| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| jordanz |
Posted - 11 Sep 2011 : 03:30:35
Elves, Dwarves, or Humans? |
| 30 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Ayrik |
Posted - 30 Nov 2011 : 22:58:32
Well, some dwarves might rage around with marginal effect like the Bouldershoulders, and that's great if you like comedy over reality. Personally, I prefer my combat scenes to not involve Jar Jar Binks slapstick melee. Just draw a bead on idiotic fools of that sort and pull the trigger while they're exaggerating their banana peel antics.
According to FR11 Dwarves Deep and PHBR6 Complete Book of Dwarves, dwarves do indeed use and invent all sorts of highly effective siege machinery, including catapults (when not underground). There's plenty about dwarves that Drizzt has never seen. |
| Wolfhound75 |
Posted - 30 Nov 2011 : 21:36:52
quote:
Originally posted by Thelonius
quote:
Originally posted by Dennis
Catapults= humans [Do elves or dwarves make them as well?]
Don't think dwarves can use catapults.... they just bash their heads against a door, ...
Eh...I'd have to go with Dwarves don't use catapults. They use Battle Ragers trained by the infamous (and smelly) Thibbledorf Pwent.
Reference the scene laid forth in the Drizzt series where Pwent is training his group and Regis is in charge of lowering the gate to defeat the trainees....
As for the rest, I'd love to come up with a list of names of the best crafters to use in my campaign. In other words, why seek out just anyone capable of crafting you a magic sword if you have the option (and can actually afford it) of having a true master craft and imbue your blade/bow/armor etc.
Good Hunting! |
| Banter Darkdirk |
Posted - 30 Nov 2011 : 20:59:26
IMO the ancient Netherese have crafted some of the most powerful swords I've read about (besides elven moonblades). So I'd have to rank them up near the top. |
| Icelander |
Posted - 11 Nov 2011 : 16:38:39
quote:
Originally posted by Thelonius
Don't think dwarves can use catapults.... under mountains...  they just bash their heads against a door, and the elves... well why use a catapult when you can just simply hit anything with a bow 
Because an arrow will do bugger all against a fortress wall.
What D&D is pleased to call a catapult (which is actually a catch-all term that applies to all weapons that throw a projectile) is a siege weapon. As such, it is not meant for point shooting and archery proficiency is rather irrelevant when it comes to evaluating the need for such weapons.
If elves conduct sieges, which they assuredly did during the Crown Wars, they would need something to batter down castle walls. Perhaps they relied exclusively on magic, but given a limited supply of spells and spellcasters, it would seem more efficient to build siege weapons on-site and employ those as delivery systems for enspelled projectiles.
The general lesson to learn here is that weapons are made for a particular role and even if the races may have different tastes, they most likely have very similar needs in terms of tactical and strategic roles for weaponry. No one race can afford to exclusively build examples of their most favoured weaponry, because all the races have complex civilisations where they need a whole range of weaponry. |
| Dennis |
Posted - 11 Nov 2011 : 04:51:13
quote:
Originally posted by Mantis
I feel that dwarves make the best weapons, I look at it as the overall weapon distribution as opposed to specific magical weapons.
Mundane, maybe. But magical weapons? I doubt. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 11 Nov 2011 : 04:42:17
quote:
Originally posted by sfdragon
the moonblades would all have to be sentient or at least semi senitient to judge the wielder worthy of it, or kill him/her.
Not necessarily. They could function as a conduit to someone else doing the judging, like the Seldarine. Or they could have been simply programmed with a set of specific parameters, and assessing a new wielder is little more than a matter of checking that person's personality traits against a pre-set checklist.
I think if the blades were already sentient, Darkmoon wouldn't be notable for its sentience, and it wouldn't have been corruptible. |
| sfdragon |
Posted - 11 Nov 2011 : 01:26:03
the moonblades would all have to be sentient or at least semi senitient to judge the wielder worthy of it, or kill him/her.
|
| Mantis |
Posted - 11 Nov 2011 : 00:27:59
I feel that dwarves make the best weapons, I look at it as the overall weapon distribution as opposed to specific magical weapons. |
| Bladewind |
Posted - 09 Nov 2011 : 15:02:28
Flindbars are quite devastating for a primitive nunchaku. |
| Artemas Entreri |
Posted - 09 Nov 2011 : 14:59:20
Without a doubt, the finest weapon-makers in the Realms are the Gnolls |
| Dennis |
Posted - 09 Nov 2011 : 14:53:46
quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
Actually, Godsbane, as an avatar of Mask, was one of the good points in that otherwise passable trilogy. Plus, if one extends the Trilogy into the Series, to include Prince of Lies and Crucible, then Godsbane, as an avatar of Mask, was an even finer weapon indeed. In my opinion.
I meant the trilogy. I actually liked Crucible.
