Thick
as Thieves and other “Avenues and Alleyways” system RPs/RPGs
in general are primarily focused on stealth, exploration and
diplomacy, so active fighting doesn't come up that often. However,
this does not mean that combat is non-existent within the game.
Furthermore, player characters are encouraged to defend themselves as
best as they can, and as they see fit, whenever it is truly needed.
Though wholly unarmed combat is fully possible within the game, the players will soon realise that they'll need at least some forms of actual weaponry to last longer in the unpredictable world of being a professional thief. This page provides an overview of some common weaponry available to the thieves of Melza and of Aporue as a whole. Weapons and armaments listed here are sorted into ten basic categories, which include items for active combat use, as well as items for defensive combat or more passive protection. In a few particular cases, the line between a thieving tool and a defensive weapon even overlaps to a surprising degree, with the differences becoming blurred…
Due to the nature of the gameplay and the context of the setting, a lot of the weaponry presented here betrays its improvised and non-military roots. Nevertheless, players will also be able encounter some of the finest, most modern and most expensive arms that exist within the world of the setting.
Each overview of a weapon or armour type offers a basic description, notes on its drawbacks, notes on its degree of stealthiness, notes on its availability (to thieves) and last but not least, a recommendation of the best types of attack (or uses) for that particular weapon.
Availability of these items is scored according to the following scale: Widespread, Common, Uncommon, Rare
----
SCORING STEALTHINESS
A rough grading system for the overall stealthiness of most weapon and armour types listed in these overviews. The grade depends on how a weapon performs while sneaking around, with its concealability and ease of carrying being the key scrutinised properties.
Stealthiness Grade/Explanation
Excellent | A great choice while sneaking, for several reasons.
Good | Not the best, but an excellent choice while sneaking.
Average | No guarantee of good sneaking, but it is still possible.
Weak | Only good while sneaking if there's nothing better at hand.
Terrible | Worthless weapon while sneaking, don't bother.
----
1.) PROJECTILE WEAPONS
Mechanical
projectile weapons have existed since the earliest periods of more
advanced weaponry, ever since people realised there is a more
effective way of ranged fighting than just using throwing weaponry.
They come in many forms, shapes and sizes, but they all share the
basic trait of firing a projectile (often ball-shaped or
arrow-shaped) that targets an enemy or some other objects that needs
hitting from afar. Even with the scientific and industrial revolution
progressing throughout Aporue nowadays, mechanical ranged weapons
still have a long way to completely go out of fashion. While the
usage and accessibility of firearms is gradually increasing and older
projectile weapon types are slowly losing their military importance,
bows, crossbows and related weaponry remain popular in particular
areas of the continent and among particular social groups. In the
thieving community, bows, crossbows and so on continue to be favoured
for two-reasons: They're overall cheaper to make and repair, and they
are much more quiet than even the best built gun. Nevertheless, it's
true that not all projectile weapons are equally stealthy, as
different specific types of weapons emit differing amounts of sound
(in terms of both volume and sharpness).
All reloading times and range distances in the following projectile weapon overviews are given in in-universe units of measurement (i.e. in
thankers and blessers for reloading time, in limbs for distance) and in
real world units of measurement (i.e. in seconds and minutes for
reloading time, and in metres in metric units and yards in imperial
units).
a.) Simple projectile weapons and throwing weapons
Sling
Description:
TBA
Reloading time: TBA
Range:
Drawbacks:
TBA
Stealthiness: Excellent
Availability:
Slingshot
Description:
A somewhat more accurate and rather more modern cousin of the humble
sling. Slingshots come with a usually Y-shaped wooden or metal
handle, the two sling cords attached to it, and a short band of
either leather or the new-fangled material rubber attached to the other ends of the sling cords.
Reloading time: At least 3-4
seconds.
Range:
Drawbacks: Though in the hands of an
excellent shot it can prove even fairly deadly, the slingshot is
nevertheless a very weak weapon. The accuracy, while in some ways
greatly increased over that of a sling, is rather finicky, and offset by the rather short range of a slingshot. Wheereas
the classic sling can be thought of as similar to a bow, requirring
regular practice for masterry of effective shooting, the slingshot is
more akin to a crossbow, being more accessible even to people with no
practice with a classic sling.
Stealthiness: Excellent
Availability:
Blowpipe
Description:
TBA
Reloading time: TBA
Range:
Drawbacks:
TBA
Stealthiness: Excellent
Availability: Rare
Fletched war darts (Fletched javelins)
Description:
TBA
Reloading time: TBA
Range:
Drawbacks:
TBA
Stealthiness: Weak
Availability: Uncommon
b.) Bows
Bows
are the go-to choice for most thieves looking for a more powerful but
at the same time quiet enough ranged weapon. Unfortunately, they take
a longer while to learn and can be a bit sensitive to bad conditions
or rougher use.
Wooden short bow
Description: A short wooden selfbow,
with a round, semi-circular or oval profile. General purpose shooting
weapon, very widespread, possibly even the commonest bow one can come
across.
Draw weight: TBA
Reloading time:
TBA
Range:
Drawbacks: TBA
Stealthiness:
Good
Availability: Widespread
Wooden hunting bow
Description: A short or medium-length
wooden selfbow, with a round, semi-circular or oval profile.
Functionally and capability-wise, it is very similar to the usual
wooden short bow, but with properties slightly more specialised for
its main purpose as a hunting weapon.
Draw weight:
TBA
Reloading time: TBA
Range:
Drawbacks:
TBA
Stealthiness: TBA
Availability: Common
Wooden longbow
Description: A long wooden selfbow, with a
round, semi-circular or oval profile.
Draw weight:
TBA
Reloading time: TBA
Range:
Drawbacks:
TBA
Stealthiness: Terrible
Availability:
Common
Wooden flatbow
Description: Luk-samodrevo s plochým
profilom. The size of a flatbow can range quite a bit, from short to
even long, but most examples found in Melza and elsewhere in central
Aporue are of a medium length. The main distinguishing feature of
flatbows is the flatness of their selfbow's profile. Whereas many
traditional bows keep an oval, round or semi-circular profile, the
flatbow generally has a more rectangular shape. Bows of this type are
used in a variety of roles, including some degree of popularity among
law enforcement or hired security, but they're primarily civilian
bows used for hunting, practice and even recreation.
Draw weight: TBA
Reloading time: TBA
Range:
Drawbacks:
TBA
Stealthiness: Weak
Availability: Common
Composite short bow
Description: TBA
Draw weight: TBA
Reloading time: TBA
Range:
Drawbacks:
TBA
Stealthiness: Average
Availability:
Uncommon
Composite hunting bow
Description: TBA
Draw weight: TBA
Reloading time: TBA
Range:
Drawbacks:
TBA
Stealthiness:
Average
Availability: Uncommon
Composite cavalry bow
Description: TBA
Draw weight: TBA
Reloading time: TBA
Range:
Drawbacks:
TBA
Stealthiness: Weak
Availability: Rare
Composite reflex bow
Description: TBA
Draw weight: TBA
Reloading time: TBA
Range:
Drawbacks:
TBA
Stealthiness: Average / Weak
Availability:
Rare
c.) Crossbows
Crossbows,
especially the larger and more complex ones, take longer to reload
and tend to be noisier than any bow. But they are easy to master,
shoot with less of ballistic arc and have only slightly lesser range
than bows.
