I really don't see the point of a lance weapon skill.

That conceptually keeps pushing the idea that if I have 1000 ranks in HE but no ranks in ME then I have absolutely no idea how to use a ME blade. Yea, I know we are stuck in a highly strutctured skill/rank system. But to develop a new skill and then push ranks in it is not a very elegant solution at all. Instead create a Paladin only mounted combat lore that modifies weapon skills for use on horseback. Then we finally get our paladin only lore skill that most other lore heavy guilds have for themselves in other areas. Then you can use this lore skill in the jousting forumulas and make them more dynamic and elegant. In ways it would no longer have to be a system that requires you to joust <person> but could be incorporated into the combat system. The lore allows you to translate your pike or halberd knowledge into the concept of "riding really fast with a long pointed object in hand to skewer foe" Hence, it should not really matter whether you know more in pike or halberd but how well you can translate that knowledge.

Seriously, would you have someone believe that all those ranks earned standing on the ground doing jab / thrust should be the determing factor of how well you do mounted with a lance?

So, because we are stuck with the rigid skill sets the simple and elegant solution is to have lances that can be either halberd or pike to allow characters to "translate" this knowledge into jousting.

Daython

> Furthermore, if one makes the argument that because of the "pointyness," halberds and "pike weapons" should be included into one skill, I would have to wonder where glaives would fit in.

Glaive = meat cleaver on a stick, therefore neither of the above :o) If it HAD to be grouped as one or the other I would classify it as a halberd since its primary function is slicing with a heavy bladed pole. Both the glaive and halberd would have used the leverage gained by the pole in conjunction with the blade to unhorse riders, puncture armour and keep an opponent at a distance with the tip. Combination weapons should be defined by their primary function wherever possible - but this is where disputes arrise from. The Glaive from Ratha is (thankfully) a halberd weapon.

The lance was distinguished by its function as a mounted weapon and was typically designed to be couched not held for thrusting. A "lance" in the hands of a footman would be a pike or spear depending on its length. A spear in the hands of a rider was best used as a thrown weapon using the impetus of the horse and rider to gain additional penetration from the throw. The weight distribution for a lance would also be quite different from that of a spear, and drastically different than the balance of a halberd.


Spear = dagger on a stick (-10')
Pike = knife on a big stick (+15)
Lance = dagger on stick with a counterbalance (-15)

Have a look at this site for some good references.

www.arador.com

(too lazy to link it...)

Cheers - Cyllwdd

>skill_joust_attack == ($skill_pike||$skill_halberd)/2

That requires you to train both halberd AND pike, rather than just training 1.


Cavalier Calemnon

just take away the /2 and leave the "or" symbol of ||. "and" is && if that is what you mean't.

what the hell are you two babbling about now? I'm lost.

"I hate Pureblade." -Gadorr