The most underrated fantasy/medieval weapon...

[Suryae]

Kind of why we have guns though.

Actually, guns are also quite underrated in Medieval Fantasy genre. I'm not saying that that we should see knights wielding AR-15 to battle more, but at least we should see more early guns like a Fire Lances, Hand Cannons, etc.

 

[Deleted member 29316]

Actually, guns are also quite underrated in Medieval Fantasy genre. I'm not saying that that we should see knights wielding AR-15 to battle more, but at least we should see more early guns like a Fire Lances, Hand Cannons, etc.

How about a matchlock?

 

[NotaNuffian]

Actually, guns are also quite underrated in Medieval Fantasy genre. I'm not saying that that we should see knights wielding AR-15 to battle more, but at least we should see more early guns like a Fire Lances, Hand Cannons, etc.

Yup, but at least they have something the long bow can never achieve, being quick to pick up. Not immediate, because idiots will always be idiots.

But hey, if the plan is to lob as many shits at your foes, guns and crossbows will do the trick.

 

[NotaNuffian]

How about a matchlock?

Still shit, range is shit, aim is shit (no rifling), and it is a metal bead flying slower than mach one.

 

[Deleted member 29316]

Still shit, range is shit, aim is shit (no rifling), and it is a metal bead flying slower than mach one.

No, I mean, if a matchlock is an underrated/uncommon weapon in literary fantasy fiction?

 

[Jemini]

First to note with bows and slings though, they cannot puncture plate armor, dent it perhaps or maybe puncture after repeatedly hitting the same spot. But all in all, the ranged weapons shine when mass fired, because RNG is a thing and when you throw that much shit at your enemies, some shots are bound to hit.

That's the thing (and makes me think you might have not read my post.) A sling stone does not NEED to puncture your helmet in order to kill you. Just being hit on the head, even with a helmet on, will cause sufficient brain damage to be deadly. It's the weight that does it. It's like being hit with a mace, but at range.

In order to protect against sling stones, you need a shield wall.

The main disadvantage of slings is the space needed to use them. You can fit more bowmen firing off arrows shoulder to shoulder than you can slingers. If not for that, it might be conceivable to say the sling is more effective than the bow just due to the weight of the projectiles.

 

[NotaNuffian]

No, I mean, if a matchlock is an underrated/uncommon weapon in literary fantasy fiction?

Assuming your fantasy fiction has no tech trees on guns though. I mean there are people out there SPECIFICALLY claim no guns because gunpowder is shit = no guns. But then if you assume that guns are just magic items powered by magic? Maybe? Or that there are common folks like my stories and not everyone is snorting magic because cost, mudbloodiness and stuff, then the tech tree still exist as humans will strive to improve and advance.

 

[Deleted member 29316]

That's the thing (and makes me think you might have not read my post.) A sling stone does not NEED to puncture your helmet in order to kill you. Just being hit on the head, even with a helmet on, will cause sufficient brain damage to be deadly. It's the weight that does it. It's like being hit with a mace, but at range.

In order to protect against sling stones, you need a shield wall.

The main disadvantage of slings is the space needed to use them. You can fit more bowmen firing off arrows shoulder to shoulder than you can slingers. If not for that, it might be conceivable to say the sling is more effective than the bow just due to the weight of the projectiles.

Assuming your fantasy fiction has no tech trees on guns though. I mean there are people out there SPECIFICALLY claim no guns because gunpowder is shit = no guns. But then if you assume that guns are just magic items powered by magic? Maybe? Or that there are common folks like my stories and not everyone is snorting magic because cost, mudbloodiness and stuff, then the tech tree still exist as humans will strive to improve and advance.

Interesting views. I'm taking notes on these because my story's got same elements/weaponries.

 

[NotaNuffian]

That's the thing (and makes me think you might have not read my post.) A sling stone does not NEED to puncture your helmet in order to kill you. Just being hit on the head, even with a helmet on, will cause sufficient brain damage to be deadly. It's the weight that does it. It's like being hit with a mace, but at range.

In order to protect against sling stones, you need a shield wall.

The main disadvantage of slings is the space needed to use them. You can fit more bowmen firing off arrows shoulder to shoulder than you can slingers. If not for that, it might be conceivable to say the sling is more effective than the bow just due to the weight of the projectiles.

I didn't, or might have just skim through. Critical hits are of course, sure win, A blow to the head is a blow to the head, the helmet helps a bit. I can even state that the arrows got lucky and ram through eye sockets (cuz normally it is just puncturing eye not brain). As for your transfer of blunt force to the helmet and result in brain concussions. Yes, that is a viable damage and if lucky, the force might even twist a neck or something.

 

[Sloth-of-Bangkok]

A chair

 

[Discount_Blade]

How about a matchlock?

The arquebus was the first widespread rifle in usage.

 

[ForestDweller]

Ok, so, a slingshot is a toy, not a weapon. However, you may be confusing it with a sling, which is actually an incredibly deadly weapon and definitely worth making the list of most underrated weapons.