Hunting crossbow (hand-spanned)
Description: A smaller and
fairly light type of civilian crossbow, generally weaker than larger
military crossbows, but plenty accurate given its specialisation on
hunting. Its prods (forming the bow) are wooden, usually made from
either a single type of wood, or several types combined together in
layers. This particular subtype of the hunting crossbow is reloaded
the old-fashioned way, by hand - which is reasonably quick, but more
tiring than if one were to use a reloading tool.
Draw weight: TBA
Reloading time: TBA
Range:
Drawbacks:
TBA
Stealthiness: Good / Average
Availability:
Common
Hunting crossbow (with "goat's foot" lever)
Description:
A smaller and fairly light type of civilian crossbow, generally
weaker than larger military crossbows, but plenty accurate given its
specialisation on hunting. Its prods (forming the bow) are wooden,
usually made from either a single type of wood, or several types
combined together in layers. This particular subtype of the hunting
crossbow comes with a “goat's foot” lever for easier
reloading.
Reloading time: TBA
Range:
Drawbacks:
TBA
Stealthiness: Good / Average
Availability:
Common
Composite crossbow (with "goat's foot" lever „kozia nôžka“)
Description:
Medium-sized and slightly heavier, composite crossbows are at home
both in the civilian and military/mercenary sphere of society. As
their name implies, their prods are constructed from combined layers
of horn, wood and sinew. The nature of the bow gives the bolts some
additional impact power, making the composite crossbow more powerful
(and in a fight, potentially deadlier) than their hunting-oriented
cousins with simpler bows. This particular subtype of the composite
crossbow comes with a "goat's foot" lever for easier
reloading.
Reloading time: TBA
Range:
Drawbacks:
TBA
Stealthiness: Average / Weak
Availability:
Common
Composite crossbow (with windlass winch)
Description:
Medium-sized and slightly heavier, composite crossbows are at home
both in the civilian and military/mercenary sphere of society. As
their name implies, their prods are constructed from combined layers
of horn, wood and sinew. The nature of the bow gives the bolts some
additional impact power, making the composite crossbow more powerful
(and in a fight, potentially deadlier) than their hunting-oriented
cousins with simpler bows. This particular subtype of the composite
crossbow comes with a windlass winch for easier reloading.
Reloading time: TBA
Range:
Drawbacks: TBA
Stealthiness:
Average / Weak
Availability: Uncommon
Composite crossbow (with cranequin winch)
Description:
Medium-sized and slightly heavier, composite crossbows are at home
both in the civilian and military/mercenary sphere of society. As
their name implies, their prods are constructed from combined layers
of horn, wood and sinew. The nature of the bow gives the bolts some
additional impact power, making the composite crossbow more powerful
(and in a fight, potentially deadlier) than their hunting-oriented
cousins with simpler bows. This particular subtype of the composite
crossbow comes with a cranequin winch for easier reloading.
Reloading time: TBA
Range:
Drawbacks: TBA
Stealthiness:
Average / Weak
Availability: Uncommon
Steel crossbow (with windlass winch)
Description: Robust
and heavy crossbow type, popular particularly among soldiers,
mercenaries and fortification guards. Unlike its more traditional
cousins, it uses steel laths for its bow, instead of wooden or
composite prods. The steel crossbow has very good range and has
impressive impact power, capable of piercing even plate armour with a
little luck. This particular subtype of the steel crossbow uses a
windlass winch to reload bolts.
Reloading time: TBA
Range:
Drawbacks: Compared to most crossbows, it is fairly
large, heavy and unwieldy. Designed as an infantryman's weapon, using
it on horseback is out of the question. These size and movement
issues, along with it being fairly noisy while shooting and
reloading, don't make it very stealthy. Its firepower makes it a
quality ranged weapon though.
Stealthiness: Terrible
Availability: Uncommon
Steel crossbow (with cranequin winch)
Description: Robust
and heavy crossbow type, popular particularly among soldiers,
mercenaries and fortification guards. Unlike its more traditional
cousins, it uses steel laths for its bow, instead of wooden or
composite prods. The steel crossbow has very good range and has
impressive impact power, capable of piercing even plate armour with a
little luck. This particular subtype of the steel crossbow uses a
cranequin winch to reload bolts.
Reloading time: TBA
Range:
Drawbacks: Compared to most crossbows, it is fairly
large, heavy and unwieldy. Designed as an infantryman's weapon, using
it on horseback is out of the question. These size and movement
issues, along with it being fairly noisy while shooting and
reloading, don't make it very stealthy. Its firepower makes it a
quality ranged weapon though.
Stealthiness: Terrible
Availability: Uncommon
Latchet crossbow (with built-in spanning lever)
Description:
A smaller and fairly light type of crossbow. Popular among civilians
and law enforcement alike, it can be shot one-handed from both foot
and horseback. Quite powerful, though perhaps not as much as
a conventional hunting crossbow or other light crossbow. Most
examples utilise a steel bow (often recurved, in addition to the
typical D shape). The latchet crossbow's main advantage (along with
size) is its unique combination of the trigger mechanism with an
integrated reloading lever, roughly similar to a built-in goat's foot
reloader. This allows the crossbow a fairly swift reloading time,
making it a good hit-and-run weapon for anyone who needs to reload
and shoot frequently at a short distance, while on the
move.
Draw weight: TBA
Reloading time:
TBA
Range:
Drawbacks: Despite being fairly small in size,
offering quick reloading and ease of use on both foot and horseback -
making it a fairly ideal weapon for many an adventurer or criminal -
it doesn't pack much of a punch compared to other crossbows. When it
comes to range, it also can't reliably cover larger distances,
despite fairly good poundage. Finally, though it can be shot
one-handed if needed, it requires both hands for reloading, just like
all crossbows.
Stealthiness: Good / Average
Availability: Common
Horseman's crossbow (with cranequin winch)
Description: A
smaller and fairly light type of military-grade crossbow, specialised
size-wise for cavalrymen and mounted infantrymen/policemen. To no
one's surprise, this makes it a popular crossbow for mounted
gendarmes operating in the countryside, such as Melza's Frontiersmen
Corps. (Another favourite is the aforementioned latchet crossbow.)
This crossbow had a steel bow and uses a (smaller size) cranequin
winch to reload bolts. Some examples even include the winch as an
integrated device, foldable to the side of the stock when not in
use.
Draw weight: TBA
Reloading time:
TBA
Range:
Drawbacks: Though the cranequin reloading
mechanism makes it a comfortable crossbow to reload, at one's own
leisure, it also greatly increases the reload time. Reloading on
horseback is also a bit finicky, especially to the untrained hands.
Even an integrated cranequin takes time to fold into position, set
and then wind, despite its advantage of not having to be put away and
then pulled out again from one's belt. A further issue is the
slightly greater weight when compared with a latchet crossbow.
Finally, there's the relative rarity of the crossbow - good luck
finding it among anyone else than law enforcement members (e.g. the
Frontiersmen Corps) or the occassional aristocrat.
Stealthiness:
Good / Average
Availability: Uncommon
d.) Špeciálne strelné zbrane
These
are more unusual projectile weapons, utilising either a crossbow
basis or a clockwork mechanism basis. Virtually all of them are rare
pieces of technology, and aside from one or two examples, they are
used only by civilians (including criminals), not by law enforcement.
