If you were a warrior on a fantasy land, what weapon would you use?

[S@tanicoaldo]

I think I would use a crossbow, I hate how ASoIAf make it looks like it's a weapon for cowards, it is such a badass weapon in my opinion.

[Gnoman]

Much also depends on what is meant by "a warrior on a fantasy land" - there are distinct advantages to every sort of weapon except maybe the sword (where the main advantage is that it doesn't particularly suck at anything even if it isn't specatcular when compared to other weapons in any given area), and what kind of fighting you're going to be doing makes a big difference. A soldier in an army will do well with a crossbow. By contrast, a ranger type would be better off with an ordinary bow as a ranged weapon - a decent crossbow is far more complicated and more difficult to deal with if something breaks, while a bow can be replaced relatively easily if you know what you are doing.

Of course, you're going to want to use more than just a bow or crossbow. Using any one weapon is suicidally stupid for somebody who actually expects to fight. That's why the sword was so popular - it made an excellent secondary weapon for the folks using other, more generally practical, weaponry.

[Corsair14]

What kind of technology are we at in this fantasy land? Makes a huge difference in weapons choice. Swords and other light slashing weapons were typically not used as slashing weapons except against unarmored opponents as even a stout jacket of hardened leather would deflect them. If we are talking 1400s era we see a proliferation of heavy plate armors and great weapons and polearms are the weapon of the day. They aren't trying to be fast, just hard hitting. A little later you will see rapiers and light weapons as gunpowder has almost made heavy armor go extinct. If we go back in time to Rome/Greece it depends on who we are fighting with. Vs Romans the Dacians were devastating with their two handed Falx blades. In mass a Greek spear phalanx could stop almost anyone of their day.

Personally I will take power armor and a plasma rifle.

[Lord Raziere]

A spear.

Most melee reach, easily craft-able, easily repairable, just need to stab forward, simple, practical. Bows need lots of skill, crossbows are too complex,and swords are a nobles weapon which means expensive if I recall.

I would have a morning star as backup though.

[Kyberwulf]

Depends on what you mean by this. Do you mean what weapon would we use because we know we are characters? Are we proficient in the weapon? Do we get the ability to use the weapon, I mean muscles and reflexes and what not?

Do we get say, an unlimited supply of ammo for instance. Or do we get the knowledge to make the ammo?

Does the weapon have to be a real weapon or can it be one from a fantasy setting?

By fantasy land, do you mean a historical place like Grethawk, fearun, Ompa lumpa land,... or Fantasia?

From the lack of description, I would say I would want the phaser from star wars. Was a good weapon. Seemed to not need to be recharged, or reloaded. Seem easy enough to fix most of thee time. Could also be pretty utilitarian if I remember correctly.

[Yora]

Assuming fantasyland is anything like planet earth, then the obvious choice would be spear. The king of all weapons. Fast, agile, long reach, good (light) armor penetration, and causing wounds much more deadly than a sword or axe slash.

The only downside is that you have to carry it in your hand all the time and you get problems in cramped spaces. But once they are cramped enough, you actually get a huge advantage again.

[Piedmon_Sama]

A partizan! A partizan with a crossbow on it! The greatest weapon ever invented!

[Mr. E]

Assuming a fairly generic fantasy setting, I would probably agree with the others who have already suggested a spear. Considering my lack of good co-ordination, anything ranged is out of the question, and spears are much easier to handle than a sword. If it is more of a renaissance era fantasy setting, I might trade up for a Bill, Partizan or other polearm instead.

[CharonsHelper]

It depends largely on what I'd be fighting.

Giant monsters? Probably crossbow & boar spear (or a more specialized equivalent).

Goblins? Probably a short sword & a large/light shield. I'll have the reach advantage even with a shorter blade, and it'd be faster. You don't need to deal a ton of damage to kill a goblin, and the shield doesn't have to be super thick to block their attacks. Probably with a nice shield boss on the shield to bash them. Maybe a crank driven crossbow (not much power - but again - you don't need it).

Against goblins the spear would be too much. You'd kill the first one, but then you'd be swarmed.

I think that different beasties would have different things which would work well against them.

[Frozen_Feet]

All the weapons I've been trained to use and get my hands on. To elaborate: I've been trained to shoot with assault rifles, light anti-tank rockets, pistols, hunting rifles and shotguns. I have some ability to construct and shoot a bow. I have some training in karate, kobudo and judo and basic training in krav maga, as well as basic security training. These include techniques for unarmed combat, knives, staff, sai, batons, sickles, nunchaku, pepper spray and handcuffs.

So I'm pretty sure there will be something to use pretty much regardless of place and era.

[Rynjin]

If we're assuming our native level of martial proficiency, a spear or glaive. Or a short bow, I'm a decent bow shot.

[Piedmon_Sama]

Too many people are going with polearms, I gotta be different.... I'd have a warhammer! A long two-handed warhammer that's definitely not a polearm but basically a polearm and also has a spike at the top! Nyah!

[RazorChain]

Wand of nukes, was featured in Dragon magazine 25 years ago or so. That makes it legit!

[Kalmageddon]

Spear, the oldest, most reliable and versatile weapon we ever developed. You can throw it, you can stab with it, you can use the shaft as a blunt instrument and it's as useful both for hunting, for fishing and for fighting.
If it's a fantasy world and it can be enchanted to do all sort of cool things, that's even better.

