Japanese Melee Weapons
Aiguchi: A short, single-edged, slightly-curved knife with no guard.
Ashiko/ Shuko: Ninja climbing claws consisting of leather or metal band from which several short spikes or claws project to provide extra purchase on the surface being climbed. Ashiko are worn on the feet, shuko on the hands, and both can enhance an unarmed strike with their spikes.
Bo: A normal fighting staff.
Bokken: A sturdy, blunt wooden practice katana.
Eku: A fisherman’s wooden oar, a wooden stave usually 5 to 6 feet in length, nearly half the length of which is a slender, flat wooden paddle. This Okinawan device is used like a bo, though the paddle also lends itself to blunt chopping blows.
Hachiwara: Somewhat akin to the jitte and sai, the hachiwara is a curved iron bar tapering to a point, a small metal hook projecting from the base of the bar just above the hilt, typically used in the wielder’s off-hand as a parrying device.
Hari: A hari is a long, slim pin resembling the pins used by women to keep their hair in place. Kunoichi use hari not only for this mundane function, but also as handy weapons for throwing and stabbing.
Jitte: Common among doshin, the jitte, also called a jutte, is a slim, 18-inch metal baton with a single large parrying hook at the top of the hilt, designed to parry and trap attacking weapons.
Jo: The jo is a heavy, katana-length wooden baton, wielded using both hands.
Jumonji Yari: The jumonji yari is a spear with two forward facing blades projecting from the base of the spearhead, creating a vaguely trident-like array.
Kaginawa: More a tool than a weapon, the kaginawa is a simple iron grappling hook attached to a length of cord suitable for climbing. Ninja also commonly use it as a weapon, swinging the grappling hook in deadly arcs or using the cord to entangle.
Kakute: The kakute is a favored weapon of the kunoichi, a simple metal ring worn on the finger, adorned with one or two small spikes or blades, worn reversed to conceal the blades or spikes. It is used to scratch a victim, usually delivering whatever poison it has been coated with.
Kama: Derived from the Okinawan peasant sickle, the kama has a short wooden shaft topped with a slightly curved, single-edged blade set at a 90-degree angle to the shaft.
Kamayari: A common spear derivation, the kamayari features one or two kama blades at the base of the spearhead, forming backwards facing hooks. Used during boarding actions to pull vessels closer, to hook over obstacles to provide means of climbing, and to hook opponents.
Katana: The katana is the quintessential samurai sword, a slightly curved, slim, singlededged cutting sword designed to be wielded with both hands. Carried with the wakizashi as “Daisho” (Long and Short), the samurai caste’s badge of office.
Kogatana: A small knife kept in a pocket on the side of the saya (scabbard) of the occasional katana or wakizashi, the kogatana is a utility blade that can also be easily thrown and is often fitted with a kozuka (decorative hilt).
Kubikiri: An unusual knife similar in size to the tanto and aiguchi, the kubikiri has a blunt tip and curved blade, unusual in that its cutting edge is on the inside of the curve. It is traditionally used to cut the head from a slain opponent, the bundori, for use as a trophy.
Kunai: The kunai is a device of the ninja, a cheap, elementary knife with a leaf-shaped blade and small, cord-wrapped handle. It is suitable for use in melee, thrown, or as a general utility knife and tool suitable for hammering, digging, lashing to poles, and the like.
Kusari-Gama: The kusari-gama is a combination weapon, attaching a length of weighted chain to a kama, creating a weapon that can be used to entangle and strike.
Kwaiken: A small, elegant tanto carried by many female courtiers, and is usually reserved for use in seppuku.
Kyoketsu-Shogi: A ninja tool and weapon, the kyoketsu-shogi is a large knife of poor manufacture with a straight blade and hooked blade at its base. Attached to the bottom of the hilt is a 12-foot length of cord weighted with an iron ring. It serves as a crude kusari-gama or grappling hook and cord depending on need.
Manriki-Kusari: This basic weapon is a length of chain, weighted on each end, used to entangle and strike.
Masakari: The masakari is a simple handaxe often used by yamabushi.
Nagamaki: This polearm is a katana-like blade with a 30-inch hilt.
Naginata: This polearm was favored by samurai-ko and monks, and is a wooden stave topped with a wakizashi-like cutting blade.
Nekote: The “cat’s claws” favored by kunoichi, nekote are short, sharp metal claws attached to leather bands, one worn on each finger, enabling the wearer to slash and claw with their fingertips. They are sometimes dipped in poison prior to use.
