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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Neonchameleon" data-source="post: 8996163" data-attributes="member: 87792">Your research is technically correct but practically misleading. Historically melee weapons can be split into two types. Major nuisances and sidearms. A major nuisance was normally a pointy thing on the end of a six foot or longer pole, but also covers a really large shield and zweihanders. And the point about major nuisances is twofold. Firstly that they were the best melee weapons and as such were everyone's choice for the battlefield, and secondly that if you weren't going into active trouble they were ... awkward. I mean do you want to try going about a normal day with a six foot long pole with a pointy bit on the end? You basically have to carry it around in one hand all day, and if you're e.g. going to have a pint you need to leave it in the corner of the room. These things (whether spears, halberds, bills, pikes, or other polearms) were battlefield weapons.Meanwhile sidearms are designed so you can wear them and move around pretty freely with a bit of practice. Swords are the normal example here, worn at the waist or the hip - but belt knives also qualify, as do axes and maces and more. But the obvious thing about weapons that are short enough to wear is that they are short enough to be wielded in one hand in almost all cases. So the question is what you do with the second. You could keep it out of the way - or you could put something in it, whether a buckler, a dagger, an armoured gauntlet, a cloak, a second shortsword or whatever. All these give you extra options and are almost strictly superior to using just your main sidearm and having nothing in the other hand. There's a reason soldiers carry rifles while people who just want to be ready to have a gun on hand without preparing for an actual warzone carry pistols despite rifles being better weapons in 99% of cases. And D&D doesn't make this distinction at all in its weapons table.</blockquote>

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