You can only fight the way you practice. -Miyamoto Musashi. The best weapon in any situation is the one you actually have training and experience with.
Self defence: likely to be cramped space, like an alley or a tavern. Rapier and buckler carried openly mostly for deterrent, with a nice long, vicious dirk tucked away for making a real mess of people. *Biggest fear with this set-up: actually having to knife someone. It's better than dying alone in a shit-stained alley, but I don't think I could live with myself.* Adventuring: Boar spear. For all the reasons you mentioned. Now the assumption is that as an adventurer you wear as much padding as you physically can while still being comfortable, but I'll take some greaves, vambraces, and a light helm. Kite shield is a lot of weight for something I can't even use with my main weapon. Better to carry a small round shield and a one-handed straight sword (I like more edges on my swords than you do) for scrapes with less favourable odds. And a knife. Because knife. Don't go adventuring without a knife. *Biggest fear: the spear breaking while I'm fighting something big. Now I have to go in close.* Battle: War bow. And a shovel for for a quick defensive rampart. And a fast pony for when my quiver runs out. Failing bow, because that's cheating, full plate. Bardiche (beats the greatsword on range variability and hacking power). Short mace on the belt. Rondel. No shield because it's full plate. The mace is for when I inevitably come up against someone who had the same idea vis a vis armour and want to subdue his sorry ass to make a quick buck. The rondel is for when he doesn't come quietly. *Biggest fear: three untrained peasant levies with big-ass round shields and maces. I'm going to be ransomed back to my estate in disgrace with a concussion before I can say "fuck the middle ages"!*
spear or halberd for battelfield, all ways. Also i would trade the mace for a short sword, like a roman gladius and immediatley go for the rondell if armour comes my way. The gladius is just personal opinion. Any onehanded mace, sword or axe would suffice if i got into close ranged combat. Nice ideas on the whole
Or a Venetian schiavona. Similar blade (they were indifferently single or double edged, see for exapmple armthearmour.tumblr.com/image/177064971715 ) and hand protection, but the ricasso and the thumb ring gave superior control over the blade.
I know its 4 years later but the Scots had self defense down pat, Dirk, Hidden Knife, and a Gun most likely, along with the Broadsword and Targe when charging into skirmish.
I used to think you knew alot about swords. Now I'm not so sure. You said in a fantasy scenario you would want a spear when the obvious choice would be lightsaber.
Funny that you would pick the spear as your main adventuring weapon. I would as well, though it would specifically I would pick the "juumonji yari", which is a triple pointed japanese spear. I would probably pick the particular kind that has one center blade then 2 perpendicular blades to either side, both so my spear doesn't over-penetrate my target and so I can stab by swinging with sideways motions as well as forwards, making it harder for enemies to get close. As my backup, I would probably carry a longsword and some kind of round shield with a solid center bossing, probably on the smaller side so it doesn't get in the way on horseback or if I sling it over my shoulder, but big enough to defend against arrows and projectiles. For armor, I'd probably wear a thinner 3-4 layer gambeson with mail. I would not wear plate or mail gauntlets, but I would have a decently thick pair of leather gloves. Ignoring the fact that I'm horribly allergic to horses, I'd probably want a horse as well, and I'd keep a crossbow in one of the side straps and all my equipment maintenance gear in a saddlebag (along with a thicker version of my gambeson, padded armor, and clothes for winter months), with provisions in the other. The crossbow would probably be used for hunting primarily, but could work if I need a ranged option in combat.
This is an interesting video. 3 years old, I don't care, here's my choices: Self Defense: A Plated Gauntlet with chainmale fingers, combined with a bit less wide backsword but slightly broader Crossguard. Adventure: A verticaly quite a bit longer (higher by 0,75-1 Unit) Heatershield plus a Backsword without Crossguard and slight Possitive Curvater (+). War: Full Plating, of course. But I need a freakin KRIEGSMESSER with strong Positive Curvature (++). I would go Billhook which got a Hammerhead opposed to a spike on the opposite side of the blade if I could go with others than Swords. If you read this, thank you for taking the time. Please call it out if the weaponary I described has a direct naming, I'm not greatly into the Typology of these Materia!
In LARP, I went from a spear and a shortsword, to backsword, shield and a knife, as a I grew older and had more responsibilities. Being able to keep issuing orders and being the last one alive was much more important than damaging the opponent, hence the shift from two handed weapon to one handed with shield.
Personally. Self defense: A rapier. It has an advantage over almost ANY earlier or contemporary sword type in a 1v1 duel situation. Great for self defense. Adventuring: Longsword. Good reach, good power and relatively versatile. War: Arming sword (and spear) and shield.
Personally I'd rather have something closer to a kukri or gladius for self defence as for the most part, people get attacked in alleys and enclosed spaces so more manoeuvrable but heavy bladed weapons would be beneficial. For adventuring I'd agree to have a spear, but for a sword, I think double bladed sword would be more useful since you'll be using it a lot, you'll want a sword that has as much sharp edge to work with since maintaining your edge will be difficult, a longsword, would be my go-to for adventuring, preferably one with a distil taper which gives it uses to pierce mail, cut padding and batter plate with the pommel. As for battlefield, I agree again with the greatsword, since you get the reach of a short spear and the momentum and concussive force of a pole weapon.
Yes, longsword seems better for me, if you are using spear as main weapon. Spear and shield is good for fight in tight formations, but your tip will be very weak in bind. In case of big game or monsters you want to have strong grip so you will use both hands as you will do with boar spear. Without shield longsword is better than falchion very obviously. And it is very versatile weapon, with still quite long reach to stand against big opponents, good in duels and skirmishes.
Agreed. Quarterstaff. The 8 foot variety. Kinda partial to the squarish variety. (If forced to use a sword, it would be rapier and buckler, the reach is so nice). Adventuring/war: Pole axe. Axe head for cutting rubbery targets, hammerhead for brittle/armored critters, or spear tip for stabbing critters with deep vulnerable organs. Back up for adventuring/war: Warhammer. (If forced to choose a sword, great sword. Some monsters have very thick armor or long reach.)
But if you don't whack them in the head or other very vital place (which I can't think of any), the staff will never do anyway near the damage of a sharp or front heavy weapon (like a mace).
Benni Bodin Jagell If you hit someone on hand, knee, chest or head with heavy stick you will definitely do enough damage even if your oponent is wearing some armor. Swords (specially light backswords) are easy to stop even with few layers of clothing.
Benni Bodin Jagell The scalability is what makes it a good self defence weapon. It can just keep someone at distance, a thrust to an unprotected stomach or chest would wind or probably break some ribs but not kill. A blow anywhere would do more damage than a mace, it's heavier and a much longer leaver, although if it was wooden tipped that would bring things back towards the mace
Silver for monsters is specific to the Witcher - never seen that applicable to other settings - with the exception of silver being traditional for harming werewolves.
smilejos67 Devils in D&D hate it. There's a plethora of other outsiders and bizarre things that revile silver. Basically you'd want something made from cold iron to fight off demons and fey, with the silver for fighting off a host of other things.
That depends on what the writer wants. For the world I'm working on, there is a rare magic that can deflect iron - making good protection against iron and steel. Also there are few individuals who can work wood of a particular tree so that it ends up with properties like the finest steel, allowing them to create weapons better than an mundane steel weapon - thus being an option to defeat the above mentioned magic.
For self-defense, I'd be greatly tempted to keep my off-hand free, for grabbing my opponent's weapon or arm, or for quickly switching to a half-sword or mordhau grip. However, I'm also tempted to accept the truth of the noble science of defense and go with 8 feet of well seasoned ash.
I could not disagree more about single vs double edge. I used to feel the same way before I actually joined a HEMA club and learned how useful the back edge really is. Being able to wind around the opponent's parry and hit them with the back edge is invaluable in certain styles, and I'd take that over any slight advantage in cutting capability.
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Great video, Shad! And I actually would've taken a shield (a skjöldr) and an arming sword, however, I totally forgot the backswords and swepthilt swords. And really, I would take a buckler and something like a scottish backsword, a messer or something. Pref. with some false edge at the weak to provide more options. For adventuring, I'd go with an arming sword, shield (I would love to say a sjöldr again, but that kite shield provides so much more protection to your legs...) and I would most definitely have a spear and an axe with me, as well. And *maybe* a flanged mace, as well. I would be covered in gambeson and thick mail, I would have a proper helmet (likely with a steel skullcap, just to make sure) and if possible, my weapon hand and arm would be covered in plate (vambrace and gauntlet, something similar to what a certain type of gladiator had; Metatron has a video about gladiators and there you can see the thing I'm referring to). For battlefield, I would go with as much plate as possible, just like you, and if only swords would be allowed, then a warsword (I'm quite short, so that would be a greatsword to me :P ), but I'd much rather have a polaxe. Or if that would not be possible then a shield and a flanged mace. Great video, Shad! I really like your content, and I really *really* hope you keep going!
There's a reason the sword stayed relevant on the battlefield. If your pole arm broke, you weren't totally fucked. However, by the mid-late middle ages, that role was mostly taken over by the warhammer and mace, thanks to armor development. That placed the sword into a mostly status piece or in town self defense weapon. Personally, I would have carried a Halberd, a longsword at my left side and a warhammer tucked into a belt on my right side.
If I was picking just one sword for all situations, I'd go with the longsword - based on its relative versatility and my own personal fighting style. Not sure what I'd choose for specific situation.
self-defence: sling with a pouch full o' pommels adventuring: 200 pound war bow with 2 pommels tied to each arrow Warfare: Warwolf with a pommel so big you need that thing to throw it (how to NOT end them rightly!)
great video. i like a compact arming sword for carry because you can do the false edge master cuts. probably a pollaxe and tapered long sword for battlefield use.
Weapons: crossbow as my primary weapon, cutlass (it's a single edged sword with a knuckle duster for crying out loud, who wouldnt want that), and a dagger. Armour: vambraces, greaves for shin kicking goblins arses, steel Corinthian style light helm, gambeson (of course), steel chest plate.
For adventuring, consider the two great fantasy adventurers Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. The former carries a 2-handed longsword (which he used one handed because he was 7 feet tall) and a dirk. The latter carried a saber and dagger. They were never overly armed or armored because they might be climbing walls, shinnying down ropes, swimming moats, running down tunnels, dodging wizard spells, jumping out of second story tavern windows, you never know. They had to stay versatile. Fantasy RPGs do not punish you enough for heavy armor, weaponry, and shield. You can run around all day like that, whereas in real life you'd only gear up like that right before a battle.
Great video. Honestly, for my own stories I think I'll stick to having my main character use a standard arming sword, or possibly a Celtic sword for the first two situations. I don't have any plans to write anything for the third.
Spear or Halberd for the main weapon. hand and a half sword for the side arm, for just about any situation really. They're my favorite weapons like, EVER.
I know this post is long closed but I NEED TO ADD MY THOUGHTS!! Sorry. :D Without any question, my chosen sets for self-defence, adventuring and battlefield will be very similar to yours. Buuuuuuut, I would like to have at least an option for distance and I think a helmet is necesary. For self defense (even when your falchion seems logical and smart), the rapier is my loved one: an extra inch will be a huge advantage. For adventuring, I will try to go equiped as the adventurers of the Americas did in the XVI century (For them, the New world was their fantasy world: you know, creatures never seen before everywhere, unknown dangers everyday and treasures in a magical and amazing new land for discover or conquer): - Helmet (I dont want to die just because a stone falls over my head) - Breastplate - Some kind of protection for my hands (a small round shield or gauntlets) - Of course a horse (if it's an option). Yes. A horse is a weapon, a vehicule and a lot of armour. - The same rapier I took in the self-defense as a side weapon. - A light crossbow (easy to make new ammo and very usefull in any circumstance) or a small firearm (not very usefull really, but all that noise and stunning will avoid me a lot of problems with animals, monsters and other soldiers that never heared the thunder stick). - And a halberd. It's the spear in his 2.0 version. For battle just add more armour to the mentioned items. Too much things? Mmmmhh maybe. But if the horse is granted, It won't be a problem. - Oh! And, finally, a dog and other adventurers. In that order. :D www.elgrancapitan.org/ferrer-dalmau/images/20110828155926_con_marco2.jpg
Totaly agree with de great sword for battle. same for me with a long sword and a pearcing dagger in backup. Self defence, i think i'll go for rapier and dagger, quick thrust is advantage to make fast injuries, and the dagger is complementar. And adventuring, i think a langmesser is a good choise, great cutting power etc... Even if my favorit is a longsword or a swerd/viking sword if i use a shield or a weapon on left hand weapon. That's only my preferences, your choises are good i think. Nice video^^
Context is everything. Consider swirds as tools. You'll need the right tool for the job. So first off, you'll need to know what the job entails. For self defense: any weapon is better than no weapon, and you don't know what sort of adversary you'll be facing. Hence, you'll want something that'll function as an allrounder and is easy to carry around. You'll also have to consider use un confined spaces as well. Corridors, alleyways, indoors, etc. You'll have to carry the weapon everywhere (including bathrooms perhaps) and you may even have to conceal it. In many cases, a dagger might be preferable. If you're going with a sword, I'd consider a blade on the shorter end of the spectrum, perhaps something gladius-sized. For fantasy-style adventuring I'd definitely prefer a spear and shield with a one handed sword or hand and a half sword as backup. It depends greatly on what you'll be fighting. You'd probably want to travel with multiple weapons and mix and match to fot the situation. (hey, it's a fantasy setting - you can carry a dozen swords at all times, right?) For combat use again it depends on what type of enemy you'll be facing and how you conduct combat. Are they heavily armored or not? Are you fighting solo or in formation? Regardless of at what point you are in the Middle Ages, it's hard to go wrong with a spear & shield and a one handed sword as sidearm.
