Does body speed affect weapon choice?

Vandemarr — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 07:14:09 -0500

Hi everyone, I was just wondering whether being faster and having better reflexes would influence melee weapon choice. If suddenly, you could react and move, say, twice as fast as accomplished martial artists in real life (and were expected to fight people with speed and reflexes equal to yours), would you change the weapon you were using? Would it be better to use a weapon with a different weight or range, or would it just depend on preference? Thanks in advance.

Re: Does body speed affect weapon choice?

bronwynnre — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 10:43:00 -0500

I don't think the increase in speed would make much difference in weapon choice. In order to use a heavier weapon with the same efficiency as the one they're used to, they would need to get stronger, rather than faster. In order to use a longer weapon, they would need better hand-eye coordination and more strength, in order to get the weapon where you need it to go. The only difference I can imagine it making is making a shorter weapon more of an option. If you're fast enough to dash in around someone's sword with a dagger, then you have the advantage of being less encumbered and thus tiring less quickly. But if your opponant is just as fast as you, I don't know if that would work either.

Re: Does body speed affect weapon choice?

Dav1d — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 02:20:31 -0500

Hmmm if suddenly I can swing my arm twice as fast as before then I can use a weapon that is half the mass of what I was use to just as effectively. So look at a war hammer, the effectiveness of it will be determine by it mass (weight) and it's impact speed. Double the speed and each blow will deliver twice the force if the mass remains the same. Reduce the mass and it would remain just as effective, but become easier to control, to swing, and to maneuver.... Something's would be more likely to be useful under those conditions than others in my opinion. One could shoot say a long bow at twice the rate of another, in effect having two bowmen where there is one.... That could be very useful.... Think of a swordsman, while your opponent is preparing to defend your attack to the left, you attack from the right, and he's dead... Or every time he puts up his sword to defend himself your sword lands with twice the force of his, because you are moving twice as fast... :) you'd throw a knife at twice the speed, once again that gives it twice the energy, it not only goes faster, it goes farther, and truer, and hits with twice the impact/power.... Of course for things like knives and arrows you'll go through them twice as fast as well, that can have a downside. I'd be more inclined to chose a weapon where mass mattered, where now much it weight was part of how effective it was. Very possibly going for a lighter weight weapon, knowing that what I lost in mass I would make up for with speed, and using the lighter weight to make it easier to use, and to maneuver. Perhaps something like a battle ax? I can see where a lighter sword might be easier to break

Re: Does body speed affect weapon choice?

Story of Latea — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 09:51:48 -0500

Honestly, yes. It does. A slower character, for example a magician, would be more likely to use a baton or stave than a Knight's longsword. And a weapon can be nearly any object, from swords to staves to whips to fans to sticks to even a yoyo. The weapon of choice is also relied in on the character's personality. For example, a quick-witted trickster who wields a yoyo to trap his prey while moving at what seems to be the speed of sound. Another example would be a space, bubble-brained witch who doesn't notice something until the last minute uses a small staff or a baton while staying a hefty distance, casting spell after spell in either to damage her target with heavy magic or using protective spells on her friends to keep them from getting hurt or even killed.

Re: Does body speed affect weapon choice?

Kamboolii — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 14:13:01 -0500

A fast character with excellent reflexes would benefit form a lighter weapon that does less damage so long as they know how to use it and can effectively target weak areas of the opponent. But speed and reflexes don't necessarily help with accuracy. So if you're up against someone in full body armor and there are only a few weak spots, are you better off with a heavy weapon that can penetrate that armor, or a light weapon that will require accuracy and skill (not just speed) to hit the right spot while the opponent is in motion? Also, there's habit and familiarity to take into consideration. If your character is used to using a war hammer and all of a sudden for some reason they're faster and their reflexes are better, would they switch to a foil? I think it's more likely that they'll stick with the war hammer and use it to better effect. But it's possible that someone else (a foil user) might come along and say, "you know, you've got the speed to handle a more refined weapon, would you like me to teach you the fundamentals of fencing?" And the character might go for it (maybe just out of curiosity). Take their previous weapon into consideration. Look at the character and ask how open minded and creative they should be. Are they stubborn? Do they have a tendency to stick with whatever works for them first, or are they willing to give new things an experimental try? Do they actively seek out new experiences?

Re: Does body speed affect weapon choice?

lasalle202 — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:44:48 -0500

I am not so sure that I agree with some of the above analysis. If you compare a heavy weapon like a halberd or heavy hammer that does a lot of its damage based on the Mass portion of the (M * velocity=impact) equation, once you start moving fast, you are upping not only the velocity portion of each impact, but the frequency of those impacts.

Re: Does body speed affect weapon choice?

Story of Latea — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 08:13:27 -0500

Things don't always graduate as planned. Take baseball for example. Someone who can bat a game of nothing but home runs won't always hti the ball.

Re: Does body speed affect weapon choice?

Story of Latea — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 08:13:33 -0500

*Hit

Re: Does body speed affect weapon choice?

