Unique weapons?

[Carpio]

IDK but recently I feel like weapons like the chakram have become extremely common, especially for female characters. Does this still mean it's a unique weapon and what defines uniqueness for a weapon? Also, what would you consider a unique weapon (I may or may not steal them for later usage)?

 

[Paul_Tromba]

Weapons are simply an item used to expand upon an already defensive nation as weapons deal damage. If a weapon exists to specifically destroy a weapon or defense of mass destruction then I would consider a different style of weapons to use. Otherwise, use whatever weapons you deem functional for your world.

 

[Jemini]

If you're looking for unique weapons, especially if you want to give them to your characters, I would suggest looking into the HEMA community or the Bujinkan.

HEMA is a community that seeks to preserve Historical European Martial Arts. (Thus, where they get the HEMA acronym.) The Bujinkan proclaims to be historically preserving Ninjutsu, but they take that notion seriously enough that they don't actually teach any ninjutsu to you unless you come to their main dojo in Japan. However, they do still have dojos in the rest of the world that will teach kenjutsu, taijutsu, and jujutsu. They have 9 samurai martial arts that they teach which they claim were preferred by ninja. (For a historical note, ninjutsu is not a martial art. It's a set of espionage techniques. However, there are some samurai arts that they would learn, either because they needed to blend in with the samurai or because this particular ninja group was made up of actual samurai who were also ninja. Yes, it happened. There is no ninja Vs. samurai animosity. Samurai got along very well with any ninja who also served the same lord. It would only be ninja in the service of another lord who they would have a particular hatred for.)

Anyway, both communities have a very wide set of weapons they teach, several of which can be considered unique. However, I would suggest actually learning a thing or two from the respective communities before just inserting the weapons into your world. It would serve you to know a thing or two about how the weapon is actually used.

 

[Ilikewaterkusa]

ISK but recently I feel like weapons like the chakram have become extremely common, especially for female characters. Does this still mean it's a unique weapon and what defines uniqueness for a weapon? Also, what would you consider a unique weapon (I may or may not steal them for later usage)?

Asian mother with a comically large slipper

 

[LordJoyde]

ISK but recently I feel like weapons like the chakram have become extremely common, especially for female characters. Does this still mean it's a unique weapon and what defines uniqueness for a weapon? Also, what would you consider a unique weapon (I may or may not steal them for later usage)?

It might have something to do with the popularity of the dancer job in FF14. It uses chakrams.

 

[FGCCheckmate]

Sanjiegun (three-segment-staff). Very underused weapon in my opinion.

 

[Bartun]

ISK but recently I feel like weapons like the chakram have become extremely common, especially for female characters. Does this still mean it's a unique weapon and what defines uniqueness for a weapon? Also, what would you consider a unique weapon (I may or may not steal them for later usage)?

What do people consider a unique weapon? It depends on the context, time period, place, culture, a lot of things. For example, a Katana is a common weapon in Japan, but in Europe? In the 14th century? That's beyond rare. The same goes for firearms, weapons like a six-shooter revolver are extremely common today, but what about in the 1850s? Is it a luxury. Or in the 1850s China? It is basically unobtanium. Even weapons so common like the famous AK-47 were extremely rare in this side of the Iron Curtain during the 50s and the 60s.

So, it's not about the weapon but the setting in where your story is set in.

 

[Jemini]

What do people consider a unique weapon? It depends on the context, time period, place, culture, a lot of things. For example, a Katana is a common weapon in Japan, but in Europe? In the 14th century? That's beyond rare. The same goes for firearms, weapons like a six-shooter revolver are extremely common today, but what about in the 1850s? Is it a luxury. Or in the 1850s China? It is basically unobtanium. Even weapons so common like the famous AK-47 were extremely rare in this side of the Iron Curtain during the 50s and the 60s.

So, it's not about the weapon but the setting in where your story is set in.

The Katana is actually not all that different from the horseman's saber in basic body shape. The main difference between the two is that the saber is a 1-hand weapon designed to be used from horse-back, and the katana is a hand-and-a-half weapon designed to be used by both infantry and cavalry.

(Most curved swords are horse-back swords. The Katana is only unique in that it's designed to be used 2-handed on foot despite it's curve.)

 

[Redemit]

 

[Bartun]

The Katana is actually not all that different from the horseman's saber in basic body shape. The main difference between the two is that the saber is a 1-hand weapon designed to be used from horse-back, and the katana is a hand-and-a-half weapon designed to be used by both infantry and cavalry.

(Most curved swords are horse-back swords. The Katana is only unique in that it's designed to be used 2-handed on foot despite it's curve.)

Exactly! It is a common weapon in Japan but it would have been a unique sight on a battlefield in Europe. The same goes for any European sword if it suddenly found itself in japan. Although the cavalry saber wasn't so common in Europe until the 16th century, before that, knights used lances or their regular straight swords.

 

[Jemini]

You can also make up a weapon, but that requires having some real weapon knowledge. Otherwise, your made up weapon will just be crap.