Self defense: Sidesword with a swept hilt and a buckler. Thrusting and cutting, good reach. Adventure: Spear, shield and falchion. You had a good point on that. Battlefield: Gladius and scutum. Also would be nice to have a bunch of others with gladius and scutum.
Grenades/ firebombs (either gunpowder or naptha/ petroleum) seem like they would be very useful in rpg adventuring, and they definitely existed in the real life medieval period. They are small enough to be easily transported (and concealed), they could do lots of damage to monsters (launching them with a sling would allow you to stay a safe distance away), and they could be used in hit-and-run skirmishes against enemy encampments (e.g. bandit groups or soldiers of the evil empire) to cause as much mayhem as possible.
Many thanks for your videos and information!! My personal preferences would be; self defense- short blade (18-24 inch) heavy guarded blade or an impact device of some sort, don't expect many armored attackers. The other 2 would be a pole arm and axe with a shield. What would be your choices in a "blade friendly" time like the mid to late 1800's. Urban area versus rural and remote. Just another suggestion for the bin but, maybe......
Hello! I'm a D&D player but I'm also quite a history nut, specifically a military history nut. Since you posted such an interesting question, I've come to the conclusion that I would personally prefer a short sword, something like the Roman gladius but after giving it some thought, I would much prefer the machaera, a single-edged short sword mostly used by Alexander the Great but I'd have mine with a curved full-tang hilt & flared pommel & a bar handguard connecting it to the S-shaped cross guard to enable me to disarm enemies, if I so choose. I feel that this would suffice for self-defense along with a knife or dagger. For adventuring or war (I'm a fighter-battlemaster, by the way), I'd also wear a long-sleeved, long-hemmed chainmail shirt along with an Imperial Gallic Roman helmet because I learned that chainmail generally cleans itself while you're wearing & marching in it & as for the helmet, I'm a fan of the Roman legionnaires! To this kit, I'd add a hemi-cylindrical scutum, a rogatina (a Russian bear spear) or 2, a mace, & a zwei-hander greatsword slung on my back for dealing with oversized foes. I would very much appreciate your thoughts on this gear as well as a D&D campaign DMd by you! BE WELL!
I agree with you on your weapon of self-defence. However, I would actually choose a bastard sword and center-gripped round shield when adventuring, and a bardiche and center-gripped kite shield on the battlefield. I would use the bastard sword because it would then allow me to use a longsword and longsword techniques, while still allowing me to use a shield if needed. I would use the round shield simply because I would be more comfortable with that. I would use a kite shield on the battlefield just for the extra protection. I would use the bardiche because it allows me to have long reach, to slash and stab my opponents, and it just plain looks cool. Also, if it were in the age of firearms, I could rest my gun barrel on the bardiche as a steadying platform.
Self defense would be sidesword (that's like halfway between a rapier and an arming sword right?) and a revolver (black powder if that's what I could get) or a rapier and a revolver. Sword on the right hip gun on the left. Your opinion? Adventuring? Gambeson, quarter staff and dagger to fit into it like a good spear, with a messer. We seem to have similar tastes. If I was going to a more actiony adventure, I would have chosen the round shield (skjöldr or however it's spelled) until your video about the kite shield. A good helmet. War? A good horse to move away from. I'm a rogue not a fighter.
Self defence: Side sword and buckler. Plain and simple. Adventuring: I wouldn't go with a spear and large shield, as I would most likely be carrying a backpack of some kind while traveling, making it impossible to carry a shield on my back. This would mean occupying both hands to carry a spear and shield. having one hand free while traveling would things like having a drink of water while I walked, or going over rough terrain easier. Instead I would use a halberd. It has all the reach and thrusting potential of a spear, with the bonus of being able to chop and hook aswell. To make up for not having a shield, I'd wear a brigandine and helm. The sword I would take as a backup would also be a falchion. Battlefield: If I was in full plate armour, I would take the pollaxe and longsword combination over the two hander. A two hander is great at keeping opponents at a distance, but if I'm wearing full plate armour this isn't really a big concern.
In a fantasy setting there are also bandits, kobolds and goblins, though. I'd suggest a longsword with a "quick draw" scabbard on the back for sweeping attacks as well.
I would pick a spiked mace for an army conflict. Most of my opponents would be decked out in armor, and spiked maces are the best to punch through said armor. For adventuring, a short bow, a jar of poison to dip the arrow points in if I find myself unnoticed and can prep, a kite shield, a spear and a backsword in case of bandits. For self-defense, a backsword and a pair of spiked brass knuckles.
For self defense I would consider a buckler combined with an arming sword or a Schiavona (Italian basket hilted sword) For adventuring first of all a good helmet (you know, to protect the most important and exposed part of your body) like a Kettle or a Sallet; then I'd wear a gambeson under a brigandine with a medium sized Skjoldr (even though I love the kite shield, I think it would be lighter and more maneuverable) a reasonably long spear or a pike and a sidearm like an arming sword or a messer (not a bad idea) For the battlefield (excluding that you'd probably wear and carry what it's given to you and that you'd probably fight in formation) If I could choose my weaponryt and afford it (of course) I would wear a full plate armor (of course) with a chainmail and a gambeson underneath and I would pick a poleaxe (I think that even if it doesn't offer the reach of a spear or the rather impressive swing of a greatsword, a poleaxe can be more versatile: you can bash with the hammer head or the butt cap (?), you can cut with the axe blade and you can thrust with the spike on top). On the other hand you have to consider what would change if you were on horseback... That's what I think at the moment (my opinion could change in the future), please keep in mind that I am not trained at all in any martial art but I am very interested in history so... please let me know what do you think :)
I am quite a lot agree on what you listed, well made points. On my end I have much more experience with daggers (and knife fighting in particular) and I'd definitely pick a durable wide dagger as a second next to a swept hilt cut and thrust sword. I'd just give a small addition you didn't mention which is some protection to the lower arm and if possible some helmet. (These two goes as must for all 3 scenarios) In a multiple opponent scenario crippleing as many as quick as possible /and/or/then run is the best option and the dagger is just simpy better at one step-in-and-hurt defenses. Rapier is still not a bad option aginst multiple...pleople generally fear it more so might get better distance and group control (for nobody wants to be the first to step in) 2nd scenario: If spear is allowed then rather bow and traps. Shield is unimportant. If you think really much. If the whatever beast is far, then keep the "I hurt it but it can't hurt me" distance. Bow or spear. If its close...well...shield won't work against a bear, or a lion or even a boar. Why would it work against a whatever monster we imagine? In close reach, the strenght difference is too overwhelming and it runs you over shield or not... 3rd scenario: Problem with swords in battle fields that is often neglected that they can be lost. The bigger it is the easier it can get lost. Stuck, or break or just not enough space to swing. Also, for delicate movements balance and solid ground is needed. Its a bloody mud with half dead bodies in every step clinching into your leg. Great swords are great, I love them, but they are mainly for breaking up lines and pikers. So for the early contact, when everyone against is in front, packed together. Not when they are all around with friend and foe mixed AND: You started with the lucky setup, that can afford to have a full plate armor. I'm more to think that likely I'd be the poor bastard who have limited money and cheaper gear. So a broad shield and a mace is my ultimate choice! Maces are awesome. Not sexy, but really really reliable. Don't get damaged, don't stuck, don't require thinking, and can aim to any limb, weapon armor to do it's job. I can even panic and swing it around screaming with my eyes closed...and get away with it.
What i think a good sword design could be if your left handed is that it's single sided and that there is metal on the right side which is specifically designed to block the right hand from grabbing it. That way if a right handed person steals it and uses it against you, they will be at a large disadvantage.
Matt Easton actually did a pretty good video about adventuring kit once. His best points there were probably that you shouldn't underestimate the pain in the rear baggage is when travelling. Even the most foolhardy adventures are most likely going to consist mostly of walking or riding, and even if your on a horse your capacity for junk is going to be pretty limited. You'll also needs maps, food, drink, cooking utensils, spare clothes, food for your horse, stuff you can use to make a fire, and probably lots of things I can't remember. Historically there were plenty of people who travelled with a whole arsenal of weapons and armour, but that was usually reserved for mercenary companies, knight and nobles who had plenty of porters/camp followers with them. Of course, you could just hire a porter or two, but even if they are carrying a whole pile of weapons and armour it will take you a while to equip it all and I suspect it will make you a very attractive target for any nearby brigands. And places with any adventure to be had, usually had plenty of brigands as well. ... I think my tl;dr will be: Travel light and be ready to bravely run away, or travel in a large enough group for people to carry your stuff and be too large a target to be robbed easily.
In short: I think its up to what you know and practice with the best, but here are my own choice loadouts for these scenarios Travelling in town: A nice longsword or Messer/small shield combo would do me nicely. And some gambeson or mail if I expect to travel to the rougher parts of town. Adventuring in the wilderness: Definitely a sturdy spear and shield combo with a longsword as my backup weapon. A small crossbow would be a great hunting weapon. Light, open faced helmet with Roman style cheek pieces. Take Brigandine cuirass and pauldrons with some brigandine vambraces and greaves over Gambeson. Battle: Suit of full plate armor for sure. Having mail voiders in the joints is a must. Halberd as my primary and longsword as my backup on the left side (Can you tell I love the longsword yet?) and a flanged Mace or Warhammer tucked into the belt on my right side. My armor choice would be a Milanese inspired set with some Gothic influences. Perhaps that is the English style. Now if I had to pick a sword for a primary in each situation.... Town: Longsword Wilderness: shorter Longsword or Messer. Both are good. Battle: Zweihander (Greatsword) for certain.
Like your choice for self-defense. That said, there are options for the other two categories which would be equally as valid. For adventuring, additional concerns would be weight - as in, how much do you want to lug around all day - and convenience - from whether something is too long for the terrain (e.g. lots of dense forests or tight hallways), to whether it is allowable to haul a monster blade into towns/cities and restaurants/inns. A long sword might be a nice compromise - good enough in many situations, better than a one-hander against animals/monsters, where both reach and damage are more important. Battlefield ... while I wholly agree with your comment about maximizing armour, you then went straight to great-sword ... bypassing anything+shield, ... and, again, longsword. Shield+just about any kind of sword gives you substantially more defensive value. And is less tiring. In the same vein, long & short works pretty well too ... a short gives you less defense than a good shield, but a) is less tiring and b) gives you additional attack options. Longsword ... great/war swords are good at hacking things. And clearing large areas. Not so good at point-work. And, against someone armed solely with a longsword, will probably die due to the speed difference. Great-swords, as you noted, generally require maintaining momentum ... a longsword does not. And, again, there's the energy factor - one can wield a longsword for substantially longer than a greatsword without tiring (or your arms falling off).
Self defense: A shorter rapier. Say 36". Pappenheimer Rapier type and a left hand dagger in 4 ply Gambeson or maybe a 32" triangular Smallsword and dagger. Adventure: T Barbute helmet, Plate Cuirass,Back plate, Dagger and a Two handed Boar Spear or Halberd. Something with heft, weight and distance. Battlefield: Plate Helmet, Cuirass, Back plate, Shield, One handed spear, one handed Warhammer ( Auxiliary weapon) and Rondel Dagger. This is for group combat.
For self-defense I'd simply pick a short sword, no armor and no shield. Just something that I would carry with myself while travelling normally if I was just a regular Joe in a medieval/fantasy setting. Though maybe I could see myself wearing just gambeson if I was wealthy. For adventuring I'd pick a bastard sword and a buckler, so I could swing the sword with both hands when I need to. For armor I would wear an open faced barbute helmet, for visibility and breath-ability, greaves and chain-mail with gambeson. For the battlefield is pretty easy, just give me full plate armor, an arming sword and a kite shield. Nothing bad with being generic if it works effectively.
Self defense - katana, wakizashi, dagger. For the quick draw. Adventuring - large round shield and single hand sword. Like the baskethilt sword and targe. Dome shield and side sword. Heater shield and arming sword. Or any combo. A spear. Dagger. Small to medium axe. Light armor. Mail and a coat of plates. Riding horse and a pack horse. Battle or war - longsword, heavy plate armor, halberd, mace, dagger.
