Help create cultural weapon

[Christougher]

In most fantasy, dwarves love axes and elves love bows.  I'm creating a new fantasy race and need a little help choosing an appropriate cultural weapon.

 

They prefer hot and dry climates, homeland is a large desert with volcanoes at one edge.  Cultural magic is fire-based.

Flora tends to be very limited, Fauna is mostly lizard like, and most are some degree of toxic or poisonous.  Materials are likely bone, shell/scale, obsidian and glass, plus anything refined from desert sand.

Culturally, they tend to be self serving and manipulative.  Probably small or concealable, but being able to strike the opponent from behind is good.

[Lucius]

 

Obsidian knives. Extraordinarily sharp.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary suggests adding poison

[L. Marcus]

Flamberge obsidian knives.

[mallet]

Something that is made from a smallish turtle-like shell, roughly about the size of a small buckler. But it is attached to the back of the hand/wrist of the user. 

When the user's hand is closed in a fist, the front edge of the shell ends up being 3-4" beyond the end of his/her fist. They attack by punching/stabbing with the front edge of the weapon/shell. 

This edge is either blunt (for training purposes, religious beliefs or non-lethal combat) or sharpened into a fine edge, doing KA damage. The richer the user and/or better the craftmanship of the weapon might might include sharp obsidian inserted into the edge causing more damage. 

The shell weapon can also be used to block attacks, stops venomous spit attacks from some of the dangerous reptiles, and the like. It is also a cultural tool, used as a scoop for quick digging in the sand to quickly build small shelters from the frequent sandstorms or to dig up small sources of water or plant roots. 

The back of the shell (or type of shell used) can be painted with symbols to differentiate different tribes, groups, religions, social status and so on. 

[Christopher]

41 minutes ago, Christougher said:

They prefer hot and dry climates, homeland is a large desert with volcanoes at one edge.  Cultural magic is fire-based. 

A bladed weapon - propably with a Curved blade - seems to be the desert thing.

The Tigrans from Age of Wonders have stuff like the "Shredder" as the primary ranged unit. They also like fire magic.

Arabic weapons are more known to have curved blades, but that was in large part due to them prefering Horse Warfare (it is a light cavalry weapon).

Still in Fanatasy you are not bound to realism.

 

Volcanic implies good metal working. Volcanoes move rare minerals to the surface and they are closely related to fire.

Obsidian as an additional/alternative material is a good idea. However melting full on blades requries quite some skill. Something simpler like knives and this Club thing might work better: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macuahuitl(It might be the original "piece of wood with a nail in it")

But for similar reasons, they do not want heavy metal armors. They conduct heat pretty good and make it harder to move in rough terrain.

 

Both lava and desert prefer flowing robes, that do not overheat the wearer. Heat management might become important. Think classical desert clothing or tusken raiders.

The material should be fire resistant.

Something way more dangerous then Lava however are Pyroclastic Flows. So it would help if they could make their clothing temporarily resistant to having the hot ash flow in. It does not need to be full on life support.

 

56 minutes ago, Christougher said:

Flora tends to be very limited, Fauna is mostly lizard like, and most are some degree of toxic or poisonous.

I would have to look at teh Tier Zoo to see how Reptiles defend themself/how the hunters overcome the defenses.

Wood based stuff falls flat, both from rarity of material and the likelyhood of it catching fire. Also most weapons that require a single piece of wood might be hard to get (unless you get fitting bones). That affects spears, axes, most clubs and even bows.

 

59 minutes ago, Christougher said:

Culturally, they tend to be self serving and manipulative.  Probably small or concealable, but being able to strike the opponent from behind is good.

Then it is fitting that they have posionous animals as their normal food.

 

Farming: An interesting aspect of Volcanoes is that their land is highly fertile. Wich was usually the reason people setteled near them.

But if the area is dry, it might not be suiteable for that. Still volcanic soil/ash might be an export.

[Toxxus]

1 hour ago, Lucius said:

Obsidian knives. Extraordinarily sharp.

 

Since bone materials are handy then can create conventional-ish weapons with long bones/tusks to serve as handles and shafts with obsidian blades or teeth for inflicting damage.

 

Possibly throw in some oversized arthropods  to allow for chitinous armor/shields/bits to which you can attach obsidian.

[Killer Shrike]

[archer]

They're a desert-dwelling race so I'd suggest that they have skill in ranged weapons or weapons which can be used from the saddle of a mount. If you're on foot in the desert, you're going to have trouble getting from one oasis to the next and you're also going to be picked apart by any opponent which has ranged weapons to use before you can close to melee range because there's no cover.

