Cool/Interesting/Strange/Silly Swords?

[JAL_1138]

Whoa. That looks cool and functional. I'd have mine with a hand-and-a-half hilt, with just the cross guard, without a basket-hilt or rapier-style hand guard. Those would just get in the way.

I thank you for sharing this. I had no idea weapons this cool existed.

Here's a pic of a historical example.

Spoiler: Swiss Sabre, from the Wallace Collection Museum

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Gorgeous weapon. I have no idea why they're not more popular.

Sadly, I'm unable to find a proper museum picture of my other entry, the Renaissance cut-and-thrust/side-sword on my phone; Google Image Search is flooded with replicas, modern takes on them, and pics that won't embed, and the cell phone doesn't make that easy to sift through.

[Raimun]

Here's a pic of a historical example.

Spoiler: Swiss Sabre, from the Wallace Collection Museum

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Gorgeous weapon. I have no idea why they're not more popular.

Thank you. I already looked up swiss sabers and some of them do look like ideal swords. With that I mean the hand-and-a-half-versions. I should add that single-edged swords do have their advantages. You really need only one edge, ie. the one that cuts. And of course the point that stabs.

Man, swiss sabers are awesome.

[FocusWolf413]

All you need is a wind sword.

[Jay R]

Terry Pratchett wrote about the Monks of Cool, who spend twenty years as acolytes, studying what is cool. The acolyte is finally tested by being shown a warehouse of all types of clothes. He is asked what would be the most stylish thing to wear. The correct answer is, "Whatever I throw on."

What's the coolest sword? Whatever sword I happen to pick up.

[Anonymouswizard]

Personally, I love the jian. To me it looks like somebody took the arming sword and thinned out the blade before making it elegant. I'd say that if the arming sword is a triangle the jian is closer to a rectangle with a point on the end, and probably have described it completely wrong.

Not a big fan of the Dao though, I prefer western sabre-style swords.

Second for me would have to be the long sword. Not the short sword/arming sword D&D gives the name to, but the hand-and-a-half, primarily because it's a two handed blade that isn't extremely large.

Although I just don't like the katana, mainly due to the fanvoys, which is a shame because I love samurai and ronin. I think I got turned off when someone tried to claim that because European swords could be made more quickly the katana was obviously better. Now I just imagine a Dao shattering the blade and the samurai using his naginata, which is a cool weapon.

Trying to pick a number three is harder, because every (non-katana) sword is cool.

[Raimun]

Although I just don't like the katana, mainly due to the fanvoys, which is a shame because I love samurai and ronin. I think I got turned off when someone tried to claim that because European swords could be made more quickly the katana was obviously better.

Make no mistake, katanas are not superior to other similar blades but they are still good and functional swords. But yeah, excessive fan boyism doesn't do anything any favors.

[Anonymouswizard]

Make no mistake, katanas are not superior to other similar blades but they are still good and functional swords.

Oh, I know, katana were good enough for their role, which was more backup and dueling weapon IIRC. It also doesn't help when someone says that a very traditional European organisation would train his character in kenjustu because 'katana are the best sword', ignoring the fact that they'd go for the arming sword, rapier, or what was eventually settled on, a variety of infantry sabre.

[Dire Moose]

I'd have to go with the Scottish Claymore myself. Heavy, broad no-nonsense blade with a decent-length grip for leverage. Probably the most effective form of greatsword used in Europe. Of course, I'm biased due to my ancestry being from Scotland, and specifically Clan Wallace. As such, that would be my ancestral weapon and the reason most of my Pathfinder characters use greatswords.

[goto124]

They're great swords, aren't they?

I'll see myself out.

[oball]

I haven't seen it mentioned yet, so I'm gonna go for the gladius. Deadly, efficient, the sword that forged an empire!

As far as fictional swords go, I always liked Dyrnwyn from the Chronicles of Prydain.

[Hawkstar]

Mine is kinda cheating, but... the Guan-Dao. It's a big curvy sword on a stick!

[Fragenstein]

Mine is kinda cheating, but... the Guan-Dao. It's a big curvy sword on a stick!

Lots of talk about the Dao, here. Which I'm happy to see, though I'm also more of a fan of the Jian. Most of my training has been with the Nine-ring dao, but I've done conditioning with the Bagua Dao... which is just a nightmare to handle properly.

[ThinkMinty]

Lots of talk about the Dao, here. Which I'm happy to see, though I'm also more of a fan of the Jian. Most of my training has been with the Nine-ring dao, but I've done conditioning with the Bagua Dao... which is just a nightmare to handle properly.

