4 replies to this topic

[Five Aces]

Geoff said:

Art takes talent, but don't be distressed, because it is possible to gain talent. To become talented, the secret is practice. Odds are, you'll be a much better artist after you've put in effort and dedication and have drawn 50 pictures of various style. You'll probably be at the same level as the music genius at your school if you start seriously practice the instrument for a year or two. Writing is no different. No author became inspired by a stroke of lightning bolt and just suddenly became brilliant. The path of writing takes dedication and practice. There's really nothing you can read that'll turn you into an awesome writer overnight.

However, what you can learn are the techniques. Techniques are your essential materials. It is up to you to use the techniques correctly, but techniques can be taught to you through guides and workshops. The following are guides for writing written by various people, take a look at them for they yield valuable information.

A Guide to Characters
By Geoff

The Nuts and Bolts of a Story
A guide to the use of description and vocabulary
By Five Aces

From a Poet's Point of View
A guide to Haikus
By TalibanOman

The Weapons and Armor Guide Version 2.0
By Soulfoin

Edited by Lilmikee, 09 April 2011 - 08:40 PM.

[Five Aces]

A Guide to Characters
By Geoff

First of all, one very important aspect about developing a character, is that you make the character before you make the plot to your story.  If you make the character after you think of your plot, than your character will (almost always) be the ideal character for the situations that he is going to encounter, thus, the story is not that realistic.

There are four types of characters.

• The Protagonist: The protagonist is the main character in the story.  A lot of people usually associate the protagonist with the "good guy" or "the hero", however, the protagonist can be the bad guy in the story.  If your story is, for example, from a criminals point of view trying to escape from jail, than he is the protagonist, even though he is technically the bad guy.

• The Antagonist: The antagonist, simply put, is the character that is in conflict with the protagonist.

• Major Characters: Major characters are the characters who play a significant role in the story.   The major characters usually have names, descriptions, and personality.

• Minor Characters: Minor characters are the characters who do not play a significant role in the story. These characters could be named, or they could just be someone the protagonist waves to as he is walking down the crowded side walk to the bus station.

The seven elements of characters.

• Appearance: What the character looks like.

• Personality: Qualities of the characters.  For example, is he a leader? follower? helpful person? cold person?

• Background: Where the characters grew up and some of their past experiences.

• Motivation: Characters wishes, goals, dreams, wants.

• Relationships: Who the character is related to, how he feels about them.

• Conflict: What is the characters problem? Is it an internal or external problem?

• Change: How does the character learn or grow throughout the story.

Types of Characterization.

Direct Characterization: A writer simply states the characters traits. For Example: The author speaks as the narrator and says John was always a caring person, so caring in fact that once he..

Indirect Characterization: A writer depends on the reader to draw conclusions. For example: Instead of the author coming out and saying John was always caring, he would show it by having his character be walking down the side walk, on the way to the bus station, when a beautiful stranger drops all of her grocery's on the side walk.  So John walked up to her and helped to get everything back in the bag.  This way the reader can tell that John is a nice person, without the author actually saying, "John is a nice person".

Three ways to reveal traits about your character.

• Direct comments

• What a character says about another character. Example: Two girls are sitting at a bench in the park and one girl tells the other girl how a nice person named John helped her pick up all of her grocery's when she spilt them in a crowd of people.

• What the characters themselves say, think, or/and do. Example: John gets out of bed to the buzz of his alarm clock. He walks over to the mirror and sees the usual him, faded messed up brown hair, pale as milk skin, and a small button nose.

Static Character: A static character is a character who's personality does not really change through the story, they remain the same.

Dynamic Character: A Dynamic Character is a character who has a change about them through out the story.  This is used best in larger stories because if you try to use this in a short story, it makes the change to sudden and a change of a characters viewpoint needs to be very casual or it is not realistic.  A example of this would be at the beginning of the story, John is very helpful to everyone, he talks to complete strangers just to make nice conversation, he helps people out in line at the store if they are a few dollars short.  However, by the end of the story John stops to care.  His job, his family, his friends, and his life start to get to him.  He does not have the will power to do the extra for people any more and is always stressed out.  (Note: Sometimes a dramatic change is okay, an example of this would be, someone's family is murdered, so they go out on a mission to find out who did it and get his revenge.

Two final tips (Five Aces).