-----
The Netherese flying discs are quite convenient and useful. |
| Bladewind |
Posted - 09 Nov 2011 : 14:46:26
I agree with Diffan one this one (i.e. elven swordsmiths usually create a lot of regular enchanted blades but ones in a generation an exceptional blade is forged), with one caveat: in general a typical elven crafted weapon is more likely to be masterworked or enchanted even. Their available time to spent on a single bladesmithing project is huge so the results are usually works of art.
Inventiveness in weapon design surely goes to humans though. Their engineers and mages constantly adapt and rejig engines of destruction fit for their time. Gnome design is likely not as focused on practical weapons to give them the edge in this contest.
Dwarves make the best armor, which would influence other races that have to penetrate them significantly. Their bludgeoning and hafted weapons seem to be able to become legendary more oft than other races. |
| Artemas Entreri |
Posted - 08 Nov 2011 : 20:08:24
quote:
Originally posted by Dennis
Huh? I typed subconscious. [Look again.] You must have quoted the wrong word.
Methinks you have casted the 1st level spell: Bigby's Editing Thread  |
| Ayrik |
Posted - 08 Nov 2011 : 19:16:47
Actually, Godsbane, as an avatar of Mask, was one of the good points in that otherwise passable trilogy. Plus, if one extends the Trilogy into the Series, to include Prince of Lies and Crucible, then Godsbane, as an avatar of Mask, was an even finer weapon indeed. In my opinion. |
| Dennis |
Posted - 08 Nov 2011 : 18:39:48
Huh? I typed subconscious. [Look again.] You must have quoted the wrong word. |
| Artemas Entreri |
Posted - 08 Nov 2011 : 18:04:56
quote:
Originally posted by Dennis
Not sure. My unconscious mind had wiped away most of the details of that highly disappointing series. But if you mean the blade that talked to Cyric and encouraged him to murder, then that's it.
Unconscious or Sub-conscious??  |
| Arcanus |
Posted - 08 Nov 2011 : 17:21:40
quote:
Originally posted by Dennis
Not sure. My unconscious mind had wiped away most of the details of that highly disappointing series. But if you mean the blade that talked to Cyric and encouraged him to murder, then that's it.
Yes, that's Godsbane. A rose hued short sword, which later turned out to be the god Mask. |
| Dennis |
Posted - 08 Nov 2011 : 16:00:25
Not sure. My subconscious mind had wiped away most of the details of that highly disappointing series. But if you mean the blade that talked to Cyric and encouraged him to murder, then that's it. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 08 Nov 2011 : 15:50:12
quote:
Originally posted by Dennis
There's the sentient blood-thirsty scimitar in The Avatar Trilogy [which Cyric used at some point, if memory serves].
You mean Godsbane? As I recall, that was a short-sword [of dancing {from the Waterdeep - Time of Troubles adventure module, if memory serves}], not a scimitar. |
| Dennis |
Posted - 08 Nov 2011 : 15:28:28
There's the sentient blood-thirsty scimitar in The Avatar Trilogy [which Cyric used at some point, if memory serves]. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 23 Sep 2011 : 05:59:18
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
Interesting data about moonblades, Alystra, thanx. 
What exactly happens to "unworthy" moonblades? Do they degrade to lesser magical swords? Or simply lose all enchantment and revert to fancy nonmagical swords? Do they somehow become unforged, melt into goo, explode, or shatter?
It seems odd, to me, that Arilyn's moonblade would continue to function once the selection process determined the one (there can be only one...) supreme kingblade, unless perhaps the original enchantment were altered through some unusual agency.
Do any of the moonblades possess sentience?
Darkmoon, the Starym moonblade, does.
The Darkmoon is both intelligent and possesses a significant ego, as I recall.
quote:
Don't know about any of the others, but it's not unreasonable to assume another might have become sentient.
And though the selection process has ended, it doesn't mean the need for the blades has ended. There could be some hidden agenda we don't know about, or it could be something as simple as continue serving the elven people...
Or, as Steven Schend [per Blackstaff] notes below:-
"I'd love to answer Joe's question here, but there's such a thing as leaving a door open to walk through later...
I'll at least give you this:
All of the nine hopeblades are, like the moonblades before them, long hilted broadswords that can be wielded with one or two hands, depending on the size and strength of the wielder.
The hopeblades appear, feel, and sound like a diamond-hard crystal but ring like a crystal wine goblet when they hit things.
They may or may not have runes along the blade, and they may or may not have individual powers (NDA). They all do have the ability to pierce the veil that hides Rhymanthiin from normal eyes and allow someone into the hidden city of hope.
Beyond that, I'll not say due to NDAs and not wanting to get in the way of later development by myself or others.
Steven" |
| Ayrik |
Posted - 23 Sep 2011 : 05:58:22
Clerics can only use bludgeoning weapons.
