TEXT: An e23 Sourcebook for GURPS
  ®
  STEVE JACKSON GAMES
  Stock #37-1662
  Version 1.1 – December 2010
  ®
  Written by PETER V. DELL’ORTO, DAN HOWARD,
  and WILLIAM H. STODDARD
  Edited by SEAN PUNCH
  Illustrated by ROD REIS
  
  INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . 3
  About the Authors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
  About GURPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
  1. HISTORICAL EVOLUTION
  OF COMBAT GEAR . . . . 4
  HUNTERS AND GATHERERS. . . . . . . 4
  Axes (TL0) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
  Spears (TL0) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
  Throwing Sticks (TL0) . . . . . . . . . . 4
  Bolas (TL0) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
  THE FIRST CIVILIZATIONS. . . . . . . . 5
  Early Warfare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
  Clubs and Maces (TL0). . . . . . . . . . 5
  Microlithic Edges (TL0) . . . . . . . . . 5
  Slings (TL0) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
  Blades (TL0) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
  Circumvallation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
  Massed Combat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
  The Bow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
  The Rise of the Chariot (TL1) . . . . 6
  THE ANCIENT WORLD . . . . . . . . . . 7
  The Iron Age (TL2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
  Decline of the Chariot Archer . . . . 7
  Horse Archers (TL2) . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
  The Heavy Chariot (TL2) . . . . . . . . 8
  Decline of the Chariot. . . . . . . . . . . 8
  Heavy Cavalry (TL2). . . . . . . . . . . . 8
  Combat Saddles (TL2) . . . . . . . . . . 8
  Engines (TL2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
  Warships (TL2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
  What If: Pneumatic Artillery . . . . . . 9
  THE MIDDLE AGES. . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
  Feudal Warfare (TL3) . . . . . . . . . . . 9
  The Knight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
  The Stirrup (TL3). . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
  Plate Armor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
  THE RENAISSANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
  Resurgence of Infantry. . . . . . . . . 10
  Munitions Plate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
  Gunpowder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
  Firearms and Economics . . . . . . . 11
  The Modern Army. . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
  Naval Warfare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
  2. WEAPONS
  AND ARMOR. . . . . . . . 12
  WEAPON DESIGN . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
  Realistic Weapons. . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
  Armor-Piercing Weapons . . . . . . . . 12
  Training Weapons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
  Combination Weapons . . . . . . . . . 15
  Determining Weapon ST . . . . . . . 15
  Cinematic Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . 16
  Cool Ethnic Weapons
  and Armor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
  Throwing the Unthrowable . . . . . . 17
  Spiky Bits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
  SHIELD OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
  Fighting With Shields. . . . . . . . . . 18
  Shield Damage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
  Customizing Shields . . . . . . . . . . . 19
  SCALING WEAPONS
  AND ARMOR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
  Scaling Weapons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
  Scaling Armor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
  Weapon and Armor
  Scaling Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
  Under the Hood: Weapon
  and Armor Scaling Table . . . . . 21
  DAMAGE TO WEAPONS
  AND ARMOR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
  Damage to Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . 22
  Quick and Dirty
  Weapon Damage. . . . . . . . . . . . 22
  Damage to Armor . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
  The London Lobsters . . . . . . . . . . . 25
  Quick and Dirty
  Armor Damage . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
  3. FORTIFICATIONS . . . . . 26
  FIELD FORTIFICATIONS . . . . . . . . . 26
  Natural Obstacles . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
  Ditch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
  Stakes/Pickets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
  Trench . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
  Roman Field Camp . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
  CITY DEFENSES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
  Ditch and Rampart (TL0). . . . . . . 27
  Dry Stone (TL0) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
  Hard Earth (TL0) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
  Hedge (TL0). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
  Wooden Palisade (TL0) . . . . . . . . 27
  Brick (TL1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
  Cribwork (TL1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
  Mortared Stone (TL1). . . . . . . . . . 28
  Piled Turf (TL1). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
  Concrete (TL2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
  Embossing (TL2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
  FORTRESSES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
  Causewayed Enclosure (TL0) . . . 28
  Hill Fort (TL1). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
  Terramara (TL1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
  Motte and Bailey (TL2) . . . . . . . . 29
  Castles (TL2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
  Guards and Watchers . . . . . . . . . . 29
  Star Fort (TL4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
  HUGE GUNS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
  4. MOBILITY. . . . . . . . . . 32
  MILITARY TRANSPORTATION . . . . . 32
  Foot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
  Realistic Foot Travel. . . . . . . . . . . . 32
  Mounted. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
  Carts and Wagons . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
  Ships. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
  NAVAL COMBAT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
  Historical Development . . . . . . . . 34
  Naval Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
  Early Paddlewheels . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
  WARCRAFT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
  Ground Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
  The Helepolis of
  Demetrios Poliorketes. . . . . . . . 37
  Warships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
  INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
  CONTENTS
  2
  CONTENTS
  Additional Material: Thomas M. Kane and Sean Punch
  Research Assistance: John Brent Macek
  Master Armorer: John Brent Macek
  Lead Playtester: Jeff Wilson
  Playtesters: Douglas Cole, Shawn Fisher, Martin Heidemann, Leonardo Holschuh, Rob Kamm,
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  GURPS, Warehouse 23, and the all-seeing pyramid are registered trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. Pyramid, Low-Tech, Weapons and Warriors, e23,
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  GURPS Low-Tech Companion 2: Weapons and Warriors is copyright © 2010 by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. Some art © 2010 JupiterImages Corporation. All rights reserved.
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  INTRODUCTION
  3
  Most TL0 and many TL1 societies were effectively “pre-mil-
  itary,” yet managed to grow and evolve in several significant
  ways – including weaponry, if only for hunting. Few TL1+ civ-
  ilizations were able to grow and evolve without a strong mili-
  tary presence, however. When rulers came along, they rarely
  ruled for long if they couldn’t hold onto power and wealth with
  large armies. Thus, they had to be military commanders as
  well as civilian leaders. Equipping and feeding a strong mili-
  tary required resources, though, and if those of the homeland
  were insufficient, then additional conquests were necessary. Of
  course, new territory required even greater forces to keep . . .
  GURPS Low-Tech Companion 2 looks at the technologies
  of warfare. Note that it’s an appendix to GURPS Low-Tech.
  Many of the concepts discussed here draw on that work,
  although that supplement isn’t required to use this one.
  ABOUT THE AUTHORS
  Peter V. Dell’Orto started roleplaying in 1981, with
  Dungeons & Dragons, and has played GURPS since Man to
  Man. Since 1996, he has been an active GURPS playtester, edi-
  tor, and author. He wrote GURPS Martial Arts with Sean
  Punch, GURPS Martial Arts: Gladiators with Volker Bach,
  and many articles for Pyramid magazine, including “Deathball”
  (with Sean Punch) in Pyramid #3/3. Besides his interest in writ-
  ing RPGs, Peter is an enthusiastic martial artist. He currently
  trains Kachin Bando and holds shodan rank in Kendo. He has
  fought amateur MMA in the Japanese Shooto organization and
  competed in Grappler’s Quest. His other hobbies include
  strength training, reading, painting miniatures, Japanese, and
  music. He currently lives and trains in New Jersey.
  Dan Howard started roleplaying in 1984 with Middle Earth
  Role Playing, and quickly moved on to Rolemaster. He
  switched to GURPS shortly after its first edition; it has been
  his favorite system ever since. He started contributing to
  Pyramid magazine in 1998, and soon began playtesting
  GURPS publications. His debut contribution to a GURPS sup-
  plement was in the first edition of GURPS Low-Tech – a work
  he has been interested in improving ever since, especially in his
  pet area of armor. Dan has an Arts degree in History and
  Classical Studies. He holds a second dan black belt in Oh Do
  Kwan Tae Kwon Do, and has competed internationally. Other
  interests include historical armor reconstruction, renewable
  energy, and organic gardening. He currently lives in Maitland,
  Australia with his wife and three children.
  William H. Stoddard is a professional copyeditor specializing
  in scientific and scholarly books in fields ranging from aero-
  space technology to archaeology. Fortunately, he likes reading
  nonfiction; his research library is threatening to take over his
  apartment, and he regularly visits the nearest university library
  for supplemental reading. His other pleasures including cook-
  ing, reading science fiction and alternate history, and running
  and playing in RPGs. His previous SJ Games work includes
  coauthoring the original GURPS Low-Tech and writing the lat-
  est edition of GURPS Fantasy. He lives in San Diego with his
  cohabitant Carol, two cats, two computers, and too many books!
  INTRODUCTION
  GURPS System Design T STEVE JACKSON
  GURPS Line Editor T SEAN PUNCH
  Managing Editor T PHILIP REED
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  JUSTIN DE WITT
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  e23 Manager T STEVEN MARSH
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  VICKY “MOLOKH” KOLENKO
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  website – see above.
  Rules and statistics in this book are specifically for the
  GURPS Basic Set, Fourth Edition. Page references that
  begin with B refer to that book, not this one.
  About GURPS
  
  As soon as man’s ancestors started hunting, they developed
  the first weapons: sticks and stones, modified to dispatch game
  more effectively. Later advances in materials and craftsmanship
  inevitably meant better weapons, while social changes turned
  these more and more against other human beings. Armor didn’t
  appear until the advent of organized warfare, however.
  CHAPTER ONE
  HISTORICAL
  EVOLUTION OF
  COMBAT GEAR
  HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF COMBAT GEAR
  4
  HUNTERS AND GATHERERS
  A hunter isn’t a hunter without weapons, which he needs to
  kill prey, defend against predators, and ward off trespassers on
  his hunting ground. The earliest weapons, used primarily for
  hunting, were rocks and sharp sticks. But stoneworking has
  been dated back more than 2.5 million years, suggesting that it
  didn’t take long for early humans to start experimenting with
  manufactured weapons – including stone axes and spears,
  throwing sticks, and bolas. The beginning of the Neolithic saw
  an explosion of weapons technologies. Even at this early stage,
  weapons can be separated into two categories: ranged and
  hand-to-hand.
  AXES (TL0)
  These originated when hand axes were lashed to shafts
  around 10,000 years ago. The earliest hand axes date to the
  Acheulean period, also known as the Lower Paleolithic era.
  These emerged first in Central Africa and later in Europe and
  Asia. Lashing a hand axe to a shaft increased its reach and let
  the wielder put more power into a swinging attack, making it
  far more effective against human opponents. For more detail
  on stone tools and their construction, see GURPS Low-Tech.
  SPEARS (TL0)
  Homo erectus first developed these thrusting weapons for
  hunting, to enable hunters to strike at targets beyond arm’s
  length. The earliest spears were simply shafts of very hard
  wood (yew, ash, etc.), 6’-8’ in length, sharpened to a point. The
  tips could be made more durable by hardening in fire. With the
  invention of suitable attachment techniques, knapped stone
  tips replaced fire-hardened ones. By the last Ice Age, a leaf-
  shaped head had been developed to maximize damage.
  THROWING STICKS (TL0)
  This hunting weapon is essentially an aerodynamic hard-
  wood club used to take down small game. A throwing stick is
  often multifunctional, serving as a light club, a fire stick, a dig-
  ging tool, and/or a musical percussion instrument.
  A boomerang is a lighter, curved variant that returns to the
  user if thrown correctly. While most commonly associated
  with Australian aborigines, many cultures have used it, includ-
  ing ancient Egypt. It can be used to flush animals from cover:
  a successful Thrown Weapon (Stick) roll brings the prey
  toward the hunter, eliminating the need to sneak closer.
  BOLAS (TL0)
  A throwing device made of weights on the ends of intercon-
  nected cords, designed to entangle an animal’s (or human’s!)
  legs. Most bolas have two or three weights, but some have up
  to eight. The thrower grasps the bolas either by one of the
  weights or at the nexus of the cords, swings it around to gener-
  ate momentum, and then releases it. For rules, see p. B410.
  And the staff of his spear was like a
  weaver’s beam; and his spear’s head
  weighed six hundred shekels of iron . . .
  – 1 Samuel 17:7
  
  War isn’t simply group violence – it requires direction by
  some form of authority, military organization, and a political
  or economic motive. Although there’s evidence of skirmishes
  between small groups of hunter-gatherers, the elements
  needed for organized warfare were absent. Institutionalized
  warfare arose only after humans began colonizing fixed settle-
  ments, cultivating and storing crops, and domesticating,
  breeding, and penning animals. It was a consequence of social
  issues such as inclusion, exclusion, and personal property.
  EARLY WARFARE
  As the wealth and size of permanent settlements
  increased, people began to specialize in certain occupations.
  The concurrent growth of organized violence ensured that
  one such profession was that of the warrior. He was part of a
  small, elite band that served as the core for raiding parties or
  homeland defense.
  Warfare occurred between settlements, but more com-
  monly between a settlement and nomadic pastoralists.
  Nomads traditionally viewed farmers with contempt as plant-
  eating slaves to their fields – just another resource to be
  exploited. Even without horses, the pastoralists had a major
  advantage: mobility. They could attack and flee at will, while
  their targets were tied to a fixed abode. Archaeological remains
  suggest that the weapons used during these early raids were
  mostly stone maces and baked clay sling bullets. Stone arrow-
  heads and spear tips are surprisingly rare at these battle sites.
  CLUBS AND MACES (TL0)
  Bludgeoning hand weapons had little use for hunting. The
  larger animals that humans hunted had thick skulls that were
  highly resistant to concussion attacks. Spears were far more
  effective against such beasts, while ranged weapons excelled
  for dispatching small game. The club – simply a length of wood
  that’s heavier at one end, with the other end fashioned into a
  hand grip – was likely the first weapon designed primarily for
  attacking humans, as our thinner skulls leave us far more sus-
  ceptible to head wounds.
  A mace is an advanced club. In its earliest form, it consisted
  of a wooden shaft inserted into a stone head. In the
  Chalcolithic period, copper came into use for mace heads.
  Maces and clubs were probably why the helmet was one of
  the first pieces of armor developed. For more on this, see
  Helmets in GURPS Low-Tech.
  MICROLITHIC EDGES (TL0)
  A microlith is a small piece of sharp stone. Microliths were
  embedded into grooves along the edges of wooden tools and
  weapons to provide cutting ability. Some of the earliest farm-
  ing implements utilized microliths, but copper blades soon
  replaced them in many cultures.
  Microliths can be used to construct much longer weapons
  than can be fashioned from solid stone or copper. The
  Aztec macuahuitl (and its shortsword-length variant, the
  macuahuilzoctli) was as long as later metal swords but made
  of wood, with microliths embedded along both edges. The
  Kiribati developed a similar weapon – the tebutje – which
  used sharks’ teeth rather than microliths. Microliths were
  glued into a wooden groove, while sharks’ teeth were tied on
  with hair or fiber. Both were susceptible to breakage in com-
  bat, as described in GURPS Low-Tech.
  SLINGS (TL0)
  Favored by animal herders, the sling was used to ward off
  predators and to encourage strays to return to the flock. It was
  small and portable (it could even be worn as a belt), and
  ammunition was readily available. The weapon consisted of a
  length of cord with a pouch in the middle for holding a projec-
  tile. It was swung once and then the missile loosed by releas-
  ing one end of the cord.
  Anyone who carried a sling would constantly be on the look-
  out for suitable pebbles for ammunition. The GM could reason-
  ably assume that a slinger has a handful of them ready in a small
  pouch. Against humans, such stones could be lethal at up to 20-
  30 yards. Manufactured shot – initially baked clay (TL0), and
  later lead (TL2) – significantly increased effective range.
  BLADES (TL0)
  With increased skill came the ability to fashion longer items
  from stone. Blades could be two or three times the length of a
  spear point, but they were brittle. Obsidian was especially
  prized for making stone weapons, and was a trade good for
  those fortunate enough to have large reserves, such as Çatal
  Hüyük in Anatolia.
  The earliest knives lacked handles; one edge was left dull to
  give the wielder a grip. Their primary use was as tools rather
  than as weapons, since they were suited only for cutting and
  had minimal reach. By the Mesolithic period, knives had
  wooden or bone handles, and both edges were sharpened.
  Equally suited for cutting and stabbing, and with greater
  reach, these were far more effective weapons. The first leather
  sheaths came into use during this era, to protect the blade’s
  edge and make it easier to carry.
  The Chalcolithic period (still TL0) saw the first use of cop-
  per for blades. Copper blades could be made longer than stone
  ones, but the metal’s inherent softness restricted them to short-
  sword length. Treat them as cheap quality.
  CIRCUMVALLATION
  Defensive walls around fixed settlements provide good evi-
  dence to archaeologists as to when organized warfare arrived
  in a particular region. Generally, this started around 5500 B.C.
  Violence seems to have accelerated rapidly after this point, and
  occurred more frequently between fixed settlements than
  between settlements and nomads, as was the case earlier.
  Agriculture spread out to cover more and more land. For those
  who couldn’t retreat, the only alternatives were submission or
  counter-aggression.
  HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF COMBAT GEAR
  5
  THE FIRST CIVILIZATIONS
  
  Safety in numbers encouraged people to consolidate into
  ever-larger settlements. Cities became crucibles of civilization,
  where religion thrived and huge temples and monuments were
  built. Societies developed until millions were controlled by a
  warrior elite ruled by a king. This process seems to have
  occurred first in ancient Sumer – a group of city-states
  between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which the Greeks
  called Mesopotamia (“the land between the rivers”), in what’s
  now Iraq. It introduced a style of warfare that saw recurrent
  use for millennia: Violence became the tool for maintaining the
  balance of power between city-states, and the resulting warfare
  was short and brutal, with limited objectives.
  MASSED COMBAT
  The Sumerian Tablets of Shuruppak (2600 B.C.) indicate
  that even at this early date, Sumer’s city-states provided for the
  maintenance of up to 700 full-time soldiers. A century later, the
  Stele of the Vultures was carved to celebrate the victory of King
  Eannatum of Lagash over Enakalle of Umma. It portrays
  Eannatum, armed with a socket axe, riding a chariot drawn by
  four onagers (wild asses). The king leads a massed formation
  of helmeted infantry, equipped with spears and shields. Here
  we see the ancient world’s phalanx, fully realized many cen-
  turies before the classical societies adopted its use.
  The phalanx was a primitive formation that minimized the
  limitations of poorly trained conscripts while offering good pro-
  tection, so long as the troops maintained the shield-wall.
  GURPS Martial Arts uses the Greek term hoplomachia to
  describe this style of fighting (that book’s spear-fighting styles
  are also relevant). Battle was over quickly, and casualties could
  be high for the loser. The Stele of the Vultures records over 3,000
  Ummaite casualties in the engagement it commemorates.
  Around 2300 B.C., a military campaign by Sargon the Great
  united all of Sumer and provided the world with its first military
  dictatorship. One account records that Sargon’s core military
  force numbered 5,400 men. Sumer became one of the most
  advanced of the early Bronze Age civilizations, both culturally
  and militarily. Defenses consisted mainly of copper or bronze
  helmets and large shields; some historians argue that metal hel-
  mets proved so effective that they drove the mace from the
  Bronze Age battlefield! The most common weapon was the
  bronze-tipped spear, but other warriors would have carried a
  bronze socket axe or a sword such as the khopesh. Chariots of
  the time were slow and awkward, being pulled by onagers rather
  than horses, and had little tactical value on the battlefield; treat
  them as wagons for transportation, rather than as military vehi-
  cles (see Carts and Wagons, p. 33).
  THE BOW
  The bow is one of the most effective tools of war ever devised,
  remaining in use from its invention in the Stone Age until well
  into the gunpowder era. Its light weight made it reasonably
  portable; its dual-purpose use for both hunting and warfare,
  without exposing the wielder to immediate danger, led many
  cultures to value it highly. A man could carry 10 times as
  many arrows as throwing spears, greatly increasing his vol-
  ume of fire. Each arrow also had far greater range, although
  it lacked the spears’ penetrating power.
  The Longbow
  Bows made from a single wooden staff were known as
  self bows. The disadvantage of such a bow was that in order
  to shoot war arrows any great distance, it had to be long and
  heavy, requiring upper body strength and years of practice to
  master. The sling was a far more effective ranged weapon for
  those unable to wield a heavy self bow.
  Nearly all self bows designed for battle were longbows – a
  term coined in medieval documents to distinguish them
  from crossbows, not from shorter self bows. The yew long-
  bow is mistakenly believed to be a medieval English or
  Welsh invention, but it has seen continuous use in Europe
  since the Mesolithic period. Yew is an especially useful timber
  for bow-making because the heartwood is resistant to compres-
  sion while the sapwood is resistant to tension.
  The Composite Bow
  When suitable timber was unavailable, alternative materials
  were substituted to create a laminated construction. Such a
  composite bow was made by layering, for instance, animal
  horn and sinew. Horn bore compressive loads better than
  wood, while sinew was far more resilient, with a much higher
  tensile strength. In some designs, these materials were glued to
  a wooden core; in others, no wood was used at all. The result-
  ing hornbow was far more efficient than a self bow, making
  possible shorter weapons with similar power – ideal for
  mounted archery. These were considerably more difficult and
  time-consuming to construct, however.
  THE RISE OF
  THE CHARIOT (TL1)
  On the Bronze Age battlefield of the 20th century B.C.,
  massed infantry began to replace their spears with bows.
  Archers rose in importance, with spearmen acting as shield-
  bearers to protect them. However, the bulk of the fighting was
  carried out by the infantry elite, who were more heavily
  armored in leather and bronze scale, with smaller, more
  mobile shields. Their weapons would have included spears,
  bows, and shortswords.
  HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF COMBAT GEAR
  6
  
