Mod: Blademaster Era (V1.05)

[UninspiredName]

When I said based on, I meant stats. I didn't even know the Indians thought of it before I did.

And weilding Katanas with elbows is sort of... Odd, but it also improves the weapon's weight and gives you more leverage. I guess it would probably require special training, though. Maybe I'll give it to a national hero.

I really was going for some believability with this one, (Okay, aside from the chainsaw shields and fire auras) so I really appreciate the input in this regard. Anyways, the patch is out.

[HoneyBadger]

Couple things here: first of all, forget about the triple katana-it's just not a good structure for a weapon. Possibly it could work like a big rake as a polearm, but katana blades are too fragile for that kind of thing, generally, and the overall concept would be unwieldy if the blades were too long. I'd personally rather just be armed with a staff or a spear because then the balance wouldn't be off. You can talk claws, in which case the Indians and the Japanese both came up with some good ideas there, but they're much shorter, normally 6 inches or less, and as often as not lack blades, being just points. What gives katanas their excellence in combat is the single, razor sharp blade, and the skill of the samurai in using the weapon-a skill which is different than that of other swordfighting. The concept is somewhat similar for a glaive/naginada. A single heavy, relatively simple blade, designed for direct action, rather than other polearms which often used hooks or different types of weapons on a single shaft-ala the billhook, halberd, or lucern hammer. The Naginada was an evolution of the spear but also of the katana, rather than evolving from a farmtool like more of the European and Western polearms. Nunchaku (numchucks) were based on farm implements, as were other weapons, but not the Naginada. Infact, there's a type of weapon (I can't remember the name off the top of my head) that's in between a Naginada and a No-Dashi, featuring an extended handle (3-5 feet) and a blade that's almost the same length as the handle. Armblades are alright, and would provide some defense, although not as much as a shield or maybe even a buckler, especially against larger weapons, since you're taking more of the impact directly on your bone instead of distributing it along the face and length of the shield. Such weapons would also be very close, which is a disadvantage to defense as well as attack and while they'd be quick to use (which is why Gloves of the Gladiator allows 4 attacks), they may lose something in sheer power.

[UninspiredName]

I always thought Katanas, with the folded steel, were really durable as far as swords go. Though I still regret the Claw thing, and am trying to think of a suitable replacement. As for the arm blades, though, they actually extend pretty far outward. The extended backs are as much for balancing the blade as defense. And who's heard of weilding two bucklers?

[HoneyBadger]

the layers of steel do help, but the reason the swords are layered is to make the steel flexible while still enabling them to be sharpened to a razor edge, the edge being the more important aspect, because the sword needs to not only take an edge but hold it for a long time through severe but specialized use. They're really durable for what they're intended use is, but they weren't really made for cutting through heavy steel plate or shields or for directly parrying a Scottish broadsword, for example. You can turn blades with them, and you can cut through bamboo or even most kinds of armor, providing you have the skill necessary to use the blade correctly. Three blades next to each other would really reduce the ability to harness the skills involved. A katana isn't the weapon of a peasant farmer because the peasant farmer not only can't afford the sword, he also can't afford the time it takes to learn kendo properly.

[HoneyBadger]

By the way, Uninspired, please don't regret that you made this mod, it's a great idea and I hope we get more diversity in weapons and other areas of Dom3. There are things that can be done just as you have envisioned them, it's just perhaps unfortunate that you settled on the name Katana, since that means a certain very specific thing used in a very specific way. I do appologise, I think perhaps my third post was more negative than I ever intentioned, and I hope it hasn't in any way put you off what certainly should be an interesting and useful mod.

[UninspiredName]

I definitely don't regret making this. Just the claw, because I ran out of ideas. If nothing else, it gave me good practice messing with the existing sprites, and I do plan on expanding on it. I still have one weapon reserved for a national hero.

I really do appreciate the constructive criticism.

[HoneyBadger]

No problem, it's my pleasure. I've got a brain filled to the brim with useless and semi-useless information, and this forum is a great outlet for that. I've forgotten a lot of what I used to know about weapons, but if you've got any questions, I'll be happy to answer them to the best of my ability.
One area in Dom3 which I think has a great deal of untapped potential is that of passive position-denying weapons, namely caltrops and other such items. Especially in a magic-rich environment, one where-for mysterious reasons known only to the gods!!! (quewe background thunder gag) there are no field defenses or field artillery, you could expect this to be a fast-paced business. I can see various creatures, constructs, spells, and weapons filling this gap. Tien'chi has the right idea with their pikes, but imagine chariots with pikes mounted on the front and a couple of small ballistas mounted above those, and a reinforced roof made from soaked hides above those to deal with fire, acid, and lightning bolts, and whatever else fell out of the sky. It'd look a little ridiculous, until you had to deal with a few hundred of them, parked and guarded by hoburgs with spears and little pistol-crossbows, and it wouldn't even require magic.