Story of Latea — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 08:19:25 -0500

By my point of view, weapons should revell as such: Slowest movers, but quite sturdy: Halberds, Hammers, Two-handed swords, longsword and shield combo, or even a spear. Slower movers, but pretty strong: Hammers, Axes, Two-handed swords, Longsword and shield combo, spear, and maybe a broadsword. Pretty slow characters, but great at casting magic: Staves, wands, batons, fans, hammers, musical instruments, and maybe a whip. Slow characters, but pretty good at aiming: Bows, shortswords, shortsword and shield combo, Crossbows, spears, whips, and maybe a gun or instrument. Pretty fast characters, but pretty well rounded: Swords, longswords, two-handed swords, spears, bows, guns, whips, or maybe a hammer. Faster characters, but pretty strong: Spears or longswords. Fastest characters, but pretty sturdy: Swords and shields, spears, or a hammer.

Re: Does body speed affect weapon choice?

tricero — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 17:57:20 -0400

If my character is fast but isn't muscular strong I would have him use something light, like maybe a shortsword, dagger, or maybe even a light Katana.

Re: Does body speed affect weapon choice?

Story of Latea — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 18:07:48 -0400

I had one of my main characters weild a Katana, the difficulty unsheathing/resheathing it was made up by the fact she carries a revolver as backup.

Re: Does body speed affect weapon choice?

Raksab — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 01:29:44 -0400

If I was fighting people who move at equal speed to me, I'd use the same weapons I'd normally use. If all parties are super-fast, the net effect is that none of them are, right?

Re: Does body speed affect weapon choice?

onesecondglance — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 04:10:05 -0400

Agreed. There's only a difference when either you are faster than your opponent or they are faster than you. I'd think in terms of defence, rather than offence. If you are significantly faster then your melee combat will focus on quick incapaciting strikes, with (theoretically) little need for parrying and blocking (etc) - your speed advantage would mean that you'd focus on taking out your opponent before they have the opportunity to strike at you. The other way around (you being slower) you'd want to focus on a very strong defence; a weapon that allows you to block at multiple angles. You'd also want something with the power to disable or kill in a single strike - if you're slow you might only get one chance, so it had better count.

Re: Does body speed affect weapon choice?

Puddingpie — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 05:29:19 -0400

Slow? Fillipino stick fighting - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQltqe2FFcE Maori stick fighting - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wxeXZxAeE0 Zulu stick fighting - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw6T0twetng Irish stick fighting - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CMD3wETjCM Who uses staves/batons is more a matter of abundance of wood and ease to craft than lack of speed. Though it is a weapon more for use against bandits, city hooligans, and raiders than in a pitched battle. (Unless the others in the battlefield are the rival tribe or gang, also armed with sticks.) If you don't want exotic fighting styles, they're used in more typical Euro settings too: Portuguese shepherds, Renaissance Italian urban youths, Londoners with Victorian walking sticks, the Irish shillelagh.. Some more thoughts. The primary advantage of a crossbow is that you can fire it while crawling on your belly, proving you more cover. You can keep it ready to fire for long periods of time without having to keep it drawn like a standard bow, which tires your arm. That makes it great for lookouts or ambushes. Crossbowmen are also easier to train than standard archers if you need to field an army. So of course there's the speed element, but what weapon a character uses is often situational as well as adaptive to the individual. Sorry for the infodump. My Nano's MC happens to have a staff fighter and arbalest. ^__^ I used to think staves were boring and slow, but I needed a weapon a poor person would have access to, and I did all this research!

Re: Does body speed affect weapon choice?

Story of Latea — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:15:57 -0400

I agree with your last paragraph completely. Someone who's unbelievably slow, but can't go long-range(ie.: Magic and Archery), more than likely, you're going to want some form of defence. The main character I mentioned(The one with the katana and revolver) is a good example. She's pretty fast, but sheathing and unsheathing her katana slows her down immeasurably. She has to use her revolver in tight spots, but that's also limited because of the ammo. Not only is a Katana extremely powerful, but it's long blade can repel most frontal attacks, making the wielder more-than-likely able to survive the longest(or at least longer than most) of the other members. An example of a horrid defense system would have to be my main heroin. She has no weapon what-so-ever. She just casts spells. That means she's the highest risk for taking heavy amounts of damage. She does have a way to not take damage though. The fated love interest acts as her shield most of the time. An example of a somewhat neutral defense system would have to be my other magician. She fills the role of the "Badass Magic User", like Rita from Tales of Vesperia. She's got a fated love interest as well, but the only purpose of that is for the sequel. She has a chain whip as her weapon, she's not exactly good at using it though. The neat thing about her weapon is the she can send her magic power through it, then spin it over her head like a sigma shield. Which is pretty neat, if I say so myself. Another example of a neutral defense system would be one of the fated love interests. He takes the role as the protector of the main heroin. The whole point of this is due to the fact he and the main heroin have to be together in order for the sequel to happen. As a swordsman, he naturally uses either a shortsword or a spear. Since he mainly uses a sword in my book, he's faster than some of the other characters, but also has a hardier defense.

Re: Does body speed affect weapon choice?

Raksab — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 16:04:05 -0400

by the way, I think if I had the advantage of super speed (and my opponent didn't), I'd probably maximize that by selecting a very light, speedy weapon such as a dagger or rapier, aiming for vital areas, and relying on my speed to dodge enemy attacks. They can't kill what they can't hit. That's assuming I have to get into melee combat in the first place; for preference, I'd rather stay out of reach and use a ranged weapon such as a bow or sling. Super speed would probably not improve my aim (I'd have to practice that on my own), but it might help me reload and get more shots in before my opponent has a chance to dodge or counterattack. One arrow in the right place can be just as effective as many swings of a mace.

Re: Does body speed affect weapon choice?

Notkieran — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 09:06:42 -0400

What difficulty unsheathing a katana? You can draw and cut with a katana as fast as you can draw a pistol from a thight holster and fire from the hip.

Re: Does body speed affect weapon choice?

Hyperewok1 — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 23:05:28 -0400

According to the world of RPG video games, bigger and stronger warrior-type characters use heavier weapons such as a two handed axe or sword, or possibly a longsword and shield, while agile and quick assassin-type characters use daggers or shortswords. Which makes sense, considering you need to have the physical strength to wield larger weapons, and if not, the agility to possibly go toe to toe with someone is that strong/

Re: Does body speed affect weapon choice?

Peacant — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 03:12:13 -0400

Unless we're dealing with Andre the Giant or Usain Bolt, strength and speed come rather hand-in-hand. Either way, if you are either not strong or not fast, you're going to be a terrible fighter regardless. It really comes down to the person's degree of athleticism more than specific traits. Weapon choice really is more tailored towards the wielder's general ability (say, crossbow vs longbow) and the situation required (pikes against a cavalry and a concealed dagger for an assassination). Of course, the blundering broadsword berserker would never use the dagger, but that is because s/he would be terrible at the job best suited for the weapon, not the weapon itself. If you're both in a closed room, while you have that little dagger and your opponent is holding a broadsword, given equal training time and rigor, you're going to lose, no question. Your opponent will take one swipe at you and mangle your insides because at the end, you're both just as 'fast,' but one of you can sneak into a victim's bedroom while the other can smash skulls open.

Re: Does body speed affect weapon choice?

TGWild — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 13:53:36 -0400

[quote=Peacant]Unless we're dealing with Andre the Giant or Usain Bolt, strength and speed come rather hand-in-hand. Either way, if you are either not strong or not fast, you're going to be a terrible fighter regardless. It really comes down to the person's degree of athleticism more than specific traits.[/quote] Yeah, this. Despite what RPGs would have us believe, speed and strength are both dependent on muscles and cardiovascular fitness. There's no such thing as someone who can swing a giant warmaul super-fast but only very lightly, and there's no such thing as someone who can only swing a short sword very slowly but hits like a truck. It's all down to physics, where inertia rules - if you can swing a heavy weapon fast, then you are by definition swinging it really hard. Also, experience. What weapon is a person going to be best with? The weapon they've used the longest. If a little waif of a princess has nevertheless been trained for five years to bash people with a nine-foot claymore, then she's going to be used to the weight and balance of a nine-foot claymore, and she will not be more effective with a fencing epee just because it's lighter. Also, tactics. If I'm expecting to encounter pike battalions, then a big warmaul or a flickering shortsword are equally terrible options because I'm going to get run through while my opponent is still ten feet away from me. If we're starting from the beginning of someone's combat career, and they know that they are going to want to master a single melee weapon, then they have other practical concerns: can they carry their weapon openly (soldier, etc), or does it have to be something they can hide away (assassin)? Does it need to serve other practical purposes (since axes are much better for chopping wood than kukri)? Can they spare the time to maintain something finicky (sharpening and oiling a sword versus occasionally scrubbing a mace)? A person's natural size/speed may somewhat affect their choice, but in the end there are a whole lot of other concerns that are more important, and then if they are serious fighters their skill is going to depend far more on the length of time they put into training.

Re: Does body speed affect weapon choice?

Hiawatha — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:16:07 -0400

Endowed with exceptional speed and reflexes I may decide to forgo conventional weapons in favour of, well, my body. A spiked cesta or gauntlet covering each hand, some light armor, a few good knives and a great deal of hand-to-hand grappling. Even against similarly fast and agile opponents I might have an edge due to my (presumed :)) better judgement/experience with tricksy dirty deceptive fighting and my ability to throw knives from impossible positions. I'd be kinda like Spider-Man! If I must choose more conventional weapons then I would, partly for the sake of novelty, consider a flail and a buckler or possibly a knife. With my speed and reflexes I want to be able to make great use of feints and other deception.

Re: Does body speed affect weapon choice?

Hiawatha — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:17:45 -0400

Oh yeah and whenever I could I'd force my opponents to fight me atop a giant wheel rolling through a forest.

Re: Does body speed affect weapon choice?

Puddingpie — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 22:26:47 -0400

Isn't that how it's normally done? :D