Oriental style weapons
I originally wanted to make this entire post Oriental style but I couldn't think of that many so here's the sub-section
PART A: Make believe weapons
1. Abacus
A tool for calculation used in ancient days in China. It is basically a frame with slidable beads that act as counters.
When used in combat, one can use it as a plank or jab opponents with hidden prongs that spring out on the frame when activated.
Optional magical traits:
The beads on the abacus will automatically change positions to reflect the total number of kills that its current owner has made with this weapon.
2. Bamboo scroll
Can be used to trip an opponent up or flung towards an opponent to score a hit.
Optional magical traits:
The scroll is spelled to exude oil on contact with leather that makes the opponent likely to fall if wearing leather boots while tripped up by the scroll
3. Musical Instrument
a. Chinese zithers
A group of stringed instruments, basically a board with strings on top that one plucks to make sound
Again, these might be used as planks. Alternatively, when a string breaks during a performance, a small dart will shoot out from the zither. Most often used by female assassin masquerading as performers
b. Flutes and pipes
Can be used as a sort of staff or used as a sort of blowgun with poisoned darts hidden inside
Optional magical traits:
Can be used to hypnotise people or music performed with these instruments might be a form of offensive magic
4. Folding fan
Used for jabbing, slashing or as a boomerang of some sort. Alternatively, a weapon that shoots out needles steeped in poison or sleeping draught. Can be made of a magnetic material so that the opponent loses any steel weapons carried on their persons.
Optional magical traits:
It might return to the user's hands upon a command word
5. Needle
To be thrown at the opponent or secretly inserted into someone¡¦s vulnerable spots in the case of assassins
Optional magical traits:
Some assassins might use needles made of Icesilk, a material akin in texture to silk but made of ice, imported from the Land of the Ice Maidens into the Dragon Empire in the Lu dynasty. Such needles are kept in a solid form by a spell that loses potency upon contact with human flesh
6. Chopsticks
Eating utensils for the Chinese. Made up of a pair of sticks. Can be used as a projectile, to jab at people or to trap opponents' fingers.
Optional magical traits:
Can test for the presence of poisons
7. Ladies' accessories
a. Hair ornaments
Comes in 2 varieties: a stick with precious stones (might be carved in various shapes) dangling off it or stuck onto the end of it.
A disguise for a retractable blade. Might be coated with poison or other substances. The substance oozes out upon a switch pressed.
b. Bracelets with chiming bells or other sound-making ornaments
Physically, can be thrown at an opponent, resulting in minor damage. Its more frequent and deadly use involves an illusion or hallucination spell that holds the opponent enthrall.
8. Hair
Can be used as a whip. Works well either with long untied hair or long braids. Again, might be coated with poison or other substances.
9. Chess pieces
These are the black and white pebbles of Wei Qi (where Wei means Surround and Qi means Chess in Chinese). The goal of the game is to completely cover the board with pieces of your own colour where you overtake the spot of your opponent's pieces by completely surrounding a particular piece with your own pieces. A form of projectile.
10. Pen (made up of animal hairs)
Like paintbrushes except ancient Chinese use them for writing. As a weapon, it is about the length of a longsword. Mainly used for poking or hitting an opponent sideways. Can shoot out acid, poison or other substances.
Optional magical traits:
Might be an vampiric weapon, drinking up a victim's blood, which can then be used as ink to write a message
11. Sash
A clothes strip that goes around one's waist, an ancient version of a belt
Can be used as a whip, a garrote or more creatively, to trip an opponent up
Optional magical traits:
Will quickly go back to its normal position on the owner¡¦s waist upon a telepathic command or designated word
PART B: Historical weapons
12. Rings
a. Wind Fire Wheels
Two wheels with teeth on the outside (l can't describe this weapon properly, look at this http://www.shaolin.com.au/weapon2.html).
Can be used to stab and dice, and can capture an opponent's weapon.
b. Chian Kuan Rings
A variant of the above, looks like 2 huala loops.
Optional magical traits:
Chinese myths have both sets of these weapons associated with a child who became a God in the Shang dynasty. The Wind Fire Wheels can become a set of roller blades that he rides on, with sparks trailing off them. The Chian Kuan Rings are weapons that he's born with, uncertain whether there are anything special attached to them.
What suggests to me by their form is that they return to hand on call.
13. Three Pronged Double-Edged Blade
The weapon of the Three-Eyed God in Chinese myth. (I put this into the Historical section because I think it's feasible to make, just a sword with a different look to its bladed part). Is quite long (almost man-height). As its name suggests, its bladed part has three prongs, roughly resembling three flat flower petals (not the roundish type, more like an upside-down trapezium with rounded edges)
Can be used to slash or executive a sweeping attack.
