Broadsword

A broadsword is defined as a broad bladed dual-edged sword. Broadswords are generally 35 to 42 inches long with a blade over one and a half inches thick. Broadswords are designed to slash an unarmored target or to bludgeon armored opponents.

Construction

The broadsword consists of two main parts, the blade and the hilt.

• Blade

The blade consists of a foible and a forte. Sometimes a fuller (sometimes, inaccurately, called a blood groove) will run along the length of the blade, usually ending half way down the foible, though the fuller is not as common on broadswords as other types of swords due to the reduction in weight. The foible also contains the tip. When constructing the blade, a tang (fifth definition) usually extends into the hilt.

• Hilt

The hilt is made up of three parts: the quillions or guard, the grip, and the pommel. The guard and grip fit over the tang, and the pommel was usually attached to the tang to hold the quillions and handle in place. The pommel also acted as a counterweight to the blade.

Other Names

Acceptable nouns for a broadsword include a carp’s tongue, a flyssa, a goliah, a katzbalger, a machera, a palache, a schiavona, a seax, a spadroon, a spatha, a talon sword, and a xiphos.

Game Mechanics

Broadswords are on the high end of the damaging weapons in the Edged Weapons skill.

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
Broadsword	DF	.450	.300				.250				.225				.200				5	4	Slash/Puncture/Crush	75/160
	AvD	36	36	35	34	33	36	34	32	30	37	33	29	25	36	30	24	18

Related Articles

• Forging - Player forged weapons gain a 2%, 4%, or 6% bonus to AvD and DF, depending on the quality.
• Edged Weapons - This skill is required to wield a broadsword.

References

• Wikipedia article on Broadswords
• Simutronics documentation on Broadswords