Having said that, sunblades are a popular basis for fashioning holy swords, and Lathander has no shortage of glowy paladins and champions willing to smite and smote things dark and nasty. |
| Dennis |
Posted - 23 Sep 2011 : 05:38:24
Do Lathander's clerics have sunblades? [Maybe I should post this in the thread "Stupid Question Time."] |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 23 Sep 2011 : 05:24:31
quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
Interesting data about moonblades, Alystra, thanx.
What exactly happens to "unworthy" moonblades? Do they degrade to lesser magical swords? Or simply lose all enchantment and revert to fancy nonmagical swords? Do they somehow become unforged, melt into goo, explode, or shatter?
It seems odd, to me, that Arilyn's moonblade would continue to function once the selection process determined the one (there can be only one...) supreme kingblade, unless perhaps the original enchantment were altered through some unusual agency.
Do any of the moonblades possess sentience?
Darkmoon, the Starym moonblade, does. Don't know about any of the others, but it's not unreasonable to assume another might have become sentient.
And though the selection process has ended, it doesn't mean the need for the blades has ended. There could be some hidden agenda we don't know about, or it could be something as simple as continue serving the elven people... |
| Ayrik |
Posted - 23 Sep 2011 : 03:29:18
Interesting data about moonblades, Alystra, thanx.
What exactly happens to "unworthy" moonblades? Do they degrade to lesser magical swords? Or simply lose all enchantment and revert to fancy nonmagical swords? Do they somehow become unforged, melt into goo, explode, or shatter?
It seems odd, to me, that Arilyn's moonblade would continue to function once the selection process determined the one (there can be only one...) supreme kingblade, unless perhaps the original enchantment were altered through some unusual agency.
Do any of the moonblades possess sentience? |
| Alystra Illianniis |
Posted - 23 Sep 2011 : 01:31:43
quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
Since the question is about the Realms, I submit the best weapon makers are basically those who best wield magic.
It's pretty hard to find much better than elfblades and moonblades, basically the pinnacle of Elven High Magic weapons technology. Only three elfblades were made, that I know of. Somehow I understand only nine moonblades were ever made, although I really don't know, there might in fact be many of them.
Many of the "best" weapon-type artifacts of the Realms those of elven, human, and even dragon manufacture. Dwarves seem to be known more for their armor technologies.
[Edit: I'm personally quite partial towards the (psionic) silver swords manufactured by the Gith races.]
Actually, there were originally 300 Moonblades created, but most have gone dormant or dead altogether as the elven families they were made for died out or had no "worthy" heirs alive to wield them as of the "present" time (meaning 1360's Realms) There are presently 25 Moonblades still active- Arilyn has one, and Amlaruil, Queen of Evermeet has the "Kingblade"- the one Moonblade that was chosen as "ruler" of all others. |
| Fellfire |
Posted - 22 Sep 2011 : 02:20:19
This may be a question for Ed, but I wonder which individuals, past and present, are considered to be the greatest weapon-smiths of the Realms? |
| Kilvan |
Posted - 21 Sep 2011 : 17:08:10
This thread makes me think of the Baneblades of Demron, which are some of the most powerful swords Myth Drannor produced. Heck, 3 of them were made to actually replace 2 of the lost Elfblades (though to be fair, they don't even compare in power). They are made of the conjoint effort of 4 races, elves for the hilts, dwarves for the blades, halfling for the scabards and humans for the enchantments.
Off-topic: Dragon Age has the best lore for golem IMO, as Thelonius pointed above. The dwarf part of the story is so full of grey area (in terms of alignment, not dungeon colors!), I love it! |
| Thelonius |
Posted - 21 Sep 2011 : 16:53:46
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
quote:
Originally posted by Dennis
Constructs are also considered weapons, right?
They are, or, rather, were, on Eberron. The warforged* were largely considered the property of whatever army paid for their creation. It wasn't until the Treaty of Thornhold that ended the Last War, recognised the fact that the warforged possessed [according to some] living souls, that they should be treated as free and sentient beings.
* -- being a unique example
Of course, since the warforged are not strictly a Realms-based race of constructs, the concept probably doesn't apply as well. Though, I'd imagine the constructs the Raumathar built for war were among some of the finest examples of their type in the history of the Realms.
The Warforged are a example in DnD, but in Dragon Age, golems also require a living soul (usually dwarven) to function; in fact part of the plot goes about that matter and the ethical it is. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 21 Sep 2011 : 16:39:03
quote:
Originally posted by Dennis
Constructs are also considered weapons, right?
They are, or, rather, were, on Eberron. The warforged* were largely considered the property of whatever army paid for their creation. It wasn't until the Treaty of Thornhold that ended the Last War, recognised the fact that the warforged possessed [according to some] living souls, that they should be treated as free and sentient beings.
* -- being a unique example
Of course, since the warforged are not strictly a Realms-based race of constructs, the concept probably doesn't apply as well. Though, I'd imagine the constructs the Raumathar built for war were among some of the finest examples of their type in the history of the Realms. |
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