Assurbanipal_II
Empress of the Four Corners of the World
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2019
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- 1,921
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Doesn’t change bad design. Fantasy worlds do even worse with swords. They’re weighty, they’re unwieldy, they require too much training.... and if your world has combat-capable magic in it: close combat itself is the dumbest thing you could do.
If you feel you *must* attempt close combat in such a setting: at that point you need speed above all. Spears win. Reach is greater, they’re lighter, they penetrate better, and they’ll stop a mage in his tracks.
If you’re doing some weird sneaky thing, better to do dagger. All you need against most mages is to skewer them through the neck, and if there’s healing magic in it: the spear easily stays inside them, while you retreat, or you can even throw it in the first place!
Until you’re getting freebie sword skills in a litRPG: you would do better in your fantasy world to use a spear for your close combat needs. Spears. Our first real weapons after ‘rocks’ and ‘big sticks’, still our best at doing what they’re supposed to: disincentivizing the enemy’s aggression, and killing them really well! :D
You have to differentiate between spears and spear formations. A single spear has drawbacks a sword doesn't due to its long reach. After all, there is a reason swords were preferred in duels.