Guide - Tools and weapons

This is a very basic list, intended only to guide some people in the use, rarity and possible finding locations of common items, regardless of their item quality. It may also help a player to know what they can craft.

Weapons

~ Swords are probably the most common types of weapons around. They come in many variants and sizes (anywhere from daggers to great swords), they are balanced, double-edged (rarely with asymmetrical edges), usually light and quite easy to craft overall. Short swords are ideal for stabbing, and longer swords are better suited for slashing, or slicing. Most armies will have swords as their standard weapon, and they are common loot as well. Humanoids in general (except for ogres) have a preference for swords, as well as some demons. Ethereals prefer swords, too. Minor creatures also like swords, if given the chance to wield one.

~ Maces and clubs are often considered the weapon of brutes. They can be as simple as a metal ball attached to a stick to as complex as an elaborate morning star or some artifacts. They are often heavy and rely on pure blunt, smashing damage, which provides great stagger, disarming potential and bone cracking. They are probably the easiest type of weapon to make (second only to spears) and while a fine mace is a deadly mace, they do not rely on quality as much as swords or axes do. Ogres and minor creatures tend to prefer these weapons over others, and they’re often used by people with very high strength as well, as maces/clubs benefit greatly from any additional force put in the swing. Maces are very common loot especially amongst minor creatures.

~ Axes, differently from maces, tend to be high quality products as well as rarer... and usually more fearsome. They are considered the weapons of barbarians, executioners and powerful men, and an axe wielder is usually not to be trifled with. They are far harder to use, but an axe master can take on about anybody as long as he can get to them. Axes are not very good at deflecting blocks and are usually extremely offensive weapons. They are less balanced and not always double-bladed, and if they are they tend to be asymmetrical. Axes are also commonly thrown. Axes are privileged by demons and some were-beasts.

~ Spears are the simplest weapon around. They’re made of a stick and a sharp, metal end. Spears may be thrown, but usually special versions (javelins) are used solely for that purpose. Simple spears are the most common type of weapons amongst most minor creatures; humanoids may employ finer spears in some of their ranks.

~ Pole arms are elaborated and refined versions of spears. They are still composed of a long wooden (or sometimes metallic) shaft, but their point may vary greatly, and in many cases are similar to axe blades. A pole arm is easy to use but hard to master, and only the lighter ones can be used in conjunction with a shield. Pole arms masters possess great strike range as well as an incredible agility and speed, but are weak at defence – at least not as much as axe men. Pole arms are often considered as luxury weapons, and may be found in the hands of royal guards, some private guards, as well as faction or individual champions.

~ Bows are the simplest ranged weapons. Composed of a curved wooden stick and a string, the simplest of bows is also the simplest to make, but a great woodworker can make very durable and efficient bows. Bows obviously need arrows in order to be used properly (some bows are modified so that punching somebody with one actually hurts a lot) and may vary in size from short hunting bows to large battle bows. Usually, the bigger a bow is, the harder it is to use it. Bows are very common weapons in armies, but may be sacrificed for magic users instead. They are a lot more common in (minor) races that can’t control magic.

~ Crossbows are similar to bows, but usually smaller and with a “bolt-action” mechanism – they have to be loaded, then fired, and then re-loaded with a new projectile. While some crossbows can use arrows, most of them need special bolts to work. Crossbows are harder to make and less common weapons – they are faster and more accurate than bows, but harder to use and their range usually suffers as well. They also, overall, fire fewer projectiles per minute. They are commonly used in hunting and in some army ranks. Crossbows tend to be effective against spell casters, as usually the projectile can out speed a mage’s reflexes. Large, ground or ship crossbows are called ballistae (plural of ballista) and are often used as siege weapons or field wreckers.

~ Catapults can’t be used by people, but they may be found as siege weapons or in some ships. They basically fire rock-like projectiles at far away targets, usually with devastating power and a modest accuracy. Most of them are mobile and pulled with animals or people, while some of them have to be assembled on the spot. The projectiles are often stone builders, but may sometimes be special – burning projectiles, vats of poison or even people.

~ Staffs are very rare. They are a complement to spell casters and mages, as almost every staff can enhance a mage’s ability to cast a specific spell, master a specific element, or even overall improve the mage’s grasp of magic. Some staffs may be fitted with pole arms-like blades to be more effective in a battle. Staffs are quite rare and only found in the hands of a mage, a priest or some royal figures. They are precious and many of them have very unique powers.

Some special weapons, such as scythes, may be found, but are rare and usually only in the forms of artifacts.

Tools

~ Pickaxes are used for mining. While hard to use for anything else, being hit by a pickaxe hurts a LOT and it can jab into armour or shields. Iron and steel pickaxes are the most common ones, but some mithril or vhornite pickaxes may be found in the hands of adventurers or experienced miners.

~ Chopping axes are “special” axes exclusively made to chop wood. Most combat axes can do that, but may be ruined or their shaft might break in the process. For the materials used, see pickaxes just above.

~ Hoes are used to work the ground before planting seeds. It’s almost impossible to see a hoe that goes beyond steel material-wise.

~ Skinning knives are made for... guess what. They are very sharp and they can cut through almost anything, but are usually very small and not suited for combat. They come in all materials, and some vhornite knives (to skin some creatures) may be found.

~ Smithing hammers are useless in battle and used only for blacksmithing. Compared to other tools, higher-quality (mithril or vhornite) hammers are commonly found amongst higher-skill or private blacksmiths, as they are more reliable and more able to bend metals of same or lower quality. Tongs are also often used by blacksmiths alongside hammers.

~ Saws are used to cut and shape wood after it’s been chopped from a tree. They may come in several types and forms, including circular saws (used in lumber mills and thrown at people/walls with special ballistae), short saws (saws used by one person and not a pleasant thing to be hit by) and long saws (used by two or more people, sadly you can’t swing one around). Item quality rules are the same as for chopping axes.

~ Hooks have many functions. Single hooks may be used in fishing poles, to grab onto some objects more easily, to gouge eyes or disarm weapons and shields, while multi-hooks (i.e. grapples) can be used for climbing or pulling objects.... or people. Almost every hook is made of iron or steel.

~ Alchemy tools involve alembics, vials, et cetera. They’re usually made of glass, though some may have some metal in them as well.