  The domestication of the horse brought with it a new char-
  iot, which seems to have been developed in the Middle East in
  the 18th century B.C. and introduced to the Near East a cen-
  tury later. This was more agile than previous war wagons,
  being first and foremost an archery platform. It was designed
  to be as light as possible to maximize speed and maneuverabil-
  ity. It had two spoked wheels, and its rattan platform was
  placed directly over the axle to reduce the load on the horses.
  The two-horse chariot, called a biga, was most common;
  there was also the three-horse triga and four-horse quadriga. It’s
  likely that both driver and archer were heavily armored –
  mainly in scale, but the Mycenaeans were experimenting with
  plate (the earliest suit of plate armor, the Dendra panoply, dates
  to 1400 B.C.) – and the horses covered in some degree of bard-
  ing (see GURPS Low-Tech). The Hittites developed a slightly
  heavier three-man version that included a shield-bearing
  spearman. The longbow or composite bow was the weapon of
  choice; shortswords and spears were carried as backup
  weapons. The chariot archer revolutionized warfare to such an
  extent that he dominated the battlefield in all of the great civi-
  lizations – including the Egyptians, Hittites, Canaanites,
  Mycenaean Greeks, Aryan Indians, and Shang Chinese – until
  the end of the Bronze Age.
  The massed infantry of the previous millennium, so promi-
  nent on the Stele of the Vultures, seems to have been reduced
  to little more than a screen for the chariots to retreat behind to
  regroup when the situation demanded. In open battle, foot
  troops took little direct role in the fighting, which was domi-
  nated by the chariots. Casualties were much reduced com-
  pared to the pitched battles of preceding centuries. For
  example, at the Battle of Megiddo (1457 B.C.), Egyptian
  records note that they captured 2,041 horses and 924 chariots,
  but killed only 83 men.
  However, infantry was still used to hold ground, to besiege
  or assault fortified settlements, and to engage the enemy on
  terrain unsuitable for chariots. As well, a small corps of well-
  trained infantry – called “chariot runners” – operated in sup-
  port of the charioteers, and archers in the infantry cordon
  would have fired upon any enemy troops in range. The
  Assyrians used this tactic to great effect; the basic unit in the
  Assyrian army involved an “archer pair” consisting of an
  archer protected by a spearman wielding a large shield.
  HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF COMBAT GEAR
  7
  THE ANCIENT WORLD
  The collapse of the great Bronze Age civilizations was fol-
  lowed by the emergence of Iron Age cultures. Weapons and
  tactics became more varied, and military engagements grew
  more complex.
  THE IRON AGE (TL2)
  Contrary to popular belief, iron wasn’t superior to bronze as
  a material for weapons and armor. Iron’s great advantage was
  its availability. Bronze was far more difficult to obtain, so
  metal weapons and armor were largely reserved for the elite.
  The introduction of iron meant that many more troops could
  be well-armed and -protected. The Assyrians were the first to
  clad their rank and file in iron scale armor and helmets, while
  swords became common sidearms. Countless iron spearheads
  and arrowheads were produced for armies that were tens of
  thousands strong.
  DECLINE OF THE
  CHARIOT ARCHER
  By the end of the Bronze Age, the chariot archer was no
  longer preeminent on the battlefield. The Sumerian-style pha-
  lanx returned, and massed infantry largely decided a battle’s
  outcome, with the chariot relegated to a supporting role.
  Casualties were much higher. During an Egyptian battle with
  Libya in 1208 B.C., records indicate that over 8,500 of the
  enemy were killed. Compare this to the chariot-dominated bat-
  tle at Megiddo two centuries earlier, with its scant 83 enemy
  deaths! Even the elite abandoned their chariots – Rameses III
  was the first Pharaoh to be depicted, not in a chariot, but afoot,
  swinging his sword at the enemy.
  Archery, too, declined, in favor of the thrown javelin – pos-
  sibly due to the increased prevalence of heavy body armor. In
  the past, only the elite had body armor. In the Iron Age, more
  of the rank and file wore it. Since arrows were far less likely
  than javelins to punch through armor, the chariot archer was
  less effective.
  Thus, chariots came to be used differently. Warriors might
  throw their javelins while onboard, or dismount and fight on
  foot. The driver would keep the chariot nearby for a quick
  retreat. These tactics are described in Homer’s Iliad, which
  recounts part of the famous Trojan War; to emulate them in
  GURPS, see Heroic Spear Fighting in GURPS Martial Arts.
  Similar changes occurred in all the great chariot civilizations.
  As far away as China, the Warring States period saw a shift
  from rulers relying on a personally loyal chariot elite to
  depending more on the masses.
  HORSE ARCHERS (TL2)
  Small Bronze Age horses were ridden in battle solely by
  scouts and messengers; they only took a direct role in the fight-
  ing when pulling chariots. Over the centuries, though, breeding
  yielded larger horses that made more effective cavalry mounts.
  Thus, chariot archers didn’t abandon the battlefield – they sim-
  ply moved to horseback. Ninth-century Assyrian reliefs depict
  an apparent transition from chariot archers to horse archers,
  showing warriors operating in pairs, riding two horses, with
  one man controlling both animals while the other shot his bow.
  You talk of food? I have no taste for
  food – what I really crave is slaughter and
  blood and the choking groans of men!
  – Homer, The Iliad
  
  Mounted combat has two main advantages over the chariot.
  First, it eliminates the chariot’s expense. Second, the horses are
  no longer encumbered with a chariot, allowing them to move
  faster and over a wider variety of terrain. The major disadvan-
  tage of the transitional Assyrian unit was that it still required
  two horses and two men to function. The development of inde-
  pendent horse archers redressed this problem. Removing the
  need for a “driver” meant that each horse carried a bowman,
  doubling the available firepower!
  See pp. B396-398 for rules for mounted combat.
  THE HEAVY CHARIOT (TL2)
  In the Aegean and the Near East, the chariot first evolved
  from an archery platform to the javelin platform and “battle
  taxi” described by Homer, and then was phased out entirely.
  Further east, however, it evolved into a heavier vehicle for
  shock tactics. The Assyrians used the chariot to disrupt the
  enemy phalanx by charging from as many directions as possi-
  ble to cause confusion and fear. Once engaged, the crews dis-
  mounted and fought as infantry. The Persians further refined
  this tactic by increasing the chariot’s weight and adding
  scythes to the wheels to maximize shock and carnage. The
  charioteers no longer dismounted to fight but remained on
  board while the chariot was driven into the enemy’s midst,
  causing as much havoc as possible.
  DECLINE OF THE CHARIOT
  The heavy chariot continued in use until the time of
  Alexander the Great. By then, heavy cavalry was emerging in
  regions such as Persia and Thessaly, and its principal role was
  shock tactics – effectively usurping the chariot’s last remaining
  tactical role. Cavalry was also cheaper to maintain than chari-
  otry, and far more versatile, as it could operate in a much wider
  variety of terrain. Just as the horse archer’s appearance had
  rendered the chariot archer obsolete, the development of heavy
  cavalry superseded the heavy chariot.
  While the chariot no longer had a place on the battlefield as
  a tactical unit, it didn’t vanish overnight. It appeared on vari-
  ous Hellenic battlefields – largely unsuccessfully – for another
  century or so. Only in a few Celtic regions did it hold on, until
  it disappeared from the battlefield for good around Julius
  Caesar’s time (first century B.C.). One bit of color in this period
  was described by Caesar himself: chariot warriors in the
  British Isles would show off by running out on the pole of a
  fast-moving chariot to strike at foes! For this, use the following
  new technique.
  Running the Pole
  Hard
  Default: Acrobatics-2.
  Prerequisite: Acrobatics; cannot exceed Acrobatics.
  Roll against Running the Pole each turn to avoid falling!
  Attacks and defenses suffer the usual penalties for bad footing.
  The default of -2 assumes smooth, level ground. On rough or
  uneven ground, apply another -2 that can’t be bought off. The
  Chariot Training perk in GURPS Low-Tech halves this extra -2
  and eliminates bad footing penalties.
  HEAVY CAVALRY (TL2)
  The Parthians developed heavy cavalry to its ultimate con-
  clusion. The cataphract consisted of man and horse completely
  covered in mail or scale armor, charging the enemy with a
  lance so large that the Greeks named it a kontos (“barge pole”).
  The kontos was gripped in one hand and steadied with the
  other, which also held the reins.
  The additional weight of all that armor required larger
  horses. The Parthians solved the problem by taking over the
  Persian Nesaean stud. This was the largest breed known at the
  time, standing up to 16 hands tall (a typical Iron Age warhorse
  was only 13-14 hands high). It was well-built, with heavy chest,
  barrel, and haunches. Selective breeding meant that it still
  retained a degree of speed and agility, while careful diet and
  training improved endurance. Maintaining heavy cavalry
  called for a great deal of wealth and land, so the nobility was
  reorganized to be responsible for these units – a trend that
  many cultures would follow for nearly 2,000 years.
  COMBAT SADDLES (TL2)
  Once warriors started to ride horses in battle, they found
  that they needed a more secure seat. Early saddles weren’t built
  up at the front and back, and the stirrup hadn’t yet been
  invented, so it was difficult to remain seated in combat. The
  Sarmatians solved this problem by placing four “horns” on the
  saddle – one in each corner – which locked the rider’s thighs in
  place, enabling him to direct more energy into attacking with
  spear and sword. It even provided lateral stability, an achieve-
  ment often misattributed to the later stirrup. The Celts and
  Romans were among those who adopted the horned design.
  Later combat saddles (TL3) had a deep seat with high cantles,
  making a lance charge more effective and providing protection
  for the rider’s groin and abdomen (DR 3).
  For statistics, see Riding Gear in GURPS Low Tech.
  ENGINES (TL2)
  In 399 B.C., armorers working for the ruler of Syracuse
  devised ranged weapons more powerful than any bow a man
  could draw and shoot by hand (see The Workshops of Dionysius
  in GURPS Low-Tech Companion 1). These were cocked by
  intense physical effort, or by mechanical devices, and remained
  cocked until the user released them with a mechanical trigger.
  The first such weapon, the gastraphetes, could be pushed
  into the drawn position by the weight of the user’s body.
  Later designs grew steadily more powerful, until the really
  large ones could hurl stones weighing nearly 200 lbs.
  HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF COMBAT GEAR
  8
  Bring me my bow of burning gold!
  Bring me my arrows of desire!
  Bring me my spear! O clouds,
  unfold!
  Bring me my chariot of fire!
  — William Blake, “Jerusalem”
  
  Known generically as catapults, such engines came in many
  sizes with numerous uses – on city walls, on siege towers, on
  warships, as field weapons for the Roman legions, and even as
  armaments for individual soldiers. A parallel evolution
  occurred in China, which became an influence on Muslim and
  European designs at TL3, culminating in huge trebuchets that
  could knock down castle walls. Mechanical artillery of this type
  served as both a source and a display of the power of rulers
  until gunpowder artillery replaced it (see Gunpowder, p. 11).
  WARSHIPS (TL2)
  Traditionally, naval warfare was just an extension of land-
  based combat. When the ships were in range, men would fire
  arrows and throw spears at each other. Once they closed,
  troops boarded and fought hand to hand.
  It’s unclear who first invented the prow ram, but it revolu-
  tionized naval warfare from the eighth century B.C., turning
  the ship into a projectile whose target was the enemy’s hull.
  In China, the first naval battles took place during the Warring
  States period (fifth to third centuries B.C.), and involved simi-
  lar tactics. To power the ram more effectively, navies increased
  the number of rowers per warship – first by adding decks with
  extra rows of oars, and then by having more than one man per
  oar. Ships grew in size to house large war engines and hun-
  dreds of marines.
  For more on this topic, see Naval Combat (pp. 34-36).
  HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF COMBAT GEAR
  9
  THE MIDDLE AGES
  The collapse of the major Iron Age civilizations and the
  emergence of feudalism in Europe brought new motives and
  means for fighting wars.
  FEUDAL WARFARE (TL3)
  The essence of feudalism is granting land in return for mil-
  itary service. This occurred in many cultures across Europe,
  Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Initially, it seemed to show
  up whenever there was no powerful central authority. Later, it
  became a tool for a strong individual to dominate his peers.
  In theory, the ruler owned all of the land and parceled out
  large portions to the warrior elite in the form of fiefs. These
  “tenants-in-chief” in turn leased out smaller portions to lesser
  lords, or knights. Knights kept a certain amount for personal
  use and leased out the rest to farmers, who grew food and were
  obligated to give over a portion of it to their lords in return for
  military protection. The great lords were required to supply a
  certain number of knights to the ruler when he demanded it,
  and the knights were expected to turn up with a certain num-
  ber of infantry (spearmen and archers).
  Just as in ancient Sumer (see The First Civilizations, pp. 5-7),
  warfare was used as a tool to maintain the political balance of
  power between various fief holders. It also enabled them to work
  together against external threats. Each landowner held his land
  by force of arms; he struggled to increase his holding at the
  expense of his neighbors, while they did the same.
  Feudalism was, in theory, a good means of maintaining a
  large fighting force to serve the ruler at little cost to him. In
  practice, his power depended on the support of his immediate
  vassals. If a particular lord chose to rise up against the king,
  then all those who swore fealty to that lord would fight along-
  side him. Often, a handful of wealthy landholders could wield
  more power and influence than the ruler. If a few powerful
  lords chose to band together, the king stood a good chance of
  being overthrown!
  THE KNIGHT
  Western warfare during the Middle Ages revolved around
  the mounted knight, armed with lance, sword, axe, mace,
  and shield, and covered from head to toe in mail armor.
  The ancient Greek engineer Ctesibius experimented
  with compressed air for energy storage in artillery. Draw-
  ing on his experience constructing organs, he devised
  bronze cylinders with tightly fitted pistons that could be
  driven into them and held in place. When released, they
  recoiled violently under the pressure of the compressed air,
  which became extremely hot. Ctesibius built an experi-
  mental model, but it never came into actual use. Several
  different problems might have accounted for this:
  • Bronze may have cost too much compared to sinew.
  • The precision workmanship to make airtight cylin-
  ders could have been too expensive.
  • The cylinders might not have been airtight, causing
  their pressure to leak away.
  • Producing perfectly symmetrical cylinders may have
  been too difficult, and uneven forces in the two arms might
  have spoiled the engine’s aim.
  If the GM seeks a technological starting point for an
  alternate history – or if adventurers want to invent some-
  thing spectacular – it could be fun to explore ways of solv-
  ing these problems! And perhaps other technologies
  might have taken off from Ctesibius’ work. What if some
  ingenious Greek artificer had developed the air gun three
  TLs early?
  What If: Pneumatic Artillery
  
  His chief role was to break through the enemy infantry line.
  The cavalry did most of the fighting; the infantry seems to
  have done little apart from holding ground and forming a
  screen from behind which the cavalry could sally forth and to
  which they could retreat to regroup. The knight lived off the
  peasants’ labor – he had little incentive to make useful foot
  soldiers out of them!
  Tactics involved charging in orderly serried ranks, hitting
  the front lines with lances, and either wheeling off if the enemy
  line held or pressing through if the enemy faltered. Archers
  were used to help break up the line, and flank attacks were pre-
  ferred to a frontal assault – but first you had to deal with the
  opposing knights, who were trying to do the same thing to your
  troops. This style of warfare was seen in both Europe and the
  Middle East, although Islamic warriors emphasized the bow
  more. The Mamluks were considered the epitome of the
  Islamic mounted warrior, and were trained in the martial art of
  furusiyya. See GURPS Martial Arts for this and other styles of
  knightly mounted combat.
  Whenever there was a deficiency of cavalry, attempts were
  made to use infantry to redress the imbalance. One example
  was the Anglo-Saxon nobility, who fought on foot with spears
  and long axes. Their effectiveness was evident at the battle of
  Hastings (1066), when they resisted successive Norman cav-
  alry charges for the best part of a day before finally being
  overwhelmed. In time, new tactics would see infantry once
  again emerge as the dominant force (see Resurgence of
  Infantry, below).
  PLATE ARMOR
  Starting in the late 13th century (TL3), warriors strapped
  pieces of plate over mail to improve protection. Mail was
  especially susceptible to blunt trauma, and the most vulner-
  able spots were the exposed shoulders, knees, elbows, and
  shins. These were the first areas covered with plates.
  Torso armor initially took the form of a coat of plates (treat
  as segmented plate), but by the 15th century (TL4), solid
  breastplates were being produced, followed by fully articu-
  lated suits that rendered the wearer practically invulnerable
  to all but the heaviest of blows. At this point, mail was no
  longer worn under plate; it was used only to cover exposed
  gaps, such as the armpit, groin, and inside elbow. Knights dis-
  carded the shield, and a different style of fighting evolved,
  emphasizing two-handed weapons, grappling, and thrusting.
  For more on knightly armor, see GURPS Low-Tech. For
  fighting styles built around it, see Longsword Fighting and
  Pollaxe Fighting in GURPS Martial Arts.
  HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF COMBAT GEAR
  10
  THE RENAISSANCE
  As feudalism gave way to the nation-state, warfare evolved
  to match. Power became concentrated in the hands of rulers
  who personally controlled large armies. Often-costly techno-
  logical innovation fell within the financial grasp of these lead-
  ers, who outfitted their troops accordingly.
  RESURGENCE OF INFANTRY
  Feudalism declined for two main reasons. The first was the
  replacement of feudal obligations with monetary compensa-
  tion. A town could be released from its feudal responsibilities
  for a certain number of years by paying a fee. A lord could pay
  scutage (“shield money”) to his liege instead of sending men.
  The ruler could then use this money to hire professional sol-
  diers, who tended to be more experienced, more disciplined,
  and better equipped than feudal levies.
  The second blow to feudalism was the resurgence of infantry
  tactics. Disciplined units of English longbowmen, Genoese
  crossbowmen, Swiss halberdiers, Flemish pikemen, etc. meant
  that the mounted knight could no longer guarantee success on
  the battlefield. His horse was particularly vulnerable to these
  new tactics, forcing him to dismount and fight alongside his
  social inferiors. Once again, infantry dominated the battlefield
  while cavalry played a supporting role.
  MUNITIONS PLATE
  Although plate armor had seen use in the past, it had been
  reserved for the elite. Two technological developments – the blast
  furnace and the water-powered hammer mill – enabled its pro-
  duction in much greater quantities, more quickly, and at lower
  cost. After the Black Death increased the price of labor, plate
  actually cost less to produce than mail, which was highly labor-
  intensive! Armies began to issue plate armor to the masses. It
  was neither as protective nor as comfortable as the properly fit-
  ted, custom-tailored harnesses of the wealthy, but it provided
  good protection at a bargain price.
  For rules for munitions armor, see Armor of Quality in
  GURPS Low-Tech.
  The Stirrup (TL3)
  It’s a common misconception that the stirrup led
  directly to the development of shock tactics and heavy cav-
  alry, but the war saddle (see Combat Saddles, p. 8) was far
  more important there. Steppe nomads developed the stir-
  rup for reasons that had nothing to do with lance charges:
  to improve horse archery by enabling the rider to stand in
  the saddle. His knees absorbed the horse’s motion, giving
  him a stable platform from which to shoot, increasing
  accuracy. In time, the stirrup was dispersed to other horse-
  riding cultures and became another riding accessory.
  Stirrups let a mounted archer Aim while riding (see
  p. B397); the maximum bonus is Acc+1. Stirrups also make
  it easier to mount a horse, and provide lateral stability, but
  don’t in themselves improve the power of a lance charge –
  although they do help keep the rider firmly in the saddle.
  For rules, see Riding Gear in GURPS Low-Tech.
  
