Weapon advice

C

Cúangol

Artisan
Hi there,

I'm thinking of buying some (latex) weapons and wanted some tips on character development first.

I have an elven earth templar with the navigation craft skill and has some sailing backstory. Some templars have advised me to get a shield, but I am not sure it would fit with a life of being on a ship through part of the year...

I have a longsword, and want to be a more capable hand-to-hand fighter (I currently have more points put into spells and want to put some toward fighting). Is just getting florentine (6 points) and a dagger/hatchet worth it? If so, which is better, dagger or hatchet? Latex prefered (so it can be stored out of the way).

The two-weapons skill will take 10 points total (6 florentine, 4 two-weapons) - the same as a shield. Is having a short latex sword (or axe?) and a long (light) foam sword a worthy substitute for a shield? I already have the longsword.

Note that I'll likely eventually get the archery skill (already have a long-bow phys rep, and the skill is cheap for elves), but hand-to-hand skills are more important right now since I already have spells. Is it worth it to fight with a short-sword and block with a long bow?

Thanks for your advice!
 
Honestly, and this is in my own personal experience only, there is no reason to ever use a dagger when you can get a short sword instead. Latex weapon wise, they're going to cost about the same for the rep, and a short sword is going to be better in every possible way as an offhand weapon. A short sword will have much better reach, a larger legal striking surface, and is much easier to block with. For the same reasons, a short sword is going to be better than an axe from a position of absolute utility. If you have an in-character reason to prefer and axe, or just like the look of it, by all means go ahead, but the short sword is going to be a superior weapon.
 
*Drum Roll*

I agree with Wraith here 100%.

Daggers are completely ineffective in combat. If you bring a knife to a fight you are pretty much toast.

Short Sword/Longbow is a very strong style for elves. It is very flexible and gives you a ranged attack that you can use all day (as opposed to spells which are limited).

Stephen
 
I can speak to the short sword / long bow style. I started my new PC with the style, having never practiced it before. It was unbelievably good. In close combat the long bow is basically just a tall skinny shield. And, ironically, while I suck at blocking with shields, I had no problem at all blocking with the bow. Just make sure you have a good frog for easily storing and retrieving your short sword.

I also fought with a dagger WAY back in the day. This was back when every weapon weighed 5-10 lbs. Even then it was completely worthless. Lighter, faster weapons just make it more worthless.

-MS
 
Disclaimer- I know I am in the minority here.

I have had a BLAST playing an elven fighter with Bow and Longsword, but WITHOUT two weapons. Being unable to use swords at the same time that you are holding a bow forces you to play an archer. Once you get into that mindset playing an archer is a BLAST and effective. Usually I use my arrows to harass/kill enemy spellcasters and bother others. If I had the ability to use a sword and bow I would rarely if ever shoot arrows.

Additionally, fighting this way encourages you to learn how to fight with just one longsword. This style is INFERIOR until you practice it for 2+ years. Then you pick up a shield or two weapons and you are way ahead of the curve.


Food for thought.
 
RuneBrighteyes said:
Disclaimer- I know I am in the minority here.

I have had a BLAST playing an elven fighter with Bow and Longsword, but WITHOUT two weapons. Being unable to use swords at the same time that you are holding a bow forces you to play an archer. Once you get into that mindset playing an archer is a BLAST and effective. Usually I use my arrows to harass/kill enemy spellcasters and bother others. If I had the ability to use a sword and bow I would rarely if ever shoot arrows.

Additionally, fighting this way encourages you to learn how to fight with just one longsword. This style is INFERIOR until you practice it for 2+ years. Then you pick up a shield or two weapons and you are way ahead of the curve.


Food for thought.
Click to expand...

Honestly, it is going to be a person by person thing. While I enjoyed having the bow / short sword option when forced into close combat, it was NOT my primary fighting style. I was unquestionably an archer. I shot approximately 400 arrows during the weekend. I don't know for certain, but I think I shot more arrows than all other PC archers combined that weekend. I pulled out my short sword maybe a half dozen times and basically only when faced with shields (bane of archery) or when stuck in a one-on-one melee fight.

I will agree with part of what you said. Playing an archer at full tilt (ie. throwing arrows like your bow is a semi-automatic weapon) is a blast! Though, big warning: you will need a LOT of quivers to do that.

