Weapons

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## Melee Weapons

### Swords

“Who was the first that forged the deadly blade? Of rugged steel his savage soul was made.”  Tibullus

Quickly becoming the bread and butter of modern armies while the spear is showing it's age, it's versatile and deadly. The flexibility it allows armies has changed the way commanders look at the battlefield, from one of a defensive arrangement to offensive. Once the tip of the spear has been bypassed, it's unwieldy the sword has no such flaws. Still spears are cheap and effective while swords are expensive. The best warriors know and love both.

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### Spears

"How far Sparta's boundaries stretched?" "As far as this can reach" King Agesilaus, brandishing his spear

Man learned early on the potency of a simple sarpend stone attached to a stick, since then the spear has taken more lives than any other device man has created. While it's quickly being outpaced by the sword, it still has its place in the world. The Hellenic armies still war the way Phillip taught them and the spear will always find a place in armies that value quantity over quality.

### Axes

While lacking the finesse of swords or the reach of spears, no one can deny the raw killing power of an axe. Heavy and brutal, cleaving into targets and leaving huge wounds. Their slow and inaccurate but incredibly deadly.

### Polearms

While mainstays like the halberd had not yet come to be, their were still a variety of deadly pole arms in ancient times. Greeks and Romans alike came to fear the Falx wielding tribes of Dacia who it was reported could cleave a man in two in one stroke.

### Knives

The rogue's best friend, easily tucked into robes, and one dagger can and has chagned history many times. No knife is going to do too much against armor but someone who knows the body and it's weak points will never leave home with out it.

### Blunt Weapons

Sometimes you have no interest in making clean cuts into your victims, sometimes you want to smash them into bits. Break their bones, knock them down. Blunt weapons were used by all manner of "uncivilized" people to the Greeks and Romans but they were effective nonetheless. They are also used wildy by slave catchers as they didn't kill unless too much trauma was applied. Food for thought.

### Hand Weapons

Fist fighting doesn't just have to be with your fists you know. All manor studded gloves and eccentric bladed gauntlets exist and all give your punches an extra bit of pain. Popular with gladiators and warriors from the Indus, they might be rare and some are crude but you'll need every advantage you can get.

## Ranged Weapons

### Bows

'So the great soldier took his bow and bent it for the bowstring effortlessly. He drilled the axeheads clean, sprang, and decanted arrows on the door sill, glared, and drew again. This time he killed Antinous." Homer

While not as popular or as easy to use a sling, the bow used to dominate warfare while chariots rang supreme and now with the advent of horse archery, bows have become the nightmare weapon of slow moving armies. Some like the Cretans have proven themselves the masters of the bow, while other really on massed volleys to soften targets.

### Thrown

The tactic of skirmishing with javelins has gone been around for a long time. However the Iberians and their Roman copycats have learned that even the rank and file should carry a few throwing spears before the charge. Creating a deadly combo. Coming in all shapes and sizes, with new techniques that make it impossible to return fire, these weapons might not have the reach of the bow, but boy do they hit harder.

### Slings

How did mighty David defeat his colossal foe? With a magic sword? With giant artillery? No he used the humble sling, a potent and oft overlooked killing device that could outranged most bows. Rhodian & Balearic slingers were prized mercenaries all over the Mediterranean. Almost every army has a couple of regiments of these warriors.

### Crossbows

Still very much in their infancy but the mathematics are the greeks did conjure up giant killing machines, why not minaturise it. Very few of these machines exist and they are damn expensive but the ability to pass through the heaviest armor like it was cotton is a desired circumstance. They are fairly accurate but heavy and require a lot of focus to fire properly, but if you can find one, don't turn your nose at it.

### Throwing Blades

A well balanced dagger or dart can be lobbed with a degree of accuracy and hit with quite a punch. While they don't have the range of other ranged weapons, they are quieter and easily concealeable when one needs to look less dangerous. Larger throwing blades have found their place in the armies of the indus valley. Made en masse and thrown as such, these blades dig deep into their targets and penetrate armor easily.

## Magic Weapons

### Wands

A short instrument can be used by the budding magical user as a channel for their powers. Cheaper and lighter than other such conduits, more modern armies favor these as they can be massed produce for their battle mages. More serious wizards and witches will look down on these as a simpletons device but they can be just as dangerous as other things, given you know what your doing.

### Grimoire

Favored in Egypt and by the priest and priestesses of this world are scrolls and tombs inscribed with magically charged words. Some extremely light while other heavy as the largest weapons these conduits are rarer than wands and easier to use than instruments but can be quite expensive. Still the knowledge locked away in those pages can have quite the effect on others.

### Instruments

They say that music can hold a powerful sway over people, that it can force them to move uncontrollably or feel a certain way. Almost like magic. Powerful sorcerers often employ these conduits for their effects. Most armies will at minim bring a drum wizard to keep morale up in the heat of battle. One of the most powerful mages of all time, Orpheus used the lyre to control the masses. Also they sound nice.

### Rods

When you want a non-ornate, no fluff conduit that can still be effective as blunt weapon look no farther. Cheap and effective, even a foolish mage could use one. Plus when your spells fail and the enemies close in, a nice swipe with a rod may keep them back. Maybe.

### Sceptres

Ornate, opulent, and powerful. Restricted to the rich but loved by all magic users, especially the gods, these conduits are highly sought after. While fairly brittle and the fact that they make you a target for thieves looking for the next big score, you would be quite foolish to pass these up.

### Staffs

The heaviest of the magic conduits but with the longest range and power to boot, what self respecting wizard would leave home without one. Often a status symbol for the elite. The right hand of generals will almost always be carrying a staff and with it, the firestorms and mythical beasts spew forth to ravage the battlefield. Often the pharaohs of old would carry them and it is said that they could use them communicate with the divine.

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