  GUNPOWDER
  The development of gunpowder dramatically
  changed the dynamics of warfare. In the 15th
  century, its most notable early success was in
  siege cannon. These weapons forced traditional
  castle designs to evolve, rendering tall walls and
  towers obsolete (see Star Fort, p. 30). Over the
  next century, smaller guns were developed for
  individual soldiers to carry into battle.
  The Ottoman Empire led the world in
  firearms design. One of the first conflicts to see
  widespread matchlock deployment was Yavuz
  Sultan Selim’s campaign against the Persians in
  1514. Three years later, Turkish janissaries
  destroyed the Egyptian army at Ridaniya.
  As the 16th century progressed, firearms use
  spread across India, the Middle East, and
  Europe. Matchlock arquebuses underwent
  gradual improvement, becoming the flintlock
  musket by the middle of the 17th century. By
  then, the Europeans had overtaken the Turks as
  leaders in firearms innovation.
  Concentrated musket fire reduced the effec-
  tiveness of the heavy cavalry charge, as by now
  it was powerful enough to penetrate all but the
  heaviest plate armor (see Armor of Proof in
  GURPS Low-Tech). At longer ranges, heavy cavalry could be
  undone by musket-wielding peasantry. But once at close range,
  cavalry could devastate a formation of musketeers, so
  polearms were still used to keep horsemen at bay. For many
  decades, infantry formations included a mix of musketeers and
  pikemen. Over time, the ratio of muskets to pikes increased
  until the bayonet was developed, combining the two weapons.
  THE MODERN ARMY
  Feudalism’s death put far more power into the hands of the
  central authority; the ruler had direct control over standing
  armies. This reorganization was arguably the birth of the mod-
  ern state. The numbers of troops involved in conflicts
  increased dramatically. The percentage of casualties also grew
  – due largely to poor logistics and the greater lethality of
  firearms. More taxes were necessary to pay for these armies,
  which, combined with higher mortality rates and growing
  bureaucracy, triggered more frequent revolts.
  The infantry was armed with muskets fitted with bayonets.
  Loose shot and black powder dispensers were replaced by
  mass-produced cartridges, which consisted of a musket ball
  and a measured powder charge wrapped in a paper tube. Men
  were drilled ceaselessly until they could fire and reload without
  thinking. They learned to move in precise formations and to
  follow orders without question.
  Battle formations initially involved many ranks of men but,
  over time, the trend was toward less depth and more frontage.
  By late TL4, British formations utilized three ranks; the first
  would kneel, enabling all three to fire at once. Tactics often
  involved a slow advance with regular halts to fire and reload.
  Cavalry would exploit any deficiencies in the enemy formation.
  If both forces met intact, the result was hand-to-hand combat
  with bayonets.
  Some cavalry evolved into dragoons, armed with pistols and
  carbines; while they still carried swords, frontal assaults
  against intact infantry lines rarely proved decisive any more.
  Cavalry would often dismount to fight, but they were also used
  for scouting and skirmishing. A classic mounted tactic was the
  caracole: riding into range, wheeling to the side and firing, and
  then withdrawing to reload (a variant involved riding into
  range, firing one pistol, and turning to fire a second pistol
  before withdrawing). Light cavalry used this maneuver to
  soften up an infantry formation before a heavy cavalry charge.
  Body armor had been phased out of most armies by the end
  of the 17th century.
  NAVAL WARFARE
  The spread of various empires around the world depended
  on the development of the carrack and later the caravel, which
  were capable of navigating the open sea, and large enough to
  house cannon. A navy was needed to open new trade routes
  and protect existing ones. New broadside tactics were devel-
  oped to enable these ships to use their cannon more effectively.
  It was difficult to hole a ship below the waterline with cannon
  fire – shots that hit the water would ricochet – so relatively few
  vessels were sunk. Ships were more often disabled by targeting
  the crew and rigging. This was followed by a boarding action
  fought with swords and pistols.
  See Naval Combat (pp. 34-36) for more on this subject.
  HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF COMBAT GEAR
  11
  Firearms and Economics
  Matchlock firearms were standard military weapons through most
  of the 17th century, long after wheellocks and flintlocks were invented.
  So why didn’t armies immediately adopt better weapons? Simple mili-
  tary conservatism played a part, but the main reason was that the new
  weapons were more expensive. Kings and generals preferred a large
  army with matchlocks to a small one with flintlocks. Still, armies did
  invest in more advanced weapons when they really needed them.
  Long arms were awkward for mounted men – cavalrymen needed pis-
  tols. But matchlock pistols were also inconvenient on horseback. Thus, the
  cavalry got wheellocks by the end of the 16th century.
  Artillery forces worked with large amounts of powder. Burning
  slow matches risked setting it off! Soldiers guarding artillery were
  therefore issued the fusil – a flintlock long arm – in the late 17th cen-
  tury, long before ordinary infantrymen got it.
  Rifles were more accurate than muskets, but took longer to reload. In
  mass combat, firing 50% more shots in the same time improved combat
  effectiveness more than did superior aim. Hunters, however, often
  worked alone, pursuing wary game; making the first shot count, and tak-
  ing it from farther away, improved their chances of a kill. So hunters
  adopted rifles long before soldiers did – and early military sharpshooters
  were often called “hunters” (chasseurs in French or Jäger in German).
  A man may build himself a throne
  of bayonets, but he cannot sit on it.
  – William Ralph Inge
  
  The history of low-tech warriors’ gear isn’t for the impa-
  tient. While punctuated occasionally by brilliance or disaster,
  incremental development was the norm, each “new” pattern an
  outgrowth of countless predecessors. Workaday considera-
  tions – notably durability – frequently overshadowed combat
  effectiveness as the gauge of failure or success. Thus, a GURPS
  campaign could be detailed, noting every dent and minute vari-
  ation . . . laissez-faire, permitting the big, small, anachronistic,
  and ridiculous . . . or both! Doing this right demands many
  optional rules.
  WEAPONS AND ARMOR
  12
  WEAPON DESIGN
  Warriors aren’t always satisfied with a basic selection of
  weapons. They may want to lengthen or shorten handles,
  add barbs and hooks, or tack on elements of other weapons.
  Even the most exhaustive weapon table is bound to miss
  some variations!
  REALISTIC WEAPONS
  It’s rarely necessary to design a realistic weapon from
  scratch. Most weapons, even “exotic” ones, are simply modifica-
  tions of basic patterns: swords, axes, polearms, etc. Generally, an
  exotic weapon is just a “normal” weapon type with a different
  name. For example, a bisento is a Japanese halberd, with stan-
  dard halberd stats, while most swords amount to some form of
  shortsword, broadsword, or greatsword. A few weapons are dif-
  ferent enough to require special treatment, though – typically
  because they’ve been repurposed or customized.
  Repurposing Weapons
  Weapons may be wholly redesigned rather than simply
  altered after the fact. The modifications below are so sweeping
  that, in general, they have to be done when the weapon is
  made. Unless otherwise specified, these options aren’t available
  as “after-market” tweaks to existing weapons. To get them, buy
  a new weapon!
  Falchion
  This modification redesigns a sword or a knife into a heav-
  ier variant used primarily for cutting and chopping. The option
  is named for the shortsword version. Starting with a non-fal-
  chion blade of a given type, apply +1 to swing damage but -1 to
  thrust damage. Falchions of broadsword size or higher are
  unbalanced; add a U to their Parry stat. CF is +0.25. Weight is
  +50%. Find the weapon’s new ST stat from its final weight (see
  Determining Weapon ST, pp. 15-16). Applicability: Knives; swords.
  CHAPTER TWO
  WEAPONS
  AND ARMOR
  Some weapons were devised specifically to penetrate
  heavy armor. The ability to pierce armor is a combination
  of design and construction – a compact penetrating tip,
  lacking edges, to focus the blow, and hardened steel to
  avoid shattering or bending on impact. Only steel can
  achieve this goal, making it a TL3 invention.
  The following optional modifier makes it possible to
  forge and shape weapons as armor-piercers. If using it,
  don’t use the estoc listed in GURPS Low-Tech. Instead,
  the term “estoc” describes any thrusting broadsword with
  this option.
  Armor-Piercer: The weapon is optimized for penetrating
  armor. Its impaling attack gets -1 to basic damage but gains
  an armor divisor of (2). If it has multiple impaling attack
  modes, some or all of the heads may be so designed.
  Decide this when the weapon is forged; it doesn’t affect
  cost. For swords and knives with this modification, change
  any cutting attack to crushing; other weapons are unaf-
  fected. CF is +3 for arrows, swords, knives, and other
  blades; +9 for all other weapons. No other stats change.
  Applicability: Melee or thrown weapons, or missiles, capa-
  ble of impaling damage.
  Armor-Piercing Weapons
  
  Long Handle
  Any hafted or pole weapon can have a longer han-
  dle. This is most common on spears for massed bat-
  tlefield use – simply use the stats for a long spear or
  a pike, as length dictates.
  For longer polearms, an additional yard of
  length gives +1 to swing damage and +1 to Reach,
  but adds a turn of ready time after an attack. CF is
  +0.33. Weight is +33%. Base ST on the weapon’s
  new weight (see Determining Weapon ST, pp. 15-16).
  Applicability: Polearms.
  For longer axes and maces, an additional yard of
  length gives +1 to swing damage and +1 to Reach. A
  weapon that isn’t already unbalanced gets a U on its
  Parry stat. CF is +0.5. Weight is +50%. Find ST from
  the new weight. Applicability: Axes; maces; picks.
  A long handle can be retrofitted to existing
  weapon.
  Short Handle
  The three-yard polearms in the GURPS Basic Set
  are for formation fighting; such lengths are neces-
  sary to strike at a foe held at bay by pikes. Shorter
  versions are better-suited to self-defense. A historical
  example occurred during the Hundred Years War,
  when English longbowmen forced French knights
  to dismount and advance on foot. They shortened
  their lances so that they could fight as infantry.
  Short polearms get -1 to swing damage and -1 to
  Reach (minimum Reach 1). Subtract a flat $20 from
  base cost and 2 lbs. from base weight. Find ST from
  the weapon’s new weight (see Determining Weapon
  ST, pp. 15-16). They no longer become unready after
  a swing, and can parry on the same turn as a thrust
  (no U on Parry in that case). They still require two
  hands, and call for a Ready to adjust Reach.
  Applicability: Polearms with Reach 3+.
  A short handle can be retrofitted to existing weapon.
  Dueling polearms are already shortened in this fashion and
  can’t be shortened further!
  Throwable
  Melee weapons may be innately dual-purpose, and also bal-
  anced for throwing (e.g., javelin or mace); single-purpose (e.g.,
  axe), but with a dual-purpose variant (in this case, the throw-
  ing axe); or exclusively single-purpose, with no throwable vari-
  ant (e.g., swords and polearms).
  A normally dual-purpose weapon can be balanced only for
  throwing. Subtract a flat $10 from base cost. It may lack a real
  handle and possibly any useful grip, like a cruciform throwing
  axe or a dedicated throwing knife. In melee, this gives -2 to
  skill. Applicability: Axes; knives.
  A single-purpose melee weapon that’s sometimes balanced
  for throwing can be had in its dual-purpose variant for an extra
  $10 to base cost; e.g., an axe costs $50, while a throwing axe is
  $60. Most such weapons already appear on weapon tables. Use
  this modifier for melee weapons that you know can be thrown
  but can’t find listed as such. Applicability: Axes; knives; sticks.
  In a fantasy or cinematic campaign, the GM may allow
  dual-purpose variants of melee weapons that are never bal-
  anced for throwing in reality! CF is +1 for swords, +9 for any-
  thing else. Applicability: Any weapon.
  In the latter two cases, long weapons (other than spears)
  are difficult to balance for throwing. Anything with Reach 2+
  suffers a penalty equal to (1 - maximum Reach) to ranged
  attacks, despite being modified for throwing; e.g., a
  greatsword (Reach 2) made throwable gives 1 - 2 = -1. The
  long handle modification gives an extra -1. For range, see
  Throwing the Unthrowable (p. 17). Making the weapon throw-
  able reduces the -4 to hit given there to the above penalties,
  but doesn’t improve range.
  Customizing Weapons
  Ingenious armorers have devised numerous small varia-
  tions on hand-weapon designs. Polearms, especially, exist in
  almost unlimited variety! Some modifications are purely orna-
  mental, and don’t affect performance; their cost, if any, is up to
  the GM. The options below, however, do have combat effects.
  Where they alter weight, remember to consult Determining
  Weapon ST (pp. 15-16).
  Axe Head
  A swung, hafted weapon can have an axe head behind its
  striking head. This inflicts cutting damage. On a swung impal-
  ing weapon (e.g., pick), this is at +1 relative to its impaling
  attack. On a swung crushing weapon, this is at -1 with respect
  to its crushing attack. On an axe, simply use the listed damage
  for either head! An axe with two heads is “double-bitted.”
  WEAPONS AND ARMOR
  13
  Training Weapons
  Training weapons are blunted, less-rigid, padded, and/or made
  of softer materials. All modifications below are relative to a good-
  quality weapon.
  Blunt: A cutting or cut-and-thrust weapon that isn’t sharp-
  ened, but could be. Damage type becomes crushing. No other
  stats change.
  Flexible: A thrusting-only weapon made whippy, with a button
  tip. Treat as a blunt that gets -2 to crushing damage. No other
  stats change.
  Heavy Blunt: An overweight weapon – blunt and unable to
  take an edge, if bladed – designed to develop the muscles used to
  control it. Damage becomes crushing, at +1 for swings but -1 for
  thrusts. Base cost is 20% usual. Weight is +100%. Calculate its ST
  statistic from its new weight (see Determining Weapon ST, pp. 15-
  16). No other stats change.
  Padded: A wooden weapon wrapped with cloth or other
  padding. Damage becomes crushing, at -2 for thrusts and -4 for
  swings. Base cost is 5% usual. No other stats change.
  Ultra-Light: A light, flexible nonmetallic weapon for competi-
  tion – usually aimed at an armored target to allow full-powered
  hits without injury. Damage becomes crushing, with an armor
  divisor of (0.5). Base cost is 5% usual. Weight is -40%. Calculate
  its ST statistic from its new weight (see Determining Weapon ST,
  pp. 15-16). No other stats change.
  Wooden: A hard wooden version of a metal weapon. Damage
  becomes crushing but isn’t reduced – such weapons are quite capa-
  ble of beating someone to death or shattering bones. Sharp-tipped
  wooden weapons are possible; see Weapon Composition in GURPS
  Low-Tech. Base cost is 5-10% usual. No other stats change.
  
  The second head is mostly useful if the first one breaks; on a
  “broken weapon” result from a critical failure, only one blade
  breaks and the weapon can still be used. Turning it to use the
  backup head is a free action. Base cost is +$30. Weight is +1 lb.
  Applicability: Swung, hafted weapons.
  Barbs
  Harpoons and war arrows are normally barbed at no extra
  cost. Certain other impaling weapons can be made barbed.
  Such barbs are generally raked cut-outs, not extra bits that
  stick out and reduce penetration. They don’t affect damage –
  but pulling the weapon out requires a ST roll and inflicts half
  the injury it caused going in, like a pick (see pp. B405-406).
  These rules don’t apply when using the barbed weapon for a
  non-impaling attack (like the Tip Slash described in GURPS
  Low-Tech and Martial Arts). Base cost is +$60. No effect on
  other stats. Applicability: Spears; polearms with spear points.
  Butt Spike
  Melee weapons with long shafts can have butt spikes. These
  come in two varieties. Either disrupts the weapon’s balance for
  throwing: -2 to hit when hurling it.
  The first version is a metal shoe that facilitates planting the
  shaft in the ground. When delivering a butt strike, treat the
  weapon as a quarterstaff; the spike doesn’t do impaling dam-
  age, but does give +1 to crushing damage from a thrust. Base
  cost is +$10. No effect on other stats. Applicability: Spears;
  hafted weapons; polearms.
  The second version is a small spear point, allowing a butt
  strike for impaling damage, at -1 relative to the weapon’s usual
  thrusting damage. Base cost is +$20. No effect on other stats.
  Applicability: Spears; polearms.
  For iron-shod staffs, see Flanges, Spikes, or End Caps (below).
  Chain
  A weapon with a thin cord can be made with a chain
  instead, removing the thin cord vulnerability; see Breakage
  When Attacked (p. 22). For a bolas made with weighted metal
  chains, stats are unchanged – metal is pricier and denser than
  cord and wood, but there’s much less of it. For other weapons,
  base cost is +$20 and weight is +0.5 lb. Applicability: Bola per-
  dida; bolas; nunchaku; thonged club.
  Flanges, Spikes, or End Caps
  Blunt, hafted weapons such as clubs, mauls, round
  maces, and sticks may be given flanges or multiple small
  spikes – in game terms, the two features are equivalent.
  These give +1 to crushing damage when swinging or thrust-
  ing. Base cost is +40%. No effect on other stats. Applicability:
  Hafted crushing weapons.
  Most TL2+ maces, flails, and polearms with crushing attacks
  are already flanged or spiked. Unflanged versions of typically
  flanged weapons do -1 crushing damage. CF is -0.3. Applicability:
  Flails; maces other than round ones; morningstars; polearms.
  Wooden staffs typically have end caps to increase striking
  damage. Weapon stats on tables already account for these.
  Staffs may lack these, for -1 to swinging and thrusting dam-
  age, -$5 base cost, and -1 lb. weight. Applicability: Staffs.
  Hammer Head
  A swung, hafted cutting or impaling weapon can have a
  hammer head behind its striking head. Damage is that of its
  usual swinging attack, but crushing. Base cost is +$25.
  Weight is +0.5 lb. Applicability: Swung, hafted cutting or
  impaling weapons.
  Hook
  A swung weapon – even a sword! – can have a small hook
  to enable the Hook technique (see GURPS Martial Arts).
  Hooking inflicts thrust-2 cutting for a one-handed weapon,
  thrust-1 for a two-handed one. The hook can be blunt in
  order to snag victims without causing damage, but this is no
  cheaper. Base cost is +$25. No effect on other stats.
  Applicability: Swung weapons.
  Kusari, Two-Yard
  A weapon with Reach 1+ can have a short kusari
  (weighted chain) attached. Use the stats on p. B272, but
  Reach is only 1, 2*. It goes on the head or butt of an impact
  or pole weapon, on the pommel of a club or sword (to put it
  inside another weapon, see Hidden Weapons in GURPS Martial
  Arts). The wielder may use his weapon normally or swing the
  chain using the Kusari skill. A butt- or pommel-mounted kusari
  makes the weapon two-handed, if it wasn’t already; one hand
  controls the chain at all times. A head-mounted kusari may be
  used one-handed, but the wielder can use only the kusari or the
  base weapon at any given time – choose each turn. Base cost is
  +$40. Weight is +2.5 lbs. Applicability: Weapons with Reach 1+.
  Kusari, Four-Yard
  As above, but the kusari is full-sized (Reach 1-4*) and
  always used two-handed. Base cost is +$80. Weight is +5 lbs.
  Pick
  A swung, hafted crushing or cutting weapon can have a
  hardened spike at right angles to its haft. Damage is that of its
  usual swinging attack, but at -1 and impaling. Like any pick, it
  can get stuck (see p. B405). The weapon also gains the benefits
  of a hook. Base cost is +$50. Weight is +0.5 lb. Applicability:
  Swung, hafted crushing or cutting weapons.
  WEAPONS AND ARMOR
  14
  