Ninja-To: The ninja-to, the sword of the ninja, is much like a poor quality katana. However, it may have an enlarged tsuba (handguard) that allows it to be used as a step, a removable cap on the end of the saya so it can be used as a snorkel, a small hidden compartment in the handle, and often has climbing cord wrapped around the saya.
No Dachi: A greatsword, the no dachi looks like a much enlarged katana, five-foot in length.
Nunchaku: Among the most famous of martial arts weapons, the Okinawan nunchaku is formed from two short wooden batons, connected by a short length of doubled cord or chain.
Nunti: A rare weapon identical in purpose to the sai and jitte, the nunti is a metal bar a foot and a half long, tapered at both ends, two prongs projecting from its center in opposite directions. Either end may be held or used to attack or defend with. Some nunti are affixed to the tops of staves (Nunti-Bo). It is sometimes referred to as a manji sai.
Nunti-Bo: A nunti affixed to the top of a staff, the nunti-bo is a rare weapon, a crude device used to disarm attackers like a sai or jitte, but with the benefit of extra reach.
Ono: The ono is a basic poleaxe, a single axehead affixed to the top of a stout stave, and is often favored by yamabushi.
Rochin: An Okinawan short spear typically between 1 and 2 feet in length, the rochin is a simple wooden shaft fitted with a small metal spear head, and is almost always used in conjunction with the tinbe, wielded as a melee weapon, but also balanced for throwing.
Sai: Identical to the jitte in all ways, save for having two parrying prongs rather than one, the Okinawan sai is commonly used in pairs.
Sansetsukon: This is a typical three-section staff that combines three longer batons of wood in the same way the famous nunchaku combines two.
Sasumata: The “man catcher” is a weapon often wielded by doshin to subdue rowdy or violent lawbreakers. It is a stout stave with a broad, Y-shaped end that could be used to push back or restrain opponents. The Y-shaped end was sometimes barbed and hooked so as to make it harder to escape.
Shakujo: The shakujo is an ornamental staff carried by some Buddhist priests, the top of the staff affixed with a decorative metal ring from which six metal rings hang and rattle.
Shinai: The shinai is a bamboo katana used in the martial art of Kendo.
Sodegarami: The “sleeve entangler” was used by doshin. It is a stout pole, sometimes T-shaped, the end of which was festooned with barbs and hooks that could be used to catch on an opponent’s clothing, hindering them.
Suruchin: Simple and easily made, the suruchin is a short length of rough rope with a small rock or pebble lashed at each end creating a crude and less durable device similar to the manriki-kusari.
Tanto: The archetypal Japanese knife, singleedged, slightly-curved, and with a small tsuba(handguard).
Tekko: Used to reinforce a punch, the tekko is a basic fistload, be it a set of “brass knuckles” made of carved wood, iron, or bone, or simply an iron horseshoe, one half held in the palm, the other projecting over the knuckles.
Tessen: Combat-worthy fans including the Sensu, a folding, metal ribbed, silk-covered fan, and the Gunsen, a rigid, paddle-like fan also used as a signalling device by samurai commanders. Some tessen were simply wooden batons carved to look like folded fans.
Tetsubo: This large, two-handed club resembles an oversized baseball bat reinforced with studded iron strips.
Tonfa: The tonfa is an Okinawan creation, a rice mill handle that resembles a wooden baton with a short handle attached. It is often used in pairs, and is the inspiration for the “nightstick” carried by some modern police forces.
Wakizashi: Carried as part of a samurai’s Daisho, the wakizashi resembles a katana but is much shorter, and is often used as a backup weapon.
Yari: The Japanese spear, a wooden stave mounted with a straight, double-edged knifelike blade, used by ashigaru and samurai alike.
Non-Bow/Crossbow Japanese Ranged Weapons
Fukiya: A blowpipe used by ninja to fire poisoned darts, often made from a hollowed out length of bamboo.
Shuriken: Famous “throwing stars” of the ninja, shuriken include stars, discs, and darts, and are commonly used to discourage pursuers.
Uchi-Ne: The uchi-ne is a throwing dart used by some samurai, typically a foot long, a stout wooden shaft affixed with a sharpened metal head several inches in length. To stabilize the dart in flight the shaft is often affixed with feathers, or a fur tassel at the base of the head. It can also be held and used to stab.
