The Armourer ยท Chapter 8
Weapons Against Armour
Where every weapon's type comes from, and what to use when a weapon or a creature does not print one.
The Types
| Type | What it does to flesh | Typical sources |
|---|---|---|
| Cutting | Draws an edge across it | Swords, axes, sabres, glaives, claws |
| Thrusting | Drives a point into it | Spears, daggers, estocs, picks, arrows, bolts |
| Crushing | Transmits force through it | Maces, hammers, clubs, staves, fists, sling stones |
| Ballistic | Bullets and shot | Every firearm |
| Blast | Explosion and fragments | Grenades, rockets, charges, mines |
| Fire | Flame and burning chemicals | Flamethrowers, incendiaries |
The Fantasy Armory
Every entry prints its type. By family:
| Family | Types |
|---|---|
| Unarmed weapons | Crushing, except the Bagh Nakh (Cutting) |
| Daggers and knives | Thrusting on most; the Knife, Dagger, and Main-Gauche also cut; the Serrated Knife is Cutting only |
| Swords | Cutting and Thrusting on most; the Falchion, Sabre, Shotel, and Hook Swords are Cutting only; the Estoc and Rapier are Thrusting only |
| Axes and cleavers | Cutting, every one |
| Impact weapons | Crushing; the War Pick is also Thrusting |
| Spears | Thrusting; the Winged Spear also cuts |
| Polearms | Mixed. The Halberd and Poleaxe are Versatile and switch type by profile |
| Flexible weapons | Crushing or Cutting by entry |
| Thrown weapons | By entry |
| Shields | Crushing when used to strike |
Swords are the generalists, and this book is why they cost more: a sword answers mail with its point and a padded jack with either.
The poleaxe is the armoured fighter's weapon. Its hammer face is Crushing, and Crushing is what plate is Vulnerable to.
The Ranged Armory
A launcher's type is what it does with a standard shaft. The head overrides it.
| Ammunition | Type | Against armour |
|---|---|---|
| Standard arrow, quarrel, dart | Thrusting | Good against a Padded Jack and a Scale Coat |
| Bodkin | Thrusting | As standard, with the Pierce its entry gives |
| Broadhead, barbed, swallowtail | Cutting | Poor against mail and plate, which deflect it |
| Blunt | Crushing | The archer's answer to mail and plate |
| Sling stones and shot | Crushing | As blunt |
An archer answers armour by changing quivers, which costs a maneuver.
The Modern Armory
| Weapon | Type |
|---|---|
| Every firearm, with any bullet or shell | Ballistic |
| Grenades, launchers, rockets, charges, mines | Blast |
| Flamethrower, incendiary grenade, Molotov, flare, incendiary and Dragon's Breath loads | Fire |
| Bayonet, speargun, darts | Thrusting |
| Chainsaw | Cutting |
| Batons and weapon butts | Crushing |
| Stun guns, Tasers, gas | No type: armour gives its Resistance and nothing else |
Weapons and Creatures With No Type
Use these, and do not vary them between sessions.
| Attack | Type |
|---|---|
| Unlisted or unclear, hand-to-hand | Crushing |
| Fists, slams, tails, body checks, falls | Crushing |
| Clubs, maces, hammers, staves, shield bashes | Crushing |
| Raking claws and talons | Cutting |
| Blades, axes, scythes | Cutting |
| Horns, gores, tusks, stingers, beaks | Thrusting |
| Spears, arrows, bolts, picks | Thrusting |
| Bites | Crushing or Thrusting; the attacker chooses |
| Anything fired from a gun | Ballistic |
Natural attacks do not trigger Vulnerable. They still meet Deflecting. If a specific creature should threaten an armoured character, arm it, or write in its entry that its attack triggers Vulnerable. A giant's club and a construct's hammer-fist are the usual cases.
Magic and the Supernatural
A spell or supernatural attack has no type unless its Universe gives it one. Armour applies its Resistance if the attack is one that Resistance applies to, and neither Deflecting nor Vulnerable.