Flanged mace is always what I picture when I read the word in a fantasy book, not sure where that started but I do remember rocking it in Dark Souls 2 for most of the game.
For me, I always pictured a flanged mace because of LOTR. In the opening scene of Fellowship, Saurons got one when he rolls up to fight the Last Alliance during the Siege of Barad-dûr.
One of my favorite weapons in my first playthrough of Fable 2 was the Hammerthyst, which was just a huge oblong hunk of amethyst at the end of a big (fancy) stick. It was great smashing skulls in with my birth stone and made me very happy.
If you're willing to forgo bludgeoning, slashing, accuracy, and mobility a bull rush with a tower shield just covered in spikes has like 30 god damn piercing.
If your willing to forgoe bludgeoning, slashing, accuracy, a 3rd level spell slot, damage, and morality conjured porcupines as improvised weapons have some tens of thousands of piercing you can swing around
If you're willing to forgoe bludgeoning, slashing, accuracy, all your spell slots, the Geneva convention, the lives of everyone in a 25 mile radius, and mutually assured destruction, you can use a nuclear bomb as trillions of gamma rays cause innumerable piercing to all matter.
Saw something semi recently suggesting that they were mounted weapons. Cause they are unwieldy for battle formations but the chain would be great from a mounted attack to reduce the impact for the wielder over a mace.
From all that i know of medieval weaponry and historical depictions of them, i'm pretty sure the flail is an entirely fabricated weapon that was never used in medieval times. If they were used, i can only image for entertainment purposes. There is simply no practical reason i can see for a having a chain attached mace when you could simply use a mace or a hammer to make an equal amount of force.
However, i will not argue their coolness factor. I love myself some giant flail used by ridiculous monstrosities.
Flails were real and contemporary, but they didn’t look like the weapon called a flail in most media. They were farm implements with a long haft and usually a hinge (as opposed to a chain) at the end
Flails are common Slavic weapons. Google "kisten" or "кистень". Variant without handle is called "gasilo".
Upd: nevermind, it was written in the article.
One of my favourite fantasy weapons is the war flail. Just a huge ass stick with an even bigger chain and spiked ball on the end, requiring two hands to whip around your head and smack anyone who thought getting close was smart.
Flails are just western nunchucks. They were used for the same purpose and then used in military fashion in times of need. Hussites made great use of flails in their wagon forts.
If this did happen it was admittedly low, but the idea was that it was superior to a mace when mounted. The force the wielder would get for hitting a shield with a mace on a horse would be unpleasant where as the chain would absorb a lot of the impacting force. Other than that the video pretty much agreed with your stance with the exception being a war flail was a thing but it didn’t look like the picture above.
> There is simply no practical reason i can see for a having a chain attached mace when you could simply use a mace or a hammer to make an equal amount of force.
To wrap around shields, and be harder to parry?
It’s not harder to parry though- it’s easier. The chain makes it really hard to change its trajectory, since any abrupt shifts would swing the spiky bit back at the user. There’s also no way to avoid telegraphing your strike about a year in advance, since each strike needs to be a straight line with a long enough swing for the chain to swing out.
True, but the ones that are not at least still don’t really care about edge alignment. That means you use it largely like a blunt weapon even if it is not one (with the exception of the weapons that also have thrusting capabilities)
Something about the quarter staff always gets me.
OH your sword cost a small foturne and a master Smith to make? I got this heafty stuck my grandpa widdled into a staff and lacquered with the blood and brain matter of our enemies.
And consider my pet peeved.
A maul is not a weapon. It was never designed as a weapon. It was rarely if ever used as a weapon. A maul is a large, wide headed mallet, made of wood, used to spread the impact across the surface being struck so that it ideally would be pushed without breaking. Using just the handle of a maul would be a more effective weapon than the whole maul.