I can provide similar details for weaponry from India (Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh), Hawaii, Indonesia, etc. too.
Now, some Template Notes
Assassin - Bounty Hunter
Shouldn’t the BH’s “curved sword” be noted as being a type of short sword (as the various scimitars, yataghans, etc. are all gathered together under the short sword entry)?
Fighter - Thug
I’d probably replace the morning star here with a plain old club and dagger, the two weapons most associated with thugs.
Fighter - Ravager
A saexe is not a “hand axe”; it’s a “dagger” (though some were long and heavy enough to fall under “short sword”). As you’re obviously going for an Anglo-Saxon or Viking-styled theme here, I’d replace “double-bladed great axe” with “long bearded axe” too.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saex
Fighter - Gladiator
Style-wise, I’d replace “gilded swords” with “gilded short swords”.
Fighter - Legionary
Again, I’d replace “military-issue sword” with “military-issue short sword” as the legionary fighting style effectively prohibited the use of longer-bladed swords.
More to come.
Mystic Templates
- Replace all instances of “bo stick” with just “bo” (or “bo staff” if you really have to).
- Replace all instances of “chakra” with “chakram”.
- Consider replacing “dragon crescent blade”, “coiling dragon staff”, and “willow leaf sabers” with appropriate real weapons from the list of Chinese weapons I provided above. For instance, you might use “Dragon Whisker Fork”, “Seven-Section Whip”, and “Swallow Tail Broadsword” instead.
Just saw the Nomad entry in the Shaman templates, so can see keeping the Short Sword for bedouin-style tribes too. Ignore that prior note.
As you’re including horse- and camel-mounted nomads though, you definitely need to include the short bow and compound bow in the Shaman class’ list of permitted weapons.
Colin
Funny, I’d want to go the other way. Replace all instances of “bo stick” with “staff”, and “chakram” with “specialized throwing weapon”, or an entirely fictional name, like “Jade Blossom Knife”.
Real-world references in names ground things in a bad way for me – if the class was actually a Sufi class, then chakram would make sense. Since it’s not… yuck.
Plus, cheap orientalism is not only cheap… it’s orientalism.
The only issue with using “made up names” is that then necessitates some kind of description/explanation as to what a “golden lizard dagger” looks like, and that’s wasted space, imo.
So, I’d either say stick to the generic weapon names (short sword, dart, pole arm, etc.) or use real world ones, but use them correctly. I’d be happy with either, to be honest, and I’ve used both approaches myself such as when I revised the d20 D&D classes for the Iron Kingdoms (in Lock & Load), helped revise some class elements in Castles & Crusades, etc. Heck, in my own Atomic Highway RPG, I went the generic entry route rather than specifics (whereas in Secrets of the Surface World for Hollow Earth Expedition, I went into serious real world detail).
Colin
In the interests of the generic approach, here are the principle weapons used that would probably form the list of a revised Mystic:
Club, Dagger, Dart, Flail, Great Axe, Hand Axe, Mace, Morning Star, Pole Arm, Short Sword, Spear, Staff, Sword, Two-Handed Sword, Whip
Use those and you’ve covered the bases of nearly all the martial arts-style weapons anyway.
Colin
I don’t have an issue with “cheap orientalism” (let’s face it, D&D and its spin-offs have always been a melange of cheap occidentalism and orientalism pop culture, rife with mish-mashes, inaccuracies and anachronisms), but it occurs to me that there might be some disconnect. On one hand, many of the templates are generic, but on the other, a lot are obviously campaign specific. The Mystic templates seem to be neither one nor the other.
Colin
I prefer the use of made-up names to real-world terms, but overall I think the generic terms would make the mystics less culturally bound e.g. If I wanted to play a mystic in a faux-European setting and I’ve carrying a Bo while everyone else has a staff. I wouldn’t want every mystic to have to be a foreigner.
I suppose if you’re visualising mystics as having lived a sheltered life in ancient secluded monsteries bound my reverance to the past you can argue they’re have weird weapons from another age.
Assassin - Bounty Hunter: Shouldn’t the BH’s “curved sword” be noted as being a type of short sword (as the various scimitars, yataghans, etc. are all gathered together under the short sword entry)?
APM: It’s not intended to be a scimitar or other short sword. It’s a sword (capable of being wielded one or two handed) that happens to be curved. I didn’t want to call it a katana, but that’s what I was envisioning.
