Claymore: They claymore was the weapon of choice by the Scottish highlanders and was also employed by Norsemen. The Scotsmen determined the length of their blade from chit to toe, and the handle from wrist to elbow.
Rapier: The Rapier was a simple thrusting sword. While capable of cutting, it was not intended to do so> any cutting was usually done with the tip. It was most effective at the stabbing due to the slenderness of the straight three foot blade.
Francisca: The Francisca was the weapon of choice for which the Franks were named and famous for using. It was a balanced, single edged and single handed throwing axe that was sometimes used for melee as well.
Scramasax: The Scramasax was the weapon for which the Saxons were named and famous for employing. It was a single edged throwing knife. The blade had a slight curve to it and an extremely sharp tip, fitting for a throwing knife, the curve to it and an extremely sharp tip, fitting for a throwing knife, the curve maximizing its chance of embedding even if the tip did not.
Sarissa: The Sarissa was the weapon of choice of the Greek Phalanx during the Greek Empire. It was an exceptionally long spear, about 17 to 21 feet. Sources conflict as to its actual length, but that is the shorter and more realistic figure. The spear was not made for throwing, but rather for standoff jabbing and thrusting, especially against infantry at a range, but was not made to deal with swordsmen up close due to its extreme length.
Pike: The pike was similar to the Sarissa, but was geared more towards standoff against cavalry. The pole was thicker and shorter, to withstand the impact of a cavalryman at full charge. There were many variants of this weapon, all of which had a single spear tip as the primary weapon. This was the defining part of the pike. Some variants included a hook on one of the facing to dismount a horseman, and/or and axe or hammer tip to augment its value offensively or defensively.
Halberd: The halberd was yet another pole arm. This weapon however was much more standardized, especially as an anti cavalry weapons for infantry. It employed a broad side by side triple blade set for its tips instead of the old single spear point employed by most. This was to heighten its chance of scoring a lethal blow against a charging cavalryman. It was also popular because underneath the hedge of blades it included hooks enabling it to be used to drag a cavalryman off his horse.
Pilum: The pilum was the standard infantry support weapon of the Roman legions. It consisted of a wooden center handle wrapped around a seven foot long pole with dual tips. It was originally made with hard iron, but latter soft iron upon the request of Julius Caesar. The main purpose of it was not merely to kill enemy units, but primarily to stick into their shields and weigh them down to make the useless. The reason for the switch to soft iron was that the opposite end would cause it to under the weight if it betrayed an enemy and make it harder to remove.
Crossbow: The crossbow was an early gun weapon. It was essentially a very powerful bow mounted horizontally onto a flat piece. The string was pulled back via a catch and a pulley of some kind and it used a trigger to release it, much like a pistol or rifle, depending on the size. Crossbows fired bolts, which are something like long and heavy darts, and the more powerful the crossbow could send them through the toughest armor, but are also very slow firing and are strenuous to prep.
Arbalest: The arbalest is the ancestor of the modern day support machine gun. It was a crossbow made mostly of iron and to maximize its shooting power and enable it to shoot more powerful bolts, including bolts made of iron, thus maximizing its killing power against armored opponents. This weapon was born out of necessity due to the trend in England and France for encouraging their knights and infantrymen to wear heavier and heavier armor. The weapon could only be used and fired effectively on a mount of some kind, like a bipod or tripod.
Morning Star: The morning star was essentially an iron bar with a handle and a ball at the end covered with spikes. It was a bashing weapon of high efficiency against armored infantrymen and dismounted cavalrymen, often used to cave in helmets.
Sai: These durable short ranged weapons are meant to stab and thrust wile being extremely effective at disarming enemies. Once an enemy weapon is locked in to a sai, with a quick twist and the weapon is ripped out of the enemy's hand.
Yari: A Japanese spear, it is an equivalent to a javelin and performs the same role. Most spears stand about five and a half feet tall.
Naginata: At nearly six and a half feet tall, the Naginata is a powerful ranged stabbing and slashing tool. It is used primarily to attack cavalry units and for units that must keep their range from the battle such as priests.
Wu Shu Axes: The two foot axe is built for heavy hacking and cleaving actions. It is a slightly less elegant weapon with a poor defensive rating. The axe is built for troops with other defensive weapons or that do not need heavy defensive armaments. The axe is still light enough to throw wile heavy enough to withstand heavy combat.
Pudao: With an overall length of 50 inches and a blade of 22inches, the pudao affords the user a stable and deadly weapon with many functions. The blade is similar to that of an Islamic scimitar and the weapon also allows the user to use it as a sword and Bo staff at once.
Kwan Dao: The pudao's big brother, the Kwan Dao measures in at over six feet tall. The blade size is approximately the same size as the pudao, though a different shape. The bottom of the pole arm also has a large, heavy metal tip to counter balance the large blade on the long pole arm. Widely used by Imperial security forces for its lethality.
Monk's Spade: About the same as the Kwan Dao but it is both a tool and a weapon. The tip is wide flat blade similar to an axe head turned straight up with another crescent shaped blade on the other end. The axe head style end is effective for decapitating targets as well as tilling a field.
Long Axe: Same as the Wushu axe except about six and a half feet tall and with a counterweight at the other end. Used for the most powerful cleaving strikes.