#1: Do not, under any circumstances, make a character perfect.

This does not mean that at the very last moment you should expose a fatal flaw so that the once perfect but now dead character can be seen as human. There needs to be a realistic reason for every aspect of the character. If he is very strong, then he works out. If she is very good at magic, she practises a lot. You get the drift…

#2: Write everything down.

When you create a character for use in a story, write down all the aspects of the character in a separate document so that you can keep track of their development. Believe me, I had to read through 15000 odd words in Mythica till I could find out what colour’s I had mentioned somewhere. It was Bad (note capital “B”).

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Thanks for taking the time to read, I hope I helped someone.

~ Geoff  

Thanks to Msg Az Tek for suggestion of Dynamic/Static characters.
Thanks Setsunaku for the spelling mistake. : )

Edited by Lilmikee, 16 September 2009 - 05:09 PM.

[Five Aces]

The Nuts and Bolts of a Story
A guide to the use of description and vocabulary
By Five Aces


Description

The problem with description is that it's very easy to have too little or too much. If you have too little, your story will be dull. If your description is too flamboyant, your story will suffer at the other end of the scale. This guide is meant to give some idea of how much description to put into a story.

The first problem people have with stories is trying to tell their readers about something. You should be showing them.

Your use of description lets a reader see something the way you want them to see it. However, people often launch into a story thinking that everyone sees things the same way as them. This leads to a lack of description. On the other hand, some people take this idea too far, by trying to describe anything and everything in intimate detail. This leads to a ridiculously flamboyant story, which people will find as bad as a dull one.

To help you understand this, I will take you through a small exercise. We are going to describe a person.

The Character:

The idea is to come up with your own character. Mine is an example.

We are going to describe a character. Let's start from the beginning: what's their name? My character will be called Tim. Tim is a fourteen year old boy. Tim has pale skin, brown hair, blue eyes and is taller than average. He's wearing a faded red shirt, blue jeans and white shoes. He is in a school yard. Some people leave it there, but this exersise is meant to show you where to take your character's description.

Quote

But that was before I met Tim...

Tim lives on the corner with his Mum and Dad. I remember the first time I saw him. He was a tall boy, looking down on most of the other children at the school. His hair was a fairly ordinary brown, but it was long and unkempt - like it hadn't been brushed, much less cut, in months. His blue eyes were captivating - they looked somehow haunted, like he had a horrible story to share, but nobody to share it with. They had a greyish feel to them, and took on the appearance of smoky sapphires. His skin was very pale - I remember this well because I thought he looked almost sickly. The logo on his fading red tee-shirt was impossible to read - once upon a time it might have been a sports brand, but now it was merely a blur. The jeans looked new, though in a time where faded jeans were sold in stores it was almost impossible to be sure. He scuffed his white shoes sulkily on the ground, and his eyes were downcast.

I felt an urge to speak to him.

What did you come up with?

As you can see, there is a measure of description in there that gives the reader a fair idea of the character's appearance, while also leaving room for their own imaginations.


Vocabulary

Vocabulary ties in tightly with description, which is why I've put them both in the same section. Your vocabulary effects the story exactly the same way description does: limited vocabulary and the story soon becomes dull; too widespread and the story goes off the other end of the scale.

Now there really isn't a guide to your vocabulary. All I can really say is read a lot and widen your horizons. The more you read, the more words you will discover and be able to use.

There are, however, two things I must warn against...

• Do not consult a dictionary to find strange words that might fit into your story. It is really annoying as a reader to have to go and look up a word because you don't know it's meaning. When I say to widen your horizons by reading, I mean books/newspapers/magazines etc. This way you will find words that are used in everyday publications, and ones that your readers will have a better chance of being familiar with.
  
• Do not use a Thesaurus to find a new word unless you know the meaning of the new word. It's crazy the number of times I've seen people (not necessarily on this board) include ridiculous words in stories and other pieces of writing that just don't make sense. A thesaurus is there to provide similar terms, not to give a new word with exactly the same meaning. Often you will find they had a distinctly different meaning to the word you want.

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Well, I've given you a start, but really it's up to you to find your own style and to improve your own vocabulary.

Good luck.

~ Five Aces

Edited by Lilmikee, 16 September 2009 - 05:12 PM.