I think your hypothetical adventuring situation can apply to survival in zombie apocalypse as well. I mean in a situation of a zombie apocalypse survival, I would also pick a spear as a primary weapon, as to keep a zombie some distance from me. It is less dangerous, if it is too far to bite us.
I just started watching your videos (love them btw) and I was wondering if you've ever addressed the Celtic/Gaul Falcata or the more fantasy styled blades with basically a double blade(one on each end of the handle)?
I'd honestly choose a greatsword for all of the above. The distancing can be nice for self-defence, especially versus a rapier. The same as above, plus the incredible cutting power, is good against monsters. And all the same reasons you listed for the greatsword in a battlefield. Plus I'd be training with one weapon exclusively, therefore get more thorough training and experience using it. Probably a mace as a backup, though. I like smashy things.
Many places during the middle ages had prohibited for everyone the public display of weapons within city limits, in the lands of a Lord, etc; particularly when not in wartime (not even if you are a knight, mind you - only those who kept the law of the place if any were to wield and display weapons). This came to my mind during this, because the only thing that you could have in this situation is either something that was considered a tool (a knife of various kinds, best case scenario) or big sticks (don't understimate the power of a long wooden shaft, like the one that was seen in herders). So self defense... It is quite more different than what fiction shows us.
*Self-Defense: Cinquedea* For self-defense I'd probably have a similar set of ideas as I do when open carrying in real life: effective, but trying not to draw too much attention, and bringing with me nothing illegal. Not that I own illegal things. The Cinquedea was made with civilians in mind and _legally_ was a knife by virtue of is construction, so no worries about guards dragging me aside and taking my things. Then again, many Medieval Fantasy worlds don't bother with civilian weapon laws, so I dunno. It's also not very intrusive, I could easily keep one or another smallsword like it on my person comfortably without worrying about bumping things. *Adventuring: Espada Ropera and Buckler* Depends on if I'm traveling along or with others (though it's probably be pretty stupid to travel alone in such a world). Still lightweight like my thoughts with the Cinquedea, but more hardy for tougher fights. In all likelihood it wouldn't be my main weapon though. If I am alone, I'd probably bring along some sort of cheap polearm. If I'm in a party, I'd want an arquebus or crossbow as my main fighting implement. *Battlefield: Some kind of side-sword or arming sword* That really depends on a lot of things, I guess. If I have the money for it, I'm going for plated mail. If I'm in a melee position primarily and am so well protected, I would probably like a halberd. Given the choice though, I'd pair up with a Pavisier (that is, guys lugging around large deployed shields) and go in with an Arquebus as in line with the tactics of the Black Army of Hungary. You guys can have fun being shot _over there_ , I'll be _over here_ behind my big Magyar buddy Ambrus and his screw-your-arrows super-shield. *TL;DR* So to sum up my choices... *Self-Defense:* Cinquedea or small-sword *Adventuring:* Side-Sword and Buckler (as accessory to another weapon) *Battlefield:* Side-sword (as accessory to an Arquebus and Pavise-bro)
For self defence - I agree, a backsword or smallsword with a buckler would suit me just fine no matter what. For adventuring - Round shield, personally I prefer the shape and consider it better for striking with, chainmail armour and gambeson, fairly light but good protection, I think I'd want a basket hilt claymore for the sword, but given the choice of any weapons yeah, spear all the way, with either that sword on my belt or maybe a nice axe. For battle - Full plate armour much like yourself, and the sword I'd take would probably be greatsword or a bastard sword with a round shield. Given any weapon, Halberd.
For adventuring, I'd personally go with a longsword or grossmesser as my sword of choice, perhaps a longspear or halberd as a primary weapon; for armor, I'd probably wear either a cuirass or brigandine with a full gambeson underneath, as well as a pair of bracers, greaves, and finally a sallet to protect my head.
Actually your best strategy against multiple opponents would not be to keep them distant, but to try to "outwalk" them and to kill or disable the first one as fast as possible. Because your chance to do so is not THAT much lower than defeating him one on one; but your chance to stay alive for a longer period of time with multiple opponents at stance is.
Actually, if there's two, the best strategy would be to incapacitate one so you can focus on the other. Against 3 or more, fuck it, best to run like hell.
I do like the longsword. I personally prefer to use two-handed swords, and the longsword is short enough that you can wear it as a personal defense weapon. For adventuring, the sword is still good. It's not too large to comfortably wear while walking for an entire day, and it's still a two-handed weapon. For war, I'd personally still carry the longsword, but as a sidearm along with a dagger and polearm.
For self defense, I would have a double edged Viking Style sword. I know that it there is not much hand protection, I just like having more variety with my swings, so I could turn around the blade just a bit and cut after a parry and I would have a buckler. For adventuring, I would carry a shield and wield a messer, armor would be light. For wars, I would be armored given the circumstances, and I would wield a Lowland Claymore :D
For self-defense I'd get an early stile rapier, that was still quite good at cutting and is longer than most single hand swords and a paring dagger with a sail guard. Besides the range, it's also the fighting stile I'm most used to. Also the dagger is a good thing to have if you are in a crowded or small place. For adventuring I'd use a chain mail, a crossbow, a kite shield and a boar spear, and a "long" sword as a side weapon. For the battlefield I'd take a full plate, a crossbow and I think I would take a warhammer and a short sword.
I take issue with the distinction between adventuring and warfare in a medieval context. Part of it is the lack of a real definition of "adventuring", of course. Are you looking for something specific? Trading between towns? Hunting bandits? Looking for a job? In the Middle Ages, if you were going to go anywhere, it's unlikely you would do it alone. People with money never went anywhere without a few servants, and people without money tended to travel with their friends, or find a caravan. Medieval governments generally lacked the power to enforce the law outside of urban centers, so any travelers on the road would have to be prepared to fight bandits. If and adventurer owned his/her own armour, they would also most likely bring it with them, since armour is a status symbol and would be as necessary for taking part in tournaments as for fighting. You might store it at an inn when you were in town, but it would always be on you or in your baggage cart when you were on the road. So if you're "adventuring", you're traveling with a group of people, armed and armoured, and most of you are prepared to engage in violence. On the other hand, if you're going off to war, you will be traveling with a group of people, armed and armoured, and most of you are prepared to engage in violence. Granted, if you're going off to war, you would be with a bigger party that would be actively looking for a fight, but the difference is mainly in scale. Plus, most of an army's time is spent moving around, scouting, foraging, fighting the odd small skirmish, waiting (including during a siege), and (unfortunately but almost ubiquitously) committing war crimes against the local civilian population. Battles were relatively rare things.
Self-defence - rapier with dagger. You have no armour (except maybe thick clothing), cannot carry a shield around. Even against multiple opponents, the long blade allows you to keep them all at bay. Adventuring - you want decent armour (maybe not full-plate but a good solid breastplate and some more, plus a really good helmet). A shield may not be all that great against creatures (if a bear tries to maul you and you try to block with a shield, you'll still end up knocked to the ground, probably with a broken arm) but against orcs/goblins/similar is still probably a good idea. So, if you have a shield, then spear as the main weapon, with a solid chopping one-handed sword (backsword, falchion, messer) as the backup. Without a shield, you want a polearm (halberd, pike, longish pole-axe) and a nice long two-handed sword as a backup. Maybe a longsword, maybe a grossmesser. War - full plate, poleaxe, longsword as a backup. Good armour takes care of my defence and I need a solid-hitting weapon with some anti-armour potential against others with solid armour. The problem with the greatsword is that it is not particularly good against armour - it is not completely useless, it would still hit hard, but you might as well be hitting me with a big stick - it ain't getting through my full plate.
You may want to research the Frisian hero called "Pier Gerlofs Donia" or as he was known in that time "Grutte Pier" (Big Pier). I think you will love the story behind this guy, specially the weapon he used! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pier_Gerlofs_Donia
John Gault You may find info on him at the museum in the link below. They are within the actual region and claim to have a sword belonging to him (replica most likely) which is in the second link www.friesmuseum.nl/en/ www.friesmuseum.nl/en/collection/icons/grutte-piers-sword/
Self-defense: Uchigatana. I know that's liable to provoke much eye-rolling in HEMA circles, but it's the sword I have the most training with, and self-defense is essentially what it's built for. Adventuring: Kriegsmesser, though I, too, would prefer a long weapon as my primary choice. A nice, broad spear would be fine, but I'd really want something like a Chinese ji. Either way, something with reach that I could both slash and thrust with effectively. Battlefield: Odachi because of my background, but I'd happily take any greatsword I could get.
For self defense i would use a basket hilt side sword, with a double edge, so i can thrust, not just cut. Or a saber with a slightly curved blade, or a cinquedea, for combat in more closed spaces. For adventuring i would use a spiked club+ round shield, or buckler, or twohanded longsword. And i would definetly carry some ranged weapons, like bow and arrows, or sling with bullets. For battle, poleaxe+platemail, or chainmail with gambeson and crossbow.
I'd suggest a pala kilich for adventuring. Very thin-profile yet wide blade with a strong curve for very deep and powerful cuts. The extreme curve makes it to easy follow-up strikes without much risk of getting the weapon stuck in your target. Not to mention very light weight for a bladed weapon (1.5 pounds), stiff enough because of the pipeback. This design is unnecessary for fighting humans - you don't need to cut someone in half to kill them, it's usually better to have a much longer blade that can cut reasonably well - but when fighting large fantastical beasts the ability to deal immense flesh-and-bone-rending strikes quickly without getting the weapon stuck is a good thing to have in a sword. I do agree however that the spear is an excellent option for an adventurer. One extra point you didn't mention in regards to the spear - since adventurers spend a huge amount of their time travelling and usually on foot, having a primary weapon that can double as a walking stick would be a very practical thing.
You make good points, though personally while adventuring I'd make sure to bring a bow or crossbow. You never know when you'll need a ranged weapon and there's also the off chance that the monster you happen to come across can either fly or is much more dangerous that you would cringe at the idea of getting close enough to use your spear. In such a case why engage up close when a well place crossbow bolt can settle the issue? Also I'd assume if you were adventuring you wouldn't do so alone, so you would have friends to keep you from being rushed.
Forgive and correct me with names used: For defense I would use a sword breaker without the hand protection but with a trident like crossguard (I had the swordbreaker explained to me as a triangular chineese sword that is designed with the intent of being a cross between a rapier and that back sword you showed. you were supposed to cleave or snap your opponents blade with them). For adventuring a set of swords one falchion like and the other Tanto like for size. personnally I favor the idea of being to close for your opponent to block and dodge while as they jump back for space you swing in with the heavy sword when balance is crap. battle field would be a special made sword I call the three-handed (dragonslayer) Great claymore. Meant to be about 20% heavier than a claymore and has a 3'1 hilt a large cressent cross guard sharp on the side the blade comes from it s intial purpose is shock an awe, the the back side is serated with teeth going forward. the main blade extends out from the cross guard roughly 3'4. the catch is there is a catch in the hilt that when pressed allows one to access the hidden blade that is kind of dirk like in design straight highly tapiered and meant to be the finisher. The scenerio works where you have swept at the foes head and for sake of argument they block; you push the release and use Iatsu to draw stab sheath in a quick movement. the momentum of your swing and the fact they support your blade with your block guarantees they didnot have hands free to defend with. the pieces seperate function as a hand and a half and a long dagger combo but when put together become a heavy mace like cleaver of a sword. I have no swordsmanship skills really so all choices are treated as if I spent decades prefecting their use.
I think for everyday living self defense, something like a short sword (spada, gladius or xopis) would be good enough, don’t want that thing to impede my movement, tire me or hit everything. Traveling would be a messer, falchion or such as you described. Certainly a spear. Shields and I would want a round one laid on my back because maybe climbing hills, steep terrain and etc a long shield like a kite might be bothersome. Also, I would keep a mace if I could, although if I had to carry everything than no. War situations is either plate or chain and shield certainly. But I would still like a versatile polearm like a bec de corbin, pole axe or something. But also a good mace. Swords for me are not much useful when fighting chain mail and plate, gambeson as well.... greatswords for me are too long, and their use was mostly for specialist opening formations and dismounting riders from what I’ve known. It was such a hassle that those guys got double the pay... doppelsoldner landsknecht and all
I think my choice for self defense would be a quarterstaff or a Scottish basket Hilt backsword and dirk. For war or adventuring I'd be inclined toward a bow, with the same sword and a targe. If bows are out, then I prefer plate and either a greatsword or a polehammer. Also for fantasy, I like magic, especially transmutation, enchantment and illusion. So I'm a Scottish bard.