Balestrino
("Pocket crossbow")
Description: A special type
of proper crossbow, but scaled down and simplified enough to be
easily concealable even under clothes. No wonder, as this type was
originally designed for assassins and other clandestine operatives.
Shoots bolts.
Draw weight: TBA
Reloading time: TBA
Range:
Drawbacks: While certainly quite
powerful, and one of the better concealable ranged weapons in
general, its specialisation doesn't making it good above short, near
ranges.
Stealthiness: Good
Availability:
Rare
Stingbow
("Forearm crossbow")
Description: The popular
imagination sees snapbows as tiny crossbows simply strapped to one's
wrist (and often hyperbolically praises their novelty value). In
actuality, snapbows have some significant differences to a usual
crossbow shape, and function more like wrist-mounted slingshots that
shoot small darts.
Draw weight: TBA
Reloading time: TBA
Range:
Drawbacks: Useless beyond a very
close range. Not practical for situations when one does not have
enough time and cover to reload, as it takes too long. One has to
reload the snapbow with a new dart purely by hand, which is
difficult, given that only hand can be used for this. The snapbow
also shoots with understandably low power, not making dart impacts
particularly strong.
Stealthiness: Good
Availability: Rare
Pistol crossbow
Description: Along with the snapbow, a fixture
in the popular imagination about the criminal underworld, but in
reality, both of these types are not the best of weapons. Being a
hybrid of a wheel-lock or flintlock pistol frame and a small
crossbow, the pistol crossbow is more about looks than any particular
effectiveness. Shoots darts.
Draw weight: TBA
Reloading time: TBA
Range:
Drawbacks: Due to
the construction, it has to be carried in a pistol holster, but the
presence of the bow at the front of the weapon also requires
modifications to a holster and limits the concealability and
holstering/unholstering of the weapon.
Stealthiness:
Average
Availability: Uncommon
Pelletbow
Description:
A special type of light crossbow, largely similar in size to a
hunting crossbow, but with a doubled bowstring that includes a tab in
the middle. It's, in essence, a hybrid of a manually-loaded light
crossbow and a slingshot. It doesn't use bolts at all, eliminating
the need to constantly prepare new ones or search for already shot
ones. Instead, its slingshot-like specialised bowstring shoots small
stones, pebbles, pellets moulded out of clay.
Draw weight: TBA
Reloading time: TBA
Range:
Drawbacks:
Even though it basically does away with the problem of finding
ammunition for it, its construction also completely disallows it to
use crossbow bolts. The pelletbow can only work as a pure weapon,
given that its incapable of using trick bolts. It is also weaker in
terms of potential impact damage, though a pebble shot accurately
from a short distance can still deal plenty of harm.
Stealthiness:
Average / Weak (depending on size)
Availability: Rare
Dartgun
Description:
Mechanická zbraň na diaľkový boj, do istej miery podobná malej
pištoli alebo vreckovej pištoli. Zariadenie funguje na princípe
pružinového mechanizmu, strieľa šípkovité projektily.
Reloading time: TBA
Range:
Drawbacks: Underpowered weapon,
the impact of the darts its shoots isn't anything to write home
about.
Stealthiness: Good
Availability: Rare
Speargun
Description:
A rifle-like weapon that fires spearbolts, a large type of projectile
wholly unique to it. Unlike a rifle, the speargun is a mechanical,
spring-loaded device, making it something of a larger, two-handed
relative to the dartgun.
Reloading time: TBA
Range:
Drawbacks: It is reasonably quick to reload and a
well-aimed spearbolt can prove deadly even to formiddable and strong
foes (person or animal), but its rareness and limited availability
prohibit its usefulness. Most spearguns can be found at naval
workshops and naval armories.
Stealthiness: Terrible
Availability: Rare
Target-shooting air rifle
Description:
Breachloader with rifled barrel. A weaker, but fairly multi-purpose rifle, that doesn’t
need gunpowder, and is thus technically not a firearm in the true
sense. It uses compressed air, stored in a bulbous container housed
underneath and in front of the chamber and trigger area.
(Note: Based on the real world's Pritchard air rifle
from the 1850s and 1860s.)
Reloading time:
TBA
Range: dfffddfdf
Drawbacks: fdffdfd
Stealthiness: Terrible
Availability: Rare
Radirgioni air rifle
Description:
Repeating shot breachloader with rifled barrel. Invented by a Montoverdin engineer, this is a multi-purpose
rifle that doesn’t need
gunpowder, and is thus technically not a firearm in the true sense.
It uses compressed air, stored in containers housed within the stock
area. Surprisingly, it is also a repeater, and arguably
one of the most technologically advanced projectile weapons in
Aporue, other than the latest experimental types of firearms. Though
a rare and expensive rifle, it is excellent for sniping and even
hunting and can use calibers available to other muskets and rifles.
(Note: Based on the real world's Girardoni air rifle
from the late 18th century.)
Reloading
time: Being a repeater, emptying a rifle with a full size-magazine and full air cylinder would take about 80 to 84 seconds (or slightly more), if the shooter did nothing but pull the trigger, cock the hammer, then pull the trigger again, until all 20 to 21 bullets were shot. This would make trigger pulling, cocking and trigger pulling interval just 3 to 6 seconds, a remarkable speed. However, reloading the air cylinder and the bullets is another matter. The air and ammo reloading time is the major drawback of the Radirgioni, and actually split between two categories: 1.) Reloading the compressed air into the air cylinder with the use of an air pump, and 2.) reloading the bullets into the manually controlled, side-mounted magazine of the rifle. For the former, it is not necessary to reload the air cyclinder after every emptying of a full magazine of 20-21 bullets, but only about a third of the compressed air will be still present. The rifle is then unable to shoot another 20-21 bullets in a row, until the cylinder is fully refilled. The bullets can be reloaded by hand, one-by-one, or via one or two "quick-loader" tubes with a hinged safety cap, each tube containing a number of bullets. Once an air cylinder is fully depleted, it needs to be reloaded with air via a small air pump (carried in the rifle's tool satchel), with roughly 1500 strokes of the pump needed, about 20 minutes (in real world time units). Carrying several fully-loaded air cylinders in the rifle's tool satchel is a recommended solution for having several pre-prepared cylinders at hand, to minimise the fairly long time needed to reload a single air cylinder via the air pump. Please note that most tool satchels made for this rifle can only carry two cylinders at once, with an assumed third cylinder already threaded to the rifle as its stock. With three air cylinders, you can shoot 60 to 63 bullets in a row, but will then need up to an hour of constant pumping to reload all three cylinders with compressed air.
Range: The effective range of the rifle is some 114 metres, or 125 yards. The muzzle velocity of the bullets shot is about 152 metres per second, 600 feet per second. The speed of the bullets and range decreases with the emptying air cylinder, with the the final third or quarter of bullets shot having a somewhat lowered range and muzzle velocity.
