The most underrated fantasy/medieval weapon...

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Well, we all know that when it comes to fantasy fiction, it's usually the swords that get the front seat in the MC's arsenal. So what do you think is the most underrated fantasy/medieval weapon in literary fantasy?

I'll start with the Spear. I've seen a few fantasy protags use it as their weapon; it's usually the arms of the other characters, but not the main one.
 

Chaos_Sinner777

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Maybe they don't use spears for MCs because of the Lancer character trope? As for underrated weapons, my pick would be blunt instruments. Let's say, a simple mace as the specific example. Blunt can still be brutal.
 

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Lances (as in the horseback ones), Maces, morning stars, estoc, quarterstaff, mostly the weird looking weapons that require a bit more training than just swing that way kind of stuff, and blunt weapons are generally associated with the poor/bandit/brute type characters in the majority of stories.
 

CupcakeNinja

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Well, we all know that when it comes to fantasy fiction, it's usually the swords that get the front seat in the MC's arsenal. So what do you think is the most underrated fantasy/medieval weapon in literary fantasy?

I'll start with the Spear. I've seen a few fantasy protags use it as their weapon; it's usually the arms of the other characters, but not the main one.
war axe yo. Those fuckers are beasts
 

CupcakeNinja

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Bow.

I'm surprised that there's not many characters depicted using bows both as ranged and melee weapon
cuz they dont make good melee weapons. i mean its been done historically. But if you have even just a knife, that'd be way better. Soldiers who would use a bow usually wont be that close to the battle either if your designation was an archer. So not as many reasons to even get so close you have to use melee at all.

It will work in a pinch tho for sure. Especially a long bow.
 

Alienix

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Well I dont know about western stories, but I think there are many mc who use spear. Oh, iirc Randidly Ghosthound uses spear too.

The most underrated is flail mace imo. Axe is the second.
 

Kurokami

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Bow.

I'm surprised that there's not many characters depicted using bows both as ranged and melee weapon
I've seen quite a few characters using bows to start off, but they always seem to use it in an assassin style, hiding and sniping until they get stronger by which point they discard it in favour of 'stronger' or 'less cowardly' weapons. Which is kinda sad. A properly made bladed metal bow, or even just a weapon that can switch between double sided spear blade and bow would be absolutely amazing.
 
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war axe yo. Those fuckers are beasts
Man, I suddenly remember that part of history where Robert the Bruce of Scotland split the armored head of the knight, Henry de Bohun using his war axe. The only thing he did after doing it was to regret losing such a good axe in battle.
 

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Let's see. In order to qualify as underrated, it has to be an incredibly effective weapon that actually appeared somewhat frequently in medieval history as a battlefield weapon, but be hardly ever mentioned in the literary world.

In this case, the question was "the most" underrated medieval weapon. For that, we need the single most extreme meeting of battlefield effectiveness with vanishingly uncommon amounts of it seeing play in fantasy writing.

Yeah, for that intersection, I'm going with military pick. It's got the same kind of ability to open armor as blunt weapons like maces, so it's brutally effective. However, unlike clubs and maces, you see zero mention of military picks in fiction. I don't just mean as MC weapons. You don't even see military picks used by the side characters in most fantasy fiction out there.

Well, we all know that when it comes to fantasy fiction, it's usually the swords that get the front seat in the MC's arsenal. So what do you think is the most underrated fantasy/medieval weapon in literary fantasy?

I'll start with the Spear. I've seen a few fantasy protags use it as their weapon; it's usually the arms of the other characters, but not the main one.

The mere fact that spears are used by protags means it's not all that underrated. It's just got an unjust second-fiddle position.

Also... Royal Road has a top-10 listed series with a spear user protag.

Axes kind of in general. Maybe halberds are a bit more common, but you never really see full, double-sided battle axes.

Hmm... interesting you should mention that. I heard about a weapon called the Igorot Axe. A tribal axe from the Igorot tribe in the Philippines. However, despite being a design used by a primitive tribe, this thing is an engineered monster that would have ruled the battlefield in medieval Europe if they'd ever had the brains to come up with the design themselves. That thing is the single most deadly axe ever made. It's pretty much the nightmare child between a battle axe and a military pick, and it wound up creating a liger cub in the cross-breeding. The versions that have been crafted from factory steel since the design was discovered by anthropologists have proven to be able to cut through armor like it's not even there.

It's a 1-handed single-blade axe, but I decided to turn it double-bit and design a fantasy embellished version that is able to actually successfully pass as a disguised mage's staff while really being a brutally deadly melee weapon, and then I gave it to my MC. I got the thing in the cover art for my series, you should take a look.

 
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Hmm... interesting you should mention that. I heard about a weapon called the Igorot Axe. A tribal axe from the Igorot tribe in the Philippines. However, despite being a design used by a primitive tribe, this thing is an engineered monster that would have ruled the battlefield in medieval Europe if they'd ever had the brains to come up with the design themselves. That thing is the single most deadly axe ever made, and the versions that have been crafted from factory steel since the design was discovered by anthropologists have proven to be able to cut through armor like it's not even there.

It's a 1-handed single-blade axe, but I decided to turn it double-bit and design a fantasy embellished version that is able to actually successfully pass as a disguised mage's staff while really being a brutally deadly melee weapon, and then I gave it to my MC. I got the thing in the cover art for my series, you should take a look.

Yeah, Igorot Axe is sick. It's used by our tribes (The Igorot) in the north of Luzon to kill their enemies (mainly in beheading) in one sick swipe. Btw, Igorots are rightly-feared by the Japanese during their Philippine Invasion in World War 2 because of such feats of bravery and sick weaponry.

Fun fact: Some Igorots in our military use it to kill terrorists too. My brother's company commander (he's in ROTC now) carries one.
 
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So what do you think is the most underrated fantasy/medieval weapon in literary fantasy?
hmm...
quarter staff, non magical variety.

a close second would be a dog. a plain o'dog.

third... Chakram

fourth equal kusarigama and swordsbreakers, trident variety or just serration
 
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Lys

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In this case, the question was "the most" underrated medieval weapon. For that, we need the single most extreme meeting of battlefield effectiveness with vanishingly uncommon amounts of it seeing play in fantasy writing.

Yeah, for that intersection, I'm going with military pick. It's got the same kind of ability to open armor as blunt weapons like maces, so it's brutally effective. However, unlike clubs and maces, you see zero mention of military picks in fiction. I don't just mean as MC weapons. You don't even see military picks used by the side characters in most fantasy fiction out there.
But can a military pick shoot a 90kg projectile over 300 meters? I think not.
 

Jemini

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But can a military pick shoot a 90kg projectile over 300 meters? I think not.

I know you're talking about bows. Bows show up quite frequently as weapons used by side characters. The question was not the most effective medieval weapon. If it was, I'd be backing you all the way on bows. However, since the question was "underrated," I gotta stick with military pick. As I said, you don't even see side characters using them.
 
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