Half swording quandries

[Shadeling]

Just curious about halfswording. The description lists ATN/DTN that differ from say the Dopplehander's description and +3 Dmg against armor. Also, if you half-sword with a Dopplehander, can you bring it all the way to short range? Lastly do you have to pay the half-sword activation cost every round? If someone could clarify that would help.

thanks!

[Nick the Nevermet]

You don't have to pay the activation cost every round, assuming you keep the 1/2 sword you have.  

As for the short range thing, I'm not qualified to answer

[Thirsty Viking]

I hadn't fully gotten into this yet....

Are halfsword  damage of ST + 3  thrusting?  

Or is a bastard sword really st+5 thrusting in Half Sword Technique....   this seems too high to me...  but I know nothing in terms of real world Sword fighting.

Unless jake rules differently  i'll assume all Half-Sword techniques to be STR+3 damage thrust attacks.

[Brian Leybourne]

INJNDIPHOTV, but

I believe that when half-swording a Doppelhander, you use different stats than when you half-sword other weapons. Doppelhanders have two sets of stats in the description, the one with the shorter range is used when half-swording, the other is used when using the sword normally.

That's my understanding anyway :-)

Brian.

[Jake Norwood]

Brian's right about the doppelhander. It's *like* the half-sword manevuer in the book, but isn't neccessarily it exactly. Use the stats in the Appendix. As for the Bastard Sword's +5, that was intended for use against Plate and Chain, not any old Joe. My bad for not being more specific.

Jake

[Thirsty Viking]

Ouch, then you do mean it to be STR +5 thrusting....  
I wouldn't expect it to defend as well though...
except perhaps as a thristing counter...  
And i'd think the swing damage would decrease not increase....  

Am I way off base here?

[Jake Norwood]

Ouch, then you do mean it to be STR +5 thrusting....  
I wouldn't expect it to defend as well though...
except perhaps as a thristing counter...  
And i'd think the swing damage would decrease not increase....  

Am I way off base here?

No, you're not. Swinging is not an option when in half-sword.

jake

[Thirsty Viking]

do you think FoB will spell out HalfSword stats  explicitly for all to see?

[Shadeling]

So you cannot swing while half-swording a Dopplehander?

[Thirsty Viking]

According to the description you are wielding it like it was a spear,  with hands seperated by a foot or so for really strong thrusting...  in my mind this doesn't bode well for parrying or for swinging damage....  

I hope Jake revists all this in FoB  and gives explicitly defined entryies for half swording each of the monster blades.

Someone said that the lower entry on dopplehander was 1/2 swording but it looks to me like a shorter version of the blade.  Doing more damage, but harder to use for defense than a 1.5 sword used 2 handed.

[Mike Holmes]

When Clement showed the half-swording technique with a bastard sword, he was gripping the thing half way down the blade. Think if it as something like holding a quarterstaff. Hands way apart. One could swing, I suppose, but I can't imagine that the short end available would do much damage. The way he displayed it, half-swording is all about viscious close-in stabbing.

Mike

[Jasper]

Stabbing is probably your end goal, but there is a lot you can do before that: with all the power you have, you can get in close by parrying around your opponent's weapon.  As you move in close, you can bind his weapon, take it right from him, or move into a grappling position very easily.

[Thirsty Viking]

The further apart your hands are the more likely you are to lose some finger on a parry I think....  also the harder I think it would be to get to a parry position for many attacks....  and the more power you have lost from swung attacks to gain that really great thrust leverage....  
But as for cutting the range and ability to go for a grapple easier,  that all follows from the reduced range and hence reduced closing costs.   When i'm told it is held like a spear/polearm  ...  the only swing attacks i see particularly feasable are Vertical or near vertical ones...  you might have a little more power..  but you definately wouldn't have the blade velocity you cain from normal wielding.  and your boddy is in the way for most horizontal movement of the sword I Theorize.  

On the disarm front...  I have no clue at all  except i do see the ability to jerk the blade back and up quite sharply.  how this actually plays out...  i have no idea.

[Jake Norwood]

My experience with half-swording (not on doppelhanders, but with longswords, greatswords, armingswords, and even a dagger!):

-It's easy to disarm using the halfsword, hence the 1-in-10 automatic probability of that in TROS when countering from the halfsword.

-if you're gauntleted striking with a swing from the half-sword would be pretty weak, but it wouldn't hurt you. Striking with force using a bare or simple gloved hand would be very painful, even with a dull blade (we have learned by sad experience...). Short draw-cuts are something else. Diagonal "swings" would be easy, but remeber that a sword is a lever, and putting your hand that far out really weakens things.

-half-swording used a number of grips. Serpentino longa held the sword out toward the point (about where you saw JC holding it, Mike), and serpentino breva held it just above the ricasso. Each had different functions, but that's pretty detailed for here.

-parring is easy, but not *that* easy with a longsword in the half-sword. What you really do is rush in and deflect the attack between your hands and roll it off to a side as you close in. Takes guts, it does.

-Will TFoB have more stuff on half-swording...sure, I suppose it should.

Jake