Drawbacks: Once it runs out of
compressed air, it needs to have its containers detached and repumped
with air, before it can shoot again. Its rareness, limited
availability and high expense of manufacturing and maintaining its
parts (especially if they were seriously damaged) can prohibit its wider use. In terms of aural stealth, while it
is not as loud as gunpowder firearms, it is still at least as loud as
some of the louder crossbows. Even though it's an accurate rifle, the somewhat reduced power (compared to a flintlock rifle) makes weak and ineffective against plate armour. The caliber of the rifle's barrel ranges between 11.7 cm to 13 cm (in real world units). The rifle's power of shot and caliber are still powerful enough and big enough to be used as a hunting weapon, a sniping weapon and a self-defence weapon against softer tissues and lighter forms of armour.
Stealthiness: Weak
Availability: Rare
Malý slovníček častí projektilových zbraní a súvisiacich výrazov:
selfbow
- materiálová typológia. Akýkoľvek (spravidla neprehýbaný) luk
vyrobený
z jedného kusa dreva. Niektoré však môžu
používať aj rohovinové koncovky na koncoch lučišťa alebo
built-up handles as smaller additions.
composite bow - material typology. Any bow, recurved or
non-recurved, made
from more one than one type of material (usually horn
and/or sinew in addition to wood).
flatbow
- shape typology. A non-recurved, flat-shaped bow, with relatively
wide limbs that are approximately rectangular in cross-section.
Because the limbs are relatively wide, flatbows will usually narrow
and become deeper at the handle, with a rounded, non-bending handle
for easier grip.
recurved bow -
tvarová typológia. A bow with tips that curve away from the archer
when the bow is strung. The difference between recurve and other bows
is that the string touches a section of the limb when the bow is
strung. A recurve bow stores more energy and delivers energy more
efficiently than an equivalent straight-limbed bow, giving a greater
amount of energy and speed to the arrow.
shortbow
– veľkostná typológia. Malý, krátky luk. Shape-wise, it can be
a non-recurved selfbow or flatbow, or a recurved selfbow or composite
bow. Many types of shortbows (especially shortbows) are often
specialised for effective cavalry combat. Due to their fairly small
size, shortbows can often be easily carried on the belt, like a
common belt-holstered weapon. For this, they use a tailor-made
bowcase.
longbow - size typology. A
big, tall bow. Per tradition, it is a wooden selfbow, and shape-wise,
it is not significantly recurved. A longbow's limbs are relatively
narrow, so that they are circular or D-shaped in cross section,
unlike the more rectangular shapes of flatbow cross sections.
Size-wise, a longbow is roughly equal to the height of the person who
uses it, allowing its user a fairly long draw, at least to the jaw.
However, the size of the weapon also prohibits carrying it holstered
on the belt or on the back, so it has to be carried by hand. Its also
a lot less practical and effective on horseback than a
shortbow.
stirrup - most crossbows come
equipped with metal stirrups in front of the bow, to increase the
ease of reloading. This is achieved by the user sticking his foot
into the stirrup while pulling back the bowstring to ready the
crossbow for fire. Some light crossbows that are reloaded by hand
might lack stirrups.
goat's foot - a
type of crossbow-reloading device in the form of a specially shaped
wooden-metal lever that helps reload the bowstring more quickly and
effectively (especially on higher-powered crossbows that are much
more difficult to reload by hand). Depending on how the crossbow is
constructed, one can use a goat's foot that works as either a pull
lever or a push
lever.
windlass - typ
zariadenia na navíjanie kuše, vo forme dvoch rovnobežných
navijakov otáčaných dvomi kľukami, pripevňované na zadnú časť
kuše.
cranequin - typ
zariadenia na navíjanie kuše, vo forme rack winch with a single crank
quiver
- arrow or bolt case, made from various light and flexible materials.
Depending on its size and design, it can be worn on the belt (like a
holster) or on the back, diagonally (slightly like a backpack).
arrow
- projectile
fired by a bow. The most common combat-suited arrowheads are
broadheads (general purpose, also useful for hunting) and bodkins
(cheaper, potentially capable of penetrating mail, but not plate
armour). Criminals and explorers also use special types of gadget
arrowheads.
bolt
– projectile
shot by a crossbow. Shorter than an arrow, with some structural
differences. The most common combat-suited arrowheads are broadheads
(general purpose, also useful for hunting) and bodkins (cheaper,
potentially capable of penetrating mail, but not plate armour).
Criminals and explorers also use special types of gadget arrowheads.
dart – projectile shot by a blowpipe, dartgun or pistol crossbow.
spearbolt – projectile shot by a speargun.
bracer
- clothing accessory for bow archery. Usually made from leather, the
bracer is worn on the inside of the wrist and forearm, acting as a
protection against injury by the bowstring or the fletching of a
released arrow. While historically more of a military man's choice,
the bracer has practical value even for non-soldier, civilian
archers.
thumb ring, finger
tab, etc. - clothing accessories for bow archery.
The ring or the tab is worn on one's thumb or one's fingers used for
drawing the bowstring. This is done in order to prevent wear and
injury to said digits. While historically more of a military man's
choice, these accessories have practical value even for non-soldier,
civilian archers. A popular alternative to them among many civilians
(professional thieves included) are slightly modified gloves that
allow the user protection during bow shooting as well as other manual
tasks (e.g. climbing, carrying, etc.).
----
2.) FIREARMS
Firearms and thieves. A controversial topic to some, but one worth addressing. Technological progress cannot be stopped dead in its tracks.
Over the last few centuries, firearms have been becoming increasingly
widespread and sophisticated throughout Aporue. However, the
continent is not uniformly swamped with guns, and though some
breakthroughs have been made in firearm design in recent history, the
vast majority of firearms existing in Aporue are not much more
advanced than those from the real world's 18th and early 19th
century. Let's get one thing out of the way right now: No gun is
particularly stealthy. In that regard, they are virtually all rather
rubbish - even the most easily concealed, most underpowered and least
loud. You'll hardly be a king of stealth with a battered old
pepperbox in your belt holster. On the brighter side of things, guns
are still useful as generally powerful and effective ranged weapons,
take about as long to master as crossbows, and can be particularly
great during lengthy adventuring in the wilderness, far away from an
urban context. They are also very effective in ranged naval combat,
where they have already displaced most older ranged weaponry.
All reloading times and range distances in the following firearm overviews are given in in-universe units of measurement (i.e. in thankers and blessers for reloading time, in limbs for distance) and in real world units of measurement (i.e. in seconds and minutes for reloading time, and in metres in metric units and yards in imperial units).
Accessories: portetache, powder flask, patches/wadding, patch knife, bullets, match-cord for matchlocks, rewinding tool for wheellocks,
a.) Long guns
Firearms always aimed and operated with two hands. Usually longer and worn slung across the back.
Matchlock petronel
Description: Single-shot muzzle-loader. Largelly listed here for completeness' sake, as they are considered dated and superceded, even by other matchlock long guns, particularly the arquebus and musket.
Reloading
time: A proper reload of a petronel takes about half a thanker, or almost a thanker (cca 20 seconds to 30 seconds, half a minute). Depending on the conditions, it may take as long as slightly over one blesser (nearly a minute, or about one minute). Two shots per one minute (one shot each every half a minute) is considered an average reloading speed and rate of fire
Range:
Drawbacks: Matchlocks
are very
dependent on additional equipment and accesories to reload. Petronels
developed alongside arquebuses, but are not as practical, with their
shorter and curving stocks and butts. Due to the unusual design of their
stocks, which are more often propped against the chest, instead of the
shoulder, the recoil is rather palpable, and the petronel is generally
hard to use without the accessory of a barrel rest, and not very
practical to shoot from horseback. (For horseback shooting, we recommend
a carbine or lighter, shorter arquebus.)