[TalibanOman]

From a Poet's View
A guide to writing an enjoyable Haiku
By TalibanOman


An explanation of Haikus.

What is Haiku?

Haiku is one of the most important and traditional forms of Japanese poerty. Haikus today are today 17-syllable verse form consisting of three metrical units of 5, 7, and 5 syllables. Here is an example:

Gentle waterfall,
Tripping over rocks and stones
Creating beauty.

Since early days, there has been confusion between the the three related terms of Haiku, Hokku and Haikai. The term hokku means "starting verse", and was the first starting link of a much longer chain of verses known as haika. Because the hokku set the par for the rest of the poetic chain, it enjoyed an honored position in haikai poetry, and it was not uncommon for a poet to compose a hokku by itself without following up with the rest of the chain.

Largely through the efforts of Masaoka Shiki, this independence was formally established in the 1890s through the creation of the term haiku. This new form of poetry was to be written, read and understood as an independent poem, complete in itself, rather than part of a longer chain.

Strictly speaking, then, the history of haiku begins only in the last years of the 19th century. The famous verses of such Edo-period (1600-1868) masters as Basho, Yosa Buson, and Kobayashi Issa are properly referred to as hokku and must be placed in the perspective of the history of haikai even though they are now generally read as independent haiku. In HAIKU for PEOPLE, both terms will be treated equally! The distinction between hokku and haiku can be handled
by using the terms Classical Haiku and Modern Haiku.

Modern Haiku.
The history of the modern haiku dates from Masaoka Shiki's reform, begun in 1892, which established haiku as a new independent poetic form. Shiki's reform did not change two traditional elements of haiku: the division of 17 syllables into three groups of 5, 7, and 5 syllables and the inclusion of a seasonal theme.
Kawahigashi Hekigoto carried Shiki's reform further with two proposals:

   1. Haiku would be truer to reality if there were no center of interest in it.
   2. The importance of the poet's first impression, just as it was, of subjects taken
      from daily life, and of local colour to create freshness.


How to write Haikus.

How to write Haiku

In Japanese, the rules for how to write Haiku are clear, and will not be discussed here. In foreign languages, there exist NO consensus in how to write Haiku-poems. Anyway, let's take a look at the basic knowledge:

What to write about?

Haiku-poems can describe almost anything, but you seldom find themes which are too complicated for normal people's recognition and understanding. Some of the most thrilling Haiku-poems describe daily situations in a way that gives the reader a brand new experience of a well-known situation.

The metrical pattern of Haiku

Haiku-poems consist of respectively 5, 7 and 5 syllables in three units. In Japanese, this convention is a must, but in English, which has variation in the length of syllables, this can sometimes be difficult.

The technique of cutting

The cutting divides the Haiku into two parts, with a certain imaginative distance between the two sections, but the two sections must remain, to a degree, independent of each other. Both sections must enrich the understanding of the other.
To make this cutting in English, either the first or the second line ends normally with a colon, long dash or ellipsis.

The seasonal theme.

Each Haiku must contain a kigo, a season word, which indicate in which season the Haiku is set. For example, cherry blossoms indicate spring, snow indicate winter, and mosquitoes indicate summer, but the season word isn't always that obvious.

Please notice that Haiku-poems are written under different rules and in many languages. For translated Haiku-poems, the translator must decide whether he should obey the rules strictly, or if he should present the exact essence of the Haiku. For Haiku-poems originally written in English, the poet should be more careful. These are the difficulties, and the pleasure of Haiku.

Edited by Lilmikee, 16 September 2009 - 05:14 PM.

[Soulefoin]

The Weapons and Armor Guide Version 2.0
By Soulefoin


In books, stories and tall tales, the knowledge of weapons and armor has diminished. Every fantasy book seems to have a masterful warrior who just happens to use a katana, and how every city guard happens to wear full-plate armor. I wrote this guide in hopes that the members of RSC will never have to do this in their writing career. This is also a guide to those who wish to study medieval weaponry.

Edits:
Version 1.1:
Added the Shields Section
Version 1.2:
Added thrown weapons to the Ranged Section
Version 2.0
Completely Re-finished Guide

Index:
Weapons: 1.0
Light 1.1
One-Handed 1.2
Two-Handed 1.3
Ranged 1.4
Unique 1.5
Armor 2.0
Light 2.1
Medium 2.2
Heavy 2.3
Shields 2.4

Weapons 1.0
In this section you will learn all about different kinds of weapons, their variations, nicknames and how they are used.