Tri-Sectional Staffs: Used as a long used as a long ranged flail, this weapon has range of over six feet. Used in very strange manner, these dangerous weapons are difficult to master but once mastered places everyone in a melee battle in striking distance. Each section of the staff is 24 inches long and linked to another by chains or rings.
Nun chucks: A versatile flay type backup weapon. The weapon consists of two 12' handles connected by a short chain. To be struck by this weapon is to know the pain of being stung by a 12' bee.
Bo: Your basic quarterstaff. A versatile non-threatening weapon with a high defensive rating. Hardwood and heat treated, this staff is very durable and utility minded weapon.
Throwing Stars: Used with great skill, these diminutive and stealthy weapons are incredibly deadly. They are made in various shapes, sizes, and numbers of points, but they all serve the same role and share the same usage.
Throwing Knives: A powerful back up weapon that offers superior impact trauma compared to throwing starts. The heavy blade ensures proper impact and dual edge aerodynamics allow it a valuable “fudge factor." When stealth and lethality are of the utmost importance, throwing knives are often the route taken.
Rope javelins: A spear tip attached to a 16' rope, the rope javelin is a weapon difficult to predict with great striking power. Though usually no-lethal, the rope javelin can be extremely deadly in combating multiple enemies.
Yumi: The classic kyudo bow. The size of the bow and arrow vary to accommodate the size of the shooter, but most common bows are over 6' tall and the arrow almost 4' long. The grip is placed approximately 1/3rd of the way up the bow with 2/3rd's of the bow about the grip. The average draw of the bow is 40 pounds, though bows have been crafted to an over 110 draw. These bows are the only in the world that when unstrung, will curl into a complete circle, because of this trait the bow is naturally recurved. Prized for their range and power, the extensive training required generally limits its use to the high ranking person and nobility.
Cho Ku No: A clip fed Chinese repeating crossbow. It could fire 10 bolts in 15 seconds. Though it offers poor penetration, the bolts are almost always tipped with poison so that the slightest wound could prove fatal. Maximum effective Range is about 80 yards with 180 to 200 yards as the extreme.
Chinese Bow: This bow is the most basic and average kind of combat bow deployed in the East. The bow is commonly about 3/3's the bow's height and recurved with an average draw of about 60 pounds. The bow was built from a wooden core, with ox-horn on the belly to take compression, and sinew on the face of the bow to resist extension.
Warhammer: The warhammer was a long, about three to four feet, claw hammer essentially. It was usually made of iron or steel so that the head could not be chopped off, much like the Morning star. It could be used in a similar manner to the Morning Star, but it was better geared for denting torso armor as well since the damage was more concentrated.
Composite Bow: The composite bow was the bow was the bow type employed most famously by the Mongols. The Mongols achieved a drawback weight of about 166 pounds, phenomenal even now. It was made out of layers of wood and bone with a string made usually of ligament and/or animal hair of hide. It was usually three to four feet long,
Long Bow: The long bow was an infantry class support weapon employed mainly by England. This was the weapon that gave them most of their victories against France. It was about five to six feet long, and was capable of firing over great distances. It was typically made of yew.
Katana: The traditional weapon of the Japanese samurai, its quality is legendary as is its cutting power. Its total length is usually around 39 inches and the blade is single edge. The blade is folded thousands of time to produce what is referred to as an infinitely sharp edge. Imagine thousands of blades cutting into an object and you have a katana. This weapon is probably the sharpest weapon you will find on the battlefield and ideally suited for slashing and powerful hacking moves. Its primary weakness is if struck broadside, the blade will break as it is quite brittle.
Wakizashi: The backup weapon of samurai, this weapon is identical to the katana except that it is approximately 10 inches shorter.
Tanto: Another backup of samurai, it is traditionally only drawn for ritual suicide but it is and extremely potent weapon. It is only about a foot long but the blade is identical to that of its larger cousins.
Broadsword: A 2600 year old design, the sword is about 30 inches long, designed as a once handed sword with a single sharpened edge. The sword is both deadly and elegant in its simplicity with its Chang Pu leaf shaped blade. This is a Chinese main battle sword and is carried either single or in pairs.
Tai Chi Swords: Older than the Broadsword, This design is anywhere from 28 to 32 inches long and it is double edged. This style sword is most commonly used throughout the realm as the primary main battle sword of the armies of China. This design is most comparable to European swords of similar design. They carried either single or pairs.
Kan Xi Sword: A double handed straight single edged sword. Its blade length is about 20 inches with a handle about 12 inches. This sword is designed as an extremely powerful shot ranged hacking weapon, the lengthy handle prohibiting prodigious amounts of leverage in battle.
Tiger Head Hook swords: One of the strangest weapons ever designed for melee combat, the hook head swords are effective but against infantry in a brutal close combat role where the hooks can fling infantry about, and against cavalry where the hooks can be used to bring down he horseman. The had guards are curved blades designed to hook or crush targets that struck and defend a wide vertical area. The rounded hooks are about the ends of 20 inches of blade.
-I tried to clear out most of the spelling and grammatical errors I could, the amount of them has numbed my mind however. Kudos on pulling out a lot of the names and history, there's still some changes to be made, but most are simply for historical correctness at this point. -Ronin