  Prongs
  A non-Jitte/Sai weapon can have prongs added around the
  head (if a spear or hafted) or just above the handle (if a blade).
  It may have one large prong or two smaller ones; the effects are
  identical. Prongs give the wielder +2 in Quick Contests to dis-
  arm. There’s no effect on the penalty to hit with a disarm
  attempt. On a spear, such prongs also prevent enemies from run-
  ning themselves through to close with you (see Holding a Foe at
  Bay in GURPS Martial Arts). Base cost is +$50. Weight is +0.5
  lb. Applicability: Weapons not used with Jitte/Sai skill.
  Sickle
  A swung, hafted weapon can have a small sickle head.
  Damage is equivalent to that of its usual swinging attack, but
  at -1 and cutting or -2 and impaling. The weapon also gains the
  benefits of a hook. Base cost is +$30. Weight is +0.5 lb.
  Applicability: Swung, hafted weapons.
  Spearhead
  A hafted weapon can add a small spearhead or spike that
  does thrust+1 impaling one-handed, thrust+2 two-handed. Base
  cost is +$20. Weight is +0.5 lb. Applicability: Hafted weapons.
  A full-sized spearhead does thrust+2 impaling one-handed,
  thrust+3 two-handed. Base cost is +$30. Weight is +1 lb.
  Applicability: Hafted weapons.
  Some weapons – especially ceremonial polearms – have
  very long spikes. These add +1 to both minimum and maxi-
  mum Reach for the thrust impaling attack only. Base cost is
  +$50. Weight is +0.5 lb. Applicability: Weapons that already
  have a thrust impaling attack – if necessary, because of an
  added spearhead.
  Any additional spearhead – long or short – can be multi-
  tined. A forked or trident head is most common. Multiple
  tines make the weapon tip-heavy (-2 to hit) and easy to inter-
  cept (+1 to Block or Parry vs. thrusting attacks with the tined
  head), and distribute the force of impact (armor divisor
  (0.5)), but are tricky to evade (-1 to enemy’s Dodge) and cause
  a nastier wound (+1 damage). For a full-sized spearhead or a
  long spike, tines also add a U to the weapon’s Parry statistic.
  While tines mean more points, each spike is thinner; cost
  and weight are unchanged.
  Hilts
  A weapon’s hilt serves mainly to protect the wielder’s hands
  when parrying. Not all weapons have or need a hilt, however.
  An improvised weapon nearly always lacks one, as it wasn’t
  designed for combat!
  Hafted weapons, pole weapons, and sticks rarely have hilts.
  This is because uniformly solid construction and lack of a pre-
  ferred parrying surface afford great flexibility when executing
  parries. The wielder can often parry in a way that puts his grip
  above the point of contact, causing his opponent’s weapon to
  slide down and away from his hand, rather than toward it.
  Edged weapons, by contrast, usually have hilts. Slender
  blades require a stiffer area near the grip to parry without
  breaking. A hilt provides a margin of error for parries so close
  to the hand, protecting the user’s fingers. Exceptions are
  weapons like dedicated throwing knives, which lack hilts
  because they aren’t meant to be used to defend.
  GURPS Low-Tech and the Basic Set assume that a hilt is
  included on weapons that need one and absent on those that
  don’t. The Parry statistics on weapon tables reflect this.
  Historically, though, traditionally hilted weapons were some-
  times made hiltless, and vice versa. Thus, hilts offer yet another
  opportunity for customization. The rules for this are optional,
  intended for gamers who enjoy extra detail.
  Adding a Hilt
  A hilt on a weapon that normally lacks one gives +1 to Parry
  but -1 to Holdout. This also changes the weapon’s balance; the
  user fights at -2 to skill until he has familiarized himself with the
  thing (see Familiarity, p. B169). CF is +0.25. Weight is +0.25 lb.
  Applicability: Hafted weapons (axes, flails, maces, etc.);
  polearms; sticks. Staffs can have hilts, but the reduced ability to
  move the hands around for better leverage and position offsets
  the +1 to Parry, resulting in an unchanged Parry statistic.
  Removing a Hilt
  Removing the hilt from a weapon that normally has one
  gives -1 to Parry but +1 to Holdout (hiltless weapons are easier
  to conceal!). CF is -0.25. Weight is -0.25 lb., except for weapons
  that weigh less than 1 lb., which don’t change in weight
  because their hilts are too small to affect overall weight signif-
  icantly. Applicability: Knives (but not dedicated throwing
  knives, which already lack a hilt); swords.
  Basket Hilt
  A basket hilt is a metal guard on a weapon’s hilt that wraps
  around and protects the wielder’s hand. The hand gets DR 4,
  cumulative with glove DR – although the hilt is too cramped for
  metal gauntlets. The guard also gives +1 to punching damage.
  The change in the weapon’s balance and feel gives the user -2 to
  skill until he familiarizes himself it (see Familiarity, p. B169). CF
  for an enclosed hilt (hand DR always applies) is +0.25; weight is
  +0.25 lb. CF for an open-frame or partial basket hilt (DR applies
  on 1-3 on 1d) is still +0.25; however, weight is unchanged. Stats
  for weapons in GURPS Low-Tech that include a basket hilt
  already reflect this. Applicability: Anything with a hilt.
  DETERMINING WEAPON ST
  Many weapon customization options affect weight. This
  may alter the weapon’s ST stat. Find its new ST using these
  rules (which can estimate ST for any hand weapon):
  1. Apply weight modifiers to base weight. For example,
  a 6-lb. weapon with options that add +50% and +0.5 lb. weighs
  6 + 3 + 0.5 = 9.5 lbs.
  WEAPONS AND ARMOR
  15
  Combination Weapons
  A warrior might want to enjoy the tactical benefits of
  several specialized melee weapons at once. The obvious
  solution is to carry a different weapon in each hand – but
  this is impractical when using a shield or a two-handed
  weapon. A workaround is to stick the useful part of one
  weapon onto another. GURPS Low-Tech describes a few
  such “combination weapons.” For these and user-defined
  combinations
  alike,
  consult
  Customizing
  Weapons
  (pp. 13-15) for rules.
  
  2. For a one-handed weapon, use full weight to find ST. For
  a two-handed weapon, use 2/3 of its weight. Treat lances as
  one-handed here.
  3. Read ST from the lightest applicable weight bracket on
  this table:
  Actual ST can vary by a point or so, depending on design
  details. Notably:
  • Tip-heavy weapons held near the end, and balanced-but-
  long ones held near the end (including staffs wielded like
  swords), generally have a higher ST. For example, a mace
  weighs 5 lbs., which normally means ST 11; however, it’s held
  at the end of the handle, its weight is concentrated at the far
  end, and it’s unbalanced, for final ST 12. A greatsword (7 lbs.)
  is balanced but controlled using only one hand much of the
  time, so it has ST 12, not ST 11.
  • Well-balanced weapons, blades, and those controlled
  close to the striking surface may have a lower ST.
  • The ST stats for spears in GURPS Martial Arts and the
  Basic Set are averages of one- and two-handed figures.
  GURPS Low-Tech takes a more detailed approach, listing ST
  separately for one- and two-handed spear use.
  Apply any difference between estimated ST and listed ST
  for the base weapon to its ST after modifications. For instance,
  since unmodified maces and greatswords have +1 to ST due to
  their design, modified ones should, too.
  Example 1: Renos wants a pick on the peen of his axe,
  “Olga.” An axe is $50 and 4 lbs., with ST 11. A pick adds $50
  and 0.5 lbs. Thus, the axe-pick combination costs $100 and
  weighs 4.5 lbs; ST remains 11. Damage is swing+2 cutting with
  the axe head, swing+1 impaling with the pick.
  Example 2: Boris wants a polearm with everything. He starts
  with a dueling halberd, which already has an axe head, a pick,
  and a spear point; that’s $120 and 10 lbs., with ST 12. He adds
  barbs to the spear point (+$60), a butt spike (a small spearhead
  doing thrust+2 impaling; +$20), a hook (+$25), and a four-yard
  kusari on the head (+$80, +5 lbs.). This resulting monstrosity
  costs $305 and weighs 15 lbs. Minimum ST rises to 14. It’s an
  unwieldy weapon, but its many options make Boris happy!
  CINEMATIC WEAPONS
  Fantasy games and sword-and-sorcery movies feature
  many weapons that are highly improbable – or at least
  unlikely to be effective without choreographed fights and
  CGI. Physics and biomechanics go right out the window, as
  performance has little to do with apparent materials and
  design, or with the user’s size and strength. In short, cine-
  matic weapons are often totally unrealistic!
  What matters in GURPS are the answers to “What skill does
  it use?” and “What are its combat stats?” In a highly cinematic
  campaign, the GM can assign whatever stats he deems fit.
  WEAPONS AND ARMOR
  16
  Thanks to hyperbolic descriptions by travelers, national
  pride, and an echo chamber of inflated claims, a region or
  culture’s trademark weapons or armor might be held in
  special esteem, their reputation for effectiveness outstrip-
  ping provable fact. The GM may wish to make some such
  exaggerations true in his campaign. The simplest method is
  to declare certain items fine quality at good-quality prices.
  Very fine versions shouldn’t be any cheaper. Good and cheap
  specimens ought to be rare – this stuff is cool, after all!
  A more detailed approach is to invent “cool ethnic”
  modifiers for such gear. These aren’t realistic! They typ-
  ically apply to a specific class of equipment (e.g., fenc-
  ing weapons, wavy-bladed swords and knives, or plate
  armor) or to one particular item (e.g., katana or lorica
  segmentata).
  Cool Ethnic Weapon: The weapon gets +1 to hit and to
  damage, and has +1 HT and double HP relative to other
  weapons of the same materials and weight. This is cumu-
  lative with all other quality, material, and weapon modi-
  fiers. The weapon is simply better. Cost is typically
  unchanged, but such weapons may be in great demand!
  Weight is unaffected.
  Cool Ethnic Armor: The armor gets +1 DR, weighs 20%
  less, and has double HP relative to other armor of the same
  materials and weight. Moreover, the wearer suffers no
  extra fatigue penalties in hot weather. This armor modifier
  can “stack” with others. Cost is unchanged.
  Overrated Weapons and Armor
  Other weapons and armor might be deemed less effec-
  tive than construction and usage suggest. Again, this is
  largely due to hyperbole; appropriate skepticism about a
  “cool” item may give rise to overly critical assessments. For
  instance, advocates of a given design might imply that
  competing patterns from other cultures are markedly infe-
  rior. This phenomenon is hardly new – English weapon
  master George Silver railed against the Italian rapier,
  deeming it inferior to English swords!
  If the GM wants the rumors to be true, the simplest
  approach is to consider such goods cheap quality at
  good-quality prices. Fine and very fine examples should
  be very rare.
  A more detailed method is to use specialized modifiers:
  Overrated Weapon: The weapon gets -1 to hit and to
  damage, and has -1 HT and half HP relative to other
  weapons of the same materials and weight. Cost is typically
  unchanged – proponents may not realize the inferiority of
  their chosen instrument. Weight doesn’t change.
  Overrated Armor: The armor has -1 DR, weighs 20%
  more, and has half HP. Cost is unaffected.
  Cool Ethnic Weapons and Armor
  Effective Weight
  ST
  Less than 1 lb.
  5
  Less than 2 lbs.
  6
  Less than 3 lbs.
  8
  Less than 4 lbs.
  10
  Less than 6 lbs.
  11
  Less than 8 lbs.
  12
  Effective Weight
  ST
  Less than 10 lbs.
  13
  Less than 12 lbs.
  14
  Less than 14 lbs.
  15
  Less than 16 lbs.
  16
  +2 lbs.
  +1
  
  Realistically, a giant sword would
  require enormous strength – but
  cinematically, a petite schoolgirl
  could use it. Conversely, a tiny
  weapon might cause tremendous
  damage, despite being flimsy and
  easy to use.
  Some broad guidelines:
  Name: Usually something that
  sounds cool, alien, foreign, or
  exotic – but rarely a simple
  description. “Two swords con-
  nected by a chain” is okay.
  “Sword-chucks” is much better!
  Skill: Use the skill for the
  nearest realistic weapon. “Dou-
  ble”
  weapons
  require
  two-
  handed skills (e.g., a double
  Axe/Mace weapon uses Two-
  Handed
  Axe/Mace)
  or
  Staff.
  “Combination”
  weapons
  use
  either the hardest skill for any
  constituent part or several skills.
  TL: This is often based on
  appearances, not on the technol-
  ogy required to build the thing in
  the real world. Realistically, an
  axe with a rotating head might call for TL5+ ball bearings and
  screws. Cinematically, it could appear in a TL3 sword-and-
  sorcery setting!
  Damage: Choose this by matching the cinematic weapon
  to a similar-looking realistic one and then adjusting up or
  down. A simple-but-effective way to handle this is to assess
  +1 to damage per modifying word. For instance, a kusari
  does swing+2 crushing damage, but a spiked, extra-heavy
  kusari might get swing+4 crushing. A modifying word can
  change damage type instead of or as well as amount; e.g., a
  light club does swing+1 crushing, but a spiked light club
  inflicts swing+1 impaling.
  Reach: Assign Reach to reflect the weapon’s physical
  appearance. A weapon might be Reach 1-10 if it has a long
  line or chain attached . . . but a short knife should probably
  remain Reach C.
  Parry: Cinematic weapons seem to parry well despite out-
  landish designs, although a few are conspicuously unwieldy
  and difficult to use. Most get Parry 0, but truly ungainly ones
  have Parry 0U. Flexible and chain weapons are generally
  Parry -2U, but this won’t always be the case for those inspired
  by video games!
  Cost: Cinematic weapons are often unique, making them
  effectively priceless. To buy them as Signature Gear or modify
  them for quality, however, a cost is needed. Start with the near-
  est real-world weapon. For a monstrosity with features of sev-
  eral weapons, base cost is that of the most expensive item. For
  a “double” or “combination” weapon, it’s the sum of their costs.
  To this base, apply +1 CF per +1 to damage, Reach, and/or
  Parry, and per unique capacity (different damage type, disre-
  garding ST requirements, etc.).
  Weight: Assign as needed. Many cinematic weapons look
  large and ponderous, yet don’t seem to encumber their wield-
  ers! As with cost, the GM can choose a weight based on the
  nearest realistic weapon, summing weights for “double” or
  “combination” designs.
  ST: Many cinematic weapons seem heavier and harder to
  wield than their size would suggest, and thus have high ST.
  Others are suspiciously light and easy to wield, with low ST.
  Start by estimating ST from weight using Determining Weapon
  ST (pp. 15-16), and then modify this up or down as suits the
  archetype. Remember that effective ST for damage purposes
  can’t exceed triple the ST stat, so don’t drop ST too low for a
  weapon intended for very strong fighters! The ST range for cin-
  ematic weapons should generally center on 10.
  Notes: Assign special rules and effects as needed. These
  need not reflect physical characteristics; e.g., one weapon may
  be capable of binding, yet lack prongs or a hilt, while another
  has these features but lacks binding ability. All cinematic
  weapons are in the running for an intrinsic penalty to hit,
  requiring the Exotic Weapon Training perk from GURPS
  Martial Arts to wield properly!
  Example Cinematic Weapons
  Here are a few ready-made cinematic weapons. All down-
  play the potential downsides or likely consequences of using
  them in a realistic situation!
  Barbed Chain
  Common in fantasy art, this is a kusari adorned with
  sharp edges and nasty spikes and barbs. Use normal kusari
  stats, except that the barbs give +1 to crushing damage. They
  also significantly reduce the chance that someone who’s
  entangled (see Whips, p. B406) will escape: escape rolls have
  an extra -2. The many sharp bits are somewhat dangerous to
  the user – any critical miss means 1d-2 cutting damage to his
  hands! Cost is double that of a similar-length kusari. Other
  stats are unchanged.
  WEAPONS AND ARMOR
  17
  Throwing the Unthrowable
  The table below gives the skill used to hurl a weapon not built for throwing. Such
  attacks have an extra -4 to hit; the GM may let warriors improve this as a Hard tech-
  nique. Damage is the weapon’s usual thrusting or swinging damage – consult the
  “Attack” column to learn which. Those who know Throwing Art may use that skill
  instead, at no penalty, and get its usual damage bonus. In all cases, Acc is 0; Range is
  ¥0.5/¥1 for weapons up to 4 lbs., ¥0.2/¥0.5 for heavier ones; RoF is 1; Shots is T(1); ST
  is unchanged; and Bulk is the weapon’s Holdout penalty (p. B200).
  Throwing Skill
  Melee Weapon Types
  Attack
  Bolas
  Flail, Kusari, Two-Handed Flail
  Swing
  DX
  Swords*
  Thrust
  Thrown Weapon (Axe/Mace)
  Axe/Mace, Two-Handed Axe/Mace
  Swing
  Thrown Weapon (Disc)
  Shield
  Thrust
  Thrown Weapon (Knife)
  Jitte/Sai, Knife, Main-Gauche
  Thrust
  Thrown Weapon (Spear)
  Polearm, Spear, Staff
  Thrust
  Thrown Weapon (Stick)
  Sticks†
  Swing
  * Blades wielded with Broadsword, Rapier, Saber, Shortsword, Smallsword, or
  Two-Handed Sword, hurled point-first. If the GM permits Thrown Weapon (Sword),
  use it at no penalty – not DX at -4.
  † Sticks wielded with the sword skills listed above use Thrown Weapon (Stick) at
  -4 and inflict swinging damage.
  