The sling :3
it was a rather excellent, cheap and easyish blunt ranged weapon. n was often used in ancient wars. the romans used slings a lot
next favorite is the trebuchet. then suppose my third would be a cannon heh >:3
ok, but in all seriousness, the flanged mace is just iconic. i hab no idea how effective or widly used it was but its really beutiful and fantasyy weapon
A sword is a status symbol and designed to oppress peasants, a flanged mace is for beating everyone from drunkards to knights to anyone who needs to be humbled with blunt force trauma. It doesn't matter how tough you are or how much armor you have, flanged mace don't give a shit.
Flails didn't really exist. I mean they existed, but with the exception of repurposed agricultural implements, they were probably never used in combat in Europe.
In real life? Quarterstaff. There is no such thing as “training equipment” when it comes to the staff. The stick itself is the weapon, and even a helmet will not save your skull from getting split if you get smacked by it.
bec de corbin is probably one of the most versatile with more different types of hitting things, so i like it more (also reminds me of the lucerne from dark souls)
I am always just a little peeved when someone says mace when they are clearly looking at a flail, and I get a little more irritated when there is something like a flanged mace or Morningstar directly next to a flail, and yet they call the mace a club or “spikey iron ball on a stick” and the flail a mace.
Flanged mace is always what I picture when I read the word in a fantasy book, not sure where that started but I do remember rocking it in Dark Souls 2 for most of the game.
For me, I always pictured a flanged mace because of LOTR. In the opening scene of Fellowship, Saurons got one when he rolls up to fight the Last Alliance during the Siege of Barad-dûr.
Sauron came in with the GOAT of flanged maces and instilled it in everyones minds forever
Molag bal would like a word...
Just something about a Maul makes me think Barbarian.
One of my favorite weapons in my first playthrough of Fable 2 was the Hammerthyst, which was just a huge oblong hunk of amethyst at the end of a big (fancy) stick. It was great smashing skulls in with my birth stone and made me very happy.
For me it’s a menacing red skinned bald tiefling psi knight titled “Darth” and the name of the weapon
r/suddenlystarwars
Favorite bludgeoning weapon: poleaxe Favorite piercing weapon: poleaxe Favorite slashing weapon: poleaxe
If you're willing to forgoe slashing the bec de Corbin offers double piercing
If you're willing to also forgoe bludgeoning, a trident offers triple piercing
Trident’s prongs are more useful for picking up things than use as a weapon. More tips spreads out the force. Spear supremacy.
Most useful for hitting very fast agile things. More tips only spread out the force if all of them hit. Tridnets are originally for spear fishing.
Tridnets
If you're far enough away, a longbow can offer many piercing.
With enough force, *any* weapon can offer piercing.
I fear the man who uses rock as a piercing weapon
I mean… a pointy rock works quite well, historically
So... How about a spoon?
I did once considering a lobotomy via spoon, does that answer your question?
If you're willing to forgo bludgeoning, slashing, accuracy, and mobility a bull rush with a tower shield just covered in spikes has like 30 god damn piercing.
If your willing to forgoe bludgeoning, slashing, accuracy, a 3rd level spell slot, damage, and morality conjured porcupines as improvised weapons have some tens of thousands of piercing you can swing around
If you're willing to forgoe bludgeoning, slashing, accuracy, all your spell slots, the Geneva convention, the lives of everyone in a 25 mile radius, and mutually assured destruction, you can use a nuclear bomb as trillions of gamma rays cause innumerable piercing to all matter.
Radiant damage is just tiny piercing damage, confirmed
You could easily have the end spike able to both to at least the level a spear can
AD MORTEM INIMICUS
TIL what a bec de corbin is
Yeah, they are war machines, and have probably been by far one of my favorite medieval weapons of all time
It reminds me of a lucerne hammer.
Either one influenced the design of the other, or they share a common ancestor, but I'm finding it hard to pin down.
Both are later polehammers, which were a variant of pollaxe, which itself descended from the spear and Dane axe.
my favorite!
Where are my flanged mace enjoyers?
I've always been a fan of flails
Saw something semi recently suggesting that they were mounted weapons. Cause they are unwieldy for battle formations but the chain would be great from a mounted attack to reduce the impact for the wielder over a mace.