In regards to all 3 categories I would always have a large kukri strapped across the small of my back or on my hip, but for the primary weapons of the categories I would go a different route. For Self Defense I would have something like a Gladius and use that along with my kukri. For actual adventuring I would totally go the whole shield and spear route that you did, but I would have the best Katana I could get my hands on that way if I needed to either duel 1V1 or take on multiple opponents I could do just that. And finally for the battlefield when I go to war I would of course be wearing plate armor on top of chainmail, but for the weapons I would keep the katana as a back up strapped across my back, hey you never know when shit will happen on a battlefield, so its good to keep a familiar weapon handy. I'd still have my kukri and gladius on my hip, but but for my Primary Battlefield Weapon I would go with a poleaxe for the reach, as well as the options that it gives me, I need to smash through armor the hammer head will take care of it, if I need to skewer somebody then the spearhead will take care of it. And of course for those big broad sweeping attacks I've got a nice thick, long axe head to bisect motherfuckers with. And if anyone manages to get within my guard I have the options of using my kukri or gladius to use on em.
For self defense I would have two short arming swords, in a city I'm more likely to fight multiple people (thugs with only melee) so dual wielding is a nice supplement for not having a shield, and them being short is for if I'm in a building it's better to wield and them being short is better for me to draw quicker, and arming swords because of their balance and quick movability. For adventuring I would have a shield and a flanged mace, if I had to use a sword it would be the falchion or messer. The mace is because if I'm up against a monster it probably has natural armour (like scales) and I want to easily ignore that. For the battlefield A shield and mace or a tapered arming sword, because of armour, if I know the enemy has no armour than I would have a falchion or messer if I absolutely know that they don't have range then I would dual wield two falchions or messers. the falchions or messers would have to be a little heavy ended though.
Hmmmm... Well, for self defence I'd probably go a similar route with a broadsword, though I could make an argument for staff combat. A sufficiently large stick is an effective weapon that wouldn't come across as being too unusual. For adventuring...poleaxe. Axe head, blunt end for hammering, jabby bit for stabbing. Definitely carry a small shield and broadsword as backup though, and I'd probably go as far as wearing mail on top of gambison because I'm paranoid like that. And for battlefield...also poleaxe. And whatever armor I can get on me. Ideally the best weapon I could field in battle would be "someone else" but I assume I don't have the luxury of having a proxy.
Whatever smallsword I’d use for adventuring, I’d have a longer handle installed onto it. For a non-soldier like me I feel wielding a lighter blade with both hands would give well to ease of use. So, kind of like a short bastard sword. One-handed blade, two handed handle.
This is going to sound stupid, but hear me out here. An interesting choice for self defense against a solo opponent or a group on the city streets could possibly be the Spadone (Zweihander, Bidenhander, Montante, Greatsword). I know that a lot of people will tell me it's too big, it's too heavy and it's nowhere near as useful as another sword and yes, you're right, it's not perfect but it isn't useless. It has techniques for multiple situations when you're body guarding someone as in the teachings of Franseco Alferi. There's techniques for guarding doors, in narrow alleys, on one side of a wide street, guarding a cloak, guarding a lady, guarding against a group and many others. It's pretty fascinating and has completely changed my opinion on what this sword is capable of and how effective it could be in skilled hands. I'm not saying it's the best, but it's also not the worst, it's just an interesting choice and the sword deserves to be viewed in a more accurate light since videogames and the like have painted it more as this barbaric chopper more than a finely crafted multi-tool with an amazingly sophisticated martial art dedicated to it.
Captain Swing Honestly, it probably *would* be best. Nothing says "Don't fuck with me" like a big ass sword(except for full plate armor and halberds). You probably wouldn't even be attacked while carrying around a greatsword of some sort
Captain Swing the problem with saying "a good weapon for self defense is a weapon that is as long as a person is tall" is the practicality. When I go to school or work, I want to keep my laptop, backpack, suitcase, etc compact so that I'm not gonna be tired walking around with them and I'm not gonna bump them into other people when I'm in a crowd. People back then didn't have laptops, but they also probably didn't want to awkwardly bump a giant sword into someone else by accident. Civilians very rarely (or sometimes never) end up using their weapons So in practice, it's probably better to pick something that you could practically carry around with you without it being awkward.
Generally, yes, the size is a bit of an issue, however the greatsword wouldn't be carried by the person themselves, it would be carried by their retinue. Their guard, or guards would have this as an option, likely carried by one or two servants or in a horse-drawn cart and the weapons would then be deployed when their master had reached his destination and was in a defensible position that could be guarded by the greatsword, if not, then the guards could rely on their sidearms. Even though the greatsword is pretty big, it's not as big as most polearms and so is pretty well suited to a surprising array of urban environments. I understand that there's better tools for the job, but my point is that the greatsword is overlooked and sadly misunderstood to be this barbaric weapon that's swung wildly with little-to-no skill involved, when in fact it is a very versatile and fascinating weapon with a very rich martial art dedicated to its effective use in multiple situations. Honestly, if it came down to it, my self-defense weapon of choice would be a rapier or whatever equivalent of the schiavona would be available in that period and an accompanying dagger just in case I happen to lose my sword or my attacker is too close for me to draw it in time. I was merely advocating a more accurate appreciation of the greatsword and hope more people would learn to appreciate it with a better understanding.
I agree that the greatsword is underappreciated. I've talked to people that said "greatswords weighed 40 pounds and were meant to be swung once and then dropped" and have been unable to convince them otherwise. But "a weapon that is carried by your retinue and drawn for you and handed to you before a battle" is not a self-defence weapon :) That's a weapon of battle. A self-defence weapon is "oh shit I'm being mugged and my retinue is nowhere to be seen. Lemme draw this weapon and try to protect my life with it"
Hmmmm Let's see........ Self Defense Long daggers Rapier - for one-on-one duels Adventuring Round Shield (small) - to block off heavy hits Katana (straight and double-edged near the tip) - for more ways to kill Crossbow - for ranged attacks (and for hunting) Long dagger - for silent kills Battlefield/War Guandao - primary weapon - can be used to knock off cavalry Zhanmadao - for close- quarters and for back-up Four-sided mace (short) - for heavy damage Crossbow - same purpose as mentioned in 'Adventuring' (except there's no hunting) Armor Gambeson ( 3 layers) w/ mail (mostly on exposed parts) Plate armor (shin, torso, back, arms, and thighs, head) Leather armor (neckline, hands, feet, underarms, face) Probably need a horse, for which I would pick a Shire, seeing as they can carry heavy stuff, outfitted with padded leather armor w/plate armor and has quivers on the sides Yep
I think I would use almogaver's gear for adventuring. It consists in almost all you said: one spear (or two), a shield and a brutal chopping one-handed weapon. The main difference is in which shield and in which weapon use: I would bring a round wood shield, not very large, and a coltell, a tipe of falchion like a butcher knive that almogavers used in their battles. Maybe I would equip myself with a shortbow or a light crossbow
Hmm... In a personal defense setting, I definitely agree that a sword would be the optimal weapon, and a backsword or a sidesword would be a good candidate. However, as Jackson Edwards pointed out, in an urban self-defense situation you might not have room to swing or even draw your sword. So, as a backup, I would use a fairly large dagger like a Dirk or Seax, but with a decent-sized crossguard to give it at least some hand protection - this would also make it a viable off-hand weapon for parrying. As an adventurer? If I had to use a sword, I definitely wouldn't use a falchion and shield. Why? Against Monsters: "But What About Dragons?" Your typical fantasy setting has a lot of monsters that (a) have very tough hides or scales that make them the equivalent of armor, and (b) are strong enough that they could hit your shield and break your arm, or hook it and rip it out of your grasp (possibly taking your arm with it). If I knew I'd be fighting a big monster, unless it was something like a Manticore that had a missile attack, I'd ditch the shield and use a longsword of Oakeshott Type XVa through XVIIIa - something that was a good thrusting weapon and had a fairly long reach... if I couldn't use a polearm for some reason. If I could use a polearm, I'd use a pollaxe with a thrusting spike, with the longsword and Dirk as a backup. Against People: In a typical medieval fantasy setting, adventurers still encounter plenty of people out in the wild - Orcs, Goblins, and bandits. These folks tend to be better armed than street criminals, and are much more likely to have projectile weapons or armor. Here the shield would be more useful, or failing that some better armor like a Brigandine, and of course a good helmet. The primary weapon would be either the mentioned pollaxe or a spear light enough to be used with a shield, with either a longsword or an arming sword as backup. The same applies on the battlefield, but with plate armor substituted in if I could afford it. ...well, actually, I lied. The weapon best suited to my physical characteristics in an adventuring or battlefield situation would be... A CROSSBOW. Specifically, a powerful windlass-drawn crossbow capable of punching through Maille or shooting a rather hefty broadhead that would create a huge, bloody wound and make monsters bleed out quickly. The last thing I'd want to do against something far bigger and stronger than me is get close enough to be hit. Sneak up on it, shoot, and run away. On a battlefield, don't fight the armored knights head-on unless my line fails.
I'm really feeling like I would pick the mage class for a medieval fantasy setting. Self defense: shock and force spells to taze people or slam them to the wall. Something ligh and practical, but still somewhat protective as everyday apparel. Adventuring: longer range spells. Anything that kills the target and doesn't lit the area on fire. Something protective, but light and comfortable as apparel. Battlefield: all the nukes!!! Firstorm, Blizzard, Meteor Rain, Tornado, Thunderstorm, etc... and obviously full plate as apparel because going into a battle in your paper thin robes is the dumbest thing ever as a mage. You are the center of attention and being a glass cannon is a bad idea when you have permadeath.
I would prefer a sword like a katana so I have the option for two handed strikes and a hand guard protecting the full length of the handle. I'd always protect my hands with gauntlets while in battle or adventuring. I'd prefer plate armour on my body, shoulders, calves and feet with chain mail filling the gaps and a coif and open faced helm in battle with a nose guard. While adventuring I'd only wear mail and a gamberson and protect my feet with leather boots. As a primary weapon in combat I'd take either a crossbow or pole axe for stopping power and my adventuring primary would only be the crossbow because the quarrels are retrievable. I'd be flexible when considering dagger or shield but I'd be hesitant to take a buckler unless I didn't have gauntlets.
7:43 Bugbears are from European/British folklore. They are basically a bogeyman. In DnD they are big, scary, stealthy, and often seen fighting alongside the badass hobgoblin. Way cooler than the dumb, vanilla ogre. Ogres are one of the lamest monsters in DnD.
For adventuring, I'd go with a spear (could the weight allow it to double as walking staff?) And tomahawk with a small flat part on the back for hammer use. The hawk is mostly for bushcraft. Also I'd like a knife, since it's also a good tool. For a duel, i'm a pacifist, so being nice to people/not stepping on people's proverbial toes/*praying* for protection would be probably good enough. For war, i'll assume i couldn't get out of service on moral grounds, so I'd choose prayer and a billhook.
Self Defense: Probably an arming sword or side sword and dagger. Specifically a rondel would be good for me. And in terms of no weapon restriction, i might consider a staff but most likely would stick with the sword and dagger. Adventuring: Falchion and heater shield. Heater specifically because it's not as big as a kite shield, so it doesn't get in the way as much, but is still rather robust & tough. With no restrictions? Probably a glaive, as i'm not the best with thrusting weapons, so having a long weapon that can cut good works well. perhaps one of your sword staves would be interesting as well. Warfare: Greatsword of course. What other choice is there when it comes to warfare and swords?? but aside from that, probably a heavy chopping weapon like a bardice would be good.
You can only fight the way you practice.
-Miyamoto Musashi.
The best weapon in any situation is the one you actually have training and experience with.
Self defence: likely to be cramped space, like an alley or a tavern. Rapier and buckler carried openly mostly for deterrent, with a nice long, vicious dirk tucked away for making a real mess of people.
*Biggest fear with this set-up: actually having to knife someone. It's better than dying alone in a shit-stained alley, but I don't think I could live with myself.*
Adventuring: Boar spear. For all the reasons you mentioned. Now the assumption is that as an adventurer you wear as much padding as you physically can while still being comfortable, but I'll take some greaves, vambraces, and a light helm. Kite shield is a lot of weight for something I can't even use with my main weapon. Better to carry a small round shield and a one-handed straight sword (I like more edges on my swords than you do) for scrapes with less favourable odds. And a knife. Because knife. Don't go adventuring without a knife.
*Biggest fear: the spear breaking while I'm fighting something big. Now I have to go in close.*
Battle: War bow. And a shovel for for a quick defensive rampart. And a fast pony for when my quiver runs out.
Failing bow, because that's cheating, full plate. Bardiche (beats the greatsword on range variability and hacking power). Short mace on the belt. Rondel. No shield because it's full plate. The mace is for when I inevitably come up against someone who had the same idea vis a vis armour and want to subdue his sorry ass to make a quick buck. The rondel is for when he doesn't come quietly.
*Biggest fear: three untrained peasant levies with big-ass round shields and maces. I'm going to be ransomed back to my estate in disgrace with a concussion before I can say "fuck the middle ages"!*
spear or halberd for battelfield, all ways. Also i would trade the mace for a short sword, like a roman gladius and immediatley go for the rondell if armour comes my way. The gladius is just personal opinion. Any onehanded mace, sword or axe would suffice if i got into close ranged combat. Nice ideas on the whole
Glaive, Rondel and Cutlass for me
I would love to play D&D with Shad as DM.