Light 1.1
These weapons are lightweight, but aren’t very powerful. Examples of such are Light Maces, Daggers and Throwing Axes. These can generally be only wielded with one hand, and are ineffective when wielded in two hands.

Name: Dagger
Type of Damage: Piercing and Slashing
Nicknames and Variations: Kris
Uses: This is a weapon everybody knows about. Daggers are short knives, and come in a wide variety. These weight about a pound and some can be thrown effectively. Daggers can come single and double edged, and come in various levels of thickness. Daggers are one of the few weapons that come readily within a household (ie. kitchen knife), and that is easily concealed under clothing.

Name: Katar
Type of Damage: Piercing
Nicknames and Variations: Punching Dagger, Cestus
Uses: These are daggers that are attached to a metal frame, and are in a fixed position. These weigh about two pounds. This is a martial weapon, and is not found commonly in the public. These often come in pairs as well.

Name: Light Mace
Type of Damage: Bludgeoning
Nicknames and Variations: Small Mace, Iron Rod
Uses: These are simply small metal rods (ie. lead pipe). Unlike the larger maces, these do not have a large metal head on the end. These weigh about 4 pounds and can be very vicious, especially when swung at the head. These are capable on damaging stonework with a good swing.

Name: Sickle
Type of Damage: Slashing
Nicknames and Variations: Kama
Uses: Sickles are used by farmers for harvesting cane plants, and wheat. These are of course wielded in one hand and are often used in pairs. These weigh 2 pounds a piece. Sickles are great when used down low to the ground, and are very effective at attacking legs.

Name: Hand Axe
Type of Damage: Chopping
Nicknames and Variations: Hatchet
Uses: These are used for splitting logs, and are owned by many families in both the tropical and temperate regions. These axes are not effective on the grand scale, they are excellent at hacking off limbs, and can be thrown in case of an emergency. The weight is dependant on the size of the axe.

Name: Sap
Type of Damage: Bludgeoning
Nicknames and Variations: Knockout, Lead Sack
Uses: These are small pouches of hardened leather, stuffed with lead/gravel. These are used to knock an opponent unconscious. It is still used today by police forces. These average out to weigh 2 pounds.

Name: Short Sword
Type of Damage: Slashing and Piercing
Nicknames and Variations: Sword, Bolo, Kris, Sabre, Wakazashi
Uses: These are swords two feet in length, with the hilt taking up about 1/4 of the sword. These weigh approximately 3 pounds. These were mass produced in the medieval times, and armies often used them if they couldn’t afford anything better. These are very effective at parrying pole-arms, and a cutting veins.

One-Handed 1.2
This section fits nearly every melee weapon used often in fights. These can be wielded in both one or two hands with equal effectiveness.

Name: Heavy Mace
Type of Damage: Bludgeoning
Nicknames and Variations: Club, Bludgeon
Uses: These come in many different forms, from wooden clubs to vicious metal rods with a big chunk of metal on the end. Their weight can be anywhere between 3 pounds to 10 pounds. These are deadly and can often cause death on the first hit to the chest or head. These are nearly impossible to block, but are easy to parry.

Name: Morningstar
Type of Damage: Bludgeoning and Piercing
Nicknames and Variations:
Uses: This is a spiked ball on a chain attached to a rod. These weigh about 6 pounds. These are hard to aim effectively on downward swings, while sideward swings often leave the wielder in a vulnerable position. This weapon is known to sunder armor in one swing.

Name: Short Spear
Type of Damage: Piercing
Nicknames and Variations: Javelin, Pilum
Uses: Short Spears are what they say they are. These are wielded in one hand and weigh about 3 pounds. These aren’t the most effective of weapons, and it is used for hunting medium sized animals (ie. deer)

Name: Battleaxe
Type of Damage: Slashing and Chopping
Nicknames and Variations: Waraxe
Uses: Everybody knows what these are. They average at about six pounds and have a double bladed head. These are very effective at severing limbs, while excellent at slashing the chest.