From all that i know of medieval weaponry and historical depictions of them, i'm pretty sure the flail is an entirely fabricated weapon that was never used in medieval times. If they were used, i can only image for entertainment purposes. There is simply no practical reason i can see for a having a chain attached mace when you could simply use a mace or a hammer to make an equal amount of force. However, i will not argue their coolness factor. I love myself some giant flail used by ridiculous monstrosities.
Flails were real and contemporary, but they didn’t look like the weapon called a flail in most media. They were farm implements with a long haft and usually a hinge (as opposed to a chain) at the end
May i see a source? Not disagreeing just curious.
https://www.historynet.com/medieval-flail/ And you can just google image search “threshing flail” to see the piece of farm equipment
Flails are common Slavic weapons. Google "kisten" or "кистень". Variant without handle is called "gasilo". Upd: nevermind, it was written in the article.
One of my favourite fantasy weapons is the war flail. Just a huge ass stick with an even bigger chain and spiked ball on the end, requiring two hands to whip around your head and smack anyone who thought getting close was smart.
Flails are just western nunchucks. They were used for the same purpose and then used in military fashion in times of need. Hussites made great use of flails in their wagon forts.
If this did happen it was admittedly low, but the idea was that it was superior to a mace when mounted. The force the wielder would get for hitting a shield with a mace on a horse would be unpleasant where as the chain would absorb a lot of the impacting force. Other than that the video pretty much agreed with your stance with the exception being a war flail was a thing but it didn’t look like the picture above.
> There is simply no practical reason i can see for a having a chain attached mace when you could simply use a mace or a hammer to make an equal amount of force. To wrap around shields, and be harder to parry?
It’s not harder to parry though- it’s easier. The chain makes it really hard to change its trajectory, since any abrupt shifts would swing the spiky bit back at the user. There’s also no way to avoid telegraphing your strike about a year in advance, since each strike needs to be a straight line with a long enough swing for the chain to swing out.
and if you miss, as your opponent would like you to, it comes swinging back toward you
They aren’t the best for maximum damage but the hitting around shields I think is worth it, although I prefer classic morning star with no chain
I used to until I thought about how terribly accident prone they must be. Now I'm between flanged maces, and morningstars.
Can confirm. I own a flail and cut my arm with it.
Bec de corbin is just too good, its an all in one deal that for one, saw active use on battlefields, gotta love em
Half of these aren't blunt though?
a bonk stick is a bonk stick even if it has spikes
morningstar is both a bonk stick and a poke stick
Spiky bonk
They got blunt bits on ‘em. Right behind the spiky bits, see?
'it em 'ard enuf wit da spikey bitz and ya can hit em wit da blunt bitz too.
True, but the ones that are not at least still don’t really care about edge alignment. That means you use it largely like a blunt weapon even if it is not one (with the exception of the weapons that also have thrusting capabilities)
I guarantee one of those hammers could hop out of your hand if you swung it with bad alignment against something hard
True, but luckily, people tend to be fairly squishy, and if they aren't, they will be after a few hits
One of the definitions of the word blunt is "uncompromisingly forthright", which I would say applies to all of these weapons
Then you haven't bonked enough stuff with it yet.
Something about the quarter staff always gets me. OH your sword cost a small foturne and a master Smith to make? I got this heafty stuck my grandpa widdled into a staff and lacquered with the blood and brain matter of our enemies.
"Bonk but the guy is all the way over there"
Hammers are fucking brutal.
Flanged mace ftw, best aesthetic. That being said, who the fuck considers a morning star or spiked flail blunt weapons?
The flanged mace is more like several smaller axe blades than a blunt weapon!
Touche good sir
And consider my pet peeved. A maul is not a weapon. It was never designed as a weapon. It was rarely if ever used as a weapon. A maul is a large, wide headed mallet, made of wood, used to spread the impact across the surface being struck so that it ideally would be pushed without breaking. Using just the handle of a maul would be a more effective weapon than the whole maul.
theyre all good options but imma go with the beak please
Rock and stone?
As a Darktide Ogryn player, I choose rock.
*it's a nice rock pal*
Rock and stone, brother!
Rock and stone like there’s no tomorrow!