He would be like "I don't care if your half-elf has the duel wielder feat! Duel-wielding daggers won't do squat!"
But in a good way🤣😆
your just wrong thats werewolves not all monsters
Obviously, the best weapon for any situation would be a Chaos Zweihander
With 2 backups of Black Flame.
Nah the claymore. Because of backstabbing the faster claymore is better. Butt crushing people with the zweihander in 2 hits is so fucking satisfying.
The greatest weapon there is is the pommel of a sword, unthreaded and ready to end my opponents quite rightly.
CISsuperdroid what rings you got bitch?
Carthus curved sword!!!!!
That means new game +
basically, his ideal self defence sword is a Scottish Basket-hilted Backsword. thick blade, superb hand protection, can't lose
Or a Venetian schiavona. Similar blade (they were indifferently single or double edged, see for exapmple armthearmour.tumblr.com/image/177064971715 ) and hand protection, but the ricasso and the thumb ring gave superior control over the blade.
I know its 4 years later but the Scots had self defense down pat, Dirk, Hidden Knife, and a Gun most likely, along with the Broadsword and Targe when charging into skirmish.
I used to think you knew alot about swords. Now I'm not so sure. You said in a fantasy scenario you would want a spear when the obvious choice would be lightsaber.
NO obviously a lightsaber pole-weapon would be superior: starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Lightsaber_pike/Legends
he said medieval fantasy, not star wars fantasy
***** Shut up, you.
+Xaro Xhoan Daxos Or what?
Wouldn't a Heavy-sabre be better?
Funny that you would pick the spear as your main adventuring weapon. I would as well, though it would specifically I would pick the "juumonji yari", which is a triple pointed japanese spear. I would probably pick the particular kind that has one center blade then 2 perpendicular blades to either side, both so my spear doesn't over-penetrate my target and so I can stab by swinging with sideways motions as well as forwards, making it harder for enemies to get close.
As my backup, I would probably carry a longsword and some kind of round shield with a solid center bossing, probably on the smaller side so it doesn't get in the way on horseback or if I sling it over my shoulder, but big enough to defend against arrows and projectiles.
For armor, I'd probably wear a thinner 3-4 layer gambeson with mail. I would not wear plate or mail gauntlets, but I would have a decently thick pair of leather gloves.
Ignoring the fact that I'm horribly allergic to horses, I'd probably want a horse as well, and I'd keep a crossbow in one of the side straps and all my equipment maintenance gear in a saddlebag (along with a thicker version of my gambeson, padded armor, and clothes for winter months), with provisions in the other. The crossbow would probably be used for hunting primarily, but could work if I need a ranged option in combat.
This is an interesting video. 3 years old, I don't care, here's my choices:
Self Defense:
A Plated Gauntlet with chainmale fingers, combined with a bit less wide backsword but slightly broader Crossguard.
Adventure:
A verticaly quite a bit longer (higher by 0,75-1 Unit) Heatershield plus a Backsword without Crossguard and slight Possitive Curvater (+).
War:
Full Plating, of course. But I need a freakin KRIEGSMESSER with strong Positive Curvature (++).
I would go Billhook which got a Hammerhead opposed to a spike on the opposite side of the blade if I could go with others than Swords.
If you read this, thank you for taking the time. Please call it out if the weaponary I described has a direct naming, I'm not greatly into the Typology of these Materia!
In LARP, I went from a spear and a shortsword, to backsword, shield and a knife, as a I grew older and had more responsibilities. Being able to keep issuing orders and being the last one alive was much more important than damaging the opponent, hence the shift from two handed weapon to one handed with shield.
Personally.
Self defense: A rapier. It has an advantage over almost ANY earlier or contemporary sword type in a 1v1 duel situation. Great for self defense.
Adventuring: Longsword. Good reach, good power and relatively versatile.
War: Arming sword (and spear) and shield.
Personally I'd rather have something closer to a kukri or gladius for self defence as for the most part, people get attacked in alleys and enclosed spaces so more manoeuvrable but heavy bladed weapons would be beneficial. For adventuring I'd agree to have a spear, but for a sword, I think double bladed sword would be more useful since you'll be using it a lot, you'll want a sword that has as much sharp edge to work with since maintaining your edge will be difficult, a longsword, would be my go-to for adventuring, preferably one with a distil taper which gives it uses to pierce mail, cut padding and batter plate with the pommel. As for battlefield, I agree again with the greatsword, since you get the reach of a short spear and the momentum and concussive force of a pole weapon.
Yes, longsword seems better for me, if you are using spear as main weapon. Spear and shield is good for fight in tight formations, but your tip will be very weak in bind. In case of big game or monsters you want to have strong grip so you will use both hands as you will do with boar spear. Without shield longsword is better than falchion very obviously. And it is very versatile weapon, with still quite long reach to stand against big opponents, good in duels and skirmishes.
The best weapon to self defense is Quarterstaff. You can carry it everywhere, it is longer than sword and you can use it as walking stick.
Glad I checked the comments as I was about to say the same thing
Agreed. Quarterstaff. The 8 foot variety. Kinda partial to the
squarish variety. (If forced to use a sword, it would be rapier and
buckler, the reach is so nice).
Adventuring/war: Pole axe. Axe head for cutting rubbery targets, hammerhead for brittle/armored critters, or spear tip for stabbing critters with deep vulnerable organs. Back up for adventuring/war: Warhammer. (If forced to choose a sword, great sword. Some monsters have very thick armor or long reach.)
But if you don't whack them in the head or other very vital place (which I can't think of any), the staff will never do anyway near the damage of a sharp or front heavy weapon (like a mace).
Benni Bodin Jagell If you hit someone on hand, knee, chest or head with heavy stick you will definitely do enough damage even if your oponent is wearing some armor. Swords (specially light backswords) are easy to stop even with few layers of clothing.
Benni Bodin Jagell The scalability is what makes it a good self defence weapon. It can just keep someone at distance, a thrust to an unprotected stomach or chest would wind or probably break some ribs but not kill. A blow anywhere would do more damage than a mace, it's heavier and a much longer leaver, although if it was wooden tipped that would bring things back towards the mace
If you're fighting monsters in a fantasy setting, you cannot do without a silver sword.
So 2 swords. Silver for monsters, steel for humans.
What if you're fighting faeries? Where's your cold iron?
A witcher's iron sword isn't specificly for humans
Silver for monsters is specific to the Witcher - never seen that applicable to other settings - with the exception of silver being traditional for harming werewolves.
smilejos67 Devils in D&D hate it. There's a plethora of other outsiders and bizarre things that revile silver.
Basically you'd want something made from cold iron to fight off demons and fey, with the silver for fighting off a host of other things.
That depends on what the writer wants.
For the world I'm working on, there is a rare magic that can deflect iron - making good protection against iron and steel.
Also there are few individuals who can work wood of a particular tree so that it ends up with properties like the finest steel, allowing them to create weapons better than an mundane steel weapon - thus being an option to defeat the above mentioned magic.
I think that the perfect option for me in a fantasy scenario would be a big one-handed kopis with a shield. So you can chop very big things.
I would've thought the pommel would've been best for self-defense.
AFK man a pommel would be the best for all three
AFK man: End them rightly. Just have a big bag of pommels.
make sure to wear leg armor while adventuring. after all, you dont want to take an arrow to the knee
For self-defense, I'd be greatly tempted to keep my off-hand free, for grabbing my opponent's weapon or arm, or for quickly switching to a half-sword or mordhau grip.
However, I'm also tempted to accept the truth of the noble science of defense and go with 8 feet of well seasoned ash.
Glad to see you on camera again, hope you're feeling better
I could not disagree more about single vs double edge. I used to feel the same way before I actually joined a HEMA club and learned how useful the back edge really is. Being able to wind around the opponent's parry and hit them with the back edge is invaluable in certain styles, and I'd take that over any slight advantage in cutting capability.
HEY, MY NAME IS DANIEL FROM NEW YORK, I AM A NEW SUBSCRIBER AND I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK . YOUR CHANNEL IS A BLESSING ON MY JOURNEY TO ENLIGHTENMENT.
Great video, Shad!
And I actually would've taken a shield (a skjöldr) and an arming sword, however, I totally forgot the backswords and swepthilt swords.
And really, I would take a buckler and something like a scottish backsword, a messer or something. Pref. with some false edge at the weak to provide more options.
For adventuring, I'd go with an arming sword, shield (I would love to say a sjöldr again, but that kite shield provides so much more protection to your legs...) and I would most definitely have a spear and an axe with me, as well. And *maybe* a flanged mace, as well.
I would be covered in gambeson and thick mail, I would have a proper helmet (likely with a steel skullcap, just to make sure) and if possible, my weapon hand and arm would be covered in plate (vambrace and gauntlet, something similar to what a certain type of gladiator had; Metatron has a video about gladiators and there you can see the thing I'm referring to).
For battlefield, I would go with as much plate as possible, just like you, and if only swords would be allowed, then a warsword (I'm quite short, so that would be a greatsword to me :P ), but I'd much rather have a polaxe. Or if that would not be possible then a shield and a flanged mace.
Great video, Shad! I really like your content, and I really *really* hope you keep going!
Self defense :
Hmm... Poleaxe
Adventuring/Fighting monsters:
Yep, still a poleaxe
War:
Poleaxe
Why not a halberd? You never know when a pointy end might be useful.
What about a billhook?
You have to carry that thing!
There's a reason the sword stayed relevant on the battlefield. If your pole arm broke, you weren't totally fucked. However, by the mid-late middle ages, that role was mostly taken over by the warhammer and mace, thanks to armor development. That placed the sword into a mostly status piece or in town self defense weapon. Personally, I would have carried a Halberd, a longsword at my left side and a warhammer tucked into a belt on my right side.
If I was picking just one sword for all situations, I'd go with the longsword - based on its relative versatility and my own personal fighting style. Not sure what I'd choose for specific situation.
Before I watched the video, I was going to tell you, "How fun your videos are to watch!"
"I would like a nice big long pointy stabby thing"
- this guy, 2016
self-defence: sling with a pouch full o' pommels
adventuring: 200 pound war bow with 2 pommels tied to each arrow
Warfare: Warwolf with a pommel so big you need that thing to throw it (how to NOT end them rightly!)
great video. i like a compact arming sword for carry because you can do the false edge master cuts. probably a pollaxe and tapered long sword for battlefield use.
Weapons: crossbow as my primary weapon, cutlass (it's a single edged sword with a knuckle duster for crying out loud, who wouldnt want that), and a dagger.
Armour: vambraces, greaves for shin kicking goblins arses, steel Corinthian style light helm, gambeson (of course), steel chest plate.
Really like the look of that backsword.
For adventuring, consider the two great fantasy adventurers Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. The former carries a 2-handed longsword (which he used one handed because he was 7 feet tall) and a dirk. The latter carried a saber and dagger. They were never overly armed or armored because they might be climbing walls, shinnying down ropes, swimming moats, running down tunnels, dodging wizard spells, jumping out of second story tavern windows, you never know. They had to stay versatile. Fantasy RPGs do not punish you enough for heavy armor, weaponry, and shield. You can run around all day like that, whereas in real life you'd only gear up like that right before a battle.
Great video. Honestly, for my own stories I think I'll stick to having my main character use a standard arming sword, or possibly a Celtic sword for the first two situations. I don't have any plans to write anything for the third.
the princess you ran into on your adventure will refuse to be rescued by any hero who's not carrying a longsword
Very helpful video for writers.
Spear or Halberd for the main weapon. hand and a half sword for the side arm, for just about any situation really. They're my favorite weapons like, EVER.
you deserve a million more subscribers
I know this post is long closed but I NEED TO ADD MY THOUGHTS!! Sorry. :D
Without any question, my chosen sets for self-defence, adventuring and battlefield will be very similar to yours.
Buuuuuuut, I would like to have at least an option for distance and I think a helmet is necesary.
For self defense (even when your falchion seems logical and smart), the rapier is my loved one: an extra inch will be a huge advantage.
For adventuring, I will try to go equiped as the adventurers of the Americas did in the XVI century (For them, the New world was their fantasy world: you know, creatures never seen before everywhere, unknown dangers everyday and treasures in a magical and amazing new land for discover or conquer):
- Helmet (I dont want to die just because a stone falls over my head)
- Breastplate
- Some kind of protection for my hands (a small round shield or gauntlets)
- Of course a horse (if it's an option). Yes. A horse is a weapon, a vehicule and a lot of armour.
- The same rapier I took in the self-defense as a side weapon.
- A light crossbow (easy to make new ammo and very usefull in any circumstance) or a small firearm (not very usefull really, but all that noise and stunning will avoid me a lot of problems with animals, monsters and other soldiers that never heared the thunder stick).
- And a halberd. It's the spear in his 2.0 version.
For battle just add more armour to the mentioned items. Too much things? Mmmmhh maybe. But if the horse is granted, It won't be a problem.