Name: Flail
Type of Damage: Bludgeoning and possibly Piercing
Nicknames and Variations: Dire Flail, Spiked Flail
Uses: These are much like Morningstars. Unlike the morning star, a flail has multiple chains and heads, usually three. The shaft is about one pound and each head is two pounds. Like the morning star, the heads can have spikes, but it isn’t common for them to have them. Dire flails have a central ring for the grip instead of a shaft, but these are limited to two flail heads.

Name: Longsword
Type of Damage: Slashing
Nicknames and Variations: Warsword, Warriors Sword, Sword, Katana
Uses: This is the most generic sword there is. It’s light, weighing about 4 pounds and it is about 4 feet long in total. It can be used for stabbing, but it is very in-effective so it is best used for slashing. This is the most common kind of blade there is, and is used by soldiers and guards alike.

Name: Rapier
Type of Damage: Piercing
Nicknames and Variations: Estoc, Poingaurd
Uses: Unlike those seen in movies, the rapier is a deadly weapon. Weighing an effective 3 pounds, and an impressive length of 4 feet, the rapier is a fast weapon with plenty of reach. It is especially good at striking vital areas (ie. heart) and can get through chain armor with relative ease. Unlike other swords, the rapier does not have a bladed edge.

Name: Scimitar
Type of Damage: Slashing
Nicknames and Variations:
Uses: A generic classification of sword. This kind of sword is always single bladed, and is light. Scimitars are horrid at blocking, and is very in-effective at thrusting, however its true strength comes in slashing. It is effective at feints, has amazing speed and is especially good at severing veins. Scimitars average out to about 4 pounds.

Name: War Hammer
Type of Damage: Bludgeoning and sometimes Piercing
Nicknames and Variations: Spiked Back War hammer
Uses: These are 2 foot shafts with a large hammer head on the end. Sometimes on one side they have a large metal spike. War Hammer’s are surprisingly effective at buckling plate-mail, and they are known to destroy wooden shields in one hit.

Name: Broad Sword
Type of Damage: Slashing
Nicknames and Variations: Hand and A Half Sword
Uses: These swords are the mixture between a Longsword and a Greatsword. The way they are wielded based by strength. Usually a person would wield this with two hands, but it wasn’t uncommon for some to wield it with one. These weigh about 7 pounds.

Two-Handed 1.3
These weapons are large and cannot be wielded in one hand. These are some of the most powerful, lethal weapons during the medieval era.

Name: Spear
Type of Damage: Piercing
Nicknames and Variations: Longspear, Trident
Uses: We all know a spear is a six foot shaft with a metal tip on the end. Few people know that they can be thrown. Longspear’s are about 8 feet long and tridents have three prongs. The average spear weighs 8 pounds.

Name: Staff
Type of Damage: Bludgeoning
Nicknames and Variations: Quarterstaff, Longstaff
Uses: These are wooden shafts of various lengths, usually around 6 feet long and they weigh about 4 pounds.

Name: Falchion
Type of Damage: Chopping, Slashing
Nicknames and Variations: N/A
Uses: This is another classification for a single edged sword. The falchion, unlike the Scimitar is very good at hacking away limbs, as well as slashing. As with scimitars, falchion’s are very effective with slashing attacks and they are in-effective with thrusting attacks.

Name: Greataxe
Type of Damage: Chopping
Nicknames and Variations: Barbarians Axe
Uses: This is the two-handed version of the Battleaxe. These are about 6 feet long and weigh about 12 pounds. The Greataxe is known to hack right through plate armor with a good swing, and can chop a human in half when swung at the torso. It is a weapon to be reckoned with, but it’s slow and is not very good at blocking.

Name: Halberd
Type of Damage: Slashing or Piercing
Nicknames and Variations: N/A
Uses: This pole-arm is a one sided great axe but there is a spear tip on the end. These come about 6 feet in length and weigh about 12 pounds. The halberd is great for attacking the legs, and it is not uncommon for a soldier to disable horses by attacking the horses legs with a Halberd.

Name: Lance
Type of Damage: Piercing
Nicknames and Variations: N/A
Uses: We all know what these are, but it’s good to remind people these exist. These are used strictly by cavalry. They are used during the initial mounted charge on the battlefield to rake through the first few soldiers, and then is dropped. A lance weighs about 8 pounds and is about 10 feet in length.

