Mace (AEG)

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==Mace==
The mace is a direct descendant of the basic club, being nothing more than a wooden club with a stone or iron head mounted on one end. The head design varies, with some being spiked, others flanged, and still others with pyramidical knobs.
The mace has existed since man began working with metal. The first maces were made in order to give the club wielder more power in his swing.
High-level priests, knights, and even paladins may have a personalized, decorated mace that serves primarily as a symbol of rank.
Since the mace is a weapon that requires very little in the way of specialized training, it is a favored weapon among goblins.
==Footman's Mace==
Footman's maces originated as heavy wooden truncheons, about two and a half feet in length and covered with iron studs. As time went by, flanged heads similar to the horsemen's mace were used instead. This mace is a two-handed weapon.
There are two different types of footman's maces: an emergency weapon made from materials at hand and thrown together by a blacksmith, and the maces made by professional weaponsmiths for troops. In order to reflect the difference between the two types, the homemade mace should be given a -1 penalty to attack and damage rolls.
The hasty, emergency maces are usually a wooden handle with any sort of metal head attached.
==Horseman's Mace==
The first horseman's maces were a wooden handle, about 18 inches long, with a leather wrist strap at the bottom of the handle so the weapon would not be dropped, and a metal head. As time progressed, knights preferred to have maces made entirely of metal.
The horseman's mace became an important weapon to the knight. Knights usually keep a mace slung over a hook on the saddlebow. Not surprisingly, an alternate name for the horseman's mace is the knight's mace. This type of mace is a one-handed weapon.
: "Maces are a step up from the basic club, and are a good weapon especially for priests who cannot use edged weapons. Adventurers may find that the horseman's mace is actually a good secondary weapon for a footman, though the reverse is certainly not true!
: "A mace is specially made for crushing things, especially helmets and armor."
:: — Brother "Helmsbane" Maynard
The Romans armed their allied auxiliaries with bronze-headed maces, although they never used maces themselves.
Two styles of mace head patterns emerged before the 14th century. The first was a ferrule from which extended knot or node-shaped pieces, and the second was a geometrically designed head with vanes (conical or diamond-shaped flanges).
Gothic influence in the 14th century made maces more decorative, a trend which ended in the 16th century, when maces were given a more military form. Eastern European maces, especially those from Poland and Hungary, had onion-shaped heads, an idea taken from the Turkish maces. Maces were used as a weapon up until the 18th century.
During the Middle Ages, arming oneself with a mace took on significance among nobles and army commanders. The mace became a preferred weapon among wealthy or illustrious users, and it became symbolic of power, wealth, and renown. These maces were shaped or decorated in a manner that represented the wielder. Thus, the owner of a mace became recognized as a person of prominence and rank, with the number of ribs and flanges on the mace indicating the owner's status.
==Morning Star==
The morning star is a wooden shaft topped with a metal head made up of a spiked iron sheath. Morning stars have an overall length of about four feet. Some such weapons have a round, oval, or cylindrical shaped head studded with spikes. Extending from most morning star heads, regardless of design, is a long point for thrusting.
The weapon is designed to allow the wielder to inflict greater damage with his swing.
The weighted, spiked head adds to this ability significantly.
Long-handled morning stars are used by foot soldiers, while the short-handled versions are used by horsemen. It is a very popular weapon due to its effectiveness and its simplicity of production.
The morning star traces its ancestry to the mace, which in turn traces its lineage back to the club.
Hobgoblins, a race that takes great delight in inflicting pain, often use morning stars.
Troglodytes use stone morning stars.
: "Morning stars are clubs with a real nasty attitude. They can cause as much damage to a man as a longsword, probably because of them spikes. I hear tell that the morning star is called a bludgeoning weapon as well as a piercing weapon, but tell me, have you ever seen a sharp spike hit someone at high speeds and have that called bludgeoning?"
:: — Suriel, Cleric of Tyr
The morning star was derived from the Swiss Morgenstern (literally: "morning star"), and was used during the 16th and 17th centuries, especially in England. The weapon had the perverse nickname of "holy water sprinkler."
The morning star was popular from the Middle Ages to the late 17th century, though its use continued among peasants and poor urban militiamen and gangs up to the 19th century.