Cavalry weapons are specialized arms that take advantage of the strengths of a horseback warrior or compensate for his weaknesses.
• Lance: A long, heavy spear intended for use from horseback. The most common cavalry weapon, used to charge opposing infantry or cavalry.
• Lance, Compound: A long, powerful lance formed by joining two lances together. Primarily a Saracen weapon it takes great strength to use but causes grievous injury when used well. (Minimum Strength of 4 to use)
• Lance, Light: Another Saracen weapon, this is a light and usually hollow lance. It is easier to handle, but it inflicts less damage than its more solid cousins. It is also likely to break when someone uses it.
• Saber: A one-handed sword, roughly three feet long, intended for use from horseback.
Armor
The Dark Medieval encompasses a vast range of permutations of armor and protective
equipment, which have been simplified into four categories for the purposes of Dark Ages. Most common is light armor, worn by city guards and the like, while nobles and the elite soldiery utilize ever-more-sophisticated combinations. The types of damage mentioned are described on p. 80. • Light Armor: Light armor comprises pieces of leather, sometimes hardened by boiling (called
cuir bouilli), at other times quilted. The padding worn under heavier armor counts as light armor
when worn alone. Light armor is resistant to blunt attacks (soak difficulty 6 for bashing and smashing) but provides less protection to hacking and piercing attacks (soak difficulty 7). • Composite Armor: This slightly heavier armor comprises leather reinforced with metal rings and/ or studs, or perhaps light chain mail. Composite armor is resistant to hacking attacks (soak difficulty 6 for bashing and hacking) but still provides lethal protection against smashing and piercing attacks (soak difficulty 7).
• Heavy Armor: Heavy armor comprises metal, usually ring or chain mail, over a layer of quilted padding. This is the standard chain hauberk. It provides good protection against bashing and hacking attacks (soak difficulty 5) but remains vulnerable to smashing and piercing attacks (soak difficulty 6).
• Knight’s Armor: Like heavy armor, knight’s armor comprises chain mail worn over leather padding, complemented by bulky gauntlets and leg-guards. It is usually worn with a heavy metal helmet but is not the traditional “plate-mail” (which does not come along for several centuries only to be quickly rendered obsolete by the invention of gunpowder). Its soak difficulty is 5 vs. bashing, hacking and smashing and 6 against piercing.
• Light Helm: A metal helmet protecting the wearer’s head and neck from attack. May include a nose-guard but otherwise the face is open. Usually worn with heavy armor.
• Heavy Helm: A full helm protecting the head, neck and face of the wearer. Vision is through a narrow slit or eyeholes. Usually worn with knight’s armor.
Shields
Made from wood, leather and metal, shields provide added protection against the rigors of combat. Unlike armor, which warriors wear at most times, shields are generally used only in times of unrest. They cannot be concealed, though most have a leather strap that allows them to be slung on the wearer’s back.
• Small Shield: Usually round and made of wood, either painted or covered with a leather skin, small shields cover only a small part of the body (thus provide no significant passive defense), but they are ideal for parrying.
• Footman’s Shield: The larger bulk of the footman’s shield protects more of the wielder’s body but at the cost of maneuverability and ease of parrying.
• Cavalry Shield: Long and thin, usually kite shaped, cavalry shields are designed for use on horseback, in which case it is roughly as effective as a footman’s shield is on the ground.
Damage and Armor
Weapons fall into four types — bashing, smashing, hacking and piercing — depending on the form of damage they inflict. Bashing damage is described above. Smashing, hacking and piercing damage are all types of lethal damage, also described above. The only difference is how armor interacts with that type of damage.
Bashing (B) damage is damage that can be swiftly healed like bruises, sprains, and minor cuts. Fists and improvised weapons such as chairs and light clubs inflict bashing damage. Smashing (LS) damage is caused by heavier blunt weapons such as maces, cudgels, hammers and staffs. The weapons that inflict smashing damage are often heavy and slow. Rigid metal armor such as coats of plates and plate armor is most effective at resisting it.
Hacking (LH) damage involves chopping edges like swords and axes. The damage is partly smashing injuries to skin and bones, and partly sharp edges designed to cut flesh. This is the most common type of lethal damage. Rigid and soft metal armor such as chain mail, coats of plates and plate armor are the best defense against hacking damage. Piercing (LP) damage results when a great deal of force is applied over a small point or surface such as an arrow, crossbow bolt, spear or atypical kinds of polearms. It is equally effective against all armor types.
Melee Weapons
Weapon Damage Conceal Min. Str. Notes
Axes
Hatchet (melee) Strength +1LH C 2
Hand Ax Strength +2L L 3
Battle-Ax Strength +5L N 3 2 Hand
Blunt weapons
Club Strength +1B C 1
Cudgel Strength +1LS C 1
Mace Strength+2L L 1
Morning Star Strength +3LS L 1 Difficulty +1; may strike user on botch
Warhammer Strength +5LS N 3 Difficulty +1; 2 Hand
Blades
Knife Strength +1LP P 1
Dagger Strength +1LP C 1 Difficulty -1
Saber Strength +2LH L 3
Broadsword Strength +3LH N 2
Bastard Sword Strength +4LH N 4 (3 one-handed) May be used one or two-handed