Ribbons and Strips:
Ribbons (also called cloths or strips) are used to denote special effects like enchantments, special abilities, and other effects that need to be identified quickly on the field. All ribbons must be at least one inch wide and twelve inches in length (at least six inches should be able to hang freely), and clearly visible (not hidden behind equipment or a shield) on the person or object they are applied to from 50 feet away. Common sense applies.
Armbands and headbands act in all ways like ribbons and must follow their rules.
A chart showing all of the color-coded effects and spellballs (including class sash colors) is at the end of this book.
Weapons:
Besides a few magical weapons, only non-explosive, non-chemical weapons that might have been in existence before 1700 AD are allowed. All weapons can be broken into four parts:
Strike-Legal: This refers to a portion of the weapon that is at least 2.25 inches in diameter (flat blades require 1.5 inches of foam on a striking surface) and will not leave marks, bruises, or broken bones when used to hit your opponent. This is the only area of a weapon that counts as a legal blow. Stab-only weapons are required to have six inches of strike-legal surface on any stabbing end.
Padding: This refers to the portion of the weapon that has at least half an inch of foam over the weapon core and is designed to limit the injuries done from accidental contact with that part of the weapon. All non-handle and non-striking portions of a weapon must be padded. (Strike-legal areas also count as padded.)
Handle: Refers to the unpadded part of the weapon were it is held. Padding requirements cannot force the total length of the handle and pommel to be less than six inches long.
Pommel: The ends of the weapon, including all non-striking protrusions such as pommels and crossguards, must be at least two inches in diameter and padded well enough to prevent the weapon core from being felt under reasonable pressure.
Attack Types:
Each weapon also has a number of attack types is can perform. These are as follows;
Slashing: a slash or chop attack depending on the edge for damaging ability. Swords, polearms, and similar weapons can slash.
Bludgeoning: uses the force of impact rather than a sharp edge to cause damage. Clubs, maces, staves and flails are bludgeoning weapons.
Thrusting: the force of the attack is focused on a very small point, allowing the weapon to penetrate armor. Spears, arrows, and similar weapons are thrusting weapons.
Axes: Axes are designed to combine a heavy striking force (bludgeoning) on a narrow edge (slashing). Axes therefore are one of the few weapons that can be both slashing and bludgeoning with the same attack. There is another weapon that takes the opposite approach: the falchion. This is a short, thick sword that uses heavy mass to augment its chopping/slashing attack. Falchions can also thrust. Axes must be equipped with special thrusting spikes to legally thrust.
Weapon Types:
Below is a list of weapon categories and their construction requirements.
Dagger: A slashing or piercing weapon between 12 inches and 18 inches long. At least half of its total length must be strike-legal.
Short: slashing, piercing, or bludgeoning weapons more than 18 inches up to 3 feet in total length. The pommel and handle of the weapon can be no longer than 1/3 of the weapon's total length. If used to slash, at least 2/3 of its length must be strike-legal. If used to bludgeon, at least 1/3 of the length must be strike-legal.
Medium: slashing, piercing, or bludgeoning weapons more than 3 feet up to a maximum of 4 feet. The pommel and handle of the weapon can be no longer than 1/3 of the weapon's total length. If used to slash, at least 2/3 of its length must be strike-legal. If used to bludgeon, at least 1/3 must be strike-legal.
Long: slashing, piercing, or bludgeoning weapons more than 4 feet up to a maximum of 6 feet. The pommel and handle of the weapon can be no longer than 1/3 of the weapon's total length. If used to slash, at least 2/3 of its length must be strike-legal. If used to bludgeon, at least 1/3 must be strike-legal. Weapons may only exceed 5 feet if they conform to the standards of Great weapons.
Flails: Weapons with a single articulating (chain-like) head. The chain of a flail is not a legal striking edge. Chains on these weapons must be wrapped in foam with less than half an inch of the rope exposed at any point. The combined rope and striking edge of a flail may not exceed 18 inches in length and the total length of the weapon may not exceed 3 feet.