Name: Great Club
Type of Damage: Bludgeoning
Nicknames and Variations: Large Club
Uses:This is the biggest and baddest of the bludgeoning weapons, and is made of wood. These weigh 8 pounds and averages at about 6 inches thick. This is about 5-6 feet long depending on the size of log chosen for the construction of this weapon.

Name: Greatsword
Type of Damage: Slashing, Chopping
Nicknames and Variations: Two-Handed Sword
Uses: This is a 6 foot long sword with the width of a person sword. These are powerful, and can break through other weapons, but this weapon is slow and heavy. This sword is nearly impossible to block, and weighs over 12 pounds.

Name: Scythe
Type of Damage: Slashing
Nicknames and Variations: N/A
Uses: This is a farmers tool, used for harvesting grains. It is light, but still requires two hands to use. The scythe levels off at about 6 pounds, and are about 5 feet in length.

Ranged 1.4
This section includes any weapons that are launched by a catapult (Ie. Crossbow, Bow) or are thrown (ie. Sling, Throwing Axe)

Name: Crossbow
Type of Damage: Piercing
Nicknames and Variations: Hand Crossbow, Light Crossbow, Heavy Crossbow
Uses: We all know the basic shape of a crossbow. It has a hand winch which is pulled back,  then a bolt is inserted into the crossbow shaft, the mechanism is locked, and the trigger is pressed which releases the deadly crossbow bolt at breakneck speed. In other words, it’s a mechanical medieval musket. Hand crossbows are easily concealed but aren’t good for use against armored opponents. Light crossbows are faster to reload then heavy crossbows but heavy crossbows do more damage, are more accurate and have greater range. The hand crossbow weighs 2 pounds, the light crossbow weights 4 pounds, and the heavy crossbow weighs 8 pounds.

Name: Sling
Type of Damage: Bludgeoning
Nicknames and Variations: N/A
Uses: This is a strip of leather about 2-3 feet long. These are used to rocks at enemies. The sling is a relatively simple weapon, and was used back since the pre-historic ages.

Name: Bow
Type of Damage: Piercing
Nicknames and Variations: Short bow, Long bow
Uses: This the most common ranged weapon during the medieval times, and it is also the fasted one to reload. Short bows are smaller and require less strength to use, but they don’t give as much range as long bows. In order to operate, you fit an arrow on the bowstring, pull the bowstring back and release. Composite bows are bows which use more than one type of material in the construction of the shaft (Ie. Oak and Cork).

Name: Throwing Axe
Type of Damage: Slashing
Nicknames and Variations: N/A
Uses: These axes can be thrown easily and were built strictly for combat. These can also be used as effectively as a Handaxe in battle. Not the most common of weapons, but can be built in a pinch. This weighs about 2 pounds a piece.

Name: Javelin
Type of Damage: Piercing
Nicknames and Variations: Pilum
Uses: The Javelin is the throw able version of the shortspear. It is balanced so it can be thrown large distances. Javelins are almost useless in close combat. Pilums use a significantly large metal head, which is designed for shorter range use then the javelin, but can deal a lot of damage.

Name: Dart
Type of Damage: Piercing
Nicknames and Variations: N/A
Uses: Darts weigh about 1/4 of a pound and are meant to be thrown. These can be used as a light weapon in combat, but they really shine as an assassins weapon, where the dart is poisoned and is shot through a blowgun at the intended target.

Unique 1.5
These are weapons that don’t fit into any of the categories, but are worth being mentioned.

Name: Whip
Type of Damage: Slashing
Nicknames and Variations: N/A
Uses: A whip is a piece of coiled leather to form a kind of leather “rope”. By using one properly, the tip can go past the speed of sound, inflicting serious pain.

Name: Net
Type of Damage: N/A
Nicknames and Variations: N/A
Uses: Nets are often a forgotten weapon/tool and needs to be mentioned. These are great for abducing people, and for making soldiers useless in a fight.

Armor 2.0
We all know what armor is: it is an object which provides protection against attacks. There are many variants of armor, but I will be covering the basics of body armor and shields.

Light 2.1
This is armor that does not impede your movement at all or very much.

Name: Padded Armor
Materials: Soft Leather/Hide, Cotton
Uses:This armor offers minimal protection, but is armor nun the less. This armor is the cheapest and moves around like regular clothing. This covers the torso, but leggings can be bought as well.