[Karl Aegis]

A ZAKT-8 Ultimate Edge is the only way to go.

[Squiddish]

If I'm in my scrawny real body:
*Light or hand crossbow
*Recurve bow
*Rapier
If I had some real muscle:
*Longsword: Fairly versatile. As a slashing weapon they spell doom for an unarmored opponent; used in the half-sword or mordhau style they can defeat heavily armored opponents
*Pike/glaive
*Greatsword/Zweihander
*Hammer of any variety
If we stretch the definition of weapon:
*Magic
If magic weapons count:
*Sun Blade
*Staff of Striking
*Javelin of Lightning
*Any of the magical maces
*Dancing Sword

[Whyrocknodie]

A smaller, more competent warrior in one hand and a hefty bribe in the other.

[lunaticfringe]

Pollaxe or Axe for the ridiculous amount of plate I will come across.

[FreddyNoNose]

A state of the art military fighter jet. You know, Da Plane!

[veti]

I'll put myself down for a polearm of some sort, for the same reason as Sgt Colon likes a pike: "Everything happens at the other end, i.e. a long way away."

Obviously, I'd need a secondary weapon for close quarters. Shortsword would probably be the least dangerous (to me) choice for that.

[Potato_Priest]

If I had my choice of fantasy lands and weapons, I'd chose the long-range missile/teleporting missile weapons and a heavily armored planetary base.

However, you probably mean medieval fantasy, so...

I have the most experience using a two-handed spear, but that's not really where I'd want to be on the battlefield.

I'd rather be in the back with a longbow, or up on the castle walls with a crossbow, where the likelihood of getting stabbed is lower.

If I had a lot of time to train, I'd prefer the recurve bow and a fast horse, fighting the way that the mongols did.

Also, remember that even if you are slightly small by today's standards, you're probably of above average height for medieval warriors. Whether that carries over to fantasy lands is anyone's guess.

If it's a fantasy world and it can be enchanted to do all sort of cool things, that's even better.

Unfortunately, it seems like swords get all the cool enchantments.

[Vitruviansquid]

The majority of an adventurer's job is not to fight, it is to travel. Thus, a sword is extremely practical because it can be put in a sheath and left alone.

[S@tanicoaldo]

For everyone who is saying spears. That's boring. What kind of spear? And why?

[Kitten Champion]

A summonable combat pet, possibly contained within an easily conveyed small magic sphere of some sort that I could use to unleash it at will against my adversaries.

[warty goblin]

Unfortunately, it seems like swords get all the cool enchantments.

Not entirely. Odin's spear is definitely magical. Cuchulainn's Gae Bolg isn't precisely magical in the D&D sense perhaps, but it's certainly an extraordinary weapon. Achilles' spear again isn't magical per say, but it's repeatedly noted as exceptional, and IIRC is the only weapon in the Iliad to get its own epithet.

On topic, it very much depends on the time, and also place. If the approximate technology level is in the 3000BC ~ 1200 AD timespan, a spear with shield and sword backup made of the best materials available is a good bet in a lot of places, though definitely not all. After that more advanced polearms become a better bet.

[evocurio]

Presuming I have enough strength to wield it properly, I always thought Bardiches were badass.

[eru001]

give me a spear and a nice big kite shield please. Let me tuck a handaxe in my belt while i'm at it. and a nice seax as well.

[Cluedrew]

Any footwear I can both deliver a good kick with and run away in. Focus on the latter.

... I wouldn't make a very good warrior actually. Maybe a martial artist monk so my hands and feet? I mean in fantasy land, they are probably at least as good as any steel weapon.

[Potato_Priest]

For everyone who is saying spears. That's boring. What kind of spear? And why?

I've always fancied pikes and naginatas. They're fairly simple and light, and are thus easy to use but still quite deadly. Also, as 2-handed spears, they are the same sort of weapon that I have experience using in LARP settings.

I've always found that without a dedicated formation, a one-handed spear is too unwieldy to be much good against sword-wielding enemies. They can simply parry your first stab, possibly grab the spear shaft, and then move in closer than your effective range, all before you can reposition the spear for a second attempt. A two-handed spear can be more easily re-positioned for a second thrust because of the leverage gained by using two hands. Do other people have differing experiences?

[archon_huskie]

From the lack of description, I would say I would want the phaser from star wars. Was a good weapon. Seemed to not need to be recharged, or reloaded. Seem easy enough to fix most of thee time. Could also be pretty utilitarian if I remember correctly.

No one's going to jump on this?

Everyone loses one geek cred.

Phasers were from Star Trek.
Blasters were from Star Wars.

Not sure which you actually meant. Blasters were mostly used as weapons and have unlimited ammo in most video games.

The Dominion War in ST:DS9 gives us more background on the phasers namely they have power packs and need them replaced and recharge. This does not come up much outside of war as the power pack's life span is longer than the average away mission. Also phasers are not constantly being fired on typical away missions. There's one episode were the Major Kira is explaining to a new solider the pros and cons of the federation phaser vs the Cardassian disruptor. The federation's has in excess of 15 settings and various power level allowing it to vaporize walls to substituting for a surgical knife. Kira dismisses the Federation's weapon as too complicated for war and recommends the two setting disruptor.