Stealthiness: Terrible
Availability: Rare
Matchlock arquebus
Description: Single-shot matchlock
smoothbore muzzle-loader. Nowadays seen predominantly in civilian
hands, as a hunting or home defence weapon, it has become largely
obsolete in law enforcement and military use. Can be used on
horseback due to its shorter length, similarly to the newer
innovation of the carbine. However, it is a bit more unwieldy for
that task than a carbine, and also tends to be heavier. A Montoverdin nickname for the arquebus is scoppietto, "thunder", "loud bang", "loud ruckus", while Lengelians call it a półhak.
Reloading
time: A
truly skilled and well-drilled matchlock arquebus user can pull off 4 for
shots per one and a half blesser (roughly a minute and a half), but the
more average rate of fire is 2 shots per blesser or slightly longer
(around one minute), more rarely 3 shots per blesser or slightly longer
(around one minute).
Range: (smaller arquebuses, escopetta/scoppietto caliber 39.37 to 51.18 or 39.37 to 59.05, i.e. 10 to 13 mm or 10 to 15 mm, and average to larger arquebuses, arquebuses proper, caliber 60.55, i.e. 15.38 mm, a 12 mm arquebus shooting a pure lead bullet can shoot 450 m/s, with lower quality powder and 540 m/s with good quality powder and good conditions, while a lighter alloyed bullet with the same powders can reach up to 560 m/s, 592 m/s and 595 m/s, a WWI era bolt-action rifle bullet would be around or over 600 m/s)
Drawbacks: Matchlocks
are very dependent on additional equipment and accesories to reload.
An arquebus is not as accurate at a distance as a musket, but several
arquebus-wielders can be effective at volley fire against an adversary,
if they fire more or less at once.
Stealthiness: Terrible
Availability: Common
Real world notes: Based
on the real world matchlock arquebuses, popular at the end of the 15th
century and throughout the 16th century, until being largelly replaced
by muskets. Scoppietto is a real world early 16th century Italian
nickname for a 10-15 mm arquebus, with a similar Spanish term escopetta. Late-medieval, Corvinian era Hungary
was an early trendsetter by including a large number of arquebuses in
its army.
Matchlock musket
Description: Single-shot matchlock
smoothbore muzzle-loader. Has a longer barrel than the arquebus and
is of a generally greater length, allowing for better accuracy at
greater distances. Nowadays seen predominantly in civilian hands, as
a hunting or home defence weapon, it has become largely obsolete in
law enforcement and military use. Nevertheless,
some members of gendarmeries, such as Melza’s
Frontiersmen Corps, still like using these. The lighter Dumnonian-Aethelian caliver musket weighs some 3.15 kilograms.
Reloading
time: A truly skilled and well-drilled matchlock musket user can pull off 4 for shots per one and a half blesser (roughly a minute and a half), but the more average rate of fire is 2 shots per blesser or slightly longer (around one minute), more rarely 3 shots per blesser or slightly longer (around one minute).
Range: 70m to 100 m effective range (handheld), up to 200 m (with use of a rest), at 200 m, about 40 % of shots hit the target (0.75 cal, 19.05 milimetres)
Drawbacks: Matchlocks
are very dependent on additional equipment and accesories to reload. Though more accurate at a distance than an arquebus and more common and less expensive to produce than a rifle, the musket still has a smoothbore barrel and is less accurate at a distance than a rifle, but it can be used more effectivelly for sniping than an arquebus. Similarly to the arquebus, several musket-wielders can be effective at volley fire against an adversary (even at a greater distance),
if they fire more or less at once. One of the biggest donwsides of matchlock muskets is their poor stealthiness, as the smell and subtle light from a smouldering match-cord can give away a shooter in both daylight and at night time, especially at a shorter distance. All matchlocks are vulnerable to increased moisture (of the air and ground) and precipitation (rain, snow). Jednou
z nevýhod luntoviek je nízka úroveň kradmosti, popri zvuku ju sťažuje
aj zápach a drobná žiara tlejúceho luntu. Všetky luntovky sú zraniteľné voči
zvýšenej vlhkosti (vzduchu aj zeme) a voči zrážkam (dažďu, snehu).
Stealthiness: Terrible
Availability: Common
Wheellock arquebus
Description: Single-shot wheel-lock
smoothbore muzzle-loader. Nowadays seen predominantly in civilian
hands, as a hunting or home defence weapon, it has become largely
obsolete in law enforcement and military use. Can be used on
horseback due to its shorter length, similarly to the newer
innovation of the carbine. However, it is a bit more unwieldy for
that task than a carbine, and also tends to be heavier. Some
wheellocks are self-winding, but most are rewound with a smaller
handheld rewinding tool (not unlike a spanning tool for a crossbow),
which winds a small axle on the wheel of the lock, with a rotating
motion. This sets the spring and chain inside the lock, resetting the
wheel to rotate when released with the trigger. Once released, the wheel
creates sparks against a pyrite ("fool's gold") tipped firestriker with friction,
ignites the powder on the pan and through a flash hole in the chamber
of the gun, and the tiny controlled explosion propels the bullet out of
the barrel. Most
wheellocks require rewinding by hand, with the rewinding tool, while
ones with a self-winding lock are more expensive and not less common.
Wheellocks are more common among the nobility, wealthy townsmen, noble
soldiers, cavalry soldiers, mounted infantry and by law enforcement. (Based on real world wheel-lock muskets and wheel-lock smoothbore carbines.)
Reloading
time: TBA
Range: S (14.732 mm, 58 caliber)
Drawbacks: Finicky
mechanism, more expensive and complicated to maintain. It can develop
issues in overly rainy weather. There is a slight delay between pulling
the trigger and the wheel-lock firestriker igniting the gunpowder and
firing. Though the wheel-lock is a faster mechanism to reload and shoot,
it can sometimes be less reliable than the simpler matchlock. Not as
common as a matchlock arquebus, which is more common among those wealthier
peasants or less wealthy townsmen or soldier who can afford it. As with
matchlocks, you want the musket ball to be fitted against the chamber
powder nice and tight, and if the barrel is a bit broader than the ball,
you need to use a thin cloth patch to tighten the ball while pushing it
into the barrel with a ramrod (scouring stick). An arquebus is not as accurate at a distance as a musket, but several
arquebus-wielders can be effective at volley fire against an adversary,
if they fire more or less at once.
Stealthiness: Weak
Availability: Uncommon (hand-winding version) / Rare (self-winding version)
Wheellock musket / (smoothbore) carbine
Description: Single-shot wheel-lock
smoothbore muzzle-loader. Comes in two possible variants, a musket
and a carbine. The musket is better on foot, for hunting, law
enforcement and military use. The carbine can be used on horseback,
where its shorter length provides a handling advantange. Some
wheellocks are self-rewinding, but most are rewound with a smaller
handheld rewinding tool (not unlike a spanning tool for a crossbow),
which winds a small axle on the wheel of the lock, with a rotating motion. This sets the spring and chain inside the lock, resetting the wheel to rotate when released with the trigger. Once released, the wheel creates sparks against a pyrite ("fool's gold") tipped firestriker with friction, ignites the powder on the pan and through a flash hole in the chamber of the gun, and the tiny controlled explosion propels the bullet out of the barrel. Most wheellocks require rewinding by hand, with the rewinding tool, while ones with a self-winding lock are more expensive and less common. Wheellocks are more common among the nobility, wealthy townsmen, noble soldiers, cavalry soldiers, mounted infantry and by law enforcement. (Based on real world wheel-lock muskets and wheel-lock smoothbore carbines.)