14. Moonteeth Shovel
A weapon with a long handle and a blade in the shape of a moon crescent. Not sure how to use it in real life, probably a slashing or bludgeoning weapon. Might be able to use the blade to scoop up a goblin-sized opponent.
Optional magical traits:
There might be a light spell attached to the moon crescent part
15. Nine section chain
A whiplike weapon, can also capture an opponent (by hooking one end around him and 'wrapping' him up) or trip him up.
Optional magical traits:
The owner can will sections to deattach or reattach at will so as to change its length to suit the current combat situation
——End of Oriential section—-
Hybrid weapons
16. The Hexapolis
A weapon that can switch forms via hidden mechanics. As its name suggests, it has 6 forms:
1st form- it starts off as a staff
2nd form- turn into a bladed staff
3rd form- turn into a pair of scissors
4th form- turn into a crossbow
5th and 6th form- currently unknown
Optional magical traits:
The weapon might be sentiment such that once it has developed a bond with its owner, the owner can ask it to switch form via telepathic commands.
Alternatively, this might be achieved by a spell command.
17. Shuriken Sword
A sword with a pommel stone in the shape of a sheriken. When the owner presses down on the pommel stone, the sheriken can then be used removed to be thrown at an opponent.
Clarifying note: Shurikens are throwing darts used by Japanese ninjas, like a 4-pointed star in shape
Optional magical traits:
Contains a spell that automatically renews the supply of sherikens
18. Sword/Crossbow
A strange sword with wide cross-guards that make it look like half sword, half crossbow, which is what this weapon is.
There is a trigger under the pommel that, when pulled, launches the front half of the blade towards a target.
Optional magical traits:
Contains a spell that automatically replaces the blade head.
Acknowledgements: This post is inspired by Kassy's scroll of 30 Hammers.
19. Gardening Tools
A shovel is a good if slightly unwieldy club, and some people actually keep the sides sharp to cut through roots. Such shovels could also be used as unwieldy axes. Gravel rakes, along with being lightweight enough to use as a clumsy staff, have a rather nasty row of spikes along the business end that would be rather effective when swung at high speeds. A gardening hoe is even lighter than the gravel rake, and the hooked end could be used to catch weapons and trip enemies.
Optional Magical Traits:
Enchantments that keep the edges of the shovel sharp, regardless of how many rocks or skulls it may collide with.
Gravel Rakes and Gardening hoes that don't bend under large amounts of pressure, allowing larger rocks to be unearthed and more force to be put on them in combat.
20. Meteor Hammer
An actual weapon used in ancient China, belonging to what I classify as Hybrid Weapons. It is basically a long rope with twin metal weights, "hammers", or darts on each end. When used as a weapon, the hammer or dart on the front end is used for attack and the other for protection.
The rope wraps around the neck, back, shoulder, elbow, wrist, thigh, foot, or waist. When the hammer or dart is released, it strikes outward with stunning and surprising speed. It is one of Chinese martial arts' most unique and difficult-to-master weapons.
21. the Urumi
An Indian weapon. The blade(s) is flexible enough to be rolled up and stored when not used, or even worn as a belt and whipped out on demand.
Optional magical traits:
The blade(s) uncoil upon command.
22. Hawaiian Throwing Axe
A wooden spade bordered with shark teeth that had the power to take men's limbs off, a weapon that can be used at both short and long range.
Optional magical traits:
Returns to hand on call
23. Blood Droplet
A weapon rumored to be in use amongst Imperial elite troops/Imperial assassins in the Ching dynastry when Manchurians occupy China as the ruling class. This rumored weapon looks like a helmet with a chain attached at one end. It is in fact a deadly weapon that is thrown to go completely over a target's head and decapitate him/her with the circle of blades at the base of this weapon.
24. Tibetan Mani prayer wheel
A cyclinder mounted on a spindle that can be spun via a chain that is the Tibetan religious artifact.
When used as a weapon, it is spun so that the chain will smack the opponent.
Disclaimer: This entry does not intend to make fun of/insult the Tibetan religion so anyone of the Tibetan religion, please don't flame me because of it.
25. Hourglass
A device for measuring time used in ancient Western societies. Made up of 2 glass bulbs stacked one over the other with sand flowing between them.
As a weapon, it is really a disguised form of the Meteor Hammer. The rope is hidden between the 2 glass bulbs that can be pulled out by detaching the glass bulbs from each other.
Optional magical traits:
The hourglass records the duration of the battle even though the 2 glass bulbs are detached from each other in battle.
26. Compass
A modern tool for finding direction that already exists in ancient days, consisting of a rounded face with a needle pointing to the South/North (in Chinese, it literally translates to "the Needle that points South" but according to Wikipedia, it points North?)
