Weapon Illustrations in RPG Books

Vocenoctum said:
I see the hook, but where's the HAMMER?
Actually, I believe that isn't necessarily too far off. I believe the Lucern Hammer had a similar design (except with 4 heads instead of one). The purpose of the "hammer" was to penetrate armor (slightly different from the punching through the spike was for) and that design is better for it than a completely flat head would.

It's not too far off from this
 
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Ed_Laprade said:
Spiked armor? By the gods, don't these morons know how dangerous that would be... TO THE USER? "If you can't do it right, don't do it at all!"
Spiked Armour does has historical reference, so it's really not as far out there as it seems (please see: Lambton Worm (sp?))
 



Ok, I'll grant that cool trumps realistic sometimes. (Chainmail bikinis? Totally unrealistic, and I'll grumble about them, but I'll also look at them.) :heh: But sometimes the cool factor doesn't trump realism for me. Then it isn't fun, of the sort being discussed here. Everyone has their own opinion on what is or isn't cool, or even good, artwork.
 

Thanks for starting this thread; I have the same pet peeve. The armor illos, in particular, are just plain awful.

I understand that "cool" trumps "realism", but what happened to "cool" trumping "ugly"? I'm all for stylized weapons, but c'mon--at least make the weapons attractive.

Those two double scimitar illustrations are a perfect example. The Eberron illo looked like something from a bad 1980's cartoon. I swear, when I saw the pic I heard an electric guitar chord and some extreme dood yelling "RADICAL!!!1!". In contrast, the Pozas double scimitar is elegant, stylized, yet deadly looking. Instead of two chunks of sheet metal on a stick, that thing looks like it's a tool of war that could actually be used. Used by an elf.

-z
 



Ed_Laprade said:
Yeah, some of the weapons are plain stupid. The big warhammer that should require a 30 STR to use? But the armor is usually even worse. Spiked armor? By the gods, don't these morons know how dangerous that would be... TO THE USER?

Tell me how, if I am wearing armor, I can hurt myself with the spikes?

Tell me, if I am wearing armor, channeling hits INTO my armor is such a horrible thing?

Tell me, if the blow from a hammer is so powerful and it happens to hit one of the spikes at the exact right angle, and drive it out of the armor back into my body, I wasn't going to be seriously hurt by the blow anyway?

I have carefully considered this, and the usual comments people have brought up against spiked armor fall flat.
 
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