Reloading
time:
Range: S (14.732 mm, 58 caliber)
Drawbacks: Finicky
mechanism, more expensive and complicated to maintain. It can develop
issues in overly rainy weather. There is a slight delay between pulling the trigger and the wheel-lock firestriker igniting the gunpowder and firing. Though the wheel-lock is a faster mechanism to reload and shoot, it can sometimes be less reliable than the simpler matchlock. Not as common as a matchlock musket, which is more common among those wealthier peasants or less wealthy townsmen or soldier who can afford it. As with matchlocks, you want the musket ball to be fitted against the chamber powder nice and tight, and if the barrel is a bit broader than the ball, you need to use a thin cloth patch to tighten the ball while pushing it into the barrel with a ramrod (scouring stick).
Stealthiness: Terrible
Availability: Common (musket) / Common (carbine) / Uncommon (self-winding versions)
Snaphance musket
Description: Single-shot snaplock
smoothbore muzzle-loader. Seen in civilian use, such as hunting, and
in law enforcement.
Reloading
time: TBA
Range:
Drawbacks: TBA
Stealthiness: Terrible
Availability: Uncommon
Flintlock musket / (smoothbore) carbine / fusil
Description: Single-shot flintlock
smoothbore muzzle-loader. Seen in civilian use (though quite rarely
so far), as well as in law enforcement and the military. Comes in
three possible variants: A civilian/hunting musket, a carbine, and a
military musket (fusil). All three can be reloaded faster than the
wheel-lock muskets and carbines. The muskets are better on foot. The
civilian version is more widespread and more suitable for hunting and
law enforcement. The military version (a fusil) is far less common
and harder to acquire, and due to its military nature somewhat more
powerful and even equippable with a bayonet. The carbine can be used
on horseback, where its shorter length provides a handling advantange. The main innovation of the flintlock is its rather efficient powder-igniting mechanism, consisting of a firestriker where a piece of flint strikes a frisson and lights the powder in the pan beneath, lighting the chamber powder and propelling the bullet from the barrel. Just like the matchlock and whellock systems, it is not immune to rainy and damp weather, or the occassional flash-in-the-pan misfires. These weapons are
quite rare in contemporary Aporue. Certain officials and military
thinkers have speculated about the weapon’s
military potential, and to that end, there has been the development of a military version, referred to as a fusil.
Reloading
time: 15 seconds at the absolute fastest, 20
seconds considered very fast reloading (especially if in the hands of a skilled shooter). Depending on the conditions, may take as long as slightly over a blesser (nearly a minute or one minute). Two shots per over one blesser (one shot each every half a minute, two each minute) is considered an average reloading speed and rate of fire. Three is considered skilled.
Range: The
usual effective range is up to 127 limbs (91.44 metres, 100 yards), with a shot accuracy of about 53 %. At a distance of 254 limbs (182.8 metres, 200 yards) bullet lethality remains the same, but shot accuracy drops to 30 %, and at 381 limbs (274.32 metres, 300 yards), declines to 23 %. Effectivness against man-sized targets is up to the range of 63.5 to 92.25 limbs (45.72 to 68.58 metres, 50 to 75 yards). (The muzzle velocity of a flintlock musket, smoothbore carbine or fusil ranges between 300-550 m/s.)
Drawbacks: TBA
Stealthiness: Terrrible
Availability: Uncommon (musket) / Uncommon (carbine) / Rare (fusil)
Flintlock rifle / rifled carbine
Description: Single-shot flintlock
rifled muzzle-loader. The rifled interior of the rifle's barrel greatly increases the accuracy of its shots and the velocity of its bullets, and is therefore a more accurate firearms than the vast majority of muskets. It is seen in civilian use (though quite rarely so
far), and occassionally seen in law enforcement and the military. It comes in two possible variants, a musket or a carbine. The
musket is better on foot, especially for hunting, and law enforcement
and military use. The carbine can be used on horseback, where its
shorter length provides a handling advantange. The
main innovation of the flintlock is its rather efficient
powder-igniting mechanism, consisting of a firestriker where a piece of
flint strikes a frisson and lights the powder in the pan beneath,
lighting the chamber powder and propelling the bullet from the barrel.
Just like the matchlock and whellock systems, it is not immune to rainy
and damp weather, or the occassional flash-in-the-pan misfires. These weapons are
quite rare in contemporary Aporue, but in some Aisan countries, a
local variant known as jezail is quite popular. In
some countries of Aporue, certain officials and military
thinkers have speculated about the weapon’s
military potential.
Reloading
time: Even at the fastest reloading, especially in the hands of a skilled shooter, the reloading takes about half a thanker (18-20 seconds). Depending on the conditions, it may take as long as slightly over one blesser (nearly a minute, or about one minute). Two shots per one minute (one shot each every half a minute) is considered an average reloading speed and rate of fire.
Range: The usual effective range is up to 127 limbs (91.44 metres, 100 yards) and in the hands of an experienced user who's also skilled at aiming, can be effective at 254 limbs (182.8 metres, 200 yards). The absolute maximum range is around 381 limbs (274.32 metres, 300 yards), but at that distance, accuracy is anyone's guess. It's mostly unlikely a shooter will ever manage to hit anything at 300 yards, even in terms of distance, not just aim.
Drawbacks: So
far, they are even rarer than the flintlock muskets
and flintlock smoothbore carbines.
Stealthiness: Terrible
Availability: Rare (rifle) / Rare (carbine)
Caplock musket
Description: Single-shot caplock
smoothbore muzzle-loader. Seen in civilian use, such as hunting, and
in law enforcement.
Reloading
time: TBA
Range:
Drawbacks: TBA
Stealthiness: Terrible
Availability: Rare
Fowling piece
Description: Single-shot smoothbore
hunting muzzle-loader, firing shot. As the name suggests, it is
oriented at bird hunting. Though a shotgun, its appearance is closer
to that of a shorter, robust musket. Firing the fowling piece is
effective enough up to medium distances. This makes it a good
improvised offensive/defensive firearm against a nearby small group
of enemies or an individual adversary, if nothing more accurate is at
hand. Hunters
Reloading
time: TBA
Range:
Drawbacks: Though
a powerful gun, BAAs all shotguns, the blunderbuss is ridiculously
loud. Do not fire one unless you want to ruin your stealthiness and
draw attention from everyone close by.
Stealthiness: Terrible
Availability: Uncommon
Blunderbuss
Description: Smoothbore
muzzle-loader, firing shot or grapeshot. The blunderbuss is a fairly
multi-purpose firearm for short-to-medium distances, popular in law
enforcement and the military for its practicality against small
groups of enemies. Unlike the more unwieldy fowling piece, the
blunderbuss is compact enough to be also used in horseback, which is
reflected in its occassional use by mounted infantrymen and some
light cavalrymen. A few larger blunderbuss models can even be used to
fire small grenades and other small explosives (some of the more
heavily armed Melzan police units use it for this purpose, in
addition to spring-loaded grenade launchers).