Spear: Stabbing-only weapons at least five feet in length and should not be confused with the javelin, which may be thrown. Spears must have padding on upper 1/3 of length and have six inches of legal striking surface. Considered wooden for purposes of being targeted by spells or affecting monsters. Thrusting only. Spears over 8 feet long must have a thrusting end 5 inches in diameter or more.
Staff: bludgeoning weapon (ends may be used to thrust, but it is a bludgeon attack) of 5 to 8 feet that must have legal striking surfaces of at least 1 foot in length on both ends. Must have padding on upper 1/3 of each end. Considered wooden for purposes of being targeted by spells or affecting monsters. Spears may never be considered Great weapons.
Polearm: Between 5 and 10 feet in length. May also have slashing edges. Polearms must have padding on upper 1/3 of length, and the striking edge must be between 1 and 2 feet long. Polearms over 8 feet long must have a thrusting end 5 inches in diameter or more, and must have a striking edge between 2 and 3 feet long. Considered wooden for purposes of being targeted by spells or affecting monsters. Classes which use polearms may also use spears.
Madu: A shield joined to a spear or polearm. The spear/polearm portion of the madu may be shorter than the normal five feet. Only usable if a class can use both a spear and shield, or a polearm and shield. If any portion of the weapon is broken, heated, or otherwise rendered unusable, all of it is disabled. Considered wooden for purposes of being targeted by spells or affecting monsters. Magic and abilities that affect any part of the madu, such as Imbue Shield, affect its entirety.
Madus may never be considered great weapons. If a madu is built to slash at least 1/3rd of its length (excluding the shield portion) must be strike legal and the rest must be courtesy padded.
Bow: Longbows do a base of four points of damage. Shortbows and crossbows do a base of two points of damage. Hand crossbows do one point of damage. See the Archery section for more complete descriptions. Bows, crossbows, and arrows are considered wooden for purposes of being targeted by spells or affecting monsters.
Projectiles: Except for javelins, these may not be used in melee. There is no limit to the number of projectiles you can carry. Only javelins may be used as melee weapons.
(NOTE: In many cases, the term �projectiles� also includes arrows. However, in no instance may arrows be thrown.)
Weapons that do not fall into the three sub-types below may not be thrown, i.e. you may not throw your sword. All these weapons do one point of damage to armor, can be blocked by weapons without penalty, and may not be used to block.
Throwing weapons: throwing knives and axes, shurikens, darts, etc. Must be between 6 inches and two feet long.
Javelins: may be used as a thrusting weapon in melee. Must be between 3 and 6 feet long.
Boulders: large weapons (at least 1 foot in diameter), but otherwise behave the same.
Other Weapon Types: This list is by no means exhaustive. A variety of weapons have been developed over the centuries that are not presented above. Unusual weapons are considered case-by-case, but several points should be kept in mind;
1) A weapon type usually doesn't stay in use very long if it doesn't work well or has a serious tactical flaw. Common weapons are common because they work well for their assigned tasks.
2) Fighting styles varied by region, and the native weapons reflect this. Not all weapons can be effectively used against a foreign style, despite their effectiveness in their native land.
3) When designing an unusual weapon, try to find a historical equivalent and how it was used. This will go a long way toward convincing the Reeve to allow it and you learning to use it.
4) Some weapons are inherently unsafe, even when they conform to every safety standard.
Weapon Effects:
A �Weapon Effect' is a term applied to a weapon that describes what it does. It is possible for a weapon to have multiple effects.
Red: A Red weapon does two points of damage and can be used to destroy a shield in three hits. Great weapons (see below) are automatically Red weapons. Magical enchantments and the berserk ability of barbarians can also make a weapon Red. In all cases where a one-handed weapon is Red, the weapon or the user must have a red strip to indicate the effect.