A sling is a common farmer's weapon made from woven thatch and used primarily by shepherds to fight off wolves who are threatening their sheep. Those shepherds who regularly practice with a sling can be DEADLY accurate with the things. It was the weapon that David slew Goliath with. Some people are trying to argue Goliath probably had acromegaly and had trouble seeing and all that stuff in order to under-cut David's victory. But, no. The reason people feel the need to do that revisionist version is because they don't actually understand how deadly a sling actually is, mostly because they are confusing it with a slingshot which is a toy.

Yeah, a sling can very easily kill someone in one hit, you don't need some rare brain tumor condition in order to go down from a single hit by a sling. A sling can hurl a 1Kg rock straight at someone's head at over 60MpS. I don't care who you are and whether or not you are wearing a helmet, that WILL kill you. Plus, it has range. Primitive slinging cultures could consistently hit a target at 150 feet. They were freaking snipers with those things. That's hunting level accuracy, they could actually use those things to hunt and kill game.

I was harping on how underrated a warpick was before. Well, time to revise that. A sling is the most underrated weapon. It is so underrated that even though it appears in historical texts and the bible, and is a weapon available in D&D, it STILL gets underestimated and underrated by people. Getting underrated in the works in which it appears is the very definition of underrated, and definitely slots it a step beyond the warpick which is just not mentioned.

(video for info on just how effective the sling is as a weapon.)

I feel a sling would be a hobbit's weapon of choice in a fantasy world.

Though I remember how it's mentioned that they used to have a company of archers. Should be good since hobbits have that bonus accuracy to their aims.

 

[Jemini]

I didn't, or might have just skim through. Critical hits are of course, sure win, A blow to the head is a blow to the head, the helmet helps a bit. I can even state that the arrows got lucky and ram through eye sockets (cuz normally it is just puncturing eye not brain). As for your transfer of blunt force to the helmet and result in brain concussions. Yes, that is a viable damage and if lucky, the force might even twist a neck or something.

You gotta look up some more info on slinging if you think that a hit to the head from a sling-stone is the same as the off chance of an arrow going through the eye-slot of a helmet. Hits to the head are what a slinger will actually aim for, and at medium range (defined as in-and-around 30 feet,) even a child who grew up in a culture where the sling was a common weapon would have an almost 100% chance of a head-shot if the target was not raising a shield to cover themselves or guarding with their arms.

I've only done fairly surface-level research on the subject, but this is the age of the internet so it's really not that hard to know that a torso-size target could be hit consistently at a range of 150 feet by the slingers in primitive slinging cultures.

Probably easier to just link the exact video I found this information from though. Citing sources is always better.

 

[xluferx]

If by Western

-War Scythe(Might not be underrated but rarely seen these)
-Military Fork(Just a fork)
-Falchion
-Horseman's Pick

If by Eastern

-Tonfa
-Hook Sword
- Chakram
-Dadao
-War Fan( Maybe I don't know
-Ono

The scythe, Shadduversity explained that giants could put that in great effect like one of the best weapons, the perfect one being the sling

 

[xluferx]

I feel a sling would be a hobbit's weapon of choice in a fantasy world.

Though I remember how it's mentioned that they used to have a company of archers. Should be good since hobbits have that bonus accuracy to their aims.

A giant could easily destroy castle walls with a sling no joke.

 

[Jemini]

A giant could easily destroy castle walls with a sling no joke.

I giant sling though would bring up the issue of where they get the chord to use for their sling.

But, yeah. That's a freaking awesome idea. Walking tribuchet

 

[ChronicleCrawler]

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.

Mace, cuz they don't know how bloody that things are when used in battles. Sometimes it even literally bashed heads to oblivion. Glad I'm not living in medieval era.

 

[NotaNuffian]

You gotta look up some more info on slinging if you think that a hit to the head from a sling-stone is the same as the off chance of an arrow going through the eye-slot of a helmet. Hits to the head are what a slinger will actually aim for, and at medium range (defined as in-and-around 30 feet,) even a child who grew up in a culture where the sling was a common weapon would have an almost 100% chance of a head-shot if the target was not raising a shield to cover themselves or guarding with their arms.

I've only done fairly surface-level research on the subject, but this is the age of the internet so it's really not that hard to know that a torso-size target could be hit consistently at a range of 150 feet by the slingers in primitive slinging cultures.

Probably easier to just link the exact video I found this information from though. Citing sources is always better.

Ok, so here is my thought on the video, it is clear enough on the accuracy and knowledge on the sling.

And now that I reread your post on saying to launch a 1 Kg stone at speeds of 60 metres per second equates to a force of 120g with 0.5 second traveling time, when a concussion is 95 g as spoken in https://www.geneseo.edu/sites/default/files/users/777/Concussions 2-26-17.pdf

So yes, it is fatal.

 

[Redchaos1]

A war hummer. it isnt as pretty as sword but that thing could mess you up, armor or nor

 

[Nahrenne]

A war hummer. it isnt as pretty as sword but that thing could mess you up, armor or nor

'-'
Isn't that a type of car?
*tilts head*

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