Reloading
time: TBA
Range:
Drawbacks: Lacks
the greater range of a fowling piece. Some types might be heftier
than fowling pieces, despite being smaller and shorter in size. While
usable on horseback or for launching grenades, this requires a good
deal of practice and should not be attempted by amateurs. As all
shotguns, the blunderbuss is ridiculously loud. Do not fire one
unless you want to ruin your stealthiness and draw attention from
everyone close by.
Stealthiness:
Availability:
Scattergun
Description: Smoothbore
muzzle-loader, firing shot or grapeshot. This is the large and
multi-barreled cousin of the blunderbuss, and specialised purely for
shooting erratic and deadly salvos of shot at short distances. (Note:
Based on the real world's Nock
gun.)
Reloading
time: It fires seven rounds per discharge and can take several blessers (several minutes) to reload, depending on the outward conditions and overall situation, and the experience of the shooter or reloader. Though a powerful volley firearm, it's not one that could be quickly reloaded.
Range:
Drawbacks: Has
a short effective range and a tremendous, outright dangerous spread
of shot. While this might seem excellent for firing at a spread-out
group of enemies that is closing in, the sheer amount of spread
potentially endangers even the user and his companions. Scatterguns
are some of the heftiest handheld firearms in all of Aporue, to the
point that even in their intended naval usage, they often have to be
proped up against the handrail of the deck. They are usable on foot
only, and not for the faint of heart, so use by amateurs. Even by
shotgun standards, they are very loud. Do not fire one unless you
want to ruin your stealthiness and draw attention from everyone close by.
Stealthiness: Terrible
Availability: Rare
Pepperbox rifle
Description: A repeating multi-barreled, muzzle-loader, with a revolving set of barrels, either rifled or smoothbore. Like its
pistol counterparts, the pepperbox rifle goes about answering the
repeater dilemma in an exactly opposite manner to the solution
adopted by new-fangled revolvers. It simply
increases the number of barrels and bullet
chambers attached to them. After each shot, the entire bundle
of barrels revolves (rather than a cylinder chamber), with a depleted
barrel turning away from the firing chamber and a not-yet-fired
barrel taking its place.
Reloading
time: T
Range: T
Drawbacks: Some
of the earliest double-action pepperbox handguns and rifles had the
downside of the barrel cluster needing to be unscrewed and detached first, then their
percussion cap holes reloaded with new percussion caps, making the overall reloading process far lengthier than even all the initial steps of inserting the powder, thin
wadding and bullet in each of the barrels. This slowed down effective
reloading significantly and made reloading downright impractical in field
conditions. Eventually, the relatively few gunsmiths making pepperbox
firearms figured out small improvements to make the percussion cap holes
easier to reload by hand, speeding up the reload times considerably.
Even so, pepperbox rifles are slower to reload They are nowhere near as long-range or as fast to reload as some of the other repeating firearms, but they are more commercially and financially available than those mostly experimental repeater. Still, even with a Pepperbox rifle, you shouldn't expect to snipe enemies at a distance of hundreds of limbs (hundreds of metres, yards). What matters is the fairly high rate of fire available, and a fair bit of deadliness at close to medium ranges, even against a small group of approaching, attacking adversaries.
Stealthiness: Terrible
Availability: Rare
Volcanic repeating rifle
Description: A
repeating, lever-action, rifled breech-loader, with a simple
tube-shaped magazine installed under the barrel. This recent Ursanian
invention was meant to revolutionise all attempts at repeating
firearms in Aporue so far, and satisfy the growing craving for such
weapons among certain Aporueans (especially rich ones). However, as
all prototypes of this sort, the volcanic rifle proved to be rather
underwhelming. Though it became the first repeating rifle
manufactured in larger numbers to include a
magazine system, instead of a ball-feed, pepperbox or revolver
system, the volcanic rifle is infamous for being underpowered and
using small calibre ammunition. This makes it weaker than its user
would like it to be. For reloading, the rifle uses an innovative oval
hand lever combined with the trigger guard. After each shot, the user
presses the lever down and forward with his or her fingers, loading a
new cartridge.
Reloading
time: T
Range: T
Drawbacks: Very
rare and very expensive, including the ammunition. You won’t
be able to buy it at any old weapon shop in Aporue, only the richest
and most forward thinking ones. As with all of the latest firearms,
some richer adventure-minded explorers might own some, but don’t
expect them to be waiting in line to loan them. Due to the novelty of
the design, even the best of these rifles still have their flaws -
chief among the volcanic rifles is the weakness of their ammo
calibre, making them an exorbitant expense for little reward. Another
downside is the necessity of using it on foot, as it lacks a carbine
variant.
Stealthiness: Terrible
Availability: Rare
Lever-action repeating rifle
Description: A
repeating, lever-action, breech-loading rifle,
with a simple tube-shaped magazine installed under the barrel. Not to
be dispirited by the volcanic rifle’s half-hearted success, some
renowned Ursanian gunsmiths got together and decided to create an
improved derivative, with greater power and higher-calibre (if still
expensive) ammunition. The reloading mechanism, from which this
repeater takes its name, uses the same oval hand lever combined with
the trigger guard that was pioneered by the volcanic rifle. Though
offered to the military at one point, they refused it due to the
amount of expense and fine manufacturing required, but it has
recently found a niche among the hard-paying civilian crowd. The
„lever rifle“ as it has become
known, is offered in two distinct civilian variants: A standard rifle
for use on foot (e.g. hunting, adventuring), and a more nimble
carbine for use on horseback. (Note:
Based on the real world's Henry 1860 repeating
rifle, one of the earliest lever-action guns, and the
Winchester repeating rifle (Model 1866), the first really practical
lever-action carbine.)
Reloading
time: TBA
Range:
Drawbacks: Very
rare and very expensive, including the ammunition. You won’t
be able to buy it at any old weapon shop in Aporue, only the richest
and most forward thinking ones. As with all of the latest firearms,
some richer adventure-minded explorers might own some, but don’t
expect them to be waiting in line to loan them. Due to the novelty of
the design, even the best of these rifles still have their flaws.
Some The carbine, while probably the most excellent
horseback repeater created to date, is even rarer than the rifle.
Stealthiness: Terrible
Availability: Rare
"Needle-gun" rifle
Description: A single-shot,
needle-action, breech-loading rifle. An experimental rifle type,
developed (as well as copied by) several inventors from the more
industrialised regions of Aporue. It lends its name from its
needle-action reloading system, a style previously unheard of in
Aporue. A small ignition needle strikes the back end of a paper
cartridge, igniting the blackpowder within, and firing the bullet
housed at the front end of the cartridge. Though just as innovative
as lever-action reloading, the rifle was never intended nor designed
to be a repeater, so the reloading system is in the service of a
purely single-shot weapon. Along with the lever-action rifles and
carbines, this is virtually the most advanced firearm design in all
of Aporue and seemingly the whole world. All existing prototypes of
the „needle gun“ are in the hands of government militaries. Some
fear that if these weapons were developed further and improved, they
could completely change the face of warfare on the continent,
forever. (Note: Based on the real world's Dreyse needle gun.)
