still lending the expression ‘pole-axed’ today) there is extra training required to use the weapons bludgeoning, slashing or piercing damage in whatever order the user wants when making attacks. The spike can be set against a charging opponent to do double damage on a successful hit. Unlike longer polearms it can be used on adjacent foes.
Bec De Corbin
Another of the more advanced polearms is the Bec De Corbin which is essentially a top spike, back spike, a four-pronged hammer head and langets, this was a fearsome weapon set on 10ft haft of stout wood capable of delivering punishing blows from the hammer or beak heads and a long spike from the tip which can be used to puncture armour or be set against a charging opponent to do double damage on a successful hit. It cannot be used on an adjacent foe.
Pike
Made famous by mercenary groups in the renaissance era and the late medieval period but it also turned up earlier in use by the Spartans. The pike was often 18ft long and made of ash with an iron tip and metal lamellar extending down the shaft for a further 3ft to prevent the tip being sundered. Traditionally it was used in ranks of soldiers 3 or more deep, each depth of spear points promising a painful death for anyone foolish to charge a massed formation. By itself it is not that a formidable weapon but it does have ample reach making it useful against larger foes or foes with reach. The pikes primary use is to be set against a charging opponent to do double damage on a successful hit. The Pike user has a threatened zone of 15 and 10 feet but it cannot be used on adjacent foes.
Bill Hook
There are many variations of the Gisarme, most of them combinations of extra blades with the hook and a spike on the tip to unhorse cavalry and trip opponents. The Bill hook is a particular variant of both the pike and gisarme, featuring a long curved hook and an ‘L’ shaped spike on the tip. It can be set against a charging opponent to do double damage on a successful hit and it can also be used to trip an opponent as per the normal gisarme rules in the PHB. It cannot be used on an adjacent foe.
Pilum
This short throwing spear went through many different stages of development by the roman army over a period of centuries. It is not designed to be used in hand to hand, instead they are thrown with the intended purpose of either killing an enemy outright or to hinder the enemy by the heavy spear weighing down their shield. Characterized by the heavily weighted throwing shaft and a soft iron spear tip they are difficult to remove from a shield in combat, instead the enemy often threw their shield away rather than be encumbered by the damaged item.
On a miss that does not deal damage to an enemy, (if armed with a shield) the opponent must make a reflex save (DC = 10 + ½ the attackers character level + str modifier) or have their shield rendered useless for the duration of the combat by the spear.
Plumbata
These heavy throwing darts consisted of a 2ft long iron shaft with a barbed head, lead weight towards the first 1/3 of the weapons length and flights to stabilize its trajectory. Traditionally they where carried by the Romans towards the later days of the empire and used by the rear ranks to be hurled up and over the enemy so they would come down at high velocity at 80-90 degrees on the heads and shoulders of the enemy. Against lightly armoured foes the effects where certainly devastating.
Hope that formats ok...
ed-nup screwed it up... should work
Anyway later tonight if I wake up or if anyone cares I'll come back and see what you think. Leave a message after the beep
Beep!
Mostly because I like playing a fighter in RPG's, its fun, you get to hit people really hard and leave a trail of smashed a-holes and tears wherever you go. Something thats not always possible in our day to day lives to people who really deserve it and infinatly easier to believe in than setting someone on fire by waving your fingers and not a white phospherous grenade in sight
Also one of the things that always really annoyed me in D&D was the lack of a decent Sheild + Longspear style for fighters, particually defensive fighters even though theres a historical precedent for them since... oh several hundred years BC when the spartans kicked the junk out of damn near everyone and what they didnt do, the romans managed in short order as well.
This I have ammended with a few feat-chains.
Speaking of chains, you wont find any here. None of that 'Spiked chain' bullsh#t that some idiot decided looked cool in a martial arts movie one day
Oh no, these are real mans weapons.
Polearms, spears and nasty things to do to people with big knives, because that was the primary way of killing other people for a very long time, otherwise countless hero's would have wandered over our history like chain wielding punks smashing dragons, defending ol England and generally being punks that look like a biker gang rather than hero's. Bit hard to imagine Excaliber being a length of chain isnt it?
But I digress, before I get tempted to waffle any longer.
Peltast style
Prerequisites: Quickdraw, Point Blank Shot
Benefit: Made famous by roman infantry by use of the Pilum thrown from a distance of under 30ft before closing with the enemy in hand to hand combat, though they where not alone in this technique first invented by the Persians.
On a charge you may make one attack with a thrown weapon (Hand axe, Javelin, dagger or Pilum) as a free action prior to closing with the enemy and attacking in hand to hand combat.
Phalanx style
Prerequisites: Proficiency in Shields, Combat Reflexes, Wep Focus: Longspear or Pike
Benefit: First used by the spartans to great affect in the classical era, to present a wall of spear points to defend against an enemy charge. They are specially trained to wield a Longspear or Pike in one hand while carrying a shield and attack without penalty. Though when the foe became adjacent to the user it often came down to using closer combat weapons.
Legionnaire Style
Prerequisites: Strength 13, Tower Shield, Power Attack, Imp Bull Rush
Benefit: Traditionally the roman legionnaire’s tactic upon closing with the enemy was akin to a rugby scrum with the express purpose of pushing the enemy back and pinning their weapon arm against the shield, all the while slashing and stabbing with the blade. Against enemies who favoured longer, 2 handed weapons this was extremely effective as it denied them the ability to bring their own weapons to bear on the soldier.
On a successful Bull Rush attack the fighter can attempt to pin one of the opponents weapon against the shield for that round, additional successful bull rush attempts continue to pin the weapon denying its use.