I like the Bagua Dao myself. Thing's one of the few real "five feet of sword" swords that's an actual sword.

[Fragenstein]

I like the Bagua Dao myself. Thing's one of the few real "five feet of sword" swords that's an actual sword.

Looks cool -- and I still have mine. Should be capable of splitting a skull or two. But, like I said, I've never been trained to use it as it should be used. Instead, it substituted during my standard broadsword forms as a training tool. Kill yourself using it one-handed, and the regular Dao doesn't seem so heavy any more.

[Jay R]

It depends on the culture, including how often armor is worn, and metallurgy skills.

The gladius, longsword, zwiehander, rapier, cutlass, and cavalry sabre are all pretty much perfect for their culture and technology. Those are the swords I would want in their respective milieus.

[The same is almost undoubtedly true of the great eastern swords, but I don't know enough about either the culture or the metallurgy of the time to say so.]

[wumpus]

I've a soft spot for the kukri. It reminds me of a Nepali kid I used to serve with, who came from a family with a lot of Gurkhas.

I'll also third the liking of the khopesh. It's both exotic and goofy-looking, and I'm a bit of a fan of ancient Egypt.

Until the great TWF nerf, the khopesh was by far the prefered weapon of DDO* [dungeons and dragons online]. Some went so far as to call it the "khopesh problem". They were wrong. Oddly enough, kukris were also great off hand weapons, especially if you had improved crit: slashing (virtually mandatory at level 9) and not oversized two weapon fighting (which made sense years ago due to ancient tempest 3 requirements).

Also got to love Lawrence Watt-Evans and The Misenchanted Sword (even if I couldn't remember the plot all that well).

* khopeshs had a higher crit multiplier than other swords. Once power scaled up a bit more than the level 8 cap from launch, the extra power of the crit range clearly overshadowed all other one handed weapons. The kukri had a somewhat similar effect for off-handed weapons, but nowhere near big enough to be all that popular (my ranger *loved* his paralyzing kukri).

[Raimun]

Oh, I know, katana were good enough for their role, which was more backup and dueling weapon IIRC. It also doesn't help when someone says that a very traditional European organisation would train his character in kenjustu because 'katana are the best sword', ignoring the fact that they'd go for the arming sword, rapier, or what was eventually settled on, a variety of infantry sabre.

I'd go with any type of sword you can use one handed or two handed.

[TeChameleon]

Yet another vote for the Khophesh, since it's just so weird and nifty looking. Ditto the Urumi and the Hook Swords- both of them are absolutely amazing to watch demonstrated, and both of which I would probably horribly maim myself with if I attempted to use them

I also have a distinct soft spot for a rather ahistorical, but nifty weapon that I actually own- this one, to be exact. They call it a '15th Century Ring-Hilt Longsword', but, well... they got the Longsword part right, anyhow

[nyjastul69]

Make no mistake, katanas are not superior to other similar blades but they are still good and functional swords. But yeah, excessive fan boyism doesn't do anything any favors.

That's it. I'm sick of all this "Masterwork Bastard Sword" bullcrap that's going on in the d20 system right now. Katanas deserve much better than that. Much, much better than that...

Dont look at me like that, somebody had to do it. Ok, sorry, I'll see myself out.

ETA: I should probably provide a link for those not aware of the meme.

[JAL_1138]

Yet another vote for the Khophesh, since it's just so weird and nifty looking. Ditto the Urumi and the Hook Swords- both of them are absolutely amazing to watch demonstrated, and both of which I would probably horribly maim myself with if I attempted to use them

I also have a distinct soft spot for a rather ahistorical, but nifty weapon that I actually own- this one, to be exact. They call it a '15th Century Ring-Hilt Longsword', but, well... they got the Longsword part right, anyhow

What's ahistorical about it? The rings on the crossguard were pretty common in the early renaissance (and continued to be common, but hilts got even more complicated). The grip is not an especially uncommon one for the era, either, except maybe the wire wrap.

EDIT: Though, derp, 15th century = 1400s, not 1500s, and it's early-to-mid 1500s that I'm seeing nigh-identical crossguards, complete with rings. Still, hand-rings like that were showing up in the late middle ages. Late 1400s isn't completely improbable for that sword.

[Braininthejar2]

favourite - a saber. It's a part of my cultural heritage, and also one sword I'm anything resembling proficient with.

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Another favourite - Hawaiian swords (a variation on the Aztec wooden sword from a couple posts before, but with shark teeth instead of obsidian - lightweight and horrible against unarmoured opponents.

