Short sword

A short sword is a one-handed edge weapon similar in construction to a longsword, except, as its name implies, is shorter. Generally made with a two foot long blade and a grip made to only fit one hand, short swords are very common weapons and are often referred to as "common swords." A short sword has no particularly defining features, other than a short double-edged flat blade. While not particularly effective against heavily armored targets their light weight and speed can prove useful against certain foes. Although short swords are primarily thrusting weapons they can still inflict, in addition to puncture injuries, slash and crush damage.

Construction

The short sword consists of two major parts: the blade and the hilt.

Blade

Similar to the longsword, a short sword's blade is divided into the forte and foible. The blade, unlike with a longsword, is usually completely sharpened, from the base of the crossguard to the tip. A short sword does not usually have a fuller due to the sword's already small size. A tang extends from the blade through the hilt. The blade is always double-edged, and since short swords are primarily thrusting weapons, the blade tends to be thicker than a longsword's blade.

Hilt

The hilt consists of the crossguard or quillions, grip, and pommel. The crossguard is used for protecting the hand, trapping the opponent's blade, or to prevent slipping. The pommel acts as a counter-weight and secures the grip to the blade via the tang.

Alternate Names

A short sword was very common and used by many cultures. The weapon evolved greatly over time and therefore, essentially, the same weapon has been known by many different names. The currently acceptable nouns in GemStone are:

• antler sword Alterations Only
• braquemar Alterations Only
• baselard Alterations Only
• chereb General Use
• coustille Alterations Only
• gladius General Use
• kris General Use
• kukri Alterations Only
• sica Alterations Only
• wakizashi General Use
• Backslasher
• Niima's-embrace

Game Mechanics

Use: One-handed

Short swords are mid-range weapons that balance power and speed. Not as strong as a longsword, not as fast as a rapier, they fit a nice medium.

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
Short sword	DF	.350	.240				.200				.150				.125				3	3	Slash/Puncture/Crush	70/185
	AvD	40	36	35	34	33	30	28	26	24	25	21	17	13	25	19	13	7

The standard short sword has a weight of 4 lbs.

Note: To edit this table go to Template:Weapon table short sword

Resources

• Edged Weapons
• Forging - Player forged weapons gain a 2%, 4%, or 6% bonus to DF and +1, +2, or +3 to AvD, depending on the quality.
• Official Documentation >> Short Sword
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_sword