- Oh! And, finally, a dog and other adventurers. In that order. :D
www.elgrancapitan.org/ferrer-dalmau/images/20110828155926_con_marco2.jpg
Totaly agree with de great sword for battle. same for me with a long sword and a pearcing dagger in backup. Self defence, i think i'll go for rapier and dagger, quick thrust is advantage to make fast injuries, and the dagger is complementar.
And adventuring, i think a langmesser is a good choise, great cutting power etc... Even if my favorit is a longsword or a swerd/viking sword if i use a shield or a weapon on left hand weapon.
That's only my preferences, your choises are good i think. Nice video^^
Context is everything. Consider swirds as tools. You'll need the right tool for the job. So first off, you'll need to know what the job entails.
For self defense: any weapon is better than no weapon, and you don't know what sort of adversary you'll be facing. Hence, you'll want something that'll function as an allrounder and is easy to carry around. You'll also have to consider use un confined spaces as well. Corridors, alleyways, indoors, etc. You'll have to carry the weapon everywhere (including bathrooms perhaps) and you may even have to conceal it. In many cases, a dagger might be preferable. If you're going with a sword, I'd consider a blade on the shorter end of the spectrum, perhaps something gladius-sized.
For fantasy-style adventuring I'd definitely prefer a spear and shield with a one handed sword or hand and a half sword as backup. It depends greatly on what you'll be fighting. You'd probably want to travel with multiple weapons and mix and match to fot the situation. (hey, it's a fantasy setting - you can carry a dozen swords at all times, right?)
For combat use again it depends on what type of enemy you'll be facing and how you conduct combat. Are they heavily armored or not? Are you fighting solo or in formation? Regardless of at what point you are in the Middle Ages, it's hard to go wrong with a spear & shield and a one handed sword as sidearm.
Self defense:
Sidesword with a swept hilt and a buckler. Thrusting and cutting, good reach.
Adventure:
Spear, shield and falchion. You had a good point on that.
Battlefield: Gladius and scutum. Also would be nice to have a bunch of others with gladius and scutum.
cant believe I agree with you. A Messer for myself
Grenades/ firebombs (either gunpowder or naptha/ petroleum) seem like they would be very useful in rpg adventuring, and they definitely existed in the real life medieval period. They are small enough to be easily transported (and concealed), they could do lots of damage to monsters (launching them with a sling would allow you to stay a safe distance away), and they could be used in hit-and-run skirmishes against enemy encampments (e.g. bandit groups or soldiers of the evil empire) to cause as much mayhem as possible.
As a secondary, what about a flintlock pistol? They can be useful as clubs if you miss, or you can throw them. (They can also have pommels!)
Many thanks for your videos and information!! My personal preferences would be; self defense- short blade (18-24 inch) heavy guarded blade or an impact device of some sort, don't expect many armored attackers. The other 2 would be a pole arm and axe with a shield. What would be your choices in a "blade friendly" time like the mid to late 1800's. Urban area versus rural and remote. Just another suggestion for the bin but, maybe......
Hello! I'm a D&D player but I'm also quite a history nut, specifically a military history nut. Since you posted such an interesting question, I've come to the conclusion that I would personally prefer a short sword, something like the Roman gladius but after giving it some thought, I would much prefer the machaera, a single-edged short sword mostly used by Alexander the Great but I'd have mine with a curved full-tang hilt & flared pommel & a bar handguard connecting it to the S-shaped cross guard to enable me to disarm enemies, if I so choose. I feel that this would suffice for self-defense along with a knife or dagger. For adventuring or war (I'm a fighter-battlemaster, by the way), I'd also wear a long-sleeved, long-hemmed chainmail shirt along with an Imperial Gallic Roman helmet because I learned that chainmail generally cleans itself while you're wearing & marching in it & as for the helmet, I'm a fan of the Roman legionnaires! To this kit, I'd add a hemi-cylindrical scutum, a rogatina (a Russian bear spear) or 2, a mace, & a zwei-hander greatsword slung on my back for dealing with oversized foes. I would very much appreciate your thoughts on this gear as well as a D&D campaign DMd by you! BE WELL!
I agree with you on your weapon of self-defence. However, I would actually choose a bastard sword and center-gripped round shield when adventuring, and a bardiche and center-gripped kite shield on the battlefield.
I would use the bastard sword because it would then allow me to use a longsword and longsword techniques, while still allowing me to use a shield if needed. I would use the round shield simply because I would be more comfortable with that.
I would use a kite shield on the battlefield just for the extra protection. I would use the bardiche because it allows me to have long reach, to slash and stab my opponents, and it just plain looks cool. Also, if it were in the age of firearms, I could rest my gun barrel on the bardiche as a steadying platform.
Self defense would be sidesword (that's like halfway between a rapier and an arming sword right?) and a revolver (black powder if that's what I could get) or a rapier and a revolver. Sword on the right hip gun on the left. Your opinion?
Adventuring? Gambeson, quarter staff and dagger to fit into it like a good spear, with a messer. We seem to have similar tastes. If I was going to a more actiony adventure, I would have chosen the round shield (skjöldr or however it's spelled) until your video about the kite shield. A good helmet.
War? A good horse to move away from. I'm a rogue not a fighter.
using a fan picture of kvothe for adventuring, you sir have my approval
Self defence: Side sword and buckler. Plain and simple.
Adventuring: I wouldn't go with a spear and large shield, as I would most likely be carrying a backpack of some kind while traveling, making it impossible to carry a shield on my back. This would mean occupying both hands to carry a spear and shield. having one hand free while traveling would things like having a drink of water while I walked, or going over rough terrain easier. Instead I would use a halberd. It has all the reach and thrusting potential of a spear, with the bonus of being able to chop and hook aswell. To make up for not having a shield, I'd wear a brigandine and helm. The sword I would take as a backup would also be a falchion.
Battlefield: If I was in full plate armour, I would take the pollaxe and longsword combination over the two hander. A two hander is great at keeping opponents at a distance, but if I'm wearing full plate armour this isn't really a big concern.
In a fantasy setting there are also bandits, kobolds and goblins, though. I'd suggest a longsword with a "quick draw" scabbard on the back for sweeping attacks as well.
I rather enjoy axes as my personal favorite weapon type, but when it comes to swords, I agree with you on single edge blades.
I would pick a spiked mace for an army conflict. Most of my opponents would be decked out in armor, and spiked maces are the best to punch through said armor. For adventuring, a short bow, a jar of poison to dip the arrow points in if I find myself unnoticed and can prep, a kite shield, a spear and a backsword in case of bandits. For self-defense, a backsword and a pair of spiked brass knuckles.
For self defense I would consider a buckler combined with an arming sword or a Schiavona (Italian basket hilted sword)
For adventuring first of all a good helmet (you know, to protect the most important and exposed part of your body) like a Kettle or a Sallet; then I'd wear a gambeson under a brigandine with a medium sized Skjoldr (even though I love the kite shield, I think it would be lighter and more maneuverable) a reasonably long spear or a pike and a sidearm like an arming sword or a messer (not a bad idea)
For the battlefield (excluding that you'd probably wear and carry what it's given to you and that you'd probably fight in formation) If I could choose my weaponryt and afford it (of course) I would wear a full plate armor (of course) with a chainmail and a gambeson underneath and I would pick a poleaxe (I think that even if it doesn't offer the reach of a spear or the rather impressive swing of a greatsword, a poleaxe can be more versatile: you can bash with the hammer head or the butt cap (?), you can cut with the axe blade and you can thrust with the spike on top). On the other hand you have to consider what would change if you were on horseback...
That's what I think at the moment (my opinion could change in the future), please keep in mind that I am not trained at all in any martial art but I am very interested in history so... please let me know what do you think :)
shad, you're my hero right now
I am quite a lot agree on what you listed, well made points. On my end I have much more experience with daggers (and knife fighting in particular) and I'd definitely pick a durable wide dagger as a second next to a swept hilt cut and thrust sword. I'd just give a small addition you didn't mention which is some protection to the lower arm and if possible some helmet. (These two goes as must for all 3 scenarios)
In a multiple opponent scenario crippleing as many as quick as possible /and/or/then run is the best option and the dagger is just simpy better at one step-in-and-hurt defenses.
Rapier is still not a bad option aginst multiple...pleople generally fear it more so might get better distance and group control (for nobody wants to be the first to step in)
2nd scenario: If spear is allowed then rather bow and traps. Shield is unimportant. If you think really much. If the whatever beast is far, then keep the "I hurt it but it can't hurt me" distance. Bow or spear. If its close...well...shield won't work against a bear, or a lion or even a boar. Why would it work against a whatever monster we imagine? In close reach, the strenght difference is too overwhelming and it runs you over shield or not...
3rd scenario: Problem with swords in battle fields that is often neglected that they can be lost. The bigger it is the easier it can get lost. Stuck, or break or just not enough space to swing. Also, for delicate movements balance and solid ground is needed. Its a bloody mud with half dead bodies in every step clinching into your leg. Great swords are great, I love them, but they are mainly for breaking up lines and pikers. So for the early contact, when everyone against is in front, packed together. Not when they are all around with friend and foe mixed
AND: You started with the lucky setup, that can afford to have a full plate armor. I'm more to think that likely I'd be the poor bastard who have limited money and cheaper gear.
So a broad shield and a mace is my ultimate choice! Maces are awesome. Not sexy, but really really reliable. Don't get damaged, don't stuck, don't require thinking, and can aim to any limb, weapon armor to do it's job. I can even panic and swing it around screaming with my eyes closed...and get away with it.
What i think a good sword design could be if your left handed is that it's single sided and that there is metal on the right side which is specifically designed to block the right hand from grabbing it. That way if a right handed person steals it and uses it against you, they will be at a large disadvantage.
Matt Easton actually did a pretty good video about adventuring kit once.
His best points there were probably that you shouldn't underestimate the pain in the rear baggage is when travelling. Even the most foolhardy adventures are most likely going to consist mostly of walking or riding, and even if your on a horse your capacity for junk is going to be pretty limited. You'll also needs maps, food, drink, cooking utensils, spare clothes, food for your horse, stuff you can use to make a fire, and probably lots of things I can't remember.
Historically there were plenty of people who travelled with a whole arsenal of weapons and armour, but that was usually reserved for mercenary companies, knight and nobles who had plenty of porters/camp followers with them.
Of course, you could just hire a porter or two, but even if they are carrying a whole pile of weapons and armour it will take you a while to equip it all and I suspect it will make you a very attractive target for any nearby brigands. And places with any adventure to be had, usually had plenty of brigands as well.
...
I think my tl;dr will be: Travel light and be ready to bravely run away, or travel in a large enough group for people to carry your stuff and be too large a target to be robbed easily.
In short: I think its up to what you know and practice with the best, but here are my own choice loadouts for these scenarios
Travelling in town: A nice longsword or Messer/small shield combo would do me nicely. And some gambeson or mail if I expect to travel to the rougher parts of town.
Adventuring in the wilderness: Definitely a sturdy spear and shield combo with a longsword as my backup weapon. A small crossbow would be a great hunting weapon. Light, open faced helmet with Roman style cheek pieces. Take Brigandine cuirass and pauldrons with some brigandine vambraces and greaves over Gambeson.
Battle: Suit of full plate armor for sure. Having mail voiders in the joints is a must. Halberd as my primary and longsword as my backup on the left side (Can you tell I love the longsword yet?) and a flanged Mace or Warhammer tucked into the belt on my right side. My armor choice would be a Milanese inspired set with some Gothic influences. Perhaps that is the English style.
Now if I had to pick a sword for a primary in each situation....
Town: Longsword
Wilderness: shorter Longsword or Messer. Both are good.
Battle: Zweihander (Greatsword) for certain.
Like your choice for self-defense. That said, there are options for the other two categories which would be equally as valid. For adventuring, additional concerns would be weight - as in, how much do you want to lug around all day - and convenience - from whether something is too long for the terrain (e.g. lots of dense forests or tight hallways), to whether it is allowable to haul a monster blade into towns/cities and restaurants/inns. A long sword might be a nice compromise - good enough in many situations, better than a one-hander against animals/monsters, where both reach and damage are more important. Battlefield ... while I wholly agree with your comment about maximizing armour, you then went straight to great-sword ... bypassing anything+shield, ... and, again, longsword. Shield+just about any kind of sword gives you substantially more defensive value. And is less tiring. In the same vein, long & short works pretty well too ... a short gives you less defense than a good shield, but a) is less tiring and b) gives you additional attack options. Longsword ... great/war swords are good at hacking things. And clearing large areas. Not so good at point-work. And, against someone armed solely with a longsword, will probably die due to the speed difference. Great-swords, as you noted, generally require maintaining momentum ... a longsword does not. And, again, there's the energy factor - one can wield a longsword for substantially longer than a greatsword without tiring (or your arms falling off).
Self defense: A shorter rapier. Say 36". Pappenheimer Rapier type and a left hand dagger in 4 ply Gambeson or maybe a 32" triangular Smallsword and dagger.
Adventure: T Barbute helmet, Plate Cuirass,Back plate, Dagger and a Two handed Boar Spear or Halberd. Something with heft, weight and distance.
Battlefield: Plate Helmet, Cuirass, Back plate, Shield, One handed spear, one handed Warhammer ( Auxiliary weapon) and Rondel Dagger. This is for group combat.
For self-defense I'd simply pick a short sword, no armor and no shield. Just something that I would carry with myself while travelling normally if I was just a regular Joe in a medieval/fantasy setting. Though maybe I could see myself wearing just gambeson if I was wealthy.
For adventuring I'd pick a bastard sword and a buckler, so I could swing the sword with both hands when I need to. For armor I would wear an open faced barbute helmet, for visibility and breath-ability, greaves and chain-mail with gambeson.
For the battlefield is pretty easy, just give me full plate armor, an arming sword and a kite shield. Nothing bad with being generic if it works effectively.
Self defense - katana, wakizashi, dagger. For the quick draw.
Adventuring - large round shield and single hand sword. Like the baskethilt sword and targe. Dome shield and side sword. Heater shield and arming sword. Or any combo. A spear. Dagger. Small to medium axe. Light armor. Mail and a coat of plates. Riding horse and a pack horse.
Battle or war - longsword, heavy plate armor, halberd, mace, dagger.
I think your hypothetical adventuring situation can apply to survival in zombie apocalypse as well. I mean in a situation of a zombie apocalypse survival, I would also pick a spear as a primary weapon, as to keep a zombie some distance from me. It is less dangerous, if it is too far to bite us.
I always love a good pole axe.
I just started watching your videos (love them btw) and I was wondering if you've ever addressed the Celtic/Gaul Falcata or the more fantasy styled blades with basically a double blade(one on each end of the handle)?
I'd honestly choose a greatsword for all of the above. The distancing can be nice for self-defence, especially versus a rapier. The same as above, plus the incredible cutting power, is good against monsters. And all the same reasons you listed for the greatsword in a battlefield.
Plus I'd be training with one weapon exclusively, therefore get more thorough training and experience using it.
Probably a mace as a backup, though. I like smashy things.
Many places during the middle ages had prohibited for everyone the public display of weapons within city limits, in the lands of a Lord, etc; particularly when not in wartime (not even if you are a knight, mind you - only those who kept the law of the place if any were to wield and display weapons). This came to my mind during this, because the only thing that you could have in this situation is either something that was considered a tool (a knife of various kinds, best case scenario) or big sticks (don't understimate the power of a long wooden shaft, like the one that was seen in herders). So self defense... It is quite more different than what fiction shows us.
*Self-Defense: Cinquedea*
For self-defense I'd probably have a similar set of ideas as I do when open carrying in real life: effective, but trying not to draw too much attention, and bringing with me nothing illegal. Not that I own illegal things. The Cinquedea was made with civilians in mind and _legally_ was a knife by virtue of is construction, so no worries about guards dragging me aside and taking my things. Then again, many Medieval Fantasy worlds don't bother with civilian weapon laws, so I dunno.
It's also not very intrusive, I could easily keep one or another smallsword like it on my person comfortably without worrying about bumping things.
*Adventuring: Espada Ropera and Buckler*
Depends on if I'm traveling along or with others (though it's probably be pretty stupid to travel alone in such a world). Still lightweight like my thoughts with the Cinquedea, but more hardy for tougher fights. In all likelihood it wouldn't be my main weapon though. If I am alone, I'd probably bring along some sort of cheap polearm. If I'm in a party, I'd want an arquebus or crossbow as my main fighting implement.
*Battlefield: Some kind of side-sword or arming sword*
That really depends on a lot of things, I guess. If I have the money for it, I'm going for plated mail. If I'm in a melee position primarily and am so well protected, I would probably like a halberd.
Given the choice though, I'd pair up with a Pavisier (that is, guys lugging around large deployed shields) and go in with an Arquebus as in line with the tactics of the Black Army of Hungary. You guys can have fun being shot _over there_ , I'll be _over here_ behind my big Magyar buddy Ambrus and his screw-your-arrows super-shield.
*TL;DR* So to sum up my choices...
*Self-Defense:* Cinquedea or small-sword
*Adventuring:* Side-Sword and Buckler (as accessory to another weapon)
*Battlefield:* Side-sword (as accessory to an Arquebus and Pavise-bro)
For self defence - I agree, a backsword or smallsword with a buckler would suit me just fine no matter what.
For adventuring - Round shield, personally I prefer the shape and consider it better for striking with, chainmail armour and gambeson, fairly light but good protection, I think I'd want a basket hilt claymore for the sword, but given the choice of any weapons yeah, spear all the way, with either that sword on my belt or maybe a nice axe.
For battle - Full plate armour much like yourself, and the sword I'd take would probably be greatsword or a bastard sword with a round shield. Given any weapon, Halberd.
For adventuring, I'd personally go with a longsword or grossmesser as my sword of choice, perhaps a longspear or halberd as a primary weapon; for armor, I'd probably wear either a cuirass or brigandine with a full gambeson underneath, as well as a pair of bracers, greaves, and finally a sallet to protect my head.
Actually your best strategy against multiple opponents would not be to keep them distant, but to try to "outwalk" them and to kill or disable the first one as fast as possible. Because your chance to do so is not THAT much lower than defeating him one on one; but your chance to stay alive for a longer period of time with multiple opponents at stance is.
Actually, if there's two, the best strategy would be to incapacitate one so you can focus on the other. Against 3 or more, fuck it, best to run like hell.
@@AvengerofWarcraft best way to put it lmfao
I do like the longsword. I personally prefer to use two-handed swords, and the longsword is short enough that you can wear it as a personal defense weapon.
For adventuring, the sword is still good. It's not too large to comfortably wear while walking for an entire day, and it's still a two-handed weapon.
For war, I'd personally still carry the longsword, but as a sidearm along with a dagger and polearm.
For self defense, I would have a double edged Viking Style sword. I know that it there is not much hand protection, I just like having more variety with my swings, so I could turn around the blade just a bit and cut after a parry and I would have a buckler.
For adventuring, I would carry a shield and wield a messer, armor would be light.
For wars, I would be armored given the circumstances, and I would wield a Lowland Claymore :D
For self-defense I'd get an early stile rapier, that was still quite good at cutting and is longer than most single hand swords and a paring dagger with a sail guard.
Besides the range, it's also the fighting stile I'm most used to.
Also the dagger is a good thing to have if you are in a crowded or small place.
For adventuring I'd use a chain mail, a crossbow, a kite shield and a boar spear, and a "long" sword as a side weapon.
For the battlefield I'd take a full plate, a crossbow and I think I would take a warhammer and a short sword.
I take issue with the distinction between adventuring and warfare in a medieval context.
Part of it is the lack of a real definition of "adventuring", of course. Are you looking for something specific? Trading between towns? Hunting bandits? Looking for a job?
In the Middle Ages, if you were going to go anywhere, it's unlikely you would do it alone. People with money never went anywhere without a few servants, and people without money tended to travel with their friends, or find a caravan. Medieval governments generally lacked the power to enforce the law outside of urban centers, so any travelers on the road would have to be prepared to fight bandits.
If and adventurer owned his/her own armour, they would also most likely bring it with them, since armour is a status symbol and would be as necessary for taking part in tournaments as for fighting. You might store it at an inn when you were in town, but it would always be on you or in your baggage cart when you were on the road.
So if you're "adventuring", you're traveling with a group of people, armed and armoured, and most of you are prepared to engage in violence.
On the other hand, if you're going off to war, you will be traveling with a group of people, armed and armoured, and most of you are prepared to engage in violence.
Granted, if you're going off to war, you would be with a bigger party that would be actively looking for a fight, but the difference is mainly in scale. Plus, most of an army's time is spent moving around, scouting, foraging, fighting the odd small skirmish, waiting (including during a siege), and (unfortunately but almost ubiquitously) committing war crimes against the local civilian population. Battles were relatively rare things.
Self-defence - rapier with dagger. You have no armour (except maybe thick clothing), cannot carry a shield around. Even against multiple opponents, the long blade allows you to keep them all at bay.
Adventuring - you want decent armour (maybe not full-plate but a good solid breastplate and some more, plus a really good helmet). A shield may not be all that great against creatures (if a bear tries to maul you and you try to block with a shield, you'll still end up knocked to the ground, probably with a broken arm) but against orcs/goblins/similar is still probably a good idea. So, if you have a shield, then spear as the main weapon, with a solid chopping one-handed sword (backsword, falchion, messer) as the backup. Without a shield, you want a polearm (halberd, pike, longish pole-axe) and a nice long two-handed sword as a backup. Maybe a longsword, maybe a grossmesser.
War - full plate, poleaxe, longsword as a backup. Good armour takes care of my defence and I need a solid-hitting weapon with some anti-armour potential against others with solid armour. The problem with the greatsword is that it is not particularly good against armour - it is not completely useless, it would still hit hard, but you might as well be hitting me with a big stick - it ain't getting through my full plate.
You may want to research the Frisian hero called "Pier Gerlofs Donia" or as he was known in that time "Grutte Pier" (Big Pier). I think you will love the story behind this guy, specially the weapon he used!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pier_Gerlofs_Donia
SIG442 very interesting guy.. I'm going to research more..
John Gault You may find info on him at the museum in the link below. They are within the actual region and claim to have a sword belonging to him (replica most likely) which is in the second link
www.friesmuseum.nl/en/
www.friesmuseum.nl/en/collection/icons/grutte-piers-sword/
Self-defense: Uchigatana. I know that's liable to provoke much eye-rolling in HEMA circles, but it's the sword I have the most training with, and self-defense is essentially what it's built for.
Adventuring: Kriegsmesser, though I, too, would prefer a long weapon as my primary choice. A nice, broad spear would be fine, but I'd really want something like a Chinese ji. Either way, something with reach that I could both slash and thrust with effectively.
Battlefield: Odachi because of my background, but I'd happily take any greatsword I could get.
For self defense i would use a basket hilt side sword, with a double edge, so i can thrust, not just cut. Or a saber with a slightly curved blade, or a cinquedea, for combat in more closed spaces.
For adventuring i would use a spiked club+ round shield, or buckler, or twohanded longsword. And i would definetly carry some ranged weapons, like bow and arrows, or sling with bullets.
For battle, poleaxe+platemail, or chainmail with gambeson and crossbow.
I'd suggest a pala kilich for adventuring. Very thin-profile yet wide blade with a strong curve for very deep and powerful cuts. The extreme curve makes it to easy follow-up strikes without much risk of getting the weapon stuck in your target. Not to mention very light weight for a bladed weapon (1.5 pounds), stiff enough because of the pipeback. This design is unnecessary for fighting humans - you don't need to cut someone in half to kill them, it's usually better to have a much longer blade that can cut reasonably well - but when fighting large fantastical beasts the ability to deal immense flesh-and-bone-rending strikes quickly without getting the weapon stuck is a good thing to have in a sword.
I do agree however that the spear is an excellent option for an adventurer. One extra point you didn't mention in regards to the spear - since adventurers spend a huge amount of their time travelling and usually on foot, having a primary weapon that can double as a walking stick would be a very practical thing.
You make good points, though personally while adventuring I'd make sure to bring a bow or crossbow. You never know when you'll need a ranged weapon and there's also the off chance that the monster you happen to come across can either fly or is much more dangerous that you would cringe at the idea of getting close enough to use your spear. In such a case why engage up close when a well place crossbow bolt can settle the issue? Also I'd assume if you were adventuring you wouldn't do so alone, so you would have friends to keep you from being rushed.
Forgive and correct me with names used:
For defense I would use a sword breaker without the hand protection but with a trident like crossguard (I had the swordbreaker explained to me as a triangular chineese sword that is designed with the intent of being a cross between a rapier and that back sword you showed. you were supposed to cleave or snap your opponents blade with them).
For adventuring a set of swords one falchion like and the other Tanto like for size. personnally I favor the idea of being to close for your opponent to block and dodge while as they jump back for space you swing in with the heavy sword when balance is crap.
battle field would be a special made sword I call the three-handed (dragonslayer) Great claymore. Meant to be about 20% heavier than a claymore and has a 3'1 hilt a large cressent cross guard sharp on the side the blade comes from it s intial purpose is shock an awe, the the back side is serated with teeth going forward. the main blade extends out from the cross guard roughly 3'4. the catch is there is a catch in the hilt that when pressed allows one to access the hidden blade that is kind of dirk like in design straight highly tapiered and meant to be the finisher. The scenerio works where you have swept at the foes head and for sake of argument they block; you push the release and use Iatsu to draw stab sheath in a quick movement. the momentum of your swing and the fact they support your blade with your block guarantees they didnot have hands free to defend with. the pieces seperate function as a hand and a half and a long dagger combo but when put together become a heavy mace like cleaver of a sword.
I have no swordsmanship skills really so all choices are treated as if I spent decades prefecting their use.
I think for everyday living self defense, something like a short sword (spada, gladius or xopis) would be good enough, don’t want that thing to impede my movement, tire me or hit everything.
Traveling would be a messer, falchion or such as you described. Certainly a spear. Shields and I would want a round one laid on my back because maybe climbing hills, steep terrain and etc a long shield like a kite might be bothersome. Also, I would keep a mace if I could, although if I had to carry everything than no.
War situations is either plate or chain and shield certainly. But I would still like a versatile polearm like a bec de corbin, pole axe or something. But also a good mace. Swords for me are not much useful when fighting chain mail and plate, gambeson as well....
greatswords for me are too long, and their use was mostly for specialist opening formations and dismounting riders from what I’ve known. It was such a hassle that those guys got double the pay... doppelsoldner landsknecht and all
I think my choice for self defense would be a quarterstaff or a Scottish basket Hilt backsword and dirk. For war or adventuring I'd be inclined toward a bow, with the same sword and a targe. If bows are out, then I prefer plate and either a greatsword or a polehammer. Also for fantasy, I like magic, especially transmutation, enchantment and illusion. So I'm a Scottish bard.
In regards to all 3 categories I would always have a large kukri strapped across the small of my back or on my hip, but for the primary weapons of the categories I would go a different route. For Self Defense I would have something like a Gladius and use that along with my kukri. For actual adventuring I would totally go the whole shield and spear route that you did, but I would have the best Katana I could get my hands on that way if I needed to either duel 1V1 or take on multiple opponents I could do just that. And finally for the battlefield when I go to war I would of course be wearing plate armor on top of chainmail, but for the weapons I would keep the katana as a back up strapped across my back, hey you never know when shit will happen on a battlefield, so its good to keep a familiar weapon handy. I'd still have my kukri and gladius on my hip, but but for my Primary Battlefield Weapon I would go with a poleaxe for the reach, as well as the options that it gives me, I need to smash through armor the hammer head will take care of it, if I need to skewer somebody then the spearhead will take care of it. And of course for those big broad sweeping attacks I've got a nice thick, long axe head to bisect motherfuckers with. And if anyone manages to get within my guard I have the options of using my kukri or gladius to use on em.
For self defense I would have two short arming swords, in a city I'm more likely to fight multiple people (thugs with only melee) so dual wielding is a nice supplement for not having a shield, and them being short is for if I'm in a building it's better to wield and them being short is better for me to draw quicker, and arming swords because of their balance and quick movability. For adventuring I would have a shield and a flanged mace, if I had to use a sword it would be the falchion or messer. The mace is because if I'm up against a monster it probably has natural armour (like scales) and I want to easily ignore that. For the battlefield A shield and mace or a tapered arming sword, because of armour, if I know the enemy has no armour than I would have a falchion or messer if I absolutely know that they don't have range then I would dual wield two falchions or messers. the falchions or messers would have to be a little heavy ended though.
5:09 uhhh the name of the wind art, that was a nice surprise
Hmmmm...
Well, for self defence I'd probably go a similar route with a broadsword, though I could make an argument for staff combat. A sufficiently large stick is an effective weapon that wouldn't come across as being too unusual.
For adventuring...poleaxe. Axe head, blunt end for hammering, jabby bit for stabbing. Definitely carry a small shield and broadsword as backup though, and I'd probably go as far as wearing mail on top of gambison because I'm paranoid like that.
And for battlefield...also poleaxe. And whatever armor I can get on me. Ideally the best weapon I could field in battle would be "someone else" but I assume I don't have the luxury of having a proxy.
Whatever smallsword I’d use for adventuring, I’d have a longer handle installed onto it.
For a non-soldier like me I feel wielding a lighter blade with both hands would give well to ease of use.
So, kind of like a short bastard sword. One-handed blade, two handed handle.
An oldie but a goodie, I wonder if shads thoughts have changed any on this topic? Would be interested in a comparison video from then to now.
This is going to sound stupid, but hear me out here. An interesting choice for self defense against a solo opponent or a group on the city streets could possibly be the Spadone (Zweihander, Bidenhander, Montante, Greatsword).
I know that a lot of people will tell me it's too big, it's too heavy and it's nowhere near as useful as another sword and yes, you're right, it's not perfect but it isn't useless. It has techniques for multiple situations when you're body guarding someone as in the teachings of Franseco Alferi.
There's techniques for guarding doors, in narrow alleys, on one side of a wide street, guarding a cloak, guarding a lady, guarding against a group and many others. It's pretty fascinating and has completely changed my opinion on what this sword is capable of and how effective it could be in skilled hands.
I'm not saying it's the best, but it's also not the worst, it's just an interesting choice and the sword deserves to be viewed in a more accurate light since videogames and the like have painted it more as this barbaric chopper more than a finely crafted multi-tool with an amazingly sophisticated martial art dedicated to it.
Captain Swing Honestly, it probably *would* be best. Nothing says "Don't fuck with me" like a big ass sword(except for full plate armor and halberds). You probably wouldn't even be attacked while carrying around a greatsword of some sort
Captain Swing the problem with saying "a good weapon for self defense is a weapon that is as long as a person is tall" is the practicality. When I go to school or work, I want to keep my laptop, backpack, suitcase, etc compact so that I'm not gonna be tired walking around with them and I'm not gonna bump them into other people when I'm in a crowd. People back then didn't have laptops, but they also probably didn't want to awkwardly bump a giant sword into someone else by accident. Civilians very rarely (or sometimes never) end up using their weapons
So in practice, it's probably better to pick something that you could practically carry around with you without it being awkward.
Generally, yes, the size is a bit of an issue, however the greatsword wouldn't be carried by the person themselves, it would be carried by their retinue. Their guard, or guards would have this as an option, likely carried by one or two servants or in a horse-drawn cart and the weapons would then be deployed when their master had reached his destination and was in a defensible position that could be guarded by the greatsword, if not, then the guards could rely on their sidearms.
Even though the greatsword is pretty big, it's not as big as most polearms and so is pretty well suited to a surprising array of urban environments. I understand that there's better tools for the job, but my point is that the greatsword is overlooked and sadly misunderstood to be this barbaric weapon that's swung wildly with little-to-no skill involved, when in fact it is a very versatile and fascinating weapon with a very rich martial art dedicated to its effective use in multiple situations.
Honestly, if it came down to it, my self-defense weapon of choice would be a rapier or whatever equivalent of the schiavona would be available in that period and an accompanying dagger just in case I happen to lose my sword or my attacker is too close for me to draw it in time. I was merely advocating a more accurate appreciation of the greatsword and hope more people would learn to appreciate it with a better understanding.
I agree that the greatsword is underappreciated. I've talked to people that said "greatswords weighed 40 pounds and were meant to be swung once and then dropped" and have been unable to convince them otherwise.
But "a weapon that is carried by your retinue and drawn for you and handed to you before a battle" is not a self-defence weapon :) That's a weapon of battle. A self-defence weapon is "oh shit I'm being mugged and my retinue is nowhere to be seen. Lemme draw this weapon and try to protect my life with it"
Hmmmm
Let's see........
Self Defense
Long daggers
Rapier
- for one-on-one duels
Adventuring
Round Shield (small)
- to block off heavy hits
Katana (straight and double-edged near the tip)
- for more ways to kill
Crossbow
- for ranged attacks (and for hunting)
Long dagger
- for silent kills
Battlefield/War
Guandao
- primary weapon
- can be used to knock off cavalry
Zhanmadao
- for close- quarters and for back-up
Four-sided mace (short)
- for heavy damage
Crossbow
- same purpose as mentioned in 'Adventuring'
(except there's no hunting)
Armor
Gambeson ( 3 layers) w/ mail (mostly on exposed parts)
Plate armor (shin, torso, back, arms, and thighs, head)
Leather armor (neckline, hands, feet, underarms, face)
Probably need a horse, for which I would pick a Shire, seeing as they can carry heavy stuff, outfitted with padded leather armor w/plate armor and has quivers on the sides
Yep
I think I would use almogaver's gear for adventuring. It consists in almost all you said: one spear (or two), a shield and a brutal chopping one-handed weapon. The main difference is in which shield and in which weapon use: I would bring a round wood shield, not very large, and a coltell, a tipe of falchion like a butcher knive that almogavers used in their battles. Maybe I would equip myself with a shortbow or a light crossbow
Hmm...
In a personal defense setting, I definitely agree that a sword would be the optimal weapon, and a backsword or a sidesword would be a good candidate. However, as Jackson Edwards pointed out, in an urban self-defense situation you might not have room to swing or even draw your sword. So, as a backup, I would use a fairly large dagger like a Dirk or Seax, but with a decent-sized crossguard to give it at least some hand protection - this would also make it a viable off-hand weapon for parrying.
As an adventurer? If I had to use a sword, I definitely wouldn't use a falchion and shield. Why?
Against Monsters: "But What About Dragons?" Your typical fantasy setting has a lot of monsters that (a) have very tough hides or scales that make them the equivalent of armor, and (b) are strong enough that they could hit your shield and break your arm, or hook it and rip it out of your grasp (possibly taking your arm with it). If I knew I'd be fighting a big monster, unless it was something like a Manticore that had a missile attack, I'd ditch the shield and use a longsword of Oakeshott Type XVa through XVIIIa - something that was a good thrusting weapon and had a fairly long reach... if I couldn't use a polearm for some reason. If I could use a polearm, I'd use a pollaxe with a thrusting spike, with the longsword and Dirk as a backup.
Against People: In a typical medieval fantasy setting, adventurers still encounter plenty of people out in the wild - Orcs, Goblins, and bandits. These folks tend to be better armed than street criminals, and are much more likely to have projectile weapons or armor. Here the shield would be more useful, or failing that some better armor like a Brigandine, and of course a good helmet. The primary weapon would be either the mentioned pollaxe or a spear light enough to be used with a shield, with either a longsword or an arming sword as backup. The same applies on the battlefield, but with plate armor substituted in if I could afford it.
...well, actually, I lied. The weapon best suited to my physical characteristics in an adventuring or battlefield situation would be... A CROSSBOW. Specifically, a powerful windlass-drawn crossbow capable of punching through Maille or shooting a rather hefty broadhead that would create a huge, bloody wound and make monsters bleed out quickly. The last thing I'd want to do against something far bigger and stronger than me is get close enough to be hit. Sneak up on it, shoot, and run away. On a battlefield, don't fight the armored knights head-on unless my line fails.
Came to this video from one of your newer videos and good god my ears just died
I'm really feeling like I would pick the mage class for a medieval fantasy setting.
Self defense: shock and force spells to taze people or slam them to the wall. Something ligh and practical, but still somewhat protective as everyday apparel.
Adventuring: longer range spells. Anything that kills the target and doesn't lit the area on fire. Something protective, but light and comfortable as apparel.
Battlefield: all the nukes!!! Firstorm, Blizzard, Meteor Rain, Tornado, Thunderstorm, etc... and obviously full plate as apparel because going into a battle in your paper thin robes is the dumbest thing ever as a mage. You are the center of attention and being a glass cannon is a bad idea when you have permadeath.
Id love to see his seld defense sword come to life
I would prefer a sword like a katana so I have the option for two handed strikes and a hand guard protecting the full length of the handle.
I'd always protect my hands with gauntlets while in battle or adventuring. I'd prefer plate armour on my body, shoulders, calves and feet with chain mail filling the gaps and a coif and open faced helm in battle with a nose guard. While adventuring I'd only wear mail and a gamberson and protect my feet with leather boots.
As a primary weapon in combat I'd take either a crossbow or pole axe for stopping power and my adventuring primary would only be the crossbow because the quarrels are retrievable.
I'd be flexible when considering dagger or shield but I'd be hesitant to take a buckler unless I didn't have gauntlets.
7:43 Bugbears are from European/British folklore. They are basically a bogeyman. In DnD they are big, scary, stealthy, and often seen fighting alongside the badass hobgoblin. Way cooler than the dumb, vanilla ogre. Ogres are one of the lamest monsters in DnD.
For adventuring, I'd go with a spear (could the weight allow it to double as walking staff?) And tomahawk with a small flat part on the back for hammer use. The hawk is mostly for bushcraft. Also I'd like a knife, since it's also a good tool.
For a duel, i'm a pacifist, so being nice to people/not stepping on people's proverbial toes/*praying* for protection would be probably good enough.
For war, i'll assume i couldn't get out of service on moral grounds, so I'd choose prayer and a billhook.
Self Defense: Probably an arming sword or side sword and dagger. Specifically a rondel would be good for me. And in terms of no weapon restriction, i might consider a staff but most likely would stick with the sword and dagger.
Adventuring: Falchion and heater shield. Heater specifically because it's not as big as a kite shield, so it doesn't get in the way as much, but is still rather robust & tough. With no restrictions? Probably a glaive, as i'm not the best with thrusting weapons, so having a long weapon that can cut good works well. perhaps one of your sword staves would be interesting as well.
Warfare: Greatsword of course. What other choice is there when it comes to warfare and swords?? but aside from that, probably a heavy chopping weapon like a bardice would be good.