  Bladed Flails
  What’s better than a flail? Why, a flail with heavy, saw-blade-
  shaped heads! It does cutting damage instead of crushing dam-
  age, but is otherwise identical to a normal flail. Cost is $120 for
  a morningstar, $150 for a flail.
  Double Crossbow
  Sure, repeating crossbows allow rapid fire, but they sacri-
  fice range and accuracy. The double crossbow gives crossbow-
  toting heroes the best of both worlds. Some models use
  side-by-side action, but this one has two crossbows bolted
  together – just flip it over (a free action) to switch to the second
  crossbow. Ingenious design keeps the loaded bolts from simply
  falling off. In effect, this gives Shots 2(4i). The standard double
  crossbow is $600, 10 lbs.; a double composite crossbow is
  $3,800, 11 lbs. Other stats are unchanged.
  Double-Ended Sword
  This weapon consists of two broadsword-length blades
  joined hilt-to-hilt by an extra-long handle. Use Staff or Two-
  Handed Sword to wield it. It functions as a quarterstaff that
  does cutting damage on swung attacks and impaling damage
  on thrusting attacks. Either blade can strike, or both can be
  used to “cross-check” adjacent opponents – treat as a Dual-
  Weapon Attack for full cutting damage. $1,500, 10 lbs., ST 12.
  Double-Headed Axe
  This is a double-bitted great axe with an extra double-bit-
  ted head at the other end of the haft. Surprisingly, the extra
  weight makes it easier to handle; used with Staff or Two-
  Handed Axe/Mace, it has Parry +2 instead of 0U! Like the
  double-ended sword, it can “cross-check” for full cutting
  damage. $500, 12 lbs, ST 13.
  WEAPONS AND ARMOR
  18
  SHIELD OPTIONS
  Shields are as valuable in combat – and as customizable –
  as weapons . . . sometimes more so. These rules add a lot of
  complexity for shields. The GM decides which options apply in
  his campaign.
  FIGHTING WITH SHIELDS
  Shields are used actively to block (see Blocking, p. B375),
  add their Defense Bonus (DB) to all active defense rolls
  (Block, Dodge, and Parry), and can provide limited cover
  against firearms (see Cover, p. B407). But they aren’t limited
  to defense – they can also be part of a highly aggressive
  offensive system that involves far more than bashes and
  rushes (see Shields, p. B406), and crushing the occasional
  swarm (see Swarm Attacks, p. B461). Some even have blades
  or spikes to inflict additional damage (see Customizing
  Shields, pp. 19-20).
  Fantasy art often depicts warriors clad in spiked or
  studded armor. How realistic is this? Read on . . .
  Spiked Plate
  Historical warriors didn’t use spiked plate armor. Some
  legendary ones seem to have fancied it, however. Lord More
  of More Hall wore it when he defeated the Dragon of
  Wantley; Sir Peter Loschy fought a worm while clad in it;
  and Sir John Lambton reputedly donned spiked plate to
  battle the Lambton Worm.
  Treat spiked plate armor as the equivalent of Short
  Spines (p. B88). It also makes the wearer’s unarmed attacks
  hurt more. Strikes with a body part clad in spiked plate get
  an extra +1 to damage: gauntlets normally give +1 to
  punching damage, but this rises to +2 when spiked (such
  short knuckle-spikes are called gadlings); spiked knee
  guards grant +1 to knee-strike damage; and so on. All dam-
  age from these attacks remains crushing – the spikes aren’t
  long enough to impale.
  Spiked plate has drawbacks, though. The spikes negate
  one of plate armor’s primary advantages – its ability to
  deflect attacks – giving spiked armor -1 DR. Spikes can’t be
  combined with fluting (see GURPS Low Tech), either.
  Spiked armor is also awkward, snagging backpacks, making
  it difficult to sit, attracting fallen leaves and debris, tearing
  clothing, and injuring people who venture too close (avoid
  crowds!). The GM should use the Klutz disadvantage
  (p. B141) for inspiration.
  Spiked plate is best worn in close combat (perhaps in an
  arena), or against creatures that use unarmed attacks. In a
  normal melee, it’s more hazardous to the wearer and his
  allies than to the enemy.
  Only plate armor may have spikes. CF is +2.
  Studded Armor
  Studded leather and cloth armor – while common in
  fantasy – never actually existed. Adding studs or rivets
  doesn’t enhance DR. It might even reduce DR, given that
  blows are less likely to be deflected! Historically, studs were
  used for decoration, as rivets to join together sections of
  fabric, and to attach metal plates for reinforcement. It’s
  easy to mistake a coat of plates or brigandine for studded
  armor, though, since the metal plates are concealed under
  the material and only the rivets are visible.
  However, studding could be added to a glove or an
  elbow to increase damage from unarmed attacks. This
  gives +1 to damage when striking with that body part. CF
  is +1. Weight is +20%.
  Spiky Bits
  
  WEAPONS AND ARMOR
  19
  Below are several optional rules
  for shield use. GURPS Martial Arts
  offers more; see Shield-Wall Training
  (Martial Arts, p. 51), Shoves with
  Weapons and Striking at Shields
  (Martial Arts, p. 112), and Multiple
  Blocks (Martial Arts, p. 123).
  Awkward Shields
  The Basic Set gives -2 to attack
  rolls when wielding a large shield
  (p. B547), but all shields limit one’s
  options with weapons. Optionally,
  apply an attack penalty equal to the
  shield’s DB. Thus, small shields give
  -1 to hit with weapons; medium
  ones, -2; and large ones, -3. The
  Shield-Wall
  Training
  perk
  in
  GURPS Martial Arts negates this
  drawback. In close combat, this
  penalty affects all DX rolls (see
  Shields in Close Combat, p. B392).
  Advanced Guige Use
  The GM may wish to use a
  more complex set of rules for
  shields controlled with a guige
  (neck strap):
  No Hands: You can block using
  a guige, but this requires a new
  specialty,
  Shield
  (Guige),
  that
  defaults to other specialties at
  -2. Blocks using only the neck strap
  for control are at -3.
  Grabbing Hold: If you have a free hand, you can grab the
  shield for better control; this takes a Ready maneuver. After
  that, you can block at no penalty, but your hand is occupied.
  If your shield has alternate grips (see below), use the Shield
  specialty – and any penalties – for whatever grip you’re cur-
  rently holding it in. Changing grips requires a number of
  Ready maneuvers equal to DB.
  Ungainly: The shield hangs over one side of your torso, pre-
  venting you from using your arms in that direction. Specify
  what side it’s on when you ready it. You can wield one or even
  two one-handed weapons, or a two-handed weapon, to the
  other side – but these can’t parry attacks from your shield side
  (see Defending Against Attacks from the Side, p. B390) or make
  wild swings to that side (see Wild Swings, p. B388). Changing
  sides requires a Ready maneuver.
  Shield-Hand Weapons
  It’s possible to hold another item – e.g., a dagger, a pair of
  javelins, a bow, or a torch – in a hand that’s gripping a shield of
  any size. Such articles aren’t considered ready.
  With a small (DB 1) shield or buckler, you may opt to hold
  both articles ready for all purposes. You can even attack using
  a weapon held ready this way – just like the Persian archers
  who fired a bow with a small shield strapped to the forearm, or
  Scots warriors who attacked with a dirk grasped in the same
  hand as their buckler. Weapon and Shield skills are at -2 for
  doing two things at once; weapon
  attacks suffer the usual off-hand penal-
  ties, too. Alternatively, you can hold the
  weapon unready in your shield hand,
  in which case you can’t use it but have
  no Shield penalty.
  SHIELD DAMAGE
  Shields get damaged during com-
  bat; see Damage to Shields (p. B484).
  Sometimes, they’re struck deliberately!
  (Rules for attacking shields appear in
  GURPS Martial Arts.) Many historical
  designs couldn’t withstand more than a
  few solid blows.
  Heavy, close-grained timber (e.g.,
  oak or linden) is preferred for shields.
  Metal-wood-hide composite shields
  have DR 4. Some shield designs are
  much lighter: stretched hide, wicker,
  bark, bamboo, turtle-shell, etc. These
  are easier to lug around but have only
  DR 2. Blows that penetrate a shield’s
  DR damage its Hit Points.
  Use the Object Hit Points Table
  (p. B558) to find shield HP. Shields are
  considered Homogenous. Note that a
  buckler damaged to the point where it
  has no HP left may still be used as a
  dueling buckler with DB 0 (see GURPS
  Low-Tech).
  Light Shields: Lighter timber – like
  spruce or pine – results in less weight but
  makes the shield easier to damage. This was typical of Viking
  shields. Halve DR and weight, and adjust HP to match. This
  option should only be available if using Damage to Shields
  (p. B484). CF is -0.25.
  Tough Shields: A shield can be built from layers of wood –
  like plywood – or from exotic timber, and reinforced for the
  rigors of combat. Roman shields (see GURPS Low Tech)
  were routinely constructed this way. Such a shield has +20%
  to HP and counts as fine quality, where important. CF is +1.
  Metallic Shields: It’s possible to make a shield from a solid
  metal plate! Historically, this was rare except for small shields
  (DB 1). A metallic version of a shield has its usual DR and HP,
  yet weight is -25%. CF is +4.
  CUSTOMIZING SHIELDS
  Like weapons, shields can be customized. While a shield
  aids defense above all, some of these options improve offensive
  capabilities. To modify materials, see Shield Damage (above).
  Alternate Grips
  A shield normally has only one type of grip. You can add a
  second style, enabling you to wield the same shield with Shield
  or Shield (Buckler). You can even switch between these two
  grips in combat; this takes a number of Ready maneuvers
  equal to DB, and the rules to ready that style of grip apply. Base
  cost is +$20. Weight is +2 lbs.
  
  WEAPONS AND ARMOR
  20
  Blades
  Some small bucklers (e.g., the Indian madu) have one or
  two knife blades attached to the grip. Attacks with these are
  somewhat more effective than blows struck with a knife held
  in the shield hand – a buckler with fixed blades gives only -1 to
  Knife and Shield (Buckler), not the -2 under Shield-Hand
  Weapons (p. 19). However, critical failure on a block means the
  wielder jabs himself with his blade; it inflicts its usual impal-
  ing damage on a random hit location. Cost and weight are sim-
  ply those of the chosen knives.
  Boss
  The standard shield boss is domed in shape. All of the shields
  in GURPS Low-Tech include such a boss, but this can be omit-
  ted. A shield without a boss gets -1 to shield-bash damage. Base
  cost is -$25. Weight is -2 lbs. If cost would be $0 or less, or weight
  would be 0 lbs. or less, then the shield in question is nothing but
  boss and can’t use this modifier.
  One can replace a domed boss with a conical one. The point
  gives +1 to crushing damage in a shield bash (p. B273). Base cost
  is +$50. Weight is +3 lbs. Adjust HP to match the new weight.
  Finally, a shield can have a long spike. This, too, gives +1 to
  shield-bash damage; it also makes the attack impaling. It costs
  and weighs as much as a conical boss (above), but can get
  stuck like a pick (p. B405). It’s also damage-prone. Roll 1d after
  every block attempt; on a 1, the spike breaks off!
  Disarming Spikes
  This option adds two or more short spikes to the shield’s
  rim to help catch weapons. On the turn after a successful
  block, the wielder may attempt to disarm his attacker at +1.
  Critical failure on a block means that a spike stabs the wielder:
  1d-3 impaling damage to a random hit location. Base cost is
  +$30. Weight is +1 lb. (this doesn’t increase HP).
  Guige
  A neck strap is a very common shield attachment. It takes
  some of the shield’s weight off the arm while wielding it, and
  enables the owner to sling his shield on his back when not
  using it. As long as the shield is slung on the body, the guige lets
  the carrier apply his shield’s DB to defense rolls against attacks
  on the covered hit location. For other rules, see Advanced Guige
  Use (p. 19). All shields with DB 2+ have a guige factored into
  cost and weight, but it’s possible to have a shield without one.
  Base cost is -$10. Weight is -1 lb. (this doesn’t reduce HP).
  Lance Cutout
  This is a scallop cut into a top corner of a shield. It grants
  +1 to Lance skill, not cumulative with the bonus for a lance-
  rest (see GURPS Low-Tech). It’s normally used only in tourna-
  ments. Base cost is +$30. Other stats are unchanged.
  Lantern Hook
  A hook attached to the center of a shield for hanging a
  lantern! Base cost is +$20. Weight is +0.5 lb. (this doesn’t
  increase HP).
  Rim Blade
  A shield that’s metal-rimmed or made entirely of metal can
  have the edge sharpened into a blade. This allows an attack for
  swing-2 cutting damage. Usually, only part of the rim is sharp-
  ened, to reduce the chance of self-inflicted injury – but that can
  still happen! Critical failure on a block means the wielder is cut
  for half damage to a random hit location. CF is +0.5. Other
  stats are unchanged.
  SCALING WEAPONS
  AND ARMOR
  Not every fighter is the size of a typical adult human.
  Especially in fantasy, giant and tiny warriors need weapons
  and armor in their size. Anime-inspired fantasy often features
  massive weapons in the hands of petite masters. Oversized and
  undersized gear also has a place in realistic games: a young
  prince might require a child-sized sword or mail shirt, while
  huge ceremonial swords and maces are common real-world rit-
  ual implements.
  SCALING WEAPONS
  These rules are designed to provide giant- or pixie-sized
  fighters with oversized or undersized weapons – not for real-
  ism. They scale weapons to the ST required to wield them
  rather than to length. Select a weapon from a weapon table
  and follow these steps to scale it:
  Presently he held before
  him the perfect circle of his
  shield, a lovely thing of beaten
  bronze, which the bronze-smith
  hammered out for him, and on
  the inward side had stitched ox-
  hides in close folds with golden
  staples clean round the circle.
  – Homer, The Iliad
  
  1. Choose the intended user’s SM and consult
  the relevant line of the Weapon and Armor Scaling
  Table (below).
  2. If the weapon’s damage bonus is +1 or more,
  multiply it by the factor in the “Damage (+1 or
  more)” column; round fractions of 0.5 or more up,
  but drop smaller fractions. If the weapon has no
  bonus, or a damage penalty, add the number in the
  “Damage (0 or less)” column instead.
  3. Multiply the weapon’s ST stat by the factor
  in the “Damage (+1 or more)” column, rounding
  any fraction up to the next-highest whole-num-
  bered ST.
  4. Multiply weight and base cost by the factor
  in the “Weight” column.
  5. Multiply the weapon’s Reach by the factor in
  the “Reach” column, treating C as 0.5. If the result
  is 1 or more, round fractions of 0.5 or more up,
  but drop smaller fractions; if it’s greater than 0.5
  but less than 1, round to 1; and if it’s 0.5 or less,
  treat it as C. For a range of Reach values, do this
  for both endpoints.
  Using Oversized or
  Undersized Weapons
  Anyone can use a weapon if he meets its ST requirement,
  regardless of SM. If it’s for a SM different from his own,
  though, its grips may be too narrow or too fat for comfort –
  and if the weapon is for someone of bigger, its length will be
  awkward, too. Apply a skill penalty equal to the SM difference.
  Specially fitted grips can remove the skill penalty for a one-
  point SM difference, but not for a larger disparity. CF is +0.5.
  Example 1: Thrusting greatsword stats are swing+3 cutting or
  thrust+3 impaling; Reach 1, 2; $900; 7 lbs.; and ST 12. Consult-
  ing the table, we learn that scaling to SM +1 gives a damage mul-
  tiplier of 1.5, for swing+5 cutting, thrust+5 impaling, and ST 18.
  The weight multiplier is 2.25, for $2,025 and weight 15.75 lbs.
  The Reach multiplier is 1.3, for minimum Reach 1.3 and maxi-
  mum Reach 2.6, rounded to Reach 1-3. Special grips to allow
  use by a strong SM 0 wielder would raise cost to $3,037.50!
  Example 2: For an SM +4 greatsword, suitable for giants or
  ceremonial display, the table gives damage ¥5, weight ¥25, and
  Reach ¥2.9. Stats thus become swing+15 cutting or thrust+15
  impaling; Reach 3-6; $22,500; 175 lbs.; and ST 60.
  Example 3: A greatsword scaled to SM -2 will be lighter and
  smaller. The table gives damage ¥0.5, weight ¥0.25, and Reach
  ¥0.6. Stats are thus swing+2 cutting or thrust+2 impaling;
  Reach 1; $225; 1.75 lbs.; and ST 6.
  Example 4: Large knife stats are swing-2 cutting at Reach C,
  1 or thrust impaling at Reach C; $40; 1 lb.; and ST 6. Scaled to
  SM +2, stats become swing-1 cutting at Reach 1, 2 or thrust+1
  impaling at Reach 1; $250; 6.25 lbs.; and ST 15.
  SCALING ARMOR
  Select the SM 0 armor you want to scale and follow these
  steps:
  1. Choose the intended user’s SM and consult the relevant
  line of the Weapon and Armor Scaling Table (below).
  2. Multiply weight and base cost by the factor in “Weight”
  column.
  DR is unchanged. For armor of different thickness, see
  Heavy Plate in GURPS Low-Tech.
  WEAPONS AND ARMOR
  21
  Under the Hood: Weapon
  and Armor Scaling Table
  The Weapon and Armor Scaling Table takes the ST typical of some-
  one of the chosen SM and scales the weight of gear to his BL, so that
  it encumbers him to the same extent that the regular-sized version
  does someone with SM 0. While not completely realistic, this accom-
  modates fantasy nicely. The math:
  • SM determines height via the Size Modifier Table (p. B19).
  • Typical User Strength is 5 ¥ (height in yards), rounded up.
  • Damage (+1 or more) factor is Typical User Strength/10.
  • Damage (0 or less) is chosen to smooth out the progression.
  • Weight factor is the square of (Typical User Strength/10).
  • Reach factor is the cube root of the Weight factor.
  Armor is assumed to have the same thickness regardless of SM.
  WEAPON AND ARMOR SCALING TABLE
  SM
  Typical User ST
  Damage (+1 or more)
  Damage (0 or less)
  Weight
  Reach
  -6
  1
  0.1
  -1
  0.01
  0.2
  -5
  2
  0.2
  -1
  0.04
  0.3
  -4
  3
  0.3
  -1
  0.09
  0.4
  -3
  4
  0.4
  -1
  0.16
  0.5
  -2
  5
  0.5
  0
  0.25
  0.6
  -1
  8
  0.8
  0
  0.64
  0.9
  0
  10
  1
  0
  1
  1
  +1
  15
  1.5
  +1
  2.25
  1.3
  +2
  25
  2.5
  +1
  6.25
  1.8
  +3
  35
  3.5
  +2
  12.25
  2.3
  +4
  50
  5
  +3
  25
  2.9
  +5
  75
  7.5
  +4
  56.25
  3.8
  +6
  100
  10
  +5
  100
  4.6
  
  WEAPONS AND ARMOR
  22
  DAMAGE TO
  WEAPONS AND ARMOR
  Realistically, combat is hard on weapons and armor. How-
  ever, tracking damage to gear adds significant recordkeeping.
  Some gamers may find this worthwhile, though – it makes
  fights more realistic, lets fighters win battles nonlethally by tar-
  geting equipment, and allows fantasy warriors to defeat fast-
  healing foes by first reducing the effectiveness of their armor.
  DAMAGE TO WEAPONS
  Weapons not only deal damage but take it. The Basic Set
  offers three roads to broken weapons:
  1. Parrying a heavy weapon (p. B376).
  2. A deliberate attack on your weapon (pp. B400, B483).
  3. Critical failure on your attack or parry – or critical suc-
  cess on your target’s defense – yielding a “weapon breaks”
  result on the Critical Miss Table (p. B556).
  Below are optional rules that apply when a weapon is
  attacked – and that introduce the possibility of weapon break-
  age on a successful attack!
  Breakage When Attacked
  Use the rules on pp. B400, B483 when a weapon is attacked
  deliberately, but consult Weapon DR and HP (pp. 23-24) for
  specific weapon stats, and apply these additions:
  Thin Cord: Some weapons – including bows, nets, nun-
  chaku, and slings – have thin cords. Severing such a cord ren-
  ders the weapon useless. Only a cutting attack can target a thin
  cord, at an additional -3 to hit over and above the usual penalty
  to hit the weapon (-3 to -5, depending on size). The cord has
  DR 1. Triple cutting damage that penetrates this DR to deter-
  mine injury. Subtract injury from the weapon’s HP normally.
  Chain: Chain weapons are less vulnerable to breakage. A
  weapon-quality chain is as strong as any sword or axe head.
  Moreover, it’s flexible, making it very hard to damage. Like a
  cord, a chain can be targeted deliberately at an extra -3. Use
  the weapon’s full DR and HP, and treat the chain as Diffuse –
  not Homogenous.
  Breaking Weapons on an Attack
  A relatively flimsy weapon can break if used to strike a hard
  target. Any weapon may shatter from the force of striking if used
  with a ST that greatly exceeds its ST stat. These rules are highly
  optional – in particular, such detail would suit few cinematic
  campaigns (but see Quick and Dirty Weapon Damage, below).
  When striking a target that has non-flexible DR 3+, a weapon
  used with ST that’s at least double its ST stat has a 2 in 6 chance
  of breaking; that is, it breaks on a roll of 1-2 on 1d. Add +1 to
  these odds per additional whole-numbered ST multiple: 3 in 6 at
  3¥ST, 4 in 6 at 4¥ST, and so on. The weapon’s quality also mod-
  ifies the odds: +2 if cheap, -1 if fine, or -2 if very fine.
  Optionally, a low-quality weapon may break against non-
  flexible DR 3+ when used with ST that’s at least equal to its ST
  stat! Base odds are 0 in 6. Thus, a cheap weapon has a 2 in 6
  chance of breaking, while a good or better one won’t break.
  When a weapon breaks under these rules, the attack that
  broke it still counts unless the odds of breakage exceeded 6 in
  6. In that case, the weapon broke before inflicting any damage.
  In all cases, consult Broken Weapons (p. B485) to learn what
  happens to the weapon afterward.
  And when the last arrow
  Was fitted and was flown,
  When the broken shield was hung on
  the breast,
  And the hopeless lance was laid in rest,
  And the hopeless horn blown,
  The King looked up . . .
  – Gilbert Keith Chesterton,
  “The Ballad of
  the White Horse”
  For a faster-paced version of weapon breakage, use
  these simplified rules:
  Breakage on a Parry: Use the rules on p. B376 but ignore
  weight multiples. A weapon that parries a weapon three or
  more times its weight has a 2 in 6 chance of breakage,
  modified for quality. Don’t worry about multipliers past
  this point. Any weapon that breaks on a parry is useless,
  but the parry still counts.
  Breakage When Attacked: Any attack on a weapon may
  break it. Don’t bother tracking accumulated HP of damage.
  If an attack exceeds the weapon’s DR, roll vs. the weapon’s
  HT. Success means it isn’t broken. Failure means it breaks
  and is useless.
  Breaking Weapons on an Attack: Good or better quality
  weapons don’t break when used to attack, barring an
  unlucky result on the Critical Miss Table. Cheap weapons
  used against DR 3+ have a flat 2 in 6 chance of breaking.
  Quick and Dirty Weapon Damage
  