It might be used as a boomerang or a weapon for shooting out projectiles in combat.
Optional magical traits:
The needle will always point towards the direction of your opponent, useful when facing off against someone who can teleport at will
27. Bamboo Dragonfly
A children toy in ancient China, T shaped in that it is basically made up of a plank (acting as a propeller) mounted on a stick. When it is turned with both hands, the Bamboo Dragonfly will fly off while rotating.
Can be used as a dart that will burrow into the opponent's flesh on contact if spun into his/her direction. When facing multiple opponents, it can be spun in the direction of a group of enemies, with the rotating action spreading poison/gas that will hurt or disable them.
28. Tuning fork
A U-shaped two-pronged fork that resonates with a particular pitch.
A tuning fork used for combat purposes has sharp tips that can penetrate an opponent¡¦s armor/flesh and is mainly used in jabbing motions. In addition, it resonates at a really high pitch when hit against a special shield that will severely damage an opponent's internal organs if in close range to the opponent.
Optional magical traits:
Enlarges into the size of a pitch fork on demand.
29. Tortoise shell
The shell of a turtle. In ancient China, tortoise shells are often used by fortune tellers who practices their crafts by putting three copper coins into such shells, shaking the shell and then spilling out the coins on a plate to see how many face up and then repeating the same procedure for 3 times. These shells are often about one hand span in length.
In weapon form, however, it is of a size that can be worn around one¡¦s hand like oversized gloves. It is an all-rounded weapon, giving an user additional defense beyond conventional weapons. In offense, it is mainly used to swat an opponent.
Optional magical traits:
Can be shrunken when needed so it can be hidden and easily carried around.
30. Chinese frying pan (wok)
A round-bottomed frying pan.
Can be used to slam or dunk opponents on their heads on close range. Can also be a medium range weapon if used as a boomerang.
Optional magical traits:
Returns to hand on call
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? Responses (14)
Updated: slowly building this post up, bear with me
nice idea for a scroll! Looking forward to completion!
Updated: this scroll is getting very addictive to write! I've run out for now. Hopefully, others will fill it up to 30
Being a fan of old-school, cheesy kung-fu movies, i can appreciate the needle, bamboo scroll, wind-fan, sash, etc attack mode :-)
I like this one. Lots to use. Moonteeth Shovel is a new one for me. Good start to a great scroll!
Ah, I see, a fan of kung-fu movies. You are right, most of it comes from such movies but strangely enough, I thought of the scroll mainly because I'm a bookworm in real life and the sash I always associate with women hanging themselves in suicide. However, coming from Hong Kong, I must say I practically grew up with these type of kung-fu series on TV though I can't say I'm a fan like yourself. But I had great fun writing about these weapons though :)
Most of these can be made into real subs or stubs and added to the
Interesting Weapons- Non-Magic http://www.strolen.com/content.php?node=1644
This should be linked back to that at a minimum.
7 more to go till completion! Also, thanks to Grey for the addition.
A completed 30 finally! Also fixed up the spelling of shuriken and added slightly more details in the 1st scroll wheile at it (as pointed out by Pieh during a chat session)
I like it, it is a bit shoppy in formatting due to the different lenghts and setups of each post but I can live with that! And everything that's linked to the Interesting Weapons codex is a sure winner;)
I like this submission as well.
This should really be renamed 30 Kung Fu movie weapons. It would be more accurate that way.
Fan, wind/fire wheels, moontooths shovel, meteor hammer, and the tricky swords are just conventional weapons for China. They are all intergrated into martial arts, which are "the standard" in china.
I would of liked a bit more consistance in the description. It seems too disjointed. It distracts me from a fun frolic in world of Kung Fu/ Wire Fu movies.
Is describing how to stab somebody with chopsticks helpful? Posting the following
'11. Sash
A clothes strip that goes around one's waist, an ancient version of a belt
Can be used as a whip, a garrote or more creatively, to trip an opponent up.'
borders on condescension.
However what makes this an interesting post and not a completely useless ramble are the little options after each post. I found many of those quite clever
'The beads on the abacus will automatically change positions to reflect the total number of kills that its current owner has made with this weapon.' was quite clever.
Also Moonlake's post starting with meteor hammer and ending with blood droplet is quite interesting. I would like to see those expanded on.
Neat - lots of little details here. The added bits really help lift it, especially small notes about the culture.
A bit disjointed, and some of the weapons seem too impractical for actual use (like the sword/crossbow combination). However, there are lots of items in here that I would NEVER have thought of myself, and some that could boost a generic NPC encounter into something memorable. The Rule of Cool definitely applies here.
Commented on for the Commenting Challenge
