Sai

The Sai is a small weapon of oriental orgin which has been added into GemStone with the addition of the Erithian race.

Construction

The sai is a weapon consisting of a shaft with a sharpened point, a grip, and a pair of upswept wings, or prongs, that are simular to a crossguard. The joint between the shaft and the wings is called the wing base. The area of the shaft below the tip and above the wing base is often called the "strike point" and the bottom of the grip is called the pommel. Contrary to popular culture, sais are not traditionally sharpened.

A jitte is simular to a sai, but differs in construction in that it only has one wing.

Uses

The sai has often been said to once be an agricultural tool. Although, this may or may not be true in the real world, that is the story of the Sai in GemStone. In Japan, the sai was a weapon used in law enforcement, more often in the form of a jitte. Sais were usually used in threes, one in each hand and one carried in the belt, in case one of the sais were disarmed or thrown. When used as a thrown weapon, the sai had a lethal range of 20-30 feet. The heavy iron construction of a sai gave it enough weight to punch a hole in armor.

Sais were effective against long blades, as a skilled user could catch a blade and snap it with just the twist of the hand. In GemStone, the defensive nature of the weapon is displayed in the fact that it gives +10 to a character's Defensive Strength when held in the off-hand.

Game Mechanics

Sais are defensive weapons, like the main gauche, and effective against chainmail. They give a +10 bonus to DS when held in the off-hand.

Weapon	AG	Cloth	Leather				Scale				Chain				Plate				RT	Min RT	Damage Type	STR/DU
	AsG	1	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20
Sai	DF	.250	.200				.110				.150				.040				2	3	Puncture	25/175
	AvD	30	31	30	29	28	25	23	21	19	33	29	25	21	6	0	-6	-12

Alternate Names

The jitte, as mentioned above. Simular in construction to a sai, except there is only one wing that branches off the shaft just above the grip.

Related Articles

• Forging - Sais can be forged. They are the newest addition to the forging system.
• Brawling - The skill required to use a sai effectively.

References

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sai_(weapon)
• http://www.play.net - The official GSIV website.