  Weapon DR and HP
  This table provides information needed to assess breakage
  for low-tech melee and missile weapons.
  Weapon: The weapon’s name.
  Material:
  The
  weapon’s
  composition:
  Wood,
  Metal,
  Wood/Metal (a combination of the two), or Cloth/Leather
  (textile). This determines DR.
  DR: The weapon’s Damage Resistance.
  HP: The weapon’s Hit Points.
  Notes: Applicable special rules listed after the table.
  Weapon
  Material
  DR
  HP
  Notes
  Blades
  Backsword
  Metal
  6
  11
  Balisong
  Metal
  3
  6
  [1]
  Bastard Sword
  Metal
  6
  13
  Bladed Hand
  Metal
  3
  8
  [1]
  Broadsword
  Metal
  6
  11
  Cavalry Saber
  Metal
  6
  11
  Cutlass
  Metal
  6
  10
  Dagger
  Metal
  3
  5
  [1]
  Dao
  Metal
  6
  13
  Deer Antlers
  Metal
  6
  9
  Dress Smallsword
  Metal
  6
  8
  Edged Rapier
  Metal
  6
  11
  Estoc
  Metal
  6
  11
  Falchion
  Metal
  6
  11
  Greatsword
  Metal
  6
  15
  Hook Sword
  Metal
  6
  11
  Jian
  Metal
  6
  11
  Katana
  Metal
  6
  13
  Katar
  Metal
  6
  8
  Knife-Wheel
  Metal
  6
  9
  Kukri
  Metal
  6
  9
  Large Falchion
  Metal
  6
  13
  Large Katar
  Metal
  6
  10
  Large Knife
  Metal
  6
  8
  Large Quadrens
  Metal
  6
  11
  Large Throwing Knife
  Metal
  6
  8
  Late Katana
  Metal
  6
  11
  Light Edged Rapier
  Metal
  6
  10
  Light Rapier
  Metal
  6
  10
  Long Knife
  Metal
  6
  9
  Longsword
  Metal
  6
  12
  Macuahuilzoctli
  Wood
  2
  10
  [2]
  Macuahuitl
  Wood
  2
  11
  [2]
  Main-Gauche
  Metal
  6
  8
  Pata
  Metal
  6
  12
  Qian Kun Ri Yue Dao
  Metal
  6
  11
  Quadrens
  Metal
  6
  10
  Rapier
  Metal
  6
  11
  Rondel Dagger
  Metal
  6
  8
  Saber
  Metal
  6
  10
  Sai
  Metal
  6
  9
  Shortsword
  Metal
  6
  10
  Shotel
  Metal
  6
  11
  Slashing Wheel
  Metal
  3
  8
  [1]
  Small Falchion
  Metal
  6
  10
  Small Knife
  Metal
  4
  6
  [1]
  Weapon
  Material
  DR
  HP
  Notes
  Blades
  Small Throwing Knife
  Metal
  4
  6
  [1]
  Smallsword
  Metal
  6
  9
  Stiletto
  Metal
  3
  5
  [1]
  Thrusting Bastard Sword
  Metal
  6
  13
  Thrusting Broadsword
  Metal
  6
  11
  Thrusting Greatsword
  Metal
  6
  15
  Two-Handed Macuahuitl
  Wood
  2
  13
  [2]
  Flexible Weapons
  Chain Whip
  Metal
  6
  11
  [3]
  Flail
  Wood/Metal
  4
  16
  [3]
  Heavy Cloak
  Cloth/Leather
  1
  13
  Kusari
  Metal
  6
  13
  [3]
  Kusarigama
  Metal
  6
  13
  [3]
  Kusarijutte
  Metal
  6
  12
  [3]
  Large Net
  Cloth/Leather
  1
  21
  [4]
  Lariat
  Cloth/Leather
  1
  11
  [4]
  Light Cloak
  Cloth/Leather
  1
  10
  Light Whip
  Cloth/Leather
  1
  6
  Melee Net
  Cloth/Leather
  1
  13
  [4]
  Morningstar
  Wood/Metal
  4
  14
  [3]
  Nunchaku
  Wood/Metal
  4
  10
  [4]
  Rope Dart
  Cloth/Leather
  1
  6
  [4]
  Thonged Club
  Wood
  2
  6
  [4]
  Three-Part Staff
  Wood/Metal
  4
  13
  [3]
  Urumi
  Metal
  6
  12
  Weighted Scarf
  Cloth/Leather
  1
  8
  [4]
  Whip
  Cloth/Leather
  1
  10
  Impact Weapons
  Axe
  Wood/Metal
  4
  12
  Blackjack
  Cloth/Leather
  1
  8
  Brass Knuckles
  Metal
  3
  5
  [1]
  Cestus
  Cloth/Leather
  1
  8
  Combat Fan
  Metal
  3
  8
  [1]
  Gada
  Wood/Metal
  4
  19
  Great Axe
  Wood/Metal
  4
  16
  Hatchet
  Wood/Metal
  4
  10
  Hungamunga
  Wood/Metal
  4
  8
  Jutte
  Metal
  6
  8
  Khopesh
  Metal
  6
  11
  Knobbed Club
  Wood
  2
  10
  Large Hungamunga
  Wood/Metal
  4
  12
  Long Axe
  Wood/Metal
  4
  14
  Mace
  Wood/Metal
  4
  13
  Maul
  Wood/Metal
  4
  18
  Myrmex
  Cloth/Leather
  1
  5
  Pick
  Metal
  6
  11
  Round Mace
  Wood/Metal
  4
  13
  Scythe
  Wood/Metal
  4
  13
  Sickle
  Metal
  6
  10
  Small Axe
  Wood/Metal
  4
  11
  Small Mace
  Wood/Metal
  4
  11
  Small Round Mace
  Wood/Metal
  4
  11
  Small Throwing Axe
  Wood/Metal
  4
  11
  Tetsubo
  Wood/Metal
  4
  17
  Throwing Axe
  Wood/Metal
  4
  12
  Warhammer
  Wood/Metal
  4
  15
  WEAPONS AND ARMOR
  23
  
  WEAPONS AND ARMOR
  24
  Weapon
  Material
  DR
  HP
  Notes
  Missiles and Missile Weapons
  Atlatl
  Wood
  2
  8
  Atlatl Dart
  Wood/Metal
  4
  8
  Blowpipe
  Wood
  2
  8
  Bola Perdida
  Cloth/Leather
  1
  8
  [4]
  Bolas
  Cloth/Leather
  1
  10
  [4]
  Boomerang
  Wood
  2
  8
  Chakram
  Metal
  6
  9
  Composite Crossbow
  Wood
  2
  15
  [4]
  Crossbow
  Wood
  2
  14
  [4]
  Dart Sling
  Cloth/Leather
  1
  6
  [4]
  Discus
  Metal
  6
  10
  Fowling Crossbow
  Metal
  6
  16
  [4]
  Gastraphetes
  Wood
  2
  16
  [4]
  Heavy Sling
  Cloth/Leather
  1
  8
  [4]
  Hunting Crossbow
  Metal
  6
  18
  [4]
  Longbow
  Wood
  2
  11
  [4]
  Military Crossbow
  Metal
  6
  19
  [4]
  Pistol Crossbow
  Wood
  2
  12
  [4]
  Prodd
  Wood
  2
  14
  [4]
  Reflex Bow
  Wood
  2
  10
  [4]
  Regular Bow
  Wood
  2
  10
  [4]
  Repeating Crossbow
  Wood
  2
  17
  [4]
  Short Bow
  Wood
  2
  9
  [4]
  Shuriken
  Metal
  2
  3
  [1]
  Siege Crossbow
  Metal
  6
  21
  [4]
  Sling
  Cloth/Leather
  1
  6
  [4]
  Slurbow
  Wood
  2
  16
  [4]
  Staff Sling
  Cloth/Leather
  1
  10
  [4]
  Stone-Launching Stick
  Wood
  2
  8
  Straight Composite Bow
  Wood
  2
  10
  [4]
  Throwing Dart
  Wood/Metal
  4
  8
  Tubular Bow
  Metal
  3
  10
  [1, 4]
  Woomera
  Wood
  2
  10
  Polearms
  Bill
  Wood/Metal
  4
  16
  Dueling Bill
  Wood/Metal
  4
  14
  Dueling Glaive
  Wood/Metal
  4
  14
  Dueling Halberd
  Wood/Metal
  4
  17
  Glaive
  Wood/Metal
  4
  16
  Halberd
  Wood/Metal
  4
  18
  Weapon
  Material
  DR
  HP
  Notes
  Polearms
  Harpoon
  Wood/Metal
  4
  14
  Heavy Horse-Cutter
  Wood/Metal
  4
  18
  Heavy Spear
  Wood/Metal
  4
  14
  Javelin
  Wood/Metal
  4
  10
  Lajatang
  Metal
  6
  15
  Lance
  Wood/Metal
  4
  14
  Light Horse-Cutter
  Wood/Metal
  4
  16
  Long Spear
  Wood/Metal
  4
  13
  Monk’s Spade
  Wood/Metal
  4
  14
  Naginata
  Wood/Metal
  4
  14
  Pike
  Wood/Metal
  4
  18
  Poleaxe
  Wood/Metal
  4
  17
  Pollaxe
  Wood/Metal
  4
  17
  Short Spear
  Wood/Metal
  4
  10
  Sodegarami
  Wood/Metal
  4
  12
  Spear
  Wood/Metal
  4
  12
  Trident
  Wood/Metal
  4
  13
  Sticks
  Baton
  Wood
  2
  8
  Bokken
  Wood
  2
  11
  Dusack
  Wood
  2
  9
  Jo
  Wood
  2
  10
  Light Club
  Wood
  2
  11
  Long Staff
  Wood
  2
  13
  Oar
  Wood
  2
  16
  Quarterstaff
  Wood/Metal
  4
  12
  Short Baton
  Wood
  1
  6
  [1]
  Short Staff
  Wood
  2
  8
  Throwing Stick
  Wood
  2
  8
  Tonfa
  Wood
  2
  9
  Wooden Stake
  Wood
  1
  6
  [1]
  Notes
  [1] Relatively thin and easy to damage, with less DR than
  normal for its material.
  [2] Subject to special breakage rules; see description in
  GURPS Low-Tech.
  [3] Has, or consists entirely of, a heavy chain, which can be
  targeted; see Breakage When Attacked (p. 22).
  [4] Has a thin cord, which can be targeted; see Breakage
  When Attacked (p. 22).
  Weath the Musician: Give an Arab a sword, he makes
  a knife!
  Ahmed ibn Fahdlan: It works.
  Weath the Musician: When you die, can I give that to
  my daughter?
  – The Thirteenth Warrior
  
  WEAPONS AND ARMOR
  25
  DAMAGE TO ARMOR
  Realistically, the rules under Overpenetration (p. B408)
  should apply to armor. If you suffered injury because an
  attack’s damage exceeded your armor’s DR, then your armor
  must have been damaged!
  Look up the armor’s weight on the Object Hit Points Table
  (p. B558) and read its HP from the “Homogenous/Diffuse” col-
  umn. Most armor modifications – e.g., everything described
  under Reinforced in GURPS Low-Tech – affect the armor’s
  final weight and hence its HP. Ignore weight reductions for
  high quality, however.
  Armor is protected by its own DR at -1. When calculating
  injury, treat flexible armor as Diffuse and rigid armor as
  Homogenous; see Injury to Unliving, Homogenous, and Diffuse
  Targets (p. B380). The effects of injury are as described on
  pp. B483-484, with these extra details:
  Less than 1/3 HP left – The armor gives the wearer half its
  original DR (round down). In addition, remove -1
  from penalties to target chinks in it; see Chinks in
  Armor in GURPS Low-Tech.
  0 HP or less – Roll vs. HT 12 every second to see if
  the armor falls off. Critical failure means it only
  partially detaches, and hangs awkwardly on the
  wearer: torso armor gives -1 DX, limb armor
  restricts the limb as if crippled, and a helmet
  gets dislodged in such a way that it covers the
  wearer’s eyes! These effects remain until the
  damaged item is removed; see Donning Armor in
  GURPS Low-Tech. While the armor is worn,
  remove -2 from penalties to target chinks in it.
  Example: Sir Gnaff is wearing a 24-lb. plate cuirass with DR
  7. The table on p. B558 gives it 20 HP. Conan the Bar hits Gnaff
  with a mace for 12 points of crushing damage. Gnaff receives
  12 - 7 = 5 HP of injury. The armor is protected by DR 7 - 1 = 6,
  so it takes 12 - 6 = 6 HP of injury, leaving 14 HP. Conan’s next
  wallop delivers 7 points of damage. The armor’s DR 7 is just
  enough to prevent injury to Gnaff, but the armor itself has only
  DR 6, so it suffers another 1 HP of injury, leaving 13 HP.
  Gnaff survives the battle but neglects to repair his armor.
  Another encounter reduces his armor to 6 HP. Since that’s less
  than 1/3 of its original HP, its DR 7 is halved and rounded
  down to 3, and enemies who wish to target chinks in it remove
  -1 from their penalty.
  Gnaff’s next battle reduces his armor to -1 HP. He rolls
  against HT 12 and fails, so his cuirass falls off!
  Targeting Armor
  It’s sometimes possible to disable an opponent’s armor
  deliberately. The options are denting articulations and severing
  straps. Only rigid armor has articulations or visible straps and
  lacing; you cannot target flexible armor this way.
  Denting an articulation on plate armor prevents the
  enclosed limb or extremity from functioning. You must use a
  crushing attack. Possible targets are the knee (affecting the
  leg), elbow (affecting the arm), hand, or foot. Roll to hit at -6
  instead of the location’s usual penalty. If the attack gets at
  least 2 points of damage past DR, then regardless of armor
  HP, treat the affected body part as crippled until the damaged
  piece of armor is removed.
  Severing the right strap(s) causes the piece to fall off! This
  requires a cutting attack. Roll at -8 to target a strap. If the
  attack delivers at least 2 points of cutting damage, then it cuts
  the strap. You must slice through two straps to remove torso
  armor, but just one for any other piece.
  Repairing Armor
  Damaged armor can be repaired. This calls for the same
  skill(s) you would need to make the armor; see GURPS Low-
  Tech Companion 3, or simply assume Armoury (Body Armor).
  Tools are also required, and their quality modifies skill (see
  p. B345). Use Repairs (pp. B484-485) to assess materials costs,
  skill modifiers, and effects, but note that each attempt takes
  one hour. Armor that has positive HP needs minor repairs,
  while armor with zero or negative HP demands major repairs.
  If you elect not to repair the armor, you can scrap it for its
  materials value – say, 5-10% of original cost.
  Armor Maintenance
  Armor must be cared for or it will deteriorate. If not regu-
  larly maintained by someone with at least 1 point in Armoury
  or Soldier skill, it loses 1 HP per month of
  regular wear or year in storage. Deliberate
  conservation attempts for armor in stor-
  age (only) can slow deterioration to 1 HP
  per decade.
  Maintenance for regularly worn armor
  takes 10 minutes per week per piece
  (breastplate, helmet, gauntlet, etc.) but
  requires no actual skill roll. For armor with
  any kind of styling or decoration, double
  this time. However, some decoration meth-
  ods, such as lacquering or tinning, also
  halve deterioration (1 HP per two months
  of wear or two years in storage).
  Quick and Dirty Armor Damage
  If tracking HP for individual pieces of armor seems like too
  much trouble, then simply track HP for the entire suit. When the suit
  has less than 1/3 of its HP left, halve DR everywhere. At 0 HP or less,
  don’t roll dice; the armor fails completely (at this point, most of it
  would have fallen off).
  The London Lobsters
  The “London lobsters” was a nickname given to Sir Arthur Haselrig’s
  heavy cavalry by the Royalists during the English Civil War. At his own
  expense, Sir Arthur outfitted each man in heavily fluted plate armor that was
  proofed against firearms, giving them a lobster-like appearance. At the Battle
  of Roundway Down (1643), Sir Arthur himself survived four close-range
  firearms shots and several sword thrusts, and was only unseated after his
  horse was attacked. King Charles quipped, “Had he been victualed as well as
  fortified, he might have endured a siege of seven years.”
  
  FORTIFICATIONS
  26
  Fortification is any attempt to modify a location to make it
  harder to attack. Such measures fall into three main cate-
  gories: field fortifications, city defenses, and fortresses. These dif-
  fer from natural defenses such as rivers, swamps, and cliffs,
  but the two may enhance one another. A river could be diverted
  around a castle to create a moat; a natural depression might be
  dug out to create a ditch and a rampart; or a castle may be built
  on a hill to increase its height and aid visibility, or on a cliff
  edge to restrict access from that direction.
  CHAPTER THREE
  FORTIFICATIONS
  FIELD FORTIFICATIONS
  These are temporary defenses erected by troops in the
  field using portable tools and available materials such as
  earth, brush, wood, and sandbags. To be effective, they must
  take the attacker’s capabilities into consideration. For
  instance, ditches and sharpened stakes are useful against cav-
  alry charges, but trenches and sandbags are more appropri-
  ate when facing firearms.
  All of the measures below are possible at TL0.
  NATURAL OBSTACLES
  A good commander will incorporate the terrain into
  his battle plan. Any defense that Mother Nature has
  provided is one the troops don’t have to prepare!
  Examples include natural watercourses; marshlands;
  cliffs and large rock formations; and trees, hedges,
  and thickets.
  DITCH
  This is the most common defensive structure used
  to slow the enemy’s advance. A shallow ditch can
  blunt a cavalry charge; a deeper one might stop
  progress completely. The rubble from the ditch is
  often used to construct an adjacent rampart (see Ditch
  and Rampart, p. 27). Use Digging (pp. B350-351) to
  determine the time required.
  STAKES/PICKETS
  These are sharp wooden poles driven into the
  ground and angled toward the enemy. When they line
  the bottom of a ditch, they’re sometimes called
  cusletts. It takes about half an hour for one man to
  cut, sharpen, and plant each stake. This workload is
  often divided among several men. Roman legionaries
  carried their own prepared stakes ready for immedi-
  ate planting each time they made camp (see Roman
  Field Camp, below). Even one stake per yard of front
  will interfere with a cavalry charge; infantry calls for
  at least two per yard.
  TRENCH
  Troops crouch in trenches to get protection from incoming
  projectiles while gaining a stable platform from which to launch
  their own weapons. A trench’s sides are usually more vertical
  than those of a ditch, and built up using the excavated earth.
  Sandbags can further strengthen such defenses. If the soil is par-
  ticularly loose, or if the trench is more than 5’ deep, the walls will
  need timber reinforcement. See Digging (pp. B350-351) for con-
  struction and Cover (pp. B407-408) for benefits.
  A foxhole is a trench that’s circular in shape rather than lin-
  ear. It uses the same rules.
  Roman Field Camp
  The Romans were famous for building a fortified camp every
  time they stopped for the day. Surveyors would scout out a suit-
  able position and mark out the rectangular perimeter, along with
  other features such as roads and gates. Then a portion of the
  troops would form a defensive cordon while the rest of them pre-
  pared the camp. Some men were assigned to dig the ditch (fosse)
  and rampart (agger) around the perimeter; others unloaded bag-
  gage, erected tents, cooked dinner, tended horses, etc. When the
  earthworks were finished, wooden stakes – carried with the bag-
  gage – were planted atop the rampart to create a palisade (val-
  lum). If manpower allowed, the palisade would be reinforced
  with piled turf (p. 28).
  More permanent camps had two walls (around 10’ high) of
  piled turf, with rubble from the ditch filling the space in between.
  Wooden posts were erected to form corner towers and gatehouses.
  A second rampart was constructed on the outside of the ditch; this
  was reinforced with timber, where plentiful. Timber was also used
  to construct a catwalk atop the first rampart. Inside, wooden build-
  ings were raised instead of tents. In the Center of a permanent
  camp was a small building called the sacellum, which housed the
  treasury and regimental standards; this was made of stone, if pos-
  sible. In a camp intended to remain for more than a single season,
  stone would replace the timber structures as well.
  
