Bastard Complete Edition Vol 01 21
Srikanth Fonseca
Those among you familiar with swords in real life might know that longswords and bastard swords are kind of the same thing. Comprising the so called hand-and-a-half swords that have historically been used primarily in two hands, but can at least hypothetically be wielded in one hand.
So I've heard people say that what we call a longsword in Pathfinder would rather be an arming sword (or knights sword), a sword which actually is designed for one-handed use. But remember that a longsword can still be used two-handed in Pathfinder to get an extra .5 STR bonus to damage. An arming sword would have to short a handle to really make use of a second hand on the weapon.
So I put it to you, should you even care, that the longsword is actually meant to be what we historically know as a typical longsword, while the bastard sword is meant to be a larger version of the longsword, such as the claymore. They just wanted a broader term for it than "claymore" (which incidentally is also the name of a broad-bladed, basket hilt sword from a later era in history).
But so what? Pathfinder is not anywhere near accurate on weapon descriptions or mechanics. Crossbows are far more deadly in RL than they are in game. Properly fitted and strapped Heavy armor does not slow your movement or impact your ability to do acrobatics.
Don't look to the weapon tables for historical accuracy. What he said. Also keep in mind that the same name will frequently be applied weapons of varying length.Also keep in mind that this isn't a simulation game, this is a game descended from miniatures war-gaming when character speed used to be measured in inches on a mat board. Which is why First Edition speeds on characters and monsters were listed as inches.
Game terms are based much more on what D&D has used than on things that existed on earth. In my head canon i replaced the word Falchion in all game instances with Kriegsmesser ages ago. Studded Leather is also Brigandine. Examples and reclassification are throughout the books. just go with it i guess, Golarion history and nomenclature isnt earth's.
Yes I realize that weapon naming is not to be taken for historical accuracy, but what I'm trying to say is that you can liken the longsword to its historical counterpart and the bastard sword to the claymore and other similarly sized swords. The same goes for 3rd edition.
But so what? Pathfinder is not anywhere near accurate on weapon descriptions or mechanics. Crossbows are far more deadly in RL than they are in game. Properly fitted and strapped Heavy armor does not slow your movement or impact your ability to do acrobatics. Yes but at the same time you can say a fantasy hero can wield a claymore in one hand with the exotic weapon proficiency feat. I mean that feat lallows you to wield nonsense like spiked chains and two-bladed swords, so why not a claymore in one hand? AUC.register('auc_MessageboardPostRowDisplay'); AjaxBusy.register('masked', 'busy', 'auc_MessageboardPostRowDisplay', null, null) Torbyne Nov 3, 2015, 10:33 am true. the point i was going for was more of, you can liken just about anything to what you like to better fit your personal theme for the game. Falchions can be giant scimatars or messers or hugely oversized anime swords depending on your preference. i find people rarely visualize the game to historical models, most people i've met who descried their equipment have some sort of compromise for theme. personally i wouldnt compare the longsword to a basket hilted claymore. and i think of rapiers as side swords or other cut and thrust options even if they dont have slashing damage. If you want later period flair in your game i wouldnt stop you.
I've even seen 'longsword' refer to ... well, greatswords, effectively. Just kind'a long ones. (And my first D&D cleric run had an issue when I thought a 'morningstar' was the thingy with the chain and a spiky ball at the end, which is how I use it in normal everyday conversation.)
3.5/Pathfinder has metric crapton of weapons that essentially do the same thing. Is there really that much of a difference between a club and a tonfa? Just how many different kinds of maces do you need?
I think the problem is the usage of the term "longsword".
In common fantasy literature it means "straight, one handed sword", while in reality there are different "longswords" depending on the region you are in.
In 16. century french a "longsword" is also used as name for a bladed rapier (rapier with a broader blade) while in 12. century in germany the "german longsword" was more the bastard sword (wielded in 1-1/2 Hands).
So for a "multinational" system you can't be accurate (or you have a lot of different weapons). Especially in DnD/PF where the weapon is only defined by its damage (with a relative small possible diversity).
So they use "longsword" for all "straight, one handed, swords", greatsowrt for "straight two handed swords" and bastart sword for all between. :)
Longsword is supposed to be "two-handed sword".
Bastard Sword is supposed to be between Short Sword and Long Sword.
Greatsword shouldn't really exist, but maybe a particularly hefty, exotic version of a Longsword.
This is crazy. It may not prevent movement or the ability to do acrobatics, but there is a reason that if you watch Olympic Sprinting or Gymnastics you won't see the competitors wearing metal outfits. It most certainly does hinder those two activities.
This is crazy. It may not prevent movement or the ability to do acrobatics, but there is a reason that if you watch Olympic Sprinting or Gymnastics you won't see the competitors wearing metal outfits. It most certainly does hinder those two activities.
Those are peak of human ability athletes performing in non-battle conditions. Yes, armor will cause slower race times. If it's properly fitted, it will not impact range of motion or flexibility.
Armor that is hard to move in defeats the purpose of armor. If you can't attack and block attacks with your weapon, and if you aren't able to run, climb, or roll in a battle, then armor has made you easier to kill.
The difference is, in game terms, and armor check penalty. One could argue whether a particular number is correct or not for a particular suit of armor (and certainly it is obvious that not all variables can be accounted for in the game) but the idea that heavy armor doesn't slow your movement or impact your ability to do acrobatics is nonsense.
Not to be contrary, but it certainly looks in that video like the full plate has restricted both their ranges of motion and speed in some very meaningful ways. Either that or they're really slow and inflexible to start.
I think it's a matter of degrees. Someone certainly won't be as fast and flexible in full plate as they would be unarmored, but the degree to which armor slows and restricts someone used to wearing it (AKA Armor Proficiency) is nowhere close to the penalties Pathfinder imposes. Someone wearing full plate might be slower, but their land speed isn't cut by a third.
Honestly, in my very limited experience people aren't really slower in plate so much as it is that they get tired much quicker. Granted, being used to the weight and in good shape undoubtedly helps with that.
Yes a Zweihnder is what I think of when somebody says greatsword. Perhaps only because that's how it was translated in the german versions of DnD and PF, but the weight and size also would match there. Just as it would with Longswords vs Real life longswords and Bastard Swords vs real life claymores. AUC.register('auc_MessageboardPostRowDisplay'); AjaxBusy.register('masked', 'busy', 'auc_MessageboardPostRowDisplay', null, null) LazarX Nov 5, 2015, 02:15 pm Pathfinder PF Special Edition, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber Imbicatus wrote: Dave Justus wrote: Imbicatus wrote: Properly fitted and strapped Heavy armor does not slow your movement or impact your ability to do acrobatics.
Full plate range of motion video
I watched that video... nothing even remotely acrobatic was being attempted. Again, find someone doing Xena flips in full plate and carrying an adventurer's gear, and I'll eat my words. AUC.register('auc_MessageboardPostRowDisplay'); AjaxBusy.register('masked', 'busy', 'auc_MessageboardPostRowDisplay', null, null) Threeshades Nov 5, 2015, 06:25 pm 1 person marked this as a favorite. Imbicatus wrote: Dave Justus wrote: Imbicatus wrote: Properly fitted and strapped Heavy armor does not slow your movement or impact your ability to do acrobatics.