Spoiler

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Silly? Koncerz. I don't know if it has an English name. It was a stabbing sword used by Polish cavalry. It is very long, with no edges, like a spit with a saber handle. Apparently it was wielded in reverse grip and used for downward ride-by attacks against infantry.

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[JellyPooga]

I haven't seen it mentioned yet, so I'm gonna go for the gladius. Deadly, efficient, the sword that forged an empire!

If Empire-forging is a qualifying factor, shouldn't a shout go out to the humble Bayonet? In its many forms since the inception of massed-ranked firearms, the Bayonet has been a mainstay of every successful army for the past 200 years.

I'm totally behind the Gladius, though. Nothing fancy, just a straight up killing weapon made of a sharp piece of iron strapped to a plain hilt. It's like the discount-brand sword that everyone actually buys and uses compared to the name-brand product that most people avoid for being too expensive!

[Togath]

Lots of ones I like...
There's hook swords(swords hooked at the end, and with spiky handguards), the langemesser(a Germanic sword that looks a bit like a straightened scimitar), and the jian(a straight bladed Chinese sword with a small crossguard).
Macuahuitl(wooden swords with obsidian teeth) and the estoc(a long two handed sword with no edge, and a very sharp tip) are also ones I like.
I also kinda like plain European arming swords(what the dnd "longsword" is probably meant to be).

[bobthehero]

I am a big fan of the good ol' arming sword. Its pretty darn cool.

[Voxx]

The weirdest sword in my opinion is a hook sword. It would be nice to trip someone but people who think you could actually hook two together to extend the reach on an attack in combat are just silly.

[TeChameleon]

What's ahistorical about it? The rings on the crossguard were pretty common in the early renaissance (and continued to be common, but hilts got even more complicated). The grip is not an especially uncommon one for the era, either, except maybe the wire wrap.

EDIT: Though, derp, 15th century = 1400s, not 1500s, and it's early-to-mid 1500s that I'm seeing nigh-identical crossguards, complete with rings. Still, hand-rings like that were showing up in the late middle ages. Late 1400s isn't completely improbable for that sword.

*shrug*

It isn't anything terribly obtrusive, but the sword itself isn't a true replica- more of a composite of a number of different swords from roughly around that era, and the way it's put together differs enough from the originals that it makes the sword itself noticeably different. That and the bloody pommel is screw-on. How am I supposed to cave in the skulls of my hypothetical opponents when the thing keeps coming loose on me?

All that being said, I'm not anything even remotely resembling an expert, so I'll freely admit that my somewhat off-the-cuff opinion could be wildly inaccurate. I'm still rather fond of the sword, ahistorical or no- in part purely for the aesthetics- it is a rather good-looking sword, after all- and partly for sentimental reasons; I wore it at my wedding, which was medieval/renaissance-themed (yes, my wife is awesome, thank you very much )

[JAL_1138]

Ah, I meant more that it's not ahistorical in the sense that nobody'd blink at its general appearance in the general time period, in contrast to, say, something like a Kit Rae "fantasy" sword, rather that it not being a proper historical replica. Sounds like a cool wedding, btw, congrats!

[TeChameleon]

Ah, I meant more that it's not ahistorical in the sense that nobody'd blink at its general appearance in the general time period, in contrast to, say, something like a Kit Rae "fantasy" sword, rather that it not being a proper historical replica. Sounds like a cool wedding, btw, congrats!

Ah, gotcha, no worries. And thanks on the congrats- coming up on our 5th Anniversary in about 6 months, so... so far, so good? Heh. And yes, my wife is still awesome

[Anonymouswizard]

I'd go with any type of sword you can use one handed or two handed.

Oh, I agree, my problem was I asked off-hand what his character's sword was, and got the response 'a katana, because it's the best sword'.

Not 'a katana because my character was trained by a Japanese swordmaster', not 'a katana because my character think's they're cool', but because they are 'the bestest swords evar!' I could have handled the first two.

My actually response was because he'd been raised as a warrior by the Catholic Church he was far more likely to be trained in arming sword or rapier. This lead to a five minute argument on whether or not a katana's sharpness made it a better sword than every other one before a third player suggested a sabre, which I immediately agreed made sense and shut up.

On the other hand, katana are overpowered in d20. I say the majority of them should be normal bastard swords, save masterwork for the truly great ones.

[Togath]

On the topic of d20...
Falchions. I've never understood where the "massive scimitar" thing came from in DnD and Pf and such.