  FORTIFICATIONS
  27
  The circumvallation of large cities began around 5500 B.C.
  This coincides with the emergence of organized warfare. Uruk,
  in Sumer, is one of the oldest known examples of a walled city.
  A wall around a city was a symbol of its inhabitants’ pros-
  perity and independence. One of the worst indignities that
  could befall a conquered city was to have its wall completely
  dismantled. The conqueror would require the population to
  prove its loyalty over a period of time before granting permis-
  sion to rebuild it.
  Note on DR: Below, cover DR is given per inch of thickness.
  See GURPS Low-Tech Companion 3 for details.
  DITCH AND RAMPART (TL0)
  The first evidence for walled settlements dates to the
  Neolithic. The earliest fortifications consisted of a simple
  ditch-and-rampart construction: the material from the ditch
  was used to create a mound, or rampart, adjacent to it on the
  defender’s side. The ditch’s depth was usually about the same
  as the rampart’s height. Since a typical rampart was 4’-6’ tall,
  attackers at the bottom of the ditch faced an 8’-12’ obstacle!
  The higher the rampart, the thicker its base must be. In gen-
  eral, thickness increases at the same rate as height. For exam-
  ple, a 10’-tall rampart would be 10’ thick at its base.
  A rampart gives DR 0.8/inch. Within a couple of years, the
  earth will settle, becoming equivalent to hard earth (see below).
  This reduces its height but increases its protection to DR 1/inch.
  DRY STONE (TL0)
  The earliest stone walls were dry stone or rubble construc-
  tions, built by simply piling loose stones on top of each other
  without mortar to cement them together. The height of such a
  wall cannot exceed its width; historically, this was rarely
  greater than 10’. A dry stone wall has DR 10/inch.
  At TL1, larger stones were cut so that they interlocked with
  each other, a construction called ashlar. The strong, tight fit
  enabled much higher fortifications. The walls of the Inca often
  used this technique, and attained heights of up to 30’.
  Mycenaean “Cyclopean” walls stood up to 40’ tall. Ashlar walls
  have DR 13/inch.
  HARD EARTH (TL0)
  In China, early walls were made of compressed earth.
  Wooden forms were built and filled with earth, which was
  laboriously tamped with heavy rams to compress it. Another
  set of forms was constructed above the first and the process
  repeated until the desired height was achieved. Parts of the
  Great Wall of China were made this way! To achieve the best
  results, the mix of earth, clay, and aggregate had to be carefully
  measured; less-permanent walls could be made with any soil
  (except sand) and a little water, however.
  Mud bricks also count as hard earth. These are unfired
  bricks made from mud or clay mixed with a binding agent
  such as straw or rice husks. The earliest examples, from the
  upper Tigris and southeast Anatolia, date to the middle of the
  eighth millennium B.C.
  Such constructions are most durable in drier climates. Rain
  increases deterioration. Height ranges from 6’ up to 30’.
  Hard earth walls have DR 1/inch.
  HEDGE (TL0)
  Plants can serve as a defensive barrier if strategically
  planted and trimmed to shape. A thick hedge of thorny thick-
  ets would dissuade all but the most determined attacker. The
  barrier’s height depends on the maximum height of the plant
  used, and on whether it has had time to grow that tall. Anyone
  attempting to climb or force his way through a thorny hedge is
  likely to get snagged or injured; see Spikes/Thorns in GURPS
  Low-Tech.
  A hedge has DR 0.2/inch, and is Fragile (Combustible).
  WOODEN PALISADE (TL0)
  A palisade is series of wooden posts driven vertically into the
  ground with little space between them, often with their tips
  sharpened. In wooded areas, this is a quick means of con-
  structing a defensive wall. Palisades may be used in conjunc-
  tion with other defenses; e.g., atop an earthen rampart. If the
  stakes are planted horizontally in a rampart, pointing toward
  the enemy, the resulting barrier is called a fraise. A palisade
  was often used as a temporary measure until more permanent
  fortifications could be built.
  Theoretically, if lifting equipment were available, the only
  limit on maximum height would be the height of the trees
  used. In practice, though, a typical palisade stood 8’-12’ tall.
  A palisade has DR 0.5/inch, and is Fragile (Combustible).
  BRICK (TL1)
  Fired bricks first appeared in the third millennium B.C.
  These were similar to mud bricks (see Hard Earth, above),
  except that they were baked in a kiln to create a ceramic. They
  were then laid in much the same way as stone – either with or
  without mortar – to construct walls about as tall as compara-
  ble stone ones.
  A brick wall has DR 8/inch.
  CITY DEFENSES
  You’re in the army now;
  You’re not behind a plow.
  You’ll never get rich
  A-digging a ditch;
  You’re in the army now!
  – Traditional
  marching cadence
  
  FORTIFICATIONS
  28
  CRIBWORK (TL1)
  This is a means of reinforcing one material with another.
  One example is stone walls with integral courses of brick tying
  them together; another is earthen walls with log ties. The
  Romans encountered cribworked earthen and stone walls
  around Celtic settlements: large logs ran transversely through
  the wall and protruded from the face. They named the con-
  struction Murus Gallicus (“Gallic wall”).
  Cribwork is an option for any earthen, brick, or stone wall
  that’s at least 2’ thick. It improves resiliency, giving +1 to the
  wall’s HT. Most walls start at HT 12; see GURPS Low-Tech
  Companion 3 for details.
  MORTARED STONE (TL1)
  This is similar to dry stone (p. 27), except that the stones are
  cemented together with some sort of binding agent. In some
  ancient cities, such as Babylon, bitumen was used as a mortar.
  However, most masonry was held together with lime or plaster,
  which was first developed in the Neolithic.
  Mortared stone was the most common method of con-
  structing medieval fortresses. The largest wall of Constantino-
  ple is 16’ thick and 40’ high, while its towers are up to 70’ tall.
  The keep at Pembroke Castle has walls 19’ thick and 75’ high.
  Rochester Castle is even more impressive, with walls up to 13’
  thick and 113’ tall!
  Mortared stone has DR 12/inch.
  PILED TURF (TL1)
  When Roman legionaries were on the march in hostile ter-
  ritory, they would fortify their camp each evening; see Roman
  Field Camp (p. 26). They often constructed the defensive wall
  by digging out slabs of turf or sod and piling them on one
  another until the desired height was reached. This was nor-
  mally used to reinforce a wooden palisade – but if there were
  enough men, two turf walls were constructed and rubble from
  the defensive ditch was used to fill the space between them.
  This was a quick and simple way to build an effective fortifica-
  tion with nothing but digging tools.
  Piled turf has DR 0.8/inch.
  CONCRETE (TL2)
  The Romans were the first to use concrete in large struc-
  tures. Roman concrete was a mixture of wet lime, pozzolana
  (volcanic ash), and gravel combined in specific ratios to suit
  the engineer’s purpose. The mix was far drier than that used
  today, and was shoveled into wooden forms and then packed
  tightly with rams in a similar manner to rammed earth (see
  Hard Earth, p. 27). The results were more durable than the
  majority of Portland concrete used today. The Coliseum was
  made of concrete and is still standing . . . without the steel rein-
  forcing that’s so necessary for most modern concrete! It was
  about 150’ tall when built.
  Roman-style concrete has DR 9/inch.
  EMBOSSING (TL2)
  Similar to Murus Gallicus (see Cribwork, above), except
  that instead of wooden logs protruding from the face, large
  stones protrude at regular intervals. These spread the impact
  of siege weapons. Embossed walls must be made of stone or
  brick, and be at least 1’ thick. Embossing increases DR by 5%
  vs. crushing damage.
  FORTRESSES
  A fortress is a permanent strongpoint built to defend a pop-
  ulation center, control a strategic location, and/or house
  troops. Such fortifications have existed since the first settle-
  ments began to surround people with walls.
  CAUSEWAYED
  ENCLOSURE (TL0)
  This Neolithic European complex of earthworks consisted
  of one to four concentric ditches surrounding a hilltop site.
  Access to the center was via causeways that segmented the
  ditches. Some such fortresses were manned for defense; others
  were infrequently occupied.
  HILL FORT (TL1)
  The successor to the causewayed enclosure, hill forts were
  common throughout much of Europe. Most consisted of a
  raised central location surrounded by one or more ditch-and-
  rampart defenses. Not all were circular; many followed the
  contours of the land. The ramparts of larger forts were some-
  times replaced with stone walls. The buildings within could be
  of timber or of stone.
  Like the causewayed enclosure, the hill fort wasn’t always
  permanently manned. In some cases, a community would flee
  to the local hill fort when attacked, but leave it to stand empty
  during peacetime. Other forts were large enough to act as per-
  manent settlements, protecting full-time inhabitants.
  TERRAMARA (TL1)
  This kind of “lake dwelling on land” was common in north-
  ern Italy during the Bronze Age. The settlement was trape-
  zoidal in shape and built atop piles, but on dry land rather than
  in water. Protection consisted of a ditch (sometimes water-
  filled) and rampart.
  Something there is that doesn’t love a
  wall,
  That wants it down.
  – Robert Frost, “Mending Wall”
  
  FORTIFICATIONS
  29
  MOTTE AND BAILEY (TL2)
  This construction is synonymous with the Norman invasion
  of England, but similar fortresses were built in Ireland and
  France. The French term motte described a raised mound upon
  which a wooden or stone keep stood. The bailey was a court-
  yard enclosed by a rampart and/or a wooden palisade, adjacent
  to and overlooked by the motte. The bailey typically had two
  gates: a heavily fortified main entrance at the front, and a rear
  exit leading up to the motte. This was an effective fortification
  – an attacker had to breach the outer wall, fight all the way
  through the bailey to the rear gate, and then up the steep
  incline toward the keep atop the motte, which was often sur-
  rounded by another wall.
  CASTLES (TL2)
  The word “castle” is derived from the Latin castellum. It’s a
  general term used to describe any large fortress, which might
  be made of wood, stone, brick, or concrete. The motte and bai-
  ley (above) could be classified as a castle, for instance. Details
  on building castles and other structures appear GURPS Low-
  Tech Companion 3.
  A short glossary of some distinguishing features of TL2-3
  castles:
  arrow loops: Long slits or cross-shaped openings in stone
  walls, enabling archers to attack the enemy. These were
  later made rounded to accommodate firearms. A defender
  who wants to launch a projectile through an arrow loop has
  -1 to hit and can only target enemies in front. An attacker
  who wishes to retaliate has -4 to hit.
  bailey: An enclosed courtyard surrounded by fortified walls
  and towers. The keep (q.v.) was often located here; if not, its
  entrance was accessed from here. In a castle with multiple
  lines of defenses, the donjon was the central fortified build-
  ing – usually a tower.
  crenellations: Usually rectangular notches along the top edge
  of the defensive wall. Defenders could shoot from the
  spaces (crenels or embrasures) and duck behind the adjacent
  projections (merlons) for full cover. These features are com-
  mon from the Bronze Age on; the Great Wall of China has
  many thousands of crenellations! The merlons could be of
  many shapes; rounded ones can be found in African and
  Middle Eastern castles. By the Middle Ages, merlons were
  large enough to incorporate arrow loops (q.v.). The develop-
  ment of heavy siege cannon saw the demise of the merlon.
  A defender protected by crenellations is attacked at -2 with
  ranged weapons, as only his top half is exposed; see Cover
  (pp. B407-408).
  gatehouse: Gates were a weak point in any castle, and the gate-
  house was designed to prevent them from being breached. It
  incorporated various defenses, including towers, movable
  bridges, multiple doors, and/or portcullises (q.v.). Elongated
  gatehouses enabled defenders to trap the enemy between
  portcullises and attack them in a confined space.
  hoardings: A temporary wooden construction assembled on
  the outside of the wall during a siege. It granted defenders
  a wider angle of fire, including straight down to the base of
  the wall. Machicolations were similar, but permanent and
  made of stone; these were sometimes called murder holes.
  keep: The primary redoubt, located in the middle of the
  defenses and solidly constructed. It was the final place to
  which defenders fell back when under attack.
  moat: A ditch, often water-filled, surrounding the castle. The
  castle could only be accessed by means of a moveable
  bridge, such as a drawbridge. A large drawbridge could take
  up to 45 seconds to raise or lower (from vertical to horizon-
  tal at 2° per second).
  portcullis: A latticed grill made of wood and/or metal. Set into
  vertical grooves, it could be raised and lowered on a rope or
  a chain by means of a winch. Heavier gates would utilize
  counterweights to assist with this. A gatehouse (q.v.) often
  contained two portcullises. In times of strife, the outer one
  would be opened first to allow entry; the inner one wouldn’t
  be raised until the outer one was lowered again. For statis-
  tics, see Grate in GURPS Low Tech.
  Unmanned fortifications will only slow interlopers tem-
  porarily. Traps have no manpower requirement, but may
  endanger allies and then fail to trigger against enemies,
  and are still essentially short-term obstacles. But even a
  single alert pair of eyes watching for signs of trouble can
  thwart would-be intruders. This may be a human guard –
  perhaps equipped with a spyglass (see GURPS Low-Tech)
  – or an animal.
  Dogs make the most effective guard animals; man has
  used them this way for 10,000 years. Their senses of hear-
  ing and smell can make them more effective than human
  guards – and in combination with a handler, guard dogs
  are one of the most reliable security measures. To sneak
  past a dog, an intruder must win a Quick Contest of Stealth
  vs. the animal’s Hearing; use 14 for a trained beast. If the
  trespasser is upwind, Stealth is irrelevant; simply roll
  against the animal’s Smell of 16-18 (depends on the breed).
  With training, the dog also gets a Smell roll to track; see
  Tracking (p. B226). A fully trained dog costs at least $200;
  see Dogs (p. B457).
  Other guard animals include geese, which have served
  in this role since first domesticated during the Bronze Age.
  Livy wrote that the noise from the geese in the temple of
  Juno saved Rome from a Gallic night attack in 390 B.C.
  Geese are very alert (roll vs. Hearing 13 to detect intruders),
  and strangers cannot calm them. A related bird, the
  screamer (family Anhimidae), was used to guard herds in
  South America; the ostrich filled a similar role in Africa. In
  Uzbekistan, golden eagles – known to attack and kill
  wolves – were allegedly used to protect sheep.
  Dangerous reptiles – pythons, cobras, crocodiles, etc. –
  might not warn that intruders are present, but will act as
  a strong deterrent! The same goes for large felines, such
  as lions.
  Guards and Watchers
  
  FORTIFICATIONS
  30
  tower: Towers were the tallest part of the castle. They
  were installed on defensive walls and allowed an
  uninterrupted view of the surrounding area. Tow-
  ers extended past the line of the wall so that sen-
  tries could keep watch along the base of it – and to
  allow defenders to shoot at any enemy on the wall!
  The corners of square towers proved vulnerable to
  mining and battering rams, so rounded towers
  became common by the 13th century.
  STAR FORT (TL4)
  Beginning as early as the 15th century in Europe,
  gunpowder caused fortifications to evolve into much
  lower structures. As purely physical defenses, the high
  walls and tall towers of the Middle Ages were
  extremely vulnerable to cannon fire. Moreover, the rel-
  atively narrow parapets were unsuitable platforms for
  cannon. The guns’ carriages needed room, and addi-
  tional space was required for recoil – a firing cannon
  could push itself off of a narrow wall! Requirements
  for parapets grew so great that they had to extend
  beyond the thickness of the wall itself. In some cases,
  rooms were built within the curtain wall with roofs up
  to the wall’s height, and then the roofs paved over to
  extend the parapet’s width. The exterior faces of walls
  were surrounded with thick, sloping earthworks that
  could more effectively absorb and deflect cannon fire.
  Gunpowder-era forts also took on a “spiky,” or star-
  shaped, plan. Instead of looking almost entirely outward, like
  earlier castles, the long, angled walls created overlapping fields
  of fire for the defenders. Attackers assaulting a wall would take
  fire from not just the position they were attacking, but also the
  adjacent “arm” of the star. Instead of high and usually round
  towers, the corners of walls were reinforced with angular bas-
  tions, which might be no taller than the adjacent wall but pro-
  vided still more angles of fire.
  The quest to create more angles from which to shoot at
  attackers led to a number of new features. Counter-guards,
  lunettes, and ravelins were low, angular fortifications – often
  triangular – in front of the main curtain wall. In addition to
  providing supporting fire to adjacent parts of the fortress,
  they were completely open to the parapets and bastions
  behind them; attackers who managed to capture them would
  have no shelter from defenders farther back. Crownworks,
  hornworks, and priest’s caps were similar but larger struc-
  tures, often with more complex shapes and incorporating
  bastions at the corners. A redan was a triangular bastion, the
  inner anchor of the bridge used to enter the fort, and typically
  heavily defended. Redoubts were bastions outside the main
  fortress – semi-detached (possibly communicating with the
  fort’s main body by bridges) or completely freestanding – that
  provided strong points from which defenders could fire on
  attackers assaulting the main fortress.
  All of these structures were raised defensive platforms stand-
  ing out from a network of ditches and low ground. Attackers
  entering these networks could be caught in a crossfire from
  the inner (scarp) and outer (counterscarp) sides of the ditch.
  The counterscarp side rarely had raised defensive walls, so
  attackers capturing an outer position could still be fired on
  from positions farther in, yet the height of such a position usu-
  ally afforded the defenders reasonably good protection against
  attackers in the ditches they overlooked. Not only could fire
  come from the tops of the raised platforms, it might come from
  casemates: large and notoriously dark rooms under the level of
  the parapets, protected by scarp/counterscarp walls. Case-
  mates could be shielded by several yards of earth and rock, so
  loopholes were often deep enough for people to lie down full-
  length and sleep in.
  By the 18th century, forts could have extremely complex
  ground plans, with a many-pointed citadel surrounded by a
  network of angular, plateau-like outlying fortifications. Such
  extensive defenses were, of course, expensive – feasible for
  city-states and national armies, perhaps, but rarely for indi-
  vidual noblemen.
  You see, if put on a stone wall, a mass of this sort smashes whatever
  it finds underneath because of its violent recoil, not its weight.
  – Ammianus Marcellinus, The History
  Map of a Star Fort
  