Name: Leather Armor
Materials: Hardened Leather
Uses: This armor provides minimal protection, but is much better at stopping arrows and small blades then padded armor. This is common, but not in the military.

Name: Studded Leather
Materials: Metal Rivets, Hardened Leather
Uses: This is the most common of all the armors, often found on watchmen, traveling merchants and town guards. This is a thick leather vest/legging, which is hardened in boiling oil and is strengthened with the use of metal rivets.

Name: Chain Shirt
Material: Thin Metal Chains
Uses: This is a light armor made of interlocking chains and covers the torso. This is not nearly as thick or as heavy as chain mail, but provides decent protection. Chain Shirts are very thin, and can by no way protect you from a bludgeoning weapon.

Medium 2.2
This armor is much heavier than light armor, but it provides much more protection against slashing weapons, and the smaller piercing weapons.

Name: Hide Armor
Materials: Thick Tanned Hide
Uses: This armor is a type of leather armor except as it says above, is made with thicker tanned hide. This armor provides more protection then even studded leather. Elephant skin is often used for the creation of this armor.

Name: Ring Mail
Materials: Interlocking Rings
Uses: This is a full body armor made of a dual layer of thin rings. This armor is the first of the full metal armors ever created, and the weakest. This is very uncommon, and was rarely bought as soon as chain mail was invented. However, ring mail is very good at dispersing
the force of bludgeoning weapons.

Name: Chain Mail
Materials: Thick Metal Chains
Uses: This armor provides very good protection, and disperses the force of bludgeoning weapons very easily. This armor was very common, and was produced in bulk because it was so cheap and quick to make..

Name: Scale Mail
Materials: Metal chunks
Uses: This armor it made of overlaid metal chunks to make it look like the scales of a snake. This armor is amazing at deflecting piercing weapons, and slashing weapons.

Heavy 2.3
These armors are the heaviest and the best of all armors when it comes to protection. These are expensive and hard to make. This armor is made of chain mesh, padding and is covered by metal plates.

Name: Splint Mail
Materials: Thin Metal Plates, Chain Mail
Uses: This armor is hard to maneuver in. This is chain mail armor supported by a stiff metal frame which is covered with thin metal plates. This is also common, being carried by guards in large cities and is used by infantry in many of the richer armies.

Name: Half-Plate Mail
Materials: Padded Armor, Chain Mail, Thick Metal Plates
Uses: This armor covers the outside of the legs, torso, outside of the arms, neck , hands and feet. This armor is very good at deflecting slashing and piercing weapons, but is relatively in-effective at resisting the effects of bludgeoning weapons

Name: Full-Plate Mail
Materials: Padded Armor, Chain Mail, Thick Metal Plates
Uses: This is the same as half-plate except for the fact that it covers the entire body. This is unbeatable, but the rarest of the armors, not to mention the most expensive. Plate Mail is impenetrable with slashing and piercing weapons, while bludgeoning weapons only did minor damage. Plate mail however is incredibly heavy, stuffy and limits movement/speed.

Shields 2.4
These are common sight in the battlefield, and on guards. These allow you to block incoming blows before they reach your armor. To note, wood shields are a lot easier to break than metal shields but metal shields happen to weigh more.

Name: Buckler
Materials: Metal
Uses: These are shields that attach using straps on the forearm/elbow region. It is really hard to wield shields when wearing a buckler because the combined weight makes it very hard to lift up your arm, also the two often get caught on each other. The buckler is good at parrying sword strikes, and at bashing opponents.

Name: Small Shield
Materials: Metal or Wood
Uses: These are the most common shields. These are wielded in one hand and are about 1 and 3/4 feet long (or in diameter if the shield is circular). These shields shine when blocking slashing weapons, and light bludgeoning weapons (ie. light mace).

Name: Large Shield
Materials: Metal or Wood
Uses: These are the most common in the battlefield, either taking a circular or rectangular shape. These shields are wielded in one hand and can weigh anywhere between 8-12 pounds depending on the material. These are great for blocking piercing weapons and missiles, and they are good, but not as good as small shields for blocking slashing weapons.

Name: Tower Shield
Materials: Metal
Uses: These shields easily weigh at least 40 pounds, and are over 6 feet tall and 4

Edited by Lilmikee, 16 September 2009 - 05:18 PM.