 

The Mamluks, for example, were known as cavalry lancers but also fought on horseback with a scimitar and on foot with scimitar and shield.

 

If the culture is at all organized, I wouldn't place a lot of stock on weapons being formed from just whatever materials are easily available in the area. Any king or warrior who wants effective equipment will do what it takes to get wood for spear shafts and arrows or metal for spear and arrow points regardless of whether it is easily available nearby. (Now peasant weapons might be a different matter. I wouldn't expect desert peasants to have scythes and pitchforks like farmer peasants would have.)

 

Having said that, I like the idea of ceremonial glass daggers used for ornamentation. And for use in assassinations where you are intentionally showing disrespect for the target, shove in the dagger then twist to snap the blade off inside the target. It'd take a little bit of skill to use effectively to keep the blade from snapping off before it's driven in to the haft. I'd expect peasants to use a non-snappable obsidian knife version of the weapon and one way you could tell the difference between someone who is a peasant and someone who isn't would be the amount of ornamentation on the haft and whether the blade is made from an artisan's glass or a peasant's obsidian.

[Lord Liaden]

I would recommend the sling. Cheap and simple to make from animal hide available in your environment, or preferably, some imported fabric like wool or flax; and natural ammunition should be plentiful, or easily fashioned from clay or lead as in ancient times. Since your race uses fire magic, slings could also be used to launch enchanted incendiary projectiles (maybe the "dormant fire" in obsidian could be "awakened"). Easily concealed, and since you'd like them to be able to "strike the opponent from behind," it could double as a garrote.

[Scott Ruggels]

 Polished obsidian (Egyuptian style) rather than the flint knapped blades  wrapped with gut on a piece of antler.  Fine  glass blades on a small bone handle, as personal weapons.  Big thigh bone studded with obsidian bits, Aztec fashion for intimidation. They do need ranged weapons, and lacking bows, you may want to go for slings.  Flipping chunky shards of Obsidian at their targets, and watching two friends experiment with slings 20 years ago, they could get accurate hits out to about 50-60 yards. (one knocked a flying bird out of the sky).

 

Cultural development, and logistical capabilities will dictate how laerge, complex and finely finished the weapons can be. Do these folks trade? do they Mine or dig? Do they have basic, or advanced textiles? (and odd questionm but), How advanced is their art? All of this is going to have an effect on the designs of their weapons, and also how organized is their usage. More fact please?

[Duke Bushido]

It's not for typing into this phone, but I did a race once that had a very long chain as a cultural weapon.  More than just a weapon, it was a significant part of their social and familial standing. 

[Lord Liaden]

The slings made by the Incas and other Andean peoples were often braided of different colored strands of llama wool. Quite colorful and artistic. You could build a cultural iconography out of something like that.

[assault]

In general, what is their economy like?

 

Small family groups walking from one water source to another? Spears are fine - food animals tend to gather around the water sources, as do edible plants. On the other hand, the San in Namibia traditionally used bows and poisoned arrows.

 

Herding requires relatively abundant water, even if you are herding the equivalent of camels. Hunting wouldn't be that big a deal in this case.

 

Oasis agriculture? Anything that a civilised society can have.

 

Trade is an option in all of these cases, although obviously on a relatively small scale in the first one.

[Scott Ruggels]

Depending on how you write up the "Fire magic", you could have  primitive flame throwers and/or firearms. Magic produces the combustion without external ignition, aided by flammables within say a sealed tube (concealed as a staff?), you could get  a tube full pf pitch or tar, making a  flaming gel projector.  Put a shaped projectile in the tube, and get a fire arm that can work in the rain. The tubes could be large, or very small, as it's the magic that sends out the projectile, not physics.  But... who knows.?

[Christougher]

Slings are taking the early lead.  The shell is interesting too.  Obsidian knives are simple and obvious, possibly overdone.

 

I realized though, that with the answers I got, I didn't ask the right question.   What makes a race favor a particular weapon?  The water race favors spear and net because they're of everyday use.  Similarly my dwarves are born with a pick in hand - much more useful underground than an axe.  And the flyers have bows to keep out of enemy reach.  

 

So what should this race favor and why?  Or more properly asked, what would make [Weapon- any weapon] become the cultural go-to for a race?  

 

Out of time at the moment to write more.

[Lucius]

9 hours ago, Christougher said:

In most fantasy, dwarves love axes and elves love bows.  I'm creating a new fantasy race and need a little help choosing an appropriate cultural weapon.