  FORTIFICATIONS
  31
  Early gunsmiths occasionally made incredibly huge bom-
  bards or cannon. These were typically one-of-a-kind projects
  (with some exceptions, like the great Turkish bombards
  described below). Rulers seem to have commissioned such
  pieces primarily to impress their rivals with their wealth and
  power; such guns often went unfired for years. But for the GM
  who wants to send adventurers to sabotage the enemy’s most ter-
  rifying weapon – or let them fire one of their own! – here’s his-
  torical information and statistics on some notable examples.
  Unless otherwise stated, these are
  wrought-iron muzzleloaders. All are con-
  sidered TL3, despite the late date of man-
  ufacture in some cases, because they have
  static mounts rather than carriage or pin-
  tle mounts (see Aiming Fixed-Mount
  Weapons in GURPS Low-Tech). Due to
  the massive heat release from their pow-
  der charges, these guns can’t be fired
  more than a few times a day. If discharged
  after less than an hour of cooling, apply -2
  to Malf.
  Dhul Dani (1628). Cast from bronze in
  Agra for the Mughal ruler Shah Jahan
  (also famous for building the Taj Mahal).
  Dulle Griet (15th century). Made for
  the Duke of Burgundy about the same
  time as Mons Meg (below) and installed
  in Ghent in 1578. The name means “Mad
  Margaret,” and refers to a character in
  Flemish folklore who leads an army of
  women to pillage Hell (depicted in a 1562
  painting by Bruegel).
  Great
  Turkish
  Bombards
  (1453).
  Mehmet II had several really huge guns
  made for the siege of Constantinople in 1453, and 42 more to
  guard the Dardanelles. Muzzles and receivers were cast sepa-
  rately from bronze, but unlike most smaller bombards, these
  guns were muzzle-loaded. Moving them was a heroic project;
  it took 200 men and 60 oxen to transport the largest Turkish
  guns. The recoil of these weapons was too great for a wooden
  frame to endure; instead, they were suspended in cradles of
  heavy ropes that let them swing in larger wooden frames,
  absorbing the recoil.
  Mons Meg (1449). Made by Jehan Cambier for the Duke of
  Burgundy, and sent as a gift to James II of Scotland; the name
  was only adopted in the 17th century. It may have been
  installed by James IV on a warship, the Great Michael. It’s now
  kept at Edinburgh Castle.
  Murshidabad Guns. The Bengali city of Murshidabad has
  two huge breechloaders: the Bachawali Tope (before 1400) and
  the Jahan Kosha (1637). The statistics on the table describe the
  Bachawali Tope.
  Raja Gopala (16th century). Made for one of Tanjore’s
  Mughal rulers, this may be the largest bombard ever made.
  According to legend, the gunners were terrified of firing it – it
  was fired only once, with a powder train 2 miles long!
  Tsar Pushka (1586). This gun was made by Andrei Chokhov
  for Tsar Feodor. Its outer surface is elaborately sculpted, show-
  ing the tsar on a horse, among other images. It’s kept within
  the walls of the Kremlin.
  HUGE GUNS
  Huge Guns Table
  Terms and notation are as defined on pp. B268-271. For costs, “K” means thousands and “M” means millions.
  TL
  Weapon
  Damage
  Acc
  Range
  Weight
  RoF
  Shots
  ST
  Bulk
  Rcl
  Cost
  ARTILLERY (CANNON) (IQ-5)
  3
  Dhul Dani
  6d¥50 pi++
  2
  1,400/8,000
  60,000/1,320
  1
  1(1,800)
  164M†
  -19
  10
  $814K
  3
  Dulle Griet
  6d¥45 pi++
  2
  1,250/7,000
  36,000/900
  1
  1(1,800)
  144M†
  -19
  10
  $489K
  3
  Great Turkish Bombard
  6d¥11 pi++
  1
  300/1,700
  40,000/1,500
  1
  1(10,800)
  140M†
  -19
  8
  $544K
  3
  Mons Meg
  6d¥35 pi++
  2
  1,100/6,000
  15,400/400
  1
  1(1,800)
  117M†
  -17
  10
  $210K
  3
  Murshidabad Gun
  6d¥30 pi++
  2
  1,000/6,000
  13,400/320
  1
  1(1,800)
  113M†
  -17
  10
  $183K
  3
  Raja Gopala
  6d¥45 pi++
  2
  1,300/7,000
  88,000/880
  1
  1(1,800)
  180M†
  -20
  10
  $1.20M
  3
  Tsar Pushka
  6d¥60 pi++
  2
  1,700/9,500
  84,000/2,500
  1
  1(1,800)
  178M†
  -20
  10
  $1.14M
  
  The larger a war’s scale, the more soldiers and materiel it
  grinds up, and the farther these must travel to reach the
  action. Thus, as warfare escalated from squabbles between
  bands to clashes of empires, a new consideration appeared
  alongside equipping troops, erecting defenses, and plotting
  strategies: transporting armies. Canny commanders soon
  exploited mounts and vehicles for this purpose, inventing a
  whole new area of military superiority. Accordingly, mobile
  forces were outfitted for defense and offense, to better fill
  their role in this struggle. Navies in particular developed rap-
  idly from logistical arms into fighting ones.
  There’s an old saying about war: “Amateurs talk tactics, pro-
  fessionals talk logistics.” An army must get to the enemy before
  it can fight them . . . and to keep fighting, it needs food and
  fodder, ammunition, medical supplies, and fuel for cooking,
  heating, light, and metalworking. All of this relies on trans-
  portation. From TL1 to TL4, the scale of warfare and the size
  of empires increase – and one of the main reasons for this is
  that higher-TL empires have better transportation.
  FOOT
  Through the end of TL4, soldiers travel mainly on foot. This
  was true of prehistoric tribal war bands at TL0, and it
  remained true of most soldiers in organized armies later on.
  Riding on a mount or in a vehicle was for the elite who could
  afford it.
  A soldier’s basic ration in low-tech societies is usually grain
  or starchy roots. This is heavier than the traveler’s rations on
  p. B288: 1 lb. per meal, or 3 lbs./day. In dry areas, the warrior
  must also carry water: at least 2 quarts per day, or 4 lbs./day.
  For each day, then, he needs a minimum of 3 lbs. of provisions
  in wet climates or 7 lbs. in dry ones. In realistic low-tech
  economies, the basic ration costs $2/lb., or $6/day. Meat, dried
  fruit, and the local form of alcohol are extra.
  An average soldier has ST 10, making his Basic Lift 20 lbs.
  He’ll typically be asked to carry Medium encumbrance: 3¥BL,
  or 60 lbs. With Basic Move 5, this lets him march 30 miles in a
  day on a good road. Seven days’ food in wet climates, or three
  days’ food and water in dry ones, weighs 21 lbs., leaving him
  with just under 40 lbs. of combat gear – enough for light
  armor, a small shield, and a weapon or two. Assuming the
  same weight of rations, a ST 11 warrior can manage over 50
  lbs. of gear; a ST 12 one, over 65 lbs.
  A fairly typical low-tech army has one noncombatant for
  every three soldiers. Many of these will be women. Assuming
  ST 9, they can carry about 25 lbs. over and above their own
  clothing and rations; none of this will be weapons or armor.
  That gives each unit of 12 soldiers an extra 100 lbs. of gear.
  MOUNTED
  A cavalryman can bring along whatever supplies and gear
  his horse can lug. But his mount must also carry him! An
  average cavalry horse (p. B459) has ST 22 and Basic Lift 97
  lbs. Allowing for rider (200 lbs., armed and armored) and
  horse furniture (bridle and bit, horseshoes, saddlebags, stir-
  rups, and war saddle, totaling 45 lbs.) – and once again
  assuming Medium encumbrance – the horse can carry
  another 46 lbs., slightly over the 40-lb. capacity of saddlebags.
  A horse doing hard work needs 10 lbs. of grain and 8 gal-
  lons (64 lbs.) of water per day. In wet climates, it can carry
  food for itself and its rider for three days, at 13 lbs./day; in
  dry ones, it can’t even carry enough water for one day, and
  must reach a spring, lake, or well after each day’s journey.
  MOBILITY
  32
  CHAPTER FOUR
  MOBILITY
  Realistic Foot Travel
  The hiking rules on p. B351 are optimistic: they assume a
  16 hour/day forced march under ideal conditions. At low
  TLs, travel conditions are seldom ideal. For a more realistic
  and detailed treatment of foot travel, use the following rules.
  Assume that speed in miles per hour equals Move/2.
  Adjust this as usual for terrain, weather, and roads; see
  p. B351. Apply the FP costs for an hour of hiking on
  p. B426. Extra effort (p. B357) works as usual. Each forag-
  ing attempt (p. B427 or GURPS Low-Tech Companion 3)
  takes an hour, during which no progress is made.
  These rules can also be applied to mounted forces and to
  wheeled vehicles drawn by animals.
  Example: A soldier is carrying 3¥BL. He loses 3 FP/hour
  while marching. If he has a fairly average 10-11 FP, he must
  rest after two hours or lose half his Move. One hour of rest
  will restore his lost 6 FP. With Basic Move 5, he’s at Move 3
  for Medium encumbrance, and can travel 1.5 miles in an
  hour’s walk – or 1.8 miles if his unit’s Hiking roll succeeds.
  Thus, he averages 3.6 miles in 3 hours, or 1.2 mph.
  MILITARY TRANSPORTATION
  
  Thus, cavalry can’t keep going for as long as infantry; the extra
  supplies the horses need more than cancel out their heavier
  loads. However, they move somewhat faster; at Medium
  encumbrance, on average terrain, optimal daily travel is 48
  miles, compared to 30 miles for foot soldiers. This doesn’t
  include the effect of Enhanced Move, which requires straight-
  line movement over good terrain (hard-packed desert, level
  plains, or good roads).
  Heavy cavalry, such as knights, face even worse problems.
  The rider is likely to be bigger and stronger, and clad in heav-
  ier armor – and his horse will likely be armored, too. Knights
  commonly have multiple horses: a heavy warhorse to ride in
  combat, a riding horse for travel to the battlefield, and another
  riding horse for a squire who looks after the spare horses while
  his master fights.
  Gamers seeking a more realistic treatment of mounted
  travel should apply Realistic Foot Travel (p. 32) to the speed of
  mounts. With the FP costs included in those rules, there’s a big
  advantage to having several mounts per cavalryman and
  switching off between them, in the style of the Mongol armies.
  An alternative use for horses is as pack animals. The rela-
  tively lightly equipped Macedonians allowed one pack animal
  per 50 men; the Roman legions had one per seven men. A large
  mule (p. B460) can carry the same total load as a cavalry horse;
  as a rule of thumb, allow 250 lbs. of useful capacity. In a wet
  climate, it needs 70 lbs. of grain for a week’s travel, leaving 180
  lbs. for gear such as tents, construction tools, and parts for
  siege engines. In a dry climate, food and water for three days
  (at 74 lbs./day) will leave a mere 28 lbs. of useful capacity.
  Alexander had good reason to restrict the use of pack animals
  in his Near Eastern expeditions!
  Camels (p. B459), too, have ST 22 and Basic Lift 97 lbs., and
  require comparable amounts of food, but they have one big
  advantage: their bodies use water extremely efficiently. A camel
  can go for up to four days without drinking – although after
  doing so, it needs 20 gallons (160 lbs.) of water to restore itself.
  This lets it travel through dry country as easily as wet, provided
  that there’s a water supply at the far end.
  Realistically, large troop movements happen at the pace of
  an army’s slowest units: foot soldiers, heavy weapons, or bag-
  gage trains. The speed of mounted forces is mainly important
  in tactical maneuvering.
  CARTS AND WAGONS
  Oxcarts enter use at TL1. Oxen can work for only five hours
  a day, however, and move at 2 mph – a comparatively slow
  pace. A general in a hurry might order the destruction of all his
  army’s carts to avoid the delays they caused!
  At TL3, the horse-drawn wagon comes into use. The exam-
  ple on p. B464 and in GURPS Low-Tech weighs 680 lbs. and
  can transport 1,000 lbs. of cargo, with two draft horses pulling
  it at Move 8 (80 miles/day) over flat, level surfaces. Off road,
  speed is halved. Some armies use bigger wagons to transport
  heavier loads, but this can lower speed substantially.
  The appearance of field carriages at TL4 turns the TL3
  bombard into the TL4 cannon (see GURPS Low-Tech). The
  cannon itself has wheels. For movement to a new position, it’s
  attached to a limber, which is harnessed to a horse team. The
  usual team is three pairs of horses, taking up a space 60’ long.
  Field cannon have Move 2 at a walk or Move 5 at a trot.
  Mounting cannon on carriages means that they recoil 6-12 feet
  when fired; gunners must allow for this when placing them,
  and reposition them after each shot.
  SHIPS
  Starting at TL1, ships play a vital role in military transport.
  Powerful states can afford enough vessels to send armies to
  distant lands – from Bronze Age Egyptians in Palestine to Age
  of Sail conquistadors in Mexico and Peru. This export of mili-
  tary might is what sets great powers apart from lesser ones.
  In the ancient world, galleys on long journeys relied mainly
  on their sails, attaining a speed of about 5-7 mph with favor-
  able winds or 2-3 mph with unfavorable ones. Fleets were
  much slower – partly because they had to keep together and
  partly because galleys needed sailing ships to carry supplies. A
  fleet could make 2.5-3.5 mph with favorable winds or about 1.5
  mph with unfavorable ones. In an emergency, a trireme could
  sustain a pace of 10 mph for a full day under oars; a pentecon-
  ter, 8 mph. This meant extremely hard labor for the oarsmen,
  however. Normally, they would row in shifts, with 1/3 of the
  rowers being enough to achieve 2/3 of the speed.
  Speed didn’t increase significantly in the Age of Sail; the
  larger sail area served instead to propel bigger, heavier ships.
  For example, sailing ships crossing the Atlantic in the 19th cen-
  tury averaged 3.25 mph eastbound and 2.25 mph westbound.
  But while galleys seldom spent the night on the open sea, Age
  of Sail vessels did so routinely, sailing around the clock.
  The burden a ship can carry varies widely. As a rough rule,
  100 men (be they crew or passengers) weigh 10 tons and need
  18 tons of provisions per month. Any extra capacity can be
  used for ammunition, other military supplies, or trade goods.
  Horse Transport
  From TL1 through TL4, military transport has to move
  horses as well as men. The ancient Athenian hippagogos illus-
  trates the issues involved. Developed in 430 B.C., this was a
  converted trireme used to carry horses. The lower two rows
  of oarsmen and their benches were removed, leaving room
  for 29 horses in place of 108 men. The last oarsmen in the
  upper row were taken out, too, so that one more horse could
  be carried aft. The end result was 60 rowers transporting 30
  horses. The speed was comparable to that of a penteconter
  (see War Galley, p. 38).
  MOBILITY
  33
  The Antelope sloop was a sickening
  sight.
  How I wish I was in Sherbrooke
  now!
  She’d a list to the port and her sail
  in rags
  And the cook in the scuppers with
  the staggers and jags.
  – Stan Rogers,
  “Barrett’s Privateers”
  
  MOBILITY
  34
  Ordinary merchant ships can be used to transport troops
  for land combat, if necessary, with the same men serving as
  oarsmen on the voyage and as soldiers during the battle. This
  style of warfare goes back to TL0 war canoes (see GURPS
  Low-Tech), and remains common up through the Vikings of
  TL3. Its earliest form – raids on coastal communities – shades
  into outright piracy.
  Real warships have a different function, though: fighting at
  sea with other ships. To accomplish this, they need a different
  sort of design. From ancient Greece through the Vikings to the
  Age of Sail, transports had rounded lines, and were designed to
  hold as much cargo as possible, at the expense of speed.
  Warships, by contrast, had sleeker lines, and were built for
  speed and maneuverability, at the expense of cargo space.
  The first targets for warships were transports. An organized
  navy might attack a rival power’s troop transports; a pirate ship
  would raid merchant vessels. But when both sides had war-
  ships, defeating the enemy’s warships was more urgent than
  attacking their transports; once the warships were beaten, the
  transports were easy prey. This led to the design of ships to
  attack other warships, and to naval arms races during which
  ships got bigger and better armed. Other specialized warships
  could patrol the seas, suppressing piracy, or escort merchant
  fleets to deter pirates from attacking them.
  HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT
  At TL0-1, boats and general-purpose ships were sometimes
  adapted to military use, but there were no specialized vessels
  for naval combat. Battles on water involved missile fire and
  boarding parties, using the same personal weapons as land
  battles, and targeting the enemy crew, not their ship. Naval his-
  torians divide the history of true warships into four eras: the
  Age of Galleys (TL2-3), the Age of Sail (TL4-5), the Age of
  Steam (TL5-6), and the Modern Age (TL6-8).
  The Age of Galleys
  The first specialized warships were galleys: long, narrow
  vessels propelled by rowers. A galley normally had a sail, too,
  but the wind was unreliable – it might die down at a crucial
  moment, or blow the wrong direction. A shipload of oarsmen
  could always get the ship moving. Travel at top speed would
  tire them out quickly, but they only needed to keep going for 10
  or 20 minutes. Wars between galleys involved swift encounters
  at close range.
  Specialized war galleys emerged at TL2, with the develop-
  ment of the Phoenician bireme. They remained in use through-
  out TL3. The last major battle involving galleys was Lepanto,
  fought in 1571 between 225 Turkish ships and 210 European
  ships under the command of Don John of Austria. While this
  was after the start date for TL4, it can be considered the final
  naval battle with TL3 technology.
  The first weapon specifically designed for attacking other
  ships was the ram (see Ramming, pp. 35-36). This put a pre-
  mium on speed, as a faster ship had a better chance of hitting an
  enemy vessel, inflicted greater damage when it struck, and could
  more easily avoid enemy ramming attempts. Having more oars-
  men aboard gave a ship more power and therefore more speed.
  The Phoenician bireme, developed around 775 B.C., added a sec-
  ond row of oarsmen; these were initially on a superstructure
  deck, but before long they were placed lower down, with their
  oars protruding through small ports. The Corinthian trireme,
  developed around 725 B.C., added a third row. The fully devel-
  oped Athenian trireme was about 120’ long and carried 170 oars-
  men, rather than the 50 of a penteconter of the same length; this
  was the ship that defeated the Persian fleet at Salamis in 480
  B.C., with 300 Greek vessels driving off 800 Persian ones.
  In 399 B.C., the tyrant Dionysius of Syracuse began building
  even larger galleys, starting with quadriremes. This led to an
  arms race that added more oarsmen, going from the trireme’s
  three rows to five, six, or seven rows – with a few even bigger
  ships, the largest of which was a “forty.” These huge vessels don’t
  seem to have sported any more oars than a trireme; instead, they
  had two or more men per oar. This allowed the use of less-skilled
  oarsmen; only one man on each oar needed to be fully trained,
  while the rest just had to follow his lead on when to pull. After
  Octavian defeated Marc Antony at Actium in 31 B.C., the Roman
  navy stopped using these massive ships and went back to
  triremes and smaller vessels called liburnians, with only two
  rows of oarsmen, plus a handful of ships with four to six rows.
  At TL3, the Byzantines continued to operate fleets of gal-
  leys, with ships called dromons in three standard sizes: the
  ousiakos carrying 108 men, the pamphylos carrying 150, and
  the chelandion carrying 300. These vessels were more cheaply
  built and couldn’t withstand the shock of ramming. Rather,
  they carried catapults and/or fire-siphons. Greek fire (see
  GURPS Low-Tech) was a Byzantine specialty, dreaded for its
  ability to burn while floating on the water.
  After 1250, the Venetians carried on the tradition, with ships
  that placed three oarsmen on a single bench, each with his own
  oar – a design called alla sensile. In the 1500s, they shifted to the
  a scalaccio system, with three to seven men on a single oar; as
  with the larger galleys of the ancient world, this allowed use
  of less-skilled oarsmen, with only one skilled rower per oar.
  Late war galleys often carried a single huge bombard at the
  prow, pointing forward; this was sometimes flanked by a few
  smaller guns to either side. These were the weapons used at
  Lepanto, the last great battle of the Age of Galleys.
  NAVAL COMBAT
  Don John pounding from the
  slaughter-painted poop,
  Purpling all the ocean like a bloody
  pirate’s sloop,
  Scarlet running over on the silvers
  and the golds,
  Breaking of the hatches up and
  bursting of the holds . . .
  – G. K. Chesterton, “Lepanto”
  
  MOBILITY
  35
  The Age of Sail
  The move from bombards in fixed mounts at the
  prow to cannon on carriages at the sides – enabled
  by the invention of the gun port in 1501 – proved to
