Thanks!

Mar 22, 2021 14:48

Many thanks for the ideas, which have got me thinking again ( Read more... )

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battle anonymous March 23 2021, 03:24:24 UTC
Is this a melee battle, or a single opponent joust? A wooden lance against an armored knight may unhorse him, but it isn't likely to penetrate, the way that a steel shafted spear or crossbow bolt might. A long lance also isn't very maneuverable and requires a good head of momentum to be effective.

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Re: battle tagmeth March 23 2021, 12:15:26 UTC
Both, and neither. There are only two opponents, and one (Jame) doesn't have a lance or spear. Her best chance may be to disarm her opponent. I would think that the clumsiness of a lance would disadvantage her adversary, as long as she keeps riding in circles around him. Death's-head will use his horns, which are very hard, but I don't know how much damage he can do against armor. He might be able to knock the other rider out of his saddle, though.

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Re: battle ext_2501233 March 23 2021, 13:58:44 UTC
No ranged weapons? In war, the traditional way for light cavalry to beat heavy was to stay outside lance range and fill their horses with arrows.

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Re: battle tagmeth March 23 2021, 15:20:06 UTC
The way this fight is set up, Jame doesn't know what she's facing until she gets to the battlefield. I agree about the value of arrows, although they would have to be very well aimed to deal with this degree of armor on both rider and horse. I started with the premise that Jame doesn't like most edged weapons (the scythe-arms being the exception as extensions of her claws) and it's almost become a running joke that she can't hang on to a sword throughout an entire battle. In retrospect, it's kind of stupid for her not to take more precautions. Now that I've got her in place, though, I'm having fun coming up with ways for her to counteract her ridiculously over armed opponent and make him look like a fool (which he is).

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Re: battle ext_2501233 March 23 2021, 16:42:37 UTC
I know I'm commenting too much, but I feel compelled to mention that full helmets give terrible visibility. If she's off to the side, she's invisible (since he would find it very hard to turn his head far enough).

Hmmm ... would Death's Head sympathize with your cataphract, remembering his mother's death? Would he maybe freeze up, and then be incredibly embarrassed afterward?

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Re: battle tagmeth March 23 2021, 17:56:08 UTC
Good point about the helmet. I was thinking that Jame could circle behind him and pick weapons off of his belt or off of hooks on his saddle -- not necessarily to use but to disarm him piecemeal.

Will think about DH and the encased warhorse.

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Re: battle ext_2501233 March 23 2021, 19:26:01 UTC
If she's thinking like a Merikit, would she not hop up (standing) behind him on the horse, finally, and snatch the helmet off his head, then leap to Death's Head's back?

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Re: battle tagmeth March 23 2021, 20:23:20 UTC
She might. He has to be "unmasked" at some point, presumably after he's rendered more or less helpless. Why is it a Merikit move, though? What else have I forgotten?

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Re: battle ext_2501233 March 23 2021, 23:21:29 UTC
I'm just thinking that the Merikit culturally value showing off and athletic skill, not that they've done that particular thing on-page.

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