Greatsword fighting style
Prerequisites: Proficient in Greatsword or Bastard Sword, Wep Focus: Greatsword or Bastard Sword, Two Weapon fighting
Benefit: A brutally efficient fighting style developed by English and Germanic knights in the Middle Ages that uses the whole of the weapon to deliver attacks primarily in very close combat using the guard, pommel and ricasso in addition to the blade.
The fighter may make 1 additional off-handed attack using their full strength bonus that deals 1D6 of bludgeoning damage, standard modifiers apply for using an off-handed weapon to both the primary attack and the additional attack.
Left Axe Style
Prerequisites: Proficient in Great Axe or Poleaxe, Wep Focus Great Axe or Poleaxe
Benefit: A technique practiced by Huscarls of Dark ages Britain but probably invented by the Danes, the axe is wielded to the left of the user, directly opposite the weapon arm of the opponent, rather than hacking through the defenders shield on their left arm to get to them. As a result, any armour bonus provided by a shield is negated by half, rounding down to the nearest whole number or 0.
Charge Breaker
Prerequisites: Power attack, Wep Focus (Polearm or Longspear), Combat Reflexes, Hold the Line
Benefit: When charged by an enemy opponent the force of your blows is sufficient to halt the charge and prevent their movement for the round if they fail a Fortitude save after you successfully hit and deal damage.
(DC = 10 + ½ the attackers character level + Strength modifier)
Poleaxe
Developed late in the middle-ages, the poleaxe was developed to destroy heavily armoured opponents in close combat. While it lacks the reach of some of the longer polearms, its flexibility and ability to deal powerful blows capable of piercing, crushing or hacking through heavy armour made it popular with both knights and common foot soldiers alike. It features a thick, wooden handle 6ft long reinforced with metal lamellar at each end and the head of the weapon consists of an axe blade backed up by hammer head plus a spike extending from the tip. While it is an extraordinarily powerful weapon,(still lending the expression ‘pole-axed’ today) there is extra training required to use the weapons bludgeoning, slashing or piercing damage in whatever order the user wants when making attacks. The spike can be set against a charging opponent to do double damage on a successful hit. Unlike longer polearms it can be used on adjacent foes.
Bec De Corbin
Another of the more advanced polearms is the Bec De Corbin which is essentially a top spike, back spike, a four-pronged hammer head and langets, this was a fearsome weapon set on 10ft haft of stout wood capable of delivering punishing blows from the hammer or beak heads and a long spike from the tip which can be used to puncture armour or be set against a charging opponent to do double damage on a successful hit. It cannot be used on an adjacent foe.
Pike
Made famous by mercenary groups in the renaissance era and the late medieval period but it also turned up earlier in use by the Spartans. The pike was often 18ft long and made of ash with an iron tip and metal lamellar extending down the shaft for a further 3ft to prevent the tip being sundered. Traditionally it was used in ranks of soldiers 3 or more deep, each depth of spear points promising a painful death for anyone foolish to charge a massed formation. By itself it is not that a formidable weapon but it does have ample reach making it useful against larger foes or foes with reach. The pikes primary use is to be set against a charging opponent to do double damage on a successful hit. The Pike user has a threatened zone of 15 and 10 feet but it cannot be used on adjacent foes.
Bill Hook
There are many variations of the Gisarme, most of them combinations of extra blades with the hook and a spike on the tip to unhorse cavalry and trip opponents. The Bill hook is a particular variant of both the pike and gisarme, featuring a long curved hook and an ‘L’ shaped spike on the tip. It can be set against a charging opponent to do double damage on a successful hit and it can also be used to trip an opponent as per the normal gisarme rules in the PHB. It cannot be used on an adjacent foe.
Pilum
This short throwing spear went through many different stages of development by the roman army over a period of centuries. It is not designed to be used in hand to hand, instead they are thrown with the intended purpose of either killing an enemy outright or to hinder the enemy by the heavy spear weighing down their shield. Characterized by the heavily weighted throwing shaft and a soft iron spear tip they are difficult to remove from a shield in combat, instead the enemy often threw their shield away rather than be encumbered by the damaged item.
On a miss that does not deal damage to an enemy, (if armed with a shield) the opponent must make a reflex save (DC = 10 + ½ the attackers character level + str modifier) or have their shield rendered useless for the duration of the combat by the spear.
Plumbata
These heavy throwing darts consisted of a 2ft long iron shaft with a barbed head, lead weight towards the first 1/3 of the weapons length and flights to stabilize its trajectory. Traditionally they where carried by the Romans towards the later days of the empire and used by the rear ranks to be hurled up and over the enemy so they would come down at high velocity at 80-90 degrees on the heads and shoulders of the enemy. Against lightly armoured foes the effects where certainly devastating.
Code:
[B]Martial weapons Damage Critical Reach Weight Type[/B]
Pike 1D8 x3 15ft 15pds P
Bec De Corbin 2D4 x3 10ft 12pds P/B
Bill Hook 2D4 x3 10ft 12pds P/S
[B]Exotic Weapons[/B]
Pole Axe 2D6 x4 - 15pds P/S/B
[B]Ranged Weapons Damage Critical Range Weight Type[/B]
Pilum 1D8 19-20x2 30ft 10pds P
Plumbata 1D4 18-20x2 40ft 2pds PHope that formats ok...
ed-nup screwed it up... should work
Anyway later tonight if I wake up or if anyone cares I'll come back and see what you think. Leave a message after the beep
Beep!
Last edited:
