The Pikes of Thurian:, "Hold back the Charge!"

[Nialldubh]

The Pikes of Thurian

All pikes are taper to it's steel bladed tip to stop it bending with the heavy weight at one end, but would weaken the shaft, so bands and rings of steel, iron or bronze where added to reinforced the blade end of the shaft.

Note: Reach can vary with some pikes, but more a personal choice, Pikemen could also reduce his pike reach by hacking off a length of 5ft to 10ft if they wish and still keep a functional pike, just shorter reach.

Note: A pike is a weapon 11ft and longer.

Each pike is set with a counter-weight, usually a spike about six to twelve inches long to impale the ground to keep his pike errect as he stands on guard. This spike (some call this attachment a Sauroter: Lizard-killer) can be used to coup de grace the fallen. These spike help the pikeman assault a prone foe in adjacent square or the one he is in with their difficult to manoeuvre pikes. The damage is (1d6) x3, AP2 (it is much like the half-spear from Warrior's Companion, but the spike is much heavier to balnce the pike, weight: 2lb). This is a emergency weapon because if his pike is sundered, the Pikeman can use this part of the weapon to attack with (take note of where the shaft is cleaved and calculate the length remaining and judge appropriate reach it has left). The Pikeman using this part of weapon to coup de grace can add +1 damage to the total critical wound if his pike is still whole, the weight of the weapon help in the task.

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[Nialldubh]

Gunderland Pike Exotic Weapon

A 20ft-25ft long pike, with a thick sturdy shaft, the pike is layers with of bands and rings to support the tip and head. It has langet support the shaft in a craftmanship of greater quality than the other Cultures to generated a more forceful inpact when it hits.

Costs 50 sp, (2d8) x2, AP4, Hardness: 8, HP 12, Weight 20-25lb, Piercing.

Reach: 20ft-25ft.

[Nialldubh]

Chung Qiang Exotic Weapon

Chung Qiang: Long (spear) Pike; also know as the Khitan Pike.

Cost 75 sp; Damage: (2d6) 18-20/x2, AP3, Hardness: 6, HP 8, Weight 10lb, Piercing.

Reach: 15ft; Horseback: 10ft.

This Chung Qiang has a steel blade attached, making expensive and difficult to obtain. Most common Soldiers can only afford the Bronze-tip chung Qiang (see next post).

Can be used from horseback also and normally on foot with no penalty. If used on a horse, it can be treated at a Heavy Lance for a Charge Attack and it reach reduced to 10ft.

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Bronze Chung Qiang Exotic Weapon

Bronze Chung Qiang: Long (spear) Pike; also know as the Khitan Pike.

Cost 45 sp; Damage: (2d6-1) 18-20/x2, AP1, Hardness: 5, HP 6, Weight 8lb, Piercing.

Reach: 15ft; Horseback: 10ft.

Features of any Chung Qiang: Commonly used by infantry and having up to the length of 15ft, it was also favoured by cavalry. Made from waxed wood. It is considered one of the best materials from which to fashion staffs, spear shafts, and walking sticks, because it is tough, hard and flexible and can absorb shock without breaking, a strong but flexible wood. It bends to absorb impact preventing breakage; however, a disadvantage of white waxwood is that it is very vulnerable to wood worm. A Craft (Wordwork) of DC 10 must be made each month by the owner of the pike who is spending time maintaining his weapon, they can Take 10 and spend 1 sp on various items to treat the wooden shaft or it hardness will be reduce by 1pt each failure till it arrives a zero, them if bad treatment of weapon is maintained. The pike shaft with suffer 1pt of damage to it hp till it falls apart (the blade of course can be fitted onto another shaft, shaft costs 13 sp).

Some are made from rattan, a bamboo like wood with a solid hard structure, but though much like the original Chung Qiang, it starts with 1 less pt in Hardness and hps and cost per shaft 7sp; reducing the cost of Steel Qiang to 70 sp and bronze to 40 sp to buy as a whole weapon.

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Qiang Tassel

Common features of the Khitan Pike are the leaf shaped blade and red horse-hair tassel lashed just below. The tassel serves a tactical purpose, and is not simply for decoration. When the spear is moving quickly, the addition of the tassel aids in blurring the vision of the opponent so that it is more difficult for them to grab the shaft of spear behind the head or tip. The tassel also served another purpose, to stop the flow of blood from the blade getting to the wooden shaft (the blood would make it slippery, or sticky when dried). The user receives a +2 to Bluff checks when using a tassel to distract his foe for a Feint manoeuvre. The blood can be absorb by the tassel to a state it is beyond any function use. It must be replaced after ten kills, that is, those that are the finishing strike. Then it becomes weigh down and ruined. (Tassels cost 1sp).

Chung Qiang Whistle

The bending motion, combined with the horse hair tassel makes the spear tip very difficult to follow, but below the leaf shaped blade in the tubular section that attaches the head of the spear to the wax wood staff and there is a hole drilled. When the spear is spun at speed it generates a whistle, this whistle would serve to distract an opponent. Inside the tubular section a ball bearing moves around freely giving a rattle, this also helped to stop blood from congealing inside the tubular section and help to force blood out of the whistle hole keeping it clear. The Whistle also provied a +2 bonus to Bluff check (this stacks with tassel effect), but stays a permenent feature.

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[Nialldubh]

Corinthian Pike (Spartis) Exotic Weapon

Corinthian Pike (Spartis): A double pointed pike of 18ft length. This is a new addition to the Corinthia arsenel. Created in a small City-State called Spartis, the invention was developed to boost the worth of the badly equipt Foot-soldiers of that Corinthian City-state which is poor in heavy armour Hoplites and cavalry. The weapon comes in two parts and is carried to the battlefield in two 9ft long sections and assemble there. Each section could be used as a 9ft War spear with some modifications, but a capable fighting weapon (use stats for the pike, but give it 10ft reach, if rear 9ft length is used look to information above for stats for the Lizard-killer), but it is the 18ft Spartis that is the pride of these new Pikemen!

The blade-tip of these pikes is more rounded for a sturdy hit, but with less armoured piercing effect.

Cost 45 sp; Damage: (4d4) x3, AP2, Hardness: 8, HP 8, Weight 18lb, Piercing.

Reach: 20ft.

[Nialldubh]

Speiss Exotic Weapon

Speiss: (Skewer), length is 18th feet, a well used pike amongst the Hyboria Pikemen, but with more craft than just the common pike, generating a sturdier shaft.

Costs 25 sp, (2d6) x3, AP3, Hardness: 8, HP 8, Weight 12lb, Piercing.

Reach: 20ft.

Geldon Exotic Weapon

Geldon: Originally from Brythunia, but was used in force by the Mercenaries from the Border Kingdoms. This Shorter pike with a sturdy shaft stocked most of the Bandit Baron's Armies. It is only 12ft long and with a weight of 7lb allow for great manoeuvribility in the rugged terain. This reinforced shaft with rings and langets serves well as a military weapon being redesign from the normal militia spear of Brythunia.

Costs 17 sp, (2d6) x3, AP3, Hardness: 6, HP 10, Weight 7lb, Piercing.

Reach: 15ft.

Nagae Yari Exotic Weapon

Nagae Yari: With length of 15ft to 20ft it became the main forces in armies of Khitai. High quality workmanship was put into these weapons design. The normal mass produced pike is the normal common pike variety with a similar design and shape, but with less quality.

Costs 85 sp, (2d6) 19-20/x2, AP5, Hardness: 6, HP 8, Weight 12-16lb, Piercing.

Reach: 15ft-20ft.

Note: The Nagae Yari suffers the same effect as the Chung Qiang for effect caused by Woodworm. Due to the it's length and greater design of these styles of pike the DC is raised to a DC 12 in Craft (Woodwork) to protect the shaft from harm.

Az-zagayah Exotic Weapon

Az-zagayah: Shemitish Pike, 13ft long pike, 8lb of weight, can be used from horseback with no penalty, much like a heavy lance.

Costs 35 sp, (2d6) x3, AP4, Hardness: 6, HP 8, Weight 8lb, Piercing.

Reach: 15ft, from Horseback: 10ft.

Pike

Pike (Normal): 16ft long basic shaft, easy produced with not much work in keeping it sturdy, made of good solid ashwood.

Costs 5 sp, (2d6) x3, AP2, Hardness: 5, HP 8, Weight 10lb, Piercing.

Reach: 20ft.

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