Reloading
time: TBA
Range:
Drawbacks: Very
rare and virtually
inaccessible, though the ammunition
is
a bit more conventional and readily available than lever-action rifle
ammo.
You won’t
be able to buy this
weapon anywhere, as it is not commercially available at all and will
most likely be stored by government military development centres, in
only a handful of Aporuean countries.
All
prototype iterations of the „needle gun“ manufactured so far are
single-shot only. They also rely entirely on paper cartridges only.
While they are cheaper than metallic cartridges, not everyone is
willing to bother with those.
Stealthiness: Terrible
Availability: Rare
(Total
number of long arm gun types on offer: 18
Ammunition
types: Lead balls, paper cartridges, brass cartridges.)
b.) Handguns
Firearms that can be aimed and operated with a single hand. Shorter and can be worn in a holster on a belt, or carried in a holster fastened to a horseback saddle.
Matchlock pistol
Description: Single-shot muzzle-loader. TBA.
Reloading
time: TBA
Range:
Drawbacks: TBA
Stealthiness:
Availability:
Wheellock pistol
Description: Single-shot muzzle-loader. TBA.
Reloading
time: TBA
Range:
Drawbacks: TBA
Stealthiness:
Availability:
Flintlock pistol
Description: Single-shot muzzle-loader. TBA.
Reloading
time: TBA
Range:
Drawbacks: TBA
Stealthiness:
Availability: Uncommon
Pepperbox pistol
Description: Repeating fire muzzle-loader. Though some private eyes have adopted them, most police forces still consider them a little too wild and sometimes unreliable to adopt them as handguns. Most pepperbox pistols you'll come across in Melza and other countries of Aporue will be in the hands of private owners, not policemen nor soldiers. TBA.
Reloading
time: TBA
Range:
Drawbacks: Due to their design, pepperboxes in general aren't very practical as long-range firearms. They fare much better as shorter-range repeating handguns, especially in situations requiring ranged self-defence or handling a shoot-out with attacking or escaping criminals.
Stealthiness:
Availability: Uncommon
Volcanic pistol
Description: Breachloader. TBA.
Reloading
time: TBA
Range:
Drawbacks: TBA
Stealthiness:
Availability: Rare
Matchlock revolver
Description: Repeating fire breachloader. An early non-pepperbox revolver, with a cylindrical magazine. Very rare, considered a semi-experimental handgun. TBA.
Reloading
time: TBA
Range:
Drawbacks: Shares drawbacks with other matchlock long guns and handguns. very few were made, they're largelly bespoke weapons and are rather bulky to use on foot or on horseback.
Stealthiness:
Availability: Rare
Pocket revolver
Description: Repeating fire breachloader. An early non-pepperbox revolver, with a cylindrical magazine. Very rare, considered a semi-experimental handgun. TBA.
Reloading
time: TBA
Range:
Drawbacks: TBA
Stealthiness:
Availability: Rare
Six-shot revolver
Description: Repeating fire breachloader. An early non-pepperbox revolver, with a cylindrical magazine. Very rare, considered a semi-experimental handgun. TBA.
Reloading
time: TBA
Range:
Drawbacks: TBA
Stealthiness:
Availability: Rare
Seven-shot revolver
Description: Repeating fire breachloader. An early non-pepperbox revolver, with a cylindrical magazine. Very rare, considered a semi-experimental handgun. TBA.
Reloading
time: TBA
Range:
Drawbacks: TBA
Stealthiness:
Availability: Rare
----
3.) PROJECTILES AND AMMUNITION
Without the appropriate ammunition, ranged weapons are largelly useless. Here's an overview of various projectiles used by the ranged weapons in Aporue.
a.) Archery projectiles (arrows, bolts, darts) and throwing weapons
b.) Trick arrows, trick bolts, trick darts and other special projectiles
c.) Firearm bullets
Most firearm bullets, even for older matchlock firearms, are made of lead, or an alloy of lead, tin and antimony. Though the casting of purely lead bullets has been known for a long time, part of the reason for the use of alloys is an effort to harden the bullet and give it an overall better chance at penetrating armour.
Centuries ago, when firearms first gained a foothold in Aporue as a piece of technology and a weapon, the early handheld firearms sometimes shot small stone bullets as well (similar to early cannons of the era), especially because of the expenses of casting metal bullets from lead or in the manner of an alloy. Over time, handheld firearm bullets began reverting to the use of lead and alloys, while cannon balls used stone as a material for somewhat longer, before also reverting to metal cannon balls. A frequent type of bullet patch is round in shape, cut from linen and slightly lubricated with oil, to allow for better sliding once shot.
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SCORING WEAR AND TEAR STATUS
A rough grading system for the overall current state of a weapon and armour item's wear and tear.
State Grade/Explanation
Mint | This weapon or amour is as good as new. Either it's new or excellently refurbished.
Fine | This weapon or armour is in good condition.
Dented | This weapon or armour has some more noticeable faults. Effectiveness is already lower.
Damaged | This weapon or armour is damaged and could use some repairs. Lower effectiveness.
Shabby | This weapon or armour is rather heavily damaged. It would be best to repair it soon.
Falling apart | Needs to be either thrown away or repaired thoroughly first. Dangerous to use.
Broken | This is a weapon or armour that is simply unusable. It can be repaired at a workshop.
Reusability and destroyed items
Arrows and bolts without broken shafts can be picked up and reused at
any time. Broadhead and bodkin arrows and bolts can stick into softer
surfaces, such as wood, soil or flesh, and are fully reusable if a
player can extract them safely. Blunthead, knockout and ruckus arrows
and bolts do not stick into surfaces, but are also fully reusable
(though knockout arrowheads need refilling and ruckus arrowheads need
rewinding). Trick arrows and trick bolts with single-use types of
arrowheads (e.g. dousing arrows and bolts) are reusable, but need to be
fitted with a new arrowhead in place of the destroyed one, in order to
be fully functional again. (Otherwise, when shot without an arrowhead,
they deal no damage and perform no function.) If explosive trick arrows
and bolts are successfully triggered on impact and explode, they are
completely destroyed. This makes them the only type of trick arrows and
bolts that are not fully or partly reusable. They can only be recovered
by players if they failed to explode.
When an item is completely destroyed rather than merely broken, it is no longer repairable. Some of its raw materials might be collectable for later reuse, but direct repairs restoring it into the item it used to be are impossible. For example, if an explosive mine goes off, its only remaining bits will be the shards of the metal plates it was built from. It is possible to collect these shards, smelt them down, make new metal plates, etc., but it is not possible to create a brand new mine out of these metal shards.
“Dented”, “damaged”, “shabby” and “falling apart” weapons and armour all have a descending degree of effectiveness. If a player is using an archery weapon, firearm, an explosive device (e.g. grenade, mine) or projectile (e.g. explosive arrowhead) that currently have “shabby” and “falling apart”, a bit of bad luck could cause the weapon to malfunction and wound the player. In extreme cases, such a malfunction could even harm any other individuals standing nearby, including the player's companions.
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Copyright
(C) 2017 - 2024 P. Molnár
(C) 2017 - 2024 Knight-Errant Studios
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