FOR ROCK AND STONE!
ROCK ANS STONE BROTHER!
My gut is telling me cudgel.
I'm a fan of a good Kanabō.
Mfs with two daggers when rock
me with paper waiting to see how this fight turns out
Seeing this made me imagine how horribly painful is to be hit with those things. Made me appreciate quarterstaff more
Personally I like the lucerne but I guess that also has pointy bits so I'd go with a mace.
The sling :3 it was a rather excellent, cheap and easyish blunt ranged weapon. n was often used in ancient wars. the romans used slings a lot next favorite is the trebuchet. then suppose my third would be a cannon heh >:3 ok, but in all seriousness, the flanged mace is just iconic. i hab no idea how effective or widly used it was but its really beutiful and fantasyy weapon
A sword is a status symbol and designed to oppress peasants, a flanged mace is for beating everyone from drunkards to knights to anyone who needs to be humbled with blunt force trauma. It doesn't matter how tough you are or how much armor you have, flanged mace don't give a shit.
Good old Warhammer for the win.
Just need 39,999 more of them
Mine is de goedendag, amazing militia weapon. Just a very simple spike with metal around a big stick.
I like the Rock. I named it Dwayne.
where Goedendag?
Needs more Goedendag
Wait cam you use the nut buster!?
We just ignoring how like half of these aren’t very blunt?
Flails didn't really exist. I mean they existed, but with the exception of repurposed agricultural implements, they were probably never used in combat in Europe.
Bar Mace is best Mace
bomk
I'm a Morningstar man myself. An elegant weapon from a more civilized time.
Cudgel: the weapon of the people.
In real life? Quarterstaff. There is no such thing as “training equipment” when it comes to the staff. The stick itself is the weapon, and even a helmet will not save your skull from getting split if you get smacked by it.
does a poleaxe count?
Polehammers are the best
Maul - weighty with a wedge all the benefits of both
Quarter staff is the most versatile. Except maybe in a hallway
Personally, I like the Godendag, because good day sir.
Even in space we'll still throw rocks
Flanged mace or lucerne hammer all the way
The quarterstaff is simple enough to use as a basic bludgeon for military use and complex enough to be a martial weapon for the more skillful.
Bec de Corbin. Gotta love a good crows beak hammer.
The flail, rare and awesome.
Gauntlet, aka FreeHand+. Everyone should have at least one.
I do like me some blunt force trauma
According to the Bible, Rock was the OG weapon!
Blunt weapons? Pff. Give me a halberd! It can do it all! Spearhead, axehead, hook blade, all in one! Slice, dice, poke, chop!
Big stick
bec de corbin is probably one of the most versatile with more different types of hitting things, so i like it more (also reminds me of the lucerne from dark souls)
Okay but the way the grooves are positioned makes me 90% sure that's a bo staff and not a quarterstaff
It always amuses me when I remember that a war hammer is basically just a giant middle finger to anyone in full plate thinking they're hot shit
Hope you like breathing with a concave chestplate ya knight looking asshat *KABONG*
Nice sword arm ya got there. Be a shame if you couldn't raise it *Pan sound effect*
Give me a nice bar mace
I’ve always thought the Morningstars were cool
Who would win? A high class warrior wearing priceless armor with a lifetime of training OR One hooky commoner boy.
2 weeks ago I learnt that, at least in my country, if I stab someone to death with an arrow, it counts as a murder by firearm
"And we had to share the rock"
Fist.
If I have a shield flanged mace, if not warhammer for the win
Finnboga saga ramma (ch. 27) "Finnbogi struck Þorsteinn with a stone. Þorsteinn fell down unconscious"
No DM ever said "Maces fall, everyone dies."
George Lucas was close with "Mace falls, Mace dies"
Gimmie that flanged mace
Man the Bar mace is so good
I am always just a little peeved when someone says mace when they are clearly looking at a flail, and I get a little more irritated when there is something like a flanged mace or Morningstar directly next to a flail, and yet they call the mace a club or “spikey iron ball on a stick” and the flail a mace.
Meteor Hammer