Fighter - Thug
I’d probably replace the morning star here with a plain old club and dagger, the two weapons most associated with thugs.
APM: In ACKS, a morning star includes any clubs designed exclusively for two-handed use. It’s a big club. I can change the template to say “huge club” and then note that a huge club is a morning star, I guess.
Fighter - Ravager
A saexe is not a “hand axe”; it’s a “dagger” (though some were long and heavy enough to fall under “short sword”). As you’re obviously going for an Anglo-Saxon or Viking-styled theme here, I’d replace “double-bladed great axe” with “long bearded axe” too.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saex
APM: Good catch. The weapon I was actually thinking of is the francisca. I’ll fix that.
Fighter - Gladiator
Style-wise, I’d replace “gilded swords” with “gilded short swords”.
APM: His swords are not short swords.
Fighter - Legionary
Again, I’d replace “military-issue sword” with “military-issue short sword” as the legionary fighting style effectively prohibited the use of longer-bladed swords.
APM: The Auran legionaries use swords, not short swords. Auran legionaries fight in wider formation than Roman legionaries because of the threat of magic.
As you’re including horse- and camel-mounted nomads though, you definitely need to include the short bow and compound bow in the Shaman class’ list of permitted weapons.
APM: Alsas, no can do. I’m working with a fixed total number of weapon slots available to the Shaman (based on the Character Creation rules), so that would only be possible by removing some of the other weapons from the list. Moreover, I think giving the Shaman access to the bow would tip the balance of the class to be too powerful relative to, e.g., the Cleric. Shaman + wolf companion + composite bow would be a World of Warcraft Hunter, not what is intended.
About the mystic, what a controversy!
My intent with the mystic class is: (1) they primarily come from Somirea (which is Indo-Persian in aesthetic) and (2) they use weird, exotic weapons, all of which really existed.
The weapons on the list that you think are made-up, such as “dragon crescent blade”, “coiling dragon staff”, and “willow leaf sabers”, are word-for-word translations of names for actual Chinese weapons. I didn’t use the Chinese names because I didn’t want to suggest a specifically Chinese background. I though the names used were visually evocative and told a story as to what the weapon looked like.
For the Chakram, I used the actual name because (1) the Mystic in-campaign comes from an Indo-Persian culture, and (2) since Xena uses a Chakram, the weapon has passed into the generic fantasy vocabulary just as “katana” has. I could call it a “throwing disc” but then people will ask why I didn’t call it a chakram, or why they’re fighting with a frisbee.
As far as bo stick, it’s not either a proper Japanese or Chinese name for the weapon, being really an English hodgepodge word. That said, everyone knows what a bo stick is, and why it’s different from an English quarterstaff.
I’m not 100% happy with the outcome and happy to develop a more consistent approach but the above should at least outline the thinking.
APM: Assassin - Bounty Hunter
It’s not intended to be a scimitar or other short sword. It’s a sword (capable of being wielded one or two handed) that happens to be curved. I didn’t want to call it a katana, but that’s what I was envisioning.
CC: Hmm, if you want to avoid the name “katana” and its associated baggage, how about the Turkish-originated “kilij”? It would fit the Auran setting better, and is a truly lethal weapon.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilij
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikVMXhcjbYc - Kilij in action
APM: Gladiator and Legionary are Auran-specific takes
CC: Aha, cool, it wasn’t clear that they were specifically Auran rather than more generic templates.
APM: Mystic Templates are primarily Indo-Persian.
CC: If you’re going for a heavy Indo-Persian vibe with them (including keeping the Chakram named as such), would you prefer weapon alternatives that are less clearly Chinese in aesthetic name-wise? Let’s face it, the moment you find a weapon called a “dragon this” or “willow leaf that”, you’ve obviously entered Chinese weapon-naming territory, so you’ve got a mish-mash of Japanese/Okinawan, Indian, and translated Chinese weapon names all in the same entries that are supposed to be Indo-Persian themed.
Some of the weapons used in Gatka, Kalaripayattu, and Shastar Vidya are very cool, not to mention historical weapons used by the likes of the Mughals. Some suggestions:
- “Bo Stick”: Replace with “Lathi” (it’s still a fighting staff, just using the Hindi term)
- “Willow Leaf Sabers”: There are all sorts of beautiful Indo-Persian curved swords that could’ve been used here, but they’ve all been listed as “Short Swords” in ACKS, and the WLS is described as a “Sword”. So, how about replacing the WLS with the exotic Indian “Khanda” sword (which would fit more appropriately under the normal “Sword” entry as well)?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khanda_(sword) - “Dragon Crescent Blade”: Could be replaced with “Trishula” (an Indian trident-like bladed pole arm).
