Herolover Posted June 13, 2003 Report Share Posted June 13, 2003 At the beginning of the first LOTR movie the Elves use some kind of staff, sword weapon. What was it and how would you make it up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted June 13, 2003 Report Share Posted June 13, 2003 Elvis Weapon This will be no help to you, but I can't help myself: Karate with Weapon Element: Guitar. Sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest joen00b Posted June 13, 2003 Report Share Posted June 13, 2003 It looked like a small pole arm, right? In reality, Shaka Zulu made a weapon similar to this rather popular, it had a short sword blade attached to a small (3-4') pole or staff. I forget the actual name for this. Use Polearm rules with shortened reach on the weapons, that should give you a good template to create it from, the weapon only being 5' or so in length, 3' being staff, 2' being blade. If I had my book at work, I'd assist you more... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fitz Posted June 13, 2003 Report Share Posted June 13, 2003 (Assume obligatory Elvis-related joke here) The closest real-life weapon I can think of would be the nagamaki, a Japanese very long-hilted sword. Not really a sword, but too short to be counted as a polearm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markdoc Posted June 13, 2003 Report Share Posted June 13, 2003 The chinese had a variety of weapons built around the same principle such as the beloved "Bandit-encampment Sword" - basically a swordblade on a short stick. Not really suprising, since the Chinese tried pretty much every combination of blade and handle one could reasonably use without losing too many fingers in the process. I'd give it the same damage as a bastard Sword (1 1/2 d6 HKA) and class it as two-handed which would drop the STR MIN down a bit: about right for those skinny elves :-) cheers, Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlHazred Posted June 13, 2003 Report Share Posted June 13, 2003 I believe there's a picture of this in the Lord of the Rings Visual Companion. I'll have to check when I get home... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobGreenwade Posted June 13, 2003 Report Share Posted June 13, 2003 Re: Elvis Weapon Originally posted by Lord Liaden This will be no help to you, but I can't help myself: Karate with Weapon Element: Guitar. I had been going to write up something very long and very silly, but since you beat me to it I've saved a lot of trouble. Thankyouverymuch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bartman Posted June 13, 2003 Report Share Posted June 13, 2003 According to a production staff interview I saw a couple of years back, the weapon was a stylized version of a broad bladed spear / short polearm used by the 2nd century Dacians. I made some notes on at the time. Let me see if I can find them anywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bartman Posted June 13, 2003 Report Share Posted June 13, 2003 OK I found some references. It was the Dacian Falx. Time Period: 1st or 2nd century B.C. - 1st or 2nd century A.D. Origin: Dacia Description: Sword consisting of a curved, single-edged blade with a long wooden hilt. It has been described as a scythe. Use: Used by Celts and Germanic tribes as a slashing weapon; used with two hands. It was very effective and feared by opposing soldiers. Notes: The Roman Manica (Segmented Arm Guard) was developed to defend against the weapon. Unfortunately I wasn't able to find a picture online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killer Shrike Posted June 13, 2003 Report Share Posted June 13, 2003 The Naginata is somewhat similar, but not as curvy. I would treat it as a Bastard sword. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackSword Posted June 13, 2003 Report Share Posted June 13, 2003 The chinese weapon is the kwan do, though a quick search also called something similar a chinese two handed sword. The weapon is about five to six feet long and half is a large nasty looking blade, and the other half is a long handle ending a ring. http://www.takwah.com/weapons/ Guess its similar to a bastard sword as far as strength, but not something that could probably be used a single handed weapon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest C_Zeree Posted June 13, 2003 Report Share Posted June 13, 2003 I spent so long trying to look this weapon up when the first movie came out. I was so enamored with it, but my searching was futile. At first I thought they were using something similar to this blade. http://www.mwart.com/product.asp?pid=1030&cat=30&subcat=Y However the hilt they have is much longer. As I have not seen pictures of any of the other weapons described, I still think it is closest to the nagamaki, or the double hand sword. The chinese sword is far to large though, the elven blade was thin like that of a kitana. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herolover Posted June 13, 2003 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2003 First. Thanks for everyone that has answered my question. Or tried to. This will teach everyone not type late at night. I figured it was a special weapon used with the martial art: Rock and Roll singing;) Actually, I just thought what I saw of the weapon was cool and since I am going to be starting a new fantasy campaign... