Character Creation

Hello,

The name is Chip L and I am in the process of creating a new character. I had an idea for a different weapon design that I was thinking about, and was wondering if it would be legal or not. So the weapon idea is a hybrid war-hammer/battle-axe. It will have one side be a hammer head, while on the reverse side there will be an axe blade. In principle, it would have a similar design to a gravity hammer from the Halo series, but much shorter and having a smaller head. Is this weapon allowed or not? Please help.

Hi, Chip!

The best answer I can give is that any weapon brought to Knight Realms, will have to be safety-checked by a Rules Marshal.

There are general guidelines for creating boffer weapons here on our website:
www.knightrealms.com/game-play/weapons-a...-boffer-weapons.html


-Jeff

Speaking as a Logistics Marshal...

The other problem, from a logistics perspective is what to call this?
Would it be a blunt weapon? An edged weapon? Long enough to be considered a pole arm? And then the question also is what weapon skills do you need to use it?

[Rules clarification] - you could make it that way as long as it meets the weapon construction requirements. However, you need to choose if it's going to be an edged weapon or blunt weapon. If it's long enough to qualify as a polearm, that is an option as well. Each weapon can only be categorized as one type.

Alright, with that out of the way, I have another question to ask. I have read the page about how to make a boffer weapon and have an idea that I want to try. I just want to know if I am allowed to use a harder type of foam for the core of the axe blade and then surround it in a layer of softer foam? Is this legal?

While possible, it depends on the foam being used. If you have a link tot he foam you are planning on using for the core, some of our marshals that have built weapons with it may be able to give you a more definitive answer on the density of it. However, with all weapons, they need to be evaluated in person before being brought into game.

In terms of armor, do I need to acquire a skill to use it or can I start out with whatever armor I want? I know not full metal plate armor, but leather armor like pauldrons and bracers.

To wear armor, you do not need a certain skill to wear it. However, it does need to be looked over much as a weapon would, to determine how much armor it would grant. You will be given item cards for your armor made with basic materials.

There are also skills, such as Armor Efficiemncy, that boost the amount of armor points you receive from your armor.

Another new question: I am in the process of finishing my axe weapon, but I m concerned about the whip of it. I looked on the website to try and reduce it, but I am having a hard time telling if it is good or not. So, when i hold it in two hand and shake the head, it still wiggles some. Is this OK for the weapon? If not is it possible for me to fill the PVC core with some other material to make it more stiff?

Hit something the way it is ment to be swing, and swing it in the air using the intended grip. A little whip usually passes, but if it isn't too knowtesable you should be fine.

I'm not a rules marshal in any way, but I was told it's fine to comment on the NP forms for things like this. I would like to mention that the weapon will need to be looked at on site by a safety marshal before it can be used IG. Be sure in advance it has sufficient padding. I like to get my roommates to hit me with the weapons I make to test them. Take attention to the areas where the core ends and make sure they are safe, but ya I hope I helped.

If you want to talk more about making weapons feel free to talk to me at the event. I'm going to be set up selling some things I made this time around. ( first time doing this *crosses fingers )

If you don't find me there ask around for the guy who plays Moostrav.. I think people know my pic more than me lol I'm fairly new too.

ALSO if ig you are having trouble finding things to do, and one of the lovely np marshals are no where in sight. Feel free to say hi to my character... I always have something I'm working on.

Thank you very much, Jacob!


I'll just add that Knight Realms has a lightest touch combat system, meaning you should be swinging more like you're twirling a flag and less like you're swinging a baseball bat. That may help with the whippiness.

The real trick with combat in this game is taking the time to learn to swing a half-pound length of foam as if it were a 3-to-7-pound length of steel and/or wood, while still being safe. Granted, an approved weapon isn't going to hurt much even if you hit with it as hard as you can, but it can knock someone off-balance. Depending on conditions (how icy/muddy/rocky the ground is, how dark it is, how chaotic the scene is), this can be a lot more dangerous than it seems. That's why it's best to treat them like they're actually dangerous in their own right. Plus, this feeds back into your roleplay!

So pick it up and pretend it's the real thing, and then swing. Pull your blow just before you hit your target (either real or imaginary). Does it keep moving and therefore hit the target with more force than you intended? If yes, it may not be approved. (I would say "probably," but I have only ever seen one sword that wouldn't get approved, and that's not a great baseline to judge from.)

It's also worth it to mention that the best combatants in this game are almost exclusively the ones who take the time to RP everything about their combat. They're the ones who aren't so concerned about spamming hits in the hope that something goes through, which means they actually pay attention to technique.

I'd like to correct that second statement, if I may. Approved weapons can absolutely still cause significant pain or bruising if swung full force. Understanding that and monitoring your swings is integral to being a safe combatant. We help each other out by letting people know after a fight if they need to scale it back a little - for any number of reasons from getting caught up in the moment to winter air making the foam on a weapon harder than usual - and checking on anyone you think may have caught a harder hit than you intended. Acknowledging that there is still a degree of danger and potential for injury by carefully observing safety guidelines is what makes said risks acceptable and frees us up to take more IG risks by running into the fray.

I second crystal. Even approved weapons can cause bruising or injury. I was sparring a friend and he didn't pull his blows and I ended up getting hit hard enough to cause a vein in my leg to collapse then burst. I've also gotten a concussion from someone who swung hard and hit my head.

If someone you're fighting stops and says "pull your blows", just be aware of how hard you're hitting and adjust. In turn, if you find you're in pain when someone is hitting you, point it out to them. Winter weather especially is tough on foam weapons and makes them harder than normal, but some weapons are softer by nature.

Grigori wrote:
So pick it up and pretend it's the real thing, and then swing. Pull your blow just before you hit your target (either real or imaginary). Does it keep moving and therefore hit the target with more force than you intended? If yes, it may not be approved. (I would say "probably," but I have only ever seen one sword that wouldn't get approved, and that's not a great baseline to judge from.)

Please do not spread information based in personal experience and/or rumor. I personally have not allowed homemade and even professionally made weapons several times a year during my course as a LM.

I take the safety of the players very seriously and do my best to make sure that all weapons and armor are safe for not only you but other players. A good rule of thumb, have your friend hit you with it at roughly the strength that you'll be swinging the weapon. Then ask the following questions:

Did it hurt? If so, it most likely will not get approved.
Did the phys-rep break?(the foam didn't hold and the core pushed through, etc.) Make it better because that won't get approved.

Do you refuse to get hit with your own weapon? Then don't even bring it to the game. Because if you don't want to be hit with it, why would another player.

Hope this clears things up.