Great: If a weapon is over 5 feet in length, is strike-legal over at least 2/3rds it�s length, and a minimum diameter of five inches over the entire striking surface, then it is considered Great and becomes Red when wielded two-handed.
Magic: Relics and weapons bearing an enchantment other than Stun Weapon.
Archery:
The maximum limit for a bow's pull is 35 pounds with a maximum 28 -inch draw length. Crossbows are limited to no more than 450 inch-pounds. No compound bows are allowed.
Broken or mended arrows are not to be used. All wooden arrows must be taped with fiber tape on the entire shaft. Arrows may never be used as a hand or melee weapon. The "point" of all arrows must have a diameter of at least 2.25 inches. An arrow scores hits like any other weapon.
Bow/Crossbow Classifications
Shortbow = under 60 inches long when unstrung or uses a string less than 56 inches long.
Longbow = 60 inches or longer unstrung or uses a string 56 inches or longer.
Crossbow = over 20 inches long.
Crossbow Pistol = 20 inches or shorter.
Any class that can use a shortbow may use a crossbow. Any class that can use a crossbow may use a crossbow pistol.
At close range (20 feet or less) bows must be no more than half drawn and crossbows may not be used. Crossbow pistols may be used as close as 5 feet (beyond melee reach). Arrows from shortbows and crossbows do two points of damage to armor. Arrows from crossbow pistols do one point of damage to armor. Arrows from longbows do four points of damage to armor. A weapon in hand that is hit by an arrow is destroyed. If a bow is struck by a weapon of any type, the bow is destroyed.
Siege Engines:
Siege engines are powerful machines of destruction that were used for battering down castle walls and laying waste to masses of soldiers from a great distance. Because of their powerful effects, they operate under special rules.
General Rules:
You may only have one siege engine per twenty people on a team.
Projectile-firing siege engines may not be used within 20 feet unless its operators have the ability to �half-draw� the weapon.
Siege engines are designed to take a lot of abuse. They require ten �structure points� of damage to destroy (ten hits from a standard weapon, five from a Red weapon, and so on). Standard arrows have no effect on siege engines. Flameblade will do two points per hit. Flame Arrows, Flame Bolt, and Fireball will do five points per hit, and a white weapon will destroy the siege engine with one hit. Grapeshot will do 2 points per hit, with each projectile counted individually.
A siege engine operates as long as it has at least one �structure point� remaining. A Mend will repair one point overall. Destroyed siege engines may not be retrieved from base or repaired in any way during the battlegame.
Siege engines require a minimum crew to operate. Those people may be involved in any operation of the engine but may not be fighting, be Berserk, stunned, subdued, or move more than ten feet away. Casting magic and using activated class abilities is allowed if it is done in the operation of the engine. A siege engine with less than the required crewmen it may not be used. Some monsters are exempt from this rule. Members of the siege crew may leave at any time and continue playing as normal.
White Weapon = melee weapon or projectile weapon that does immense damage. Will kill anyone and destroy all carried equipment with a single hit, ignores armor, will stop Berserk, is considered Engulfing, and normally does one hit to Invulnerability. Even head shots and garb shots will kill. As long as the weapon is moving (even at a gentle roll), it will retain this awesome capacity for destruction.
Siege engines should have a historical or fantasy counterpart that they mimic in form and function. Examples and their classifications are as follows;
Rams represent a variety of engines such as rams, bores, screws, and the like. All are white melee weapons. Rams require a minimum of three crewmen to operate.
Towers represent a series of defensive constructs, such as siege towers, galleries, pavais, and so on. They may be mobile or stationary. They have the defensive value of all siege engines, but have no offensive power of their own; they are designed only for protection. If a tower is destroyed, all siege engines inside (but not their crews or other occupants) are destroyed. Towers cannot be placed inside other towers. They have no crew requirement.
