gewing Posted November 7, 2004 Report Share Posted November 7, 2004 Anyone have any good writeups for them? I was thinking +5 str for purpose of range and damage, as a quick and dirty approximation. I'm not sure they weren't more accurate too, though. I am also looking for a d-20 writeup (Please don't hurt me!!!) and was thinking x1.5 on range increment, +1 damage. something like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebuchet Posted November 7, 2004 Report Share Posted November 7, 2004 Re: I amay have asked, but... Atlatls??? Spear throwers confer extra distance and hitting power, but they require specialized lightweight projectiles designed specifically for that purpose. They generally cannot be used with "ordinary" thrusting spears. The spears thrown by an atlatl would be be more like javelins or large arrows. They are even fletched. (I've used one, but since I'm a terrible shot when throwing things I can't address the accuracy issue.) I would treat an atlatl as a medium crossbow for most practical purposes, with a higher rate of fire (but still slower than a regular bow and arrows.. The main difference is that atlatl users cannot realistically carry as many projectiles. I would think 4 - 6 spears would be the maximum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Long Posted November 7, 2004 Report Share Posted November 7, 2004 Re: I amay have asked, but... Atlatls??? See Fantasy Hero, page 174. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutsleeve Posted November 8, 2004 Report Share Posted November 8, 2004 Re: I amay have asked, but... Atlatls??? Atlatls basically throw really big darts. They tend to be light flimsey and easily broken. However they will hit hard over short distances and can travel farther overall in comparison to hand tossed spears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted November 8, 2004 Report Share Posted November 8, 2004 Re: I amay have asked, but... Atlatls??? See Fantasy Hero' date='[/i'] page 174. good answer! good answer!! :applause: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zornwil Posted November 9, 2004 Report Share Posted November 9, 2004 Re: I amay have asked, but... Atlatls??? What are you guys, crazy? They should have LS: Breathe in water, many extra inches of swimming...oh wait...atlatls...not Altantis... That's very different...never mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinecone Posted November 10, 2004 Report Share Posted November 10, 2004 Re: I amay have asked, but... Atlatls??? In my own very limited experiance they should hit as hard as a bow, but with a much more limited range..I remember thinking I would be dangerous with practice at 50' or less, and a good bow or x-bow would replace feet with Yards for the same statement..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinecone Posted November 10, 2004 Report Share Posted November 10, 2004 Re: I amay have asked, but... Atlatls??? In my own very limited experiance they should hit as hard as a bow, but with a much more limited range..I remember thinking I would be dangerous with practice at 50' or less, and a good bow or x-bow would replace feet with Yards for the same statement..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gewing Posted November 12, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2004 Re: I amay have asked, but... Atlatls??? My book is packed for the move. I thought I had looked for it, but... See Fantasy Hero' date='[/i'] page 174. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gewing Posted November 12, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2004 Re: I amay have asked, but... Atlatls??? IIRC Napolean had some experiments done, someone killed an ox at 100 yards with one. The Australian ones appear to use a fairly normal weight/size javelin. Some cultures have used permanently mounted thongs or strings to get a similar effect. The Romans iirc used a loop of string twisted around the javelin in a half hitch, it not only extended range of a full weight shaft, but the string stayed in the soldiers hand so the opponent could not use it to throw it back. The book I remember reading indicated this meant their range with a heavy javelin was greater than the enemies. Kind of useful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escafarc Posted November 7, 2010 Report Share Posted November 7, 2010 Re: I amay have asked, but... Atlatls??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killer Shrike Posted November 7, 2010 Report Share Posted November 7, 2010 Re: I amay have asked, but... Atlatls??? I did something along the same lines with this cavalry write up: Landrothi Light Cavalry On a side note, in the world of San'Dora Landrothi are from the Aranashi race, and are diminutive; about 4.5 feet tall or so on average, so an atlatl like device helps them out a bit. Race Comparison Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Carman Posted November 8, 2010 Report Share Posted November 8, 2010 Re: I amay have asked, but... Atlatls??? The Romans iirc used a loop of string twisted around the javelin in a half hitch' date=' it not only extended range of a full weight shaft, but the string stayed in the soldiers hand so the opponent could not use it to throw it back. The book I remember reading indicated this meant their range with a heavy javelin was greater than the enemies. Kind of useful.[/quote'] If you are referring to the Roman pilum, holding on to the string is not the reason the enemy couldn't throw them back. The pilum was deliberately top-heavy, so only troops that trained with it could throw it accurately. It had a head about 2 feet long, with a soft iron bar connecting the point to the socket, and a soft wood pin held it on the shaft. On impact the head would often bend, and the pin would break if you tried to pull it out by the shaft. So it was a one-way weapon. After a battle, they could be gathered, hammered straight and re-assembled, then re-issued to the troops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordGhee Posted November 9, 2010 Report Share Posted November 9, 2010 Re: I amay have asked, but... Atlatls??? The Roman pilum head was attached by to dowels. The top was cork and the bottom wood. when the pilum struck the enemy sheild the cork would break and the pilum would flop around and make the sheild unusable. Lord Ghee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinecone Posted November 16, 2010 Report Share Posted November 16, 2010 Re: I amay have asked, but... Atlatls??? Dude...thanx, Viper is going to equip Grond with two adamantium Atl Atl's! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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