An example of a well researched made up weapon would be the Igorot staff-ax that you can see my MC holding in the cover art of my book cover in my sig. (Yes, that is an ax she's holding. Yes, it looks like a mage's staff. That's very much on purpose.)

 

[Lloyd]

The weapon ba'gamnan uses in final fantasy 12 is pretty baller. It's like a halo shaped blade on a stick that spins around.

 

[Deeprotsorcerer]

Very zanny and weird discussion, but it might get your creative juices flowing.

 

[Lorelliad]

My MC is a mental magic user. My planned weapon for him is the Shakujo, or Khakkhara.

It's like a monk staff with a circular end on one side that has rings.

 

[NotaNuffian]

Sanjiegun (three-segment-staff). Very underused weapon in my opinion.

Cuz it is shit. What it gain in versatility it lose its main point, being a long stick with high transfer of momentum. Like the nunchucks, the joints mean that the strike force is dissipated via the joints and normal force.

It is like the whipsword from India, fancy as fuck, useless as shit.

The weapon ba'gamnan uses in final fantasy 12 is pretty baller. It's like a halo shaped blade on a stick that spins around.

That shit feels like an axe or halberd. With the round edge, it is guaranteed be used for swinging but not used like a spear, unless like the monk's spade.

You can also make up a weapon, but that requires having some real weapon knowledge. Otherwise, your made up weapon will just be crap.

An example of a well researched made up weapon would be the Igorot staff-ax that you can see my MC holding in the cover art of my book cover in my sig. (Yes, that is an ax she's holding. Yes, it looks like a mage's staff. That's very much on purpose.)

I like how the igorot axe has two faces, the thin face is not a spike (as intro-ed by Skallagrim) but rather like a phillip screw driver head that still cuts while the broad face is like kukri/ sickle like edge that ensures full blade contact.

 

[Ai-chan]

Eventually everything would become common weapons. There used to be a time when a pen was a unique weapon (not in the literary sense), but more and more fiction, such as James Bond made the pen become some kind of hidden weapon. So people now get bored with a pen weapon. So people look for other things, which hasn't been done yet, but it will also eventually be common.

There was a time when the kris, the kukri and the shawl were uncommon weapons, but now everyone knows them. Ai-chan suppose the only things that you can consider uncommon weapons are weapons do not carry on you, but grabbed from the environment, such as rocks, fallen branches, broken doors, roof tiles, salted fish.

Funny enough, a large, thin scaly fish, when splayed open and dried, is a very effective and light shield, if you do not remove the scales. It provides good protection against arrows, though higher power ranged weapons of above 50 pounds draw weight could still penetrate it at medium range.

 

[FGCCheckmate]

Cuz it is shit. What it gain in versatility it lose its main point, being a long stick with high transfer of momentum. Like the nunchucks, the joints mean that the strike force is dissipated via the joints and normal force.

It is like the whipsword from India, fancy as fuck, useless as shit.

That shit feels like an axe or halberd. With the round edge, it is guaranteed be used for swinging but not used like a spear, unless like the monk's spade.

I like how the igorot axe has two faces, the thin face is not a spike (as intro-ed by Skallagrim) but rather like a phillip screw driver head that still cuts while the broad face is like kukri/ sickle like edge that ensures full blade contact.

Make it fit the character. I've got a character that uses a sanjiegun because he's a martial arts master and uses it to impress people/handicap himself.
It's hard to find unique and effective weapons because it's hard to beat the versatility of stuff like swords and bows/arrows.

 

[NotaNuffian]

Make it fit the character. I've got a character that uses a sanjiegun because he's a martial arts master and uses it to impress people/handicap himself.
It's hard to find unique and effective weapons because it's hard to beat the versatility of stuff like swords and bows/arrows.

Well, here is some weirdass weapon from China, known as the Heaven and Earth/ Sun and Moon Dao,

it got intro-ed with the Bat'leth from Skallagrim and I had seen the actual weapon (the sun-moon) before in the court with said three sectional staff (I suck at it), the chain whip (I had to first aid a novice cuz he managed to cut his hands) and some tonfas.

All I could think of when I saw that weapon was, too stupid.

Unlike the hookswords that we get to play, the sun-moon blade forced you to use the weapons with both hands and basically acted as a double pointed spear. The stances it took were consisted of half squats, cudgel push and maybe reverse hand strikes because when you try to grip it with a standard two hand grip like how you do with a long sword, you get a sharp end pointing at yourself.

There happens to be a shitton of versions and all I can think of is how dumb it really is.

乾坤日月刀 - Google Search

 

[Carpio]

Well, here is some weirdass weapon from China, known as the Heaven and Earth/ Sun and Moon Dao,

sounds like something from china especially. Could've named it something cooler like Timmy

 

[BearlyAlive]

not really unique, but the walking stick/blade combo or the umbrella-gun are in serious need of representation. You could even forgo the blade part and just use the walking stick as a weapon.