 

They prefer hot and dry climates, homeland is a large desert with volcanoes at one edge.  Cultural magic is fire-based.

Flora tends to be very limited, Fauna is mostly lizard like, and most are some degree of toxic or poisonous.  Materials are likely bone, shell/scale, obsidian and glass, plus anything refined from desert sand.

Culturally, they tend to be self serving and manipulative.  Probably small or concealable, but being able to strike the opponent from behind is good.

 

Barring magically enforced taboos, I have a hard time imagining any weapon that can stroke from before, that cannot strike from behind.

 

57 minutes ago, Christougher said:

Slings are taking the early lead.  The shell is interesting too.  Obsidian knives are simple and obvious, possibly overdone.

 

I realized though, that with the answers I got, I didn't ask the right question.   What makes a race favor a particular weapon?  The water race favors spear and net because they're of everyday use.  Similarly my dwarves are born with a pick in hand - much more useful underground than an axe.  And the flyers have bows to keep out of enemy reach.  

 

So what should this race favor and why?  Or more properly asked, what would make [Weapon- any weapon] become the cultural go-to for a race?  

 

Out of time at the moment to write more.

 

The environment favors ranged weapons - deserts tend not to have much cover. I think Lord Liaden is right; slings are a likely candidate for favorite weapon, because it's a ranged weapon, can be used for hunting and war, is small and concealable, can be made from locally available materials, and can double as a garrote.

 

Another possibility is bolas, for all the same reasons. But I think slings would have the edge in terms of range.

 

edit: note both sling and bola are usable from horseback.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

I've been through the desert on a palindromedary with no name

[Scott Ruggels]

51 minutes ago, Christougher said:

 

 

So what should this race favor and why?  Or more properly asked, what would make [Weapon- any weapon] become the cultural go-to for a race?  

 

 

well what are they like? How do they differ from base humans? are they faster runners? stronger? longer limbs?  do they have long thick tails?   jaws full of pointy teeth? what are their physical capabilities? That would help?

[Lord Liaden]

6 hours ago, Lucius said:

 

Barring magically enforced taboos, I have a hard time imagining any weapon that can stroke from before, that cannot strike from behind.

 

 

While most smaller weapons can be employed for a stealthy "backstab," a garrote is made to be used that way. It also keeps the victim from crying out a warning.

[Lord Liaden]

7 hours ago, Christougher said:

Slings are taking the early lead.  The shell is interesting too.  Obsidian knives are simple and obvious, possibly overdone.

 

I realized though, that with the answers I got, I didn't ask the right question.   What makes a race favor a particular weapon?  The water race favors spear and net because they're of everyday use.  Similarly my dwarves are born with a pick in hand - much more useful underground than an axe.  And the flyers have bows to keep out of enemy reach.  

 

So what should this race favor and why?  Or more properly asked, what would make [Weapon- any weapon] become the cultural go-to for a race?  

 

Out of time at the moment to write more.

 

If as you say, many animals in your race's desert are poisonous, everyone using a ranged weapon to kill them makes even more sense. And the reptilian types may have tough scaled hides that are difficult to penetrate; but sling bullets kill primarily through concussive damage, rather than blood loss.

 

Note that some archaeologically-recovered sling bullets have had small holes drilled in them. One theory is that they contained poison. If you choose to accept that theory, it sounds like your race would have ready access to lots of it. ?

[Christougher]

9 hours ago, Scott Ruggels said:

well what are they like? How do they differ from base humans? are they faster runners? stronger? longer limbs?  do they have long thick tails?   jaws full of pointy teeth? what are their physical capabilities? That would help?

 

Yes, that's what I'm trying to ask.  I don't know which factors contribute to favoring one weapon over another.

 

For example, lack of cover implied by desert.  If it's a hilly/dune filled desert rather than flat, how does that affect things?

[Doc Democracy]

I think that Lord Liaden's braided slings are a great idea, the ability to identify family, tribe and status from the sling someone carries is a bit of depth and colour to a fantasy race. 

 

I was looking to see if I could address the idea of hitting from behind.  I presume that you are meaning a weapon that might strike from behind while facing your opponent rather than one that might be used for attacking from behind as well as attacking from the front?  What if your slingstones were made of a specially sharp shell which contained one or two fire ants.  The slingshot, if it hit, would not only do concussive damage but release these little fire ants to scuttle inside armour and/or clothing and begin to bite...or even an flammable liquid that ignites when exposed to air.