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlHazred Posted June 14, 2003 Report Share Posted June 14, 2003 Well, they do in fact have a drawing of the weapon I think your talking about in The Art of the Fellowship of the Ring. They also have a photo in The Fellowship of the Ring Visual Companion of an elven army with these weapons. I've scanned them in, but they're huge. I'll email them to you, if you want. I have a high-speed connection; it'll handle it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebuchet Posted June 14, 2003 Report Share Posted June 14, 2003 I would say these weapons are just curved swords which the designers of LOTR wanted to look "inhuman" for the elves to carry. They seem to be used more like short two-handed swords than like pole arms. (Perversely, the producers of LOTR gave the goblins straight meat cleaver-like swords, when JRR Tolkein stated they prefered curved blades such as scimitars. Go figure.) The Zulu weapon is called an "assegai," and they were basically used as thrusting swords, although there was enough blade to slash with as well. They were an obvious development for a warrior culture with a limited amount of steel available but plenty of wood for hafts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted June 17, 2003 Report Share Posted June 17, 2003 Originally posted by C_Zeree I spent so long trying to look this weapon up when the first movie came out. I was so enamored with it, but my searching was futile. At first I thought they were using something similar to this blade. http://www.mwart.com/product.asp?pid=1030&cat=30&subcat=Y That's really pretty. Getting one of those for my birthday would make me one happy dude. If you're just looking for stats I would give them the same as a bastard sword. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vondy Posted June 17, 2003 Report Share Posted June 17, 2003 I think the closest real world term for this sort of blade is a "sea sword", which is a cross between a cutlass and scimitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdguy Posted June 18, 2003 Report Share Posted June 18, 2003 I think that sword would qualify as a saber or a scimitar. By the way, if you do purchase it, don't use it for test cutting. Chances are, it's made of stainless steel, which means it's brittle. Also the tang (the inside of a sword's handle) is of "rat-tail construction" rather than being a full tang. That means it's unbalanced and weak. Play with that sword for a while, and you'll have a very expensive peace of junk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkusDark Posted June 18, 2003 Report Share Posted June 18, 2003 When I saw Lord of the Rings and those Elven blades, I giggled as I had been wanting to create something like that for a while. My original idea was to be able to draw a regular katana from its sheath, then be able to attach the sword hilt to the sheath and make a mini-naginata. I took a similar design and made a LARP weapon for my Dark Elf character. It is basically a sword blade on a 3 foot stick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted June 18, 2003 Report Share Posted June 18, 2003 Originally posted by tkdguy I think that sword would qualify as a saber or a scimitar. By the way, if you do purchase it, don't use it for test cutting. Chances are, it's made of stainless steel, which means it's brittle. Also the tang (the inside of a sword's handle) is of "rat-tail construction" rather than being a full tang. That means it's unbalanced and weak. Play with that sword for a while, and you'll have a very expensive peace of junk. That's why you get and use this one instead. It's listed under functtional and it does have a full tang. http://www.mwart.com/product.asp?pid=913&cat=41&subcat=Y Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gewing Posted June 20, 2003 Report Share Posted June 20, 2003 well, at 4 pounds, the "warbrand" is heavier than most real bastard swords. Check http://www.allsaintsblades.com/index.htm for some realistic weight swords. or http://swordforum.com/ for general information. Someone passed the links to me, now I do the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markdoc Posted June 20, 2003 Report Share Posted June 20, 2003 >>>well, at 4 pounds, the "warbrand" is heavier than most real bastard swords.<<< Ahhh, such confidence :-) Having spent some time recently at the royal military museum here in Copenhagen, hefting the *real* things, I should point out that the modern replicas made for cutting tameshigiri have significantly lighter blades and hilts than (some, at least) real made-for-killing-armoured-folks blades. There is, of course a great deal of variation in the "real thing". 4 pounds is at the heavy end of the scale, but it is not completely unreasonable. cheers, Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdguy Posted June 21, 2003 Report Share Posted June 21, 2003 4 pounds is a bit heavy for a sword, considering rapiers and long swords (broad sword is a misnomer; it actually refers to a naval sword in later times) weigh at 3 pounds. Not significantly heavy at first, but when you've been swinging it for a while, you will feel it. When I do kumdo, I use a sword that is heavier than the other swords. Trust me, I feel it after a while. Still, it's rare to find a sword that's both full tang and made of high carbon steel. Just don't get into any swordfights unless you're immortal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gewing Posted June 21, 2003 Report Share Posted June 21, 2003 I did say "most" Sure real blades varied a lot, but... Originally posted by Markdoc >>>well, at 4 pounds, the "warbrand" is heavier than most real bastard swords.<<< Ahhh, such confidence :-) Having spent some time recently at the royal military museum here in Copenhagen, hefting the *real* things, I should point out that the modern replicas made for cutting tameshigiri have significantly lighter blades and hilts than (some, at least) real made-for-killing-armoured-folks blades. There is, of course a great deal of variation in the "real thing". 4 pounds is at the heavy end of the scale, but it is not completely unreasonable. cheers, Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest C_Zeree Posted June 26, 2003 Report Share Posted June 26, 2003 Just Found This Check out the falx, bout middle of the page. Tetsubo put a strange kink in it, but it is close to the sword. Also. Plus Tetsubo does great weapon illustrations. http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?threadid=29655&perpage=40&pagenumber=14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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