- “Coiling Dragon Staff”: Could be replaced with the “Cumberjung” double-ended Indian flail.
http://blog.royalarmouries.org/2011/08/05/quoit-dangerous/
Having the Lathi, Chakram, Khanda, Trishula, and Cumberjung unifies things nicely and really helps get across the Indo-Persian aesthetic.
cheers!
Colin
Colin - these are great suggestions, thank you. I’ll follow up on the links you provided and incorporate them into the next iteration.
I deeply appreciate the time and effort you went in to on the forum posts above to provide those weapon descriptions. As you may have gathered from the Weapon Descriptions in the Core Rules of ACKS, I enjoy working out which historical weapons equate to which ACKS weapons.
OMG - not only do the templates make ACKS a bit WFRP (Dwarven Pest Controller with Terriers!), now it’s getting a bit Tunnels & Trolls with the exotic weapons. Taking other rpgs and robbin’ their stuff = excellent !
No worries, mate. I’m a big nut about historical and cultural weaponry and MArts, and being in the UK I’ve had the fortune to be able to watch displays of various Indian martial arts. I was tickled pink to see the illo. of the fighter wielding a pair of pata-like gauntlet swords on page 239. The pic on page 208 has also inspired me to put together an optional random Drunken Debauchery table to part characters from their hard-earned treasure. Results such as:
40 - I Here Swear! You made a foolish pledge, loudly and in public to do something potentially dangerous. Roll 1d6: 1-2 = Clear Nearest Monster Den/Ruin, 3-4 = Bring Down Local Bandits/Thieves/Thugs, 5-6 = Steal Valuable From Important Local (Roll as in Dangerous Liaison! to determine who).
41 - Just Married! You wake up to find someone claiming to be your new wife/husband! Roll 1d6: 1-2 = Attractive, 3-4 = Average, 5 = Ugly, 6 = Pass the bucket! Judge also secretly rolls 1d6: 1-3 = It’s a con attempt, 4-6 = It’s true.
42 - My Land! You gambled/spent all of your loot and acquired the deeds to something! Roll 1d6: 1-2 = Disreputable Inn, 3 = Nearest Ruin, 4 = Plot of Wildland, 5-6 = Run-Down Farm. Judge secretly rolls 1d6: 1-4 = It’s a fake, 5-6 = It’s legitimate.
43-44 - My Precious! You spent half of your loot on a truly gaudy but otherwise unremarkable item. Roll 1d6: 1 = Armour, 2 = Garment, 3-4 = Jewellery Piece, 5 = Shield, 6 = Weapon. Actual item should be determined by Judge based on amount spent, cost of such items, and the character’s preferences.
It’s a very early draft, but you get the idea.
Colin
Nice!
Knowing my players, I’d get a lot of use out of that.
Regarding “charkam” v. “chakra”, E. Jaiwant Paul, Arms and Armour: Traditional Weapons of India lists the plural of chakram as chakra. I’ve switched to “chakram” for now but I’m quite confused.
Here are the weapons that will appear in the next iteration of the mystic:: The lathi (“stick”) is a type of staff. The chakram (“war ring”) is a type of dart. The trishula (“triple spear”) is a type of pole arm. The cumberjung (“double-ended flail”) is a type of flail. The khanda (“destroyer”) is a type of sword. The chuttuval (“coiling sword”) is a type of whip. The haladie (“double bladed dagger”) is a type of short sword. The bagh nakh (“tiger’s claws”) is a type of dagger. The barcha is a type of spear. The tulwar is a type of short sword.
That said, the names are so foreign to most readers that I might switch them to their English translations.
For example, what would you prefer to see:
Urumi, pair of haladie, pair of bagh nakh, grey robe with hood, leather belt, low boots, backpack, 2 week’s iron rations, 2 doses of giant centipede poison, 10gp
Coiling sword, pair of double-bladed daggers, pair of tiger’s claws, grey robe with hood, leather belt, low boots, backpack, 2 week’s iron rations, 2 doses of giant centipede poison, 10gp