 

It is all a bit unrealistic but we are talking fantasy here and I think it adds a little bit more to the fire aspect of your race.

 

Doc

[Scott Ruggels]

3 hours ago, Christougher said:

 

Yes, that's what I'm trying to ask.  I don't know which factors contribute to favoring one weapon over another.

 

For example, lack of cover implied by desert.  If it's a hilly/dune filled desert rather than flat, how does that affect things?

 Well that implies ranged weapons, and/or spears and atlatls.  Having little to no cover and living in a desert means the longer the reach, or the higher the sprint speed, the more often you can eat. (or you are going to have to love eating cactus or things that live in burrows.)  Eating is the priority. Next is defending one's self and one's territory against others of your kind. How would they do that?  Well range, again, But what if the "other" gets inside your spear range through deception or stealth? How does one defend themselves from this?  Claws? Fangs?  Knives?  Also their strength and endurance will dictate weapons size and weight., especially if these people need to cover long distances.

 

 

Usually, when world building like this, I start by building the people/ creatures, first to figure out how they work as animals,  THen put on items like Costumes and weapons. I will provide examples later as I dig to find some of the old Rogues Gallery7 articles I did on the (similar terrain creatures,) the Jaggiri.

[Lord Liaden]

7 hours ago, Christougher said:

 

Yes, that's what I'm trying to ask.  I don't know which factors contribute to favoring one weapon over another.

 

For example, lack of cover implied by desert.  If it's a hilly/dune filled desert rather than flat, how does that affect things?

 

Well, that would make for more places for individuals or small groups to hide from pursuers, or from which to sneak up on an enemy; but combatants in force would still have to advance over open ground, so missile weapons would still be valuable. In fact bows and slings that can fire in an arc over that cover would be even more useful. OTOH increased stealth possibilities would benefit a sneaky weapon like a garrote.

 

It occurred to me that if a weight was made to hook onto the cup of a sling, so it wouldn't fall out, the sling could be used like a flail for hand-to-hand combat.

[assault]

21 hours ago, Christougher said:

I realized though, that with the answers I got, I didn't ask the right question.   What makes a race favor a particular weapon?  The water race favors spear and net because they're of everyday use.  Similarly my dwarves are born with a pick in hand - much more useful underground than an axe.  And the flyers have bows to keep out of enemy reach.  

 

So what should this race favor and why?  Or more properly asked, what would make [Weapon- any weapon] become the cultural go-to for a race?

 

This is why I asked about their economy.

 

Of course, a race that is spread widely enough doesn't have to have a single economic mode. Dwarves don't have to all be miners, for example. Your race, even if restricted to deserts and fringe regions, could include desert dwelling stone age tribes, nomadic herdsmen and entire urban civilizations, all at the same time. (For tribes, look at historic desert dwellers in Australia and southern Africa. For nomads, look at Bedouins and Tuaregs. For city dwellers, look at the Nile valley, as well as oasis dwellers in the Sahara and Arabia. For that matter, look at the populations of the other deserts in Asia and the Americas as well.)

[DShomshak]

17 hours ago, assault said:

 

This is why I asked about their economy.

 

Of course, a race that is spread widely enough doesn't have to have a single economic mode. Dwarves don't have to all be miners, for example. Your race, even if restricted to deserts and fringe regions, could include desert dwelling stone age tribes, nomadic herdsmen and entire urban civilizations, all at the same time. (For tribes, look at historic desert dwellers in Australia and southern Africa. For nomads, look at Bedouins and Tuaregs. For city dwellers, look at the Nile valley, as well as oasis dwellers in the Sahara and Arabia. For that matter, look at the populations of the other deserts in Asia and the Americas as well.)

 

That's a point. Fantasy races do tend to be a bit, ah, "one note." Helps make them distinctive from each other, but...

 

As others have mentioned, ranged weapons are particularly good for deserts. Dunes won't change this, because you can't quickly duck behind a hundred-foot dune to evade attack the way you'd duck behind a tree. (Unless you can move really fast.) Slings and bows are the two classic ranged weapons that just about every culture develops. If you want to get a little more exotic, combine them as the sling bow -- a real weapon, though not as common as either slings or bows. It's like a bow, but instead of firing an arrow the bowstring has a cup for firing a bullet.

 

The staff sling is another variation/elaboration. A little harder to make and use, perhaps, but the staff that extends the user's arm (and consequent force) could also be a goad for driving animals, a walking-staff, a rod of office, or anything else for which people have used sticks.

 

Dean Shomshak