Heavy Artillery is a large and powerful weapon similar to catapults, onagers, trebuchets, and mangonels. They are indirect-fire weapons (the shot travels in an arc). They are white projectile weapons (exception; heavy artillery does two hits to Invulnerability). Monks may not block these projectiles, but the enchantment Protection From Projectiles is effective. Projectiles from heavy artillery must follow the same construction rules as boulders (exception- they may have small semi-rigid cores). Heavy artillery requires a 3-man crew to operate.
Light Artillery is a small projectile siege engine such as scorpions, ballistas, and so on. They are direct-fire weapons (projectiles travel on a mostly straight line like an arrow). Many of them look like large crossbows and operate on similar principles. They are white projectile weapons. Monks may not block these projectiles, but the enchantment Protection From Projectiles is effective. Projectiles must follow the same rules as arrows (built on a larger scale). Light artillery requires a 2-man crew to operate.
Grapeshot: heavy artillery is capable of firing multiple projectiles at a time (grapeshot). These count as Red projectiles. Monks may block them. Protection from Projectiles will stop them. They will not stop Berserk. The entire attack, regardless of the number that hit, is considered one hit against Invulnerability. Red projectiles must follow the same construction rules as throwing weapons and may be recovered and thrown by hand as a normal throwing weapon (exception- they may have small semi-rigid cores). Some light artillery is designed or can be modified to fire one of these projectiles. These operate under the same rules as Grapeshot, but only one is fired at a time.
Shields:
1) Shields are considered wooden for purposes of being targeted by spells or monster abilities.
2) Bucklers are small shields strapped to a forearm instead of wielded in hand. Anyone who can use a small shield may use a buckler.
3) Effects that break shields (such as Red weapons) are cumulative. Therefore, receiving two such strikes from one player and one such strike from another player ten minutes later is sufficient to destroy the shield.
4) All shields must either be strapped to an arm or gripped in a hand. A blow that strikes a non-wielded shield strapped to a player (such as slung across a back) strikes the player as if the shield was not there.
5) A player may wield two shields and may carry a weapon in the shield-bearing hand, but cannot fight with that weapon. The exception is bucklers, which may be used with weapons in the same hand.
All shield measurements are the exterior surface area on a flat plane.
A small shield is no larger than 3 square feet.
A medium shield is no larger than 6 square feet.
A large shield is no larger than 9 square feet.
Weapon-type implements (boss-spikes) may not be mounted on a shield.
Many people prefer to use round shields, but converting square footage to diameters can be confusing. Therefore, here are the formulas;
Diameter (D) = inches across a circle
Radius (R) = half the diameter
R x R x 3.1416 / 144 = square feet.
Therefore (roughly),
3 square feet = 2 feet across
6 square feet = 2 feet 9 inches across
9 square feet = 3 feet 5 inches across
Nobody really cares if you�re a fraction of an inch off, so close is good enough.
Combat with Armor:
Armor is rated on its ability to stop blows. The rating ranges from 1 to 6 points, though some monsters can have more. The same damage rules apply to armor. Each strike will remove one point of value from the armor. Certain weapons and affects deal more damage to armor as noted in their descriptions. Damage only applies to the armor on the hit location that was struck.
Armor the entire hit location. Example: if you have armor on the front of your leg, but a gap on your thigh, then a strike to the area left open by the gap would count as a hit to armor. In cases where a part of a hit location is protected and another is not, or where two different types of armor are worn, the armor values will be averaged for an overall value for that location.
Armor Descriptions:
Padded = cloth four layers of cloth sewn together.
Quilted = cloth two layers of cloth sewn together with padding in between.
Light leather = leather of at least 1/16" thick.
Heavy leather = leather of at least 3/16" thick.
Chain armors = must be at least 16-gauge, with an internal diameter of, at most, 3/8 of an inch
Regular = chain armor consists of butted links.
Augmented chain = chain augmented in some fashion from the standard �4 in 1,' such as plates attached to each other by chain, or any of the Persian/Chinese weaves.
Riveted chain = chain in which all the links have been individually riveted together.