-MS
 
mikestrauss said:
[I shot approximately 400 arrows during the weekend. I don't know for certain, but I think I shot more arrows than all other PC archers combined that weekend...
Click to expand...

When I get a chance to play my pure crossbow archer eaglekin eventually at HQ I'll give you a solid run for your money as to who throws the most bolts/arrows! :thumbsup:
 
mikestrauss said:
I can speak to the short sword / long bow style. I started my new PC with the style, having never practiced it before. It was unbelievably good. In close combat the long bow is basically just a tall skinny shield. And, ironically, while I suck at blocking with shields, I had no problem at all blocking with the bow. Just make sure you have a good frog for easily storing and retrieving your short sword.

I also fought with a dagger WAY back in the day. This was back when every weapon weighed 5-10 lbs. Even then it was completely worthless. Lighter, faster weapons just make it more worthless.

-MS
Click to expand...

Mike, I'm totally in agreement with you. My absolute favorite fighting style has always been polearm, but short-sword/spear is a close second, and it us utterly amazing how much blocking utility you can get out of a stick.

That said, the 'old days' were what set my opinion of daggers as well. Playing a Sarr back when PC claws were dagger-length convinced me that daggers were utterly useless. Fighting them with the kind of aggression needed to make them effective was a surefire way to get called for charging.
 
Dreamingfurther said:
mikestrauss said:
[I shot approximately 400 arrows during the weekend. I don't know for certain, but I think I shot more arrows than all other PC archers combined that weekend...
Click to expand...

When I get a chance to play my pure crossbow archer eaglekin eventually at HQ I'll give you a solid run for your money as to who throws the most bolts/arrows! :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Tell me when and I'll see if I can beat you with my Bunny (he'll do a lot less damage, but he'll waste a thousand arrows doing it!)
 
Its on!
 
Now that's a sight. I know DG went through/if not close to around 400 arrows the SoMN Nov event. I'd hate to think what he'd go through if his character loved being in combat.
 
Darkcrescent said:
Now that's a sight. I know DG went through/if not close to around 400 arrows the SoMN Nov event. I'd hate to think what he'd go through if his character loved being in combat.
Click to expand...

I would have gone through about 600 arrows if I hadn't run out phys reps ... AAAARRRRGGGHHH.

-MS
 
My Blacksmith provides arrows to a local character NAMED Archer...he threw 200 arrows Friday night this past weekend. He orders them in batches of 1000. I went to level 25 Blacksmith to keep up with him (and some Plot reasons).

But back on topic...Being an Elf and a Templar, Two Weapon fighting with either Long Bow/Shortsword OR Short Bow/Longsword (I've seen it done quite effectively) would seem to be thematically more appropriate than picking up the Shield skill. Whichever one you choose, dagger is nearly useless, as everyone else said. The only person I've known anyone to carry a dagger was a healer who picked up Small Weapon at low level when she used to run out of spells, and later ended up with a Spirit Linked DA+3 dagger that was re-made from a broken sword rep (cut down below the break).

-Luke
 
personally, it will always come down to what you are comfortable with.
my wolf uses a staff as a main weapon, but if caught in a line fight he will usually switch to staff being used as a blocker and short sword attack...unless we are archer light, then switch to light crossbow.
 
this is going to sound lame but can we use the line of weapons nerf has out
 
TheSavage said:
this is going to sound lame but can we use the line of weapons nerf has out
Click to expand...

Depends on your local chapter. The latex weapon rules are essentially 'whatver the chapter will accept and the weapon marshal doesn't think is unsafe' just now. I've messed around with them, and they're not -terrible-, but not as durable as a real LARP-specific weapon would be.
 
I wouldn't expect a Nerf sword to last even one weekend. I know their newer ones are a little sturdier, but the first line they put out were usually broken before they left the store just from kids messing around with them.
 
And I'd be worried about the depth of foam on striking surfaces, and how whippy the weapons are... I don't think the swords have much in the way of cores.

Overall, you'd spend less buying supplies and giving it a go to make one, than you would buying (and when they broke, re-buying) Nerf weapons.
 
i dont have archery for my elf i just didnt want to carry two kinds of packets
when i first started. also i had a dagger when i first started and i managed well
course im small and quick so that helped.
and im strong beleiver in PLAY WHAT MAKES YOUHAPPY. so what if you dont exploit every
loop hole to make the hurcules of all characters. after all you are the one playing it,
not someone else.
 
Play what makes you happy, but daggers suck.
 
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