Forums of the Megaverse®

I have a katana that's made of 440 Stainless Steel.
I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.
It sounds good, but a comment in the Knight Vs. Samurai thread made me wonder.

For that matter, we have all sorts of alloys and materials now that we didn't have back when swords were actually used.
Would a titanium sword be any good? Or maybe for an axe or mace?
Or a depleted Uranium mace?
Or a plastic or fibreglass staff, cudgel, or maul?

Ironically, a while back I came across some articles that specifically addresses this:
http://swordforum.com/metallurgy/titanium.html
http://swordforum.com/swords/decorative ... dreal.html

The conclusion is interesting, it seems Titanium and 440 stainless steel are nice looking, but not very effective.

Depleted Uranium, while certainly denser than steel, and having more weight would be workable from just that standpoint, but don't forget that there is still slight radioactivity even with depleted Uranium.

As far as plastics and fiberglasses for blunt weapons, they would still work, but the lighter weight would tend to make them less effective.

About what I was going to say. Most western, medieval, weapons rely on the weight of the weapon as much as the sharpness of the blade to do their damage. "Light but really sharp" might work for fencing weapons.

MrNexx wrote:About what I was going to say. Most western, medieval, weapons rely on the weight of the weapon as much as the sharpness of the blade to do their damage. "Light but really sharp" might work for fencing weapons.

Which brings up an interesting point about the myth of "blood grooves." I find it ironic that many proponents of this myth claim the reason for fullers is to prevent some sort of "vacuum suction" that would occur if the sword was thrust into the body. Yet it's ironic that fullers are found on swords designed for cutting, rather than swords designed for thrusting. It seems that the proponents have no explanation for why this is.

I'd think a depeleted uranum core inside a titanium or steel axe or mace (or even a long sward) would add incredibly to te impact of these weapons.

Jefffar wrote:I'd think a depeleted uranum core inside a titanium or steel axe or mace (or even a long sward) would add incredibly to te impact of these weapons.

True enough, and easily factored into game mechanics.

Kuseru Satsujin wrote:

Jefffar wrote:I'd think a depeleted uranum core inside a titanium or steel axe or mace (or even a long sward) would add incredibly to te impact of these weapons.

True enough, and easily factored into game mechanics.

"easily" by what standards? my head hurts just thinking about trying that.

Nekira Sudacne wrote:

Kuseru Satsujin wrote:

Jefffar wrote:I'd think a depeleted uranum core inside a titanium or steel axe or mace (or even a long sward) would add incredibly to te impact of these weapons.

True enough, and easily factored into game mechanics.

"easily" by what standards? my head hurts just thinking about trying that.

+2 to damage, +20 to SDC.

Easy.

MrNexx wrote:

Nekira Sudacne wrote:

Kuseru Satsujin wrote:

Jefffar wrote:I'd think a depeleted uranum core inside a titanium or steel axe or mace (or even a long sward) would add incredibly to te impact of these weapons.

True enough, and easily factored into game mechanics.

"easily" by what standards? my head hurts just thinking about trying that.

+2 to damage, +20 to SDC.

Easy.

Ironically, pretty much what I was thinking as well.

Kuseru Satsujin wrote:

MrNexx wrote:

Nekira Sudacne wrote:

Kuseru Satsujin wrote:

Jefffar wrote:I'd think a depeleted uranum core inside a titanium or steel axe or mace (or even a long sward) would add incredibly to te impact of these weapons.

True enough, and easily factored into game mechanics.

"easily" by what standards? my head hurts just thinking about trying that.

+2 to damage, +20 to SDC.

Easy.

Ironically, pretty much what I was thinking as well.

Great minds run in similar channels...

Hopefully not the gutter

Jefffar wrote:Hopefully not the gutter

No, if my mind gets that high, I might get a nosebleed.

Jefffar wrote:Hopefully not the gutter

My mind is so deep, it has to go through the gutter to get to where it's going.

We now know what those HUGE anime swords are made of.

drewkitty wrote:We now know what those HUGE anime swords are made of.

Right. They're made of pure overcompensation.

I have a carbon steel katana that was forged. It is not the damascus steel, but it does have some seriously wonderful balance to it. It flows with your arm movement as you swing it.