Lamellar = plates that have all been joined in an overlapping fashion by cord or chain link.
Brigandine = closely spaced or overlapping plates riveted between two layers of leather.
Double mail = �8 in 2,' or a mail in which a two rings replacing every single ring.
Plate = solid metal armor with riveted metal articulations to increase mobility.
No armor list can be completely exhaustive, and armors not mentioned should be ranked according to their composition (metallic vs. non-metallic) and their protective value relative to other armors in the table.
Armor Definitions:
Plates are made of at least 16-gauge steel and must be attached to each other or a backing in such a way that all four edges or corners are held into continuous rigid contact with each other or the backing. Plates may alternately be made of 3/16" hardened leather and receive a �1 to the total armor value.
Cuir bouilli is the process by which leather is hardened using wax or other treatments to produce significantly harder leather.
Studs are composed of metal, and must be no more than 1.5 inches apart to receive the bonus. Studs may not be added to metal armor.
Rings are composed of metal (not to be confused with chain mail), and must be at least 1/8 inch thick, have an internal diameter of at least 1 inch and no greater than two inches, and be placed no further than 1.5 inches apart to receive the bonus. Rings may not be added to metal armor.
Scales are composed of metal (+2) or 3/16" hardened leather (+1), and must be overlapping. Scales may not be added to most metal armor, although metal scales may be added to chainmail to make it augmented mail. Scales need only be attached to the armor along one edge.
Gambeson (sometimes referred to as an arming coat) resembles a quilted, close fitting tunic that minimally extends from the thighs of an individual to their elbows, excluding their head and neck. If worn under any type of chain mail, the wearer will receive a +1 bonus to the area that the chain mail covers. The gambeson may not be modified to increase this value. A gambeson must be the equivalent of at least quilted armor or light leather, and must cover the entire hit location under the chain in order to grant a bonus.
Armor Modifiers:
Obviously non-authentic materials refer to materials that were not in use to create armor at the time, such as plastic. However, if the material is suitably covered or made to resemble an authentic material, the penalty does not apply, such as plastic painted and textured to simulate the look of steel.
The standard of comparison is 16-gauge steel, so lighter or softer metals, such as aluminum, will incur this penalty, while stainless steel will not.
Subtractions for inauthentic material may never exceed �2, though completely inappropriate materials may receive no points (i.e. aluminum foil, cardboard, etc).
Workmanship refers to the skill of the assembly (or lack thereof). Using things like hot glue or shoestrings to hold the armor together rate a penalty, while steel rivets and hand-sewn rings merit a bonus. Modifications for workmanship may never exceed a total of 2 points.
Appearance refers to the overall appeal of the armor and its ability to accurately resemble historical armors. No more than a total of 2 points can be added or subtracted for appearance.
Heavy gauge material is material that exceeds the 16 gauge standard for rings or plates.
Armor Points:
These are the base armors: Points
Padded cloth, quilted cloth, light leather . . 1
Heavy leather. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
European 4 in 1 chain mail . . . . . . . . . . 3
Augmented chain, riveted chain . . . . . . . . 4
Brigandine, double mail, or lamellar . . . . . 5
Plate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
These materials can be added to increase non-metallic armor values:
Cuir bouilli +1
Studs / Rings +1
Scales +2
To increase the value of any form of chain mail:
Full padded gambeson or arming coat . . +1
Construction additions and subtractions:
Obviously non-authentic materials . . . -1
Poor workmanship. . . . . . . . . . . . -1
Shoddy and/or artificial appearance . . -1
Heavy gauge material. . . . . . . . . . +1
Superior construction . . . . . . . . . +1
Superior appearance and artistry. . . . +1
Armor in action:
Example 1: A person with two points of torso armor that covers his chest and back is struck in the back with a regular sword: One point of armor is removed from the front torso armor, leaving one point on the armor covering the chest and two on the back.
Example 2: A person with two points chest armor and no back armor is struck in the back with a sword: Person is dead.
Part 3
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