Reward from Prince T rescue oddity

Here are the stats (AD&D 2nd Ed.).

Broad Sword - cost 10 GP; weight: 75 GP; damage: S/M 2d4, L 1d6+1

Long Sword - cost 15 GP; weight: 60 GP; damage: S/M 1d8, L 1d12

A broadsword is more of a heavy, shorter and wider sword than a long sword. Long swords were longer and slim and made from more of a higher quality worksmanship than broadswords. A broadsword is a more inexpensive sword to make than a long sword. Broadswords were more for general infantry to wield. Long swords were more for elite type of and better trained troops with better gear, higher classes and ranks of soldiers.

 

In the medieval world which happend to be flat and the travel time from london to edinburgh was weeks, a sword was a sword, they didn't have any special names at that time. Most swords were pretty much the same, its only when you start to get major differences that words like long, short, great, bastard and broad come into play. Without a basis or need for comparison there's no need for more than one name for all types of a similar thing.

"The sword of early medieval warriors was a refinement of the yard long, double-edged slashing swords developed by the Iron Age Celts and the Germanic tribes of late Antiquity that supplanted them. In form, they were wide-bladed, single-handed weapons designed for fighting with a shield. Usually between 36" and 42" [91-107 cm] long, with a weight of only two to three pounds [0.9-1.4 Kg], the early knightly sword had either parallel or slightly tapered edges and an abrupt or somewhat rounded point used for hacking cuts and limited thrusting. The earlier blades were usually a relatively thin, flat cross-section with a wide central fuller to reduce weight and allow for great flexibility. Later swords either had only a partial fuller, with the last third of the blade ending in diamond or hexagonal cross-section, or were of diamond cross-section throughout, but maintained a deeper, narrow fuller running nearly the entire length of the sword. There was no specialized term for this weapon; it was merely called a sword."

Iron was expensive so general infanty (eg non-professenial soldiers) would most like use weapons that didn't use much such as axes, clubs and spears, professenial soldiers would have better equipment than militias because they could afford it or would have looted it. All swords would've been made to the highest quality the smith could make.

Retospectively we can look and see the differences between swords (and other weapons) and how they have changed over time and the need arises over what to call the "different" weapons, especially in a game where a difference is important, but when those names come from generic terms for pretty much the same thing (and the rules of the game change), problems can arise over what "it" acutally is in form.

 

In brief, and hopefully not confusing:

There are nine such blades, one for each alignment. They are +2 & always strike last, but do so unerringly. This means they automatically hit anyone who struck at their wielder during the round, up to the wielder's maximum number of attacks. They need not have hit the sword's wielder, merely attempted to land a blow. A 'to hit' roll is still needed for someone using one of these swords, because the bonus doubles to +4 on a roll of 20, and is totally negated on a roll of 1. This also assumes that the opponent can be struck by weapons of the stated bonus; in other words, it wouldn't affect a creature for which a +3 or +4 weapon is needed to combat successfully, unless you roll a 20. They will never affect one for which a +5 weapon is required, or anything else requiring even a +1 weapon if a 1 is rolled.

 

Perfectly clear.:clap:

Awesome swords...i'm thinking that my players would have soon a dangerous encounter... :transform

changing bonus it's something that i always liked, even if sometimes where a liitle confusing...also mi first magical weapon was a dagger +1/+2 vs small, and it brings me good memories

I believe that i readed something similar for 3º Ed..

Thanks Spike!

 

Perhaps you deduced this, but I forgot to mention that they only work for persons of exactly the same alignment as the particular blade. If they are picked up by someone else, they appear to be "normal" finely crafted broadswords.

Have fun!

 

i assumed that, yes.

They're great, because it let's me put an oponent with a powerful weapon (but not a troublesome one, like a +5 vorpal), without having the problem of a Pc looting him...besides, it would let'em scratching their heads

Which book (of 2º Ed of course) did you recommend? I'm talking of something like the Arms and Equipment Guide, or something like that...i suppose that there is such one in AD&D 2º?

 

I've never purchased any books beyond the First Edition. The only expansion to the rules we utilized were the Unearthed Arcana from 1985 & the Greyhawk Adventures book which followed soon after. The World of Greyhawk was also a key element to our campaigning. I bought it when it was first issued, then picked up the boxed set several years later. I'll admit to a few modules from later editions, but we always retrofitted them to the "1.5" rules.

 

I've got a Judges Guild and Chainmail supplements for arms and armor. They're over 20 years old but the info was pretty good. How accurate they are I can't say. Most of the D&D stuff came from the Chainmail booklets,mainly by Gygax, then updated by others later on.

 

Back in the days of the Unearthed Arcana (again! :kirby: ), I remember you had Answering Swords as a generic item in the Magic swords table: they were called Final Word swords, were broadswords, and I think they were bronze swords too (not sure). Just like Fragarach & Scather, you could retaliate against each and every foe that had hit you in combat, but you always struck last.

Maybe the description said something about a limited amount of such swords, but they definitely mentioned they were ancient. I'm just relying on recollections, don't have the book anymore (a friend kept it and I lost track of him...). :sadblinky

Maybe my favorite cover with Monster Manual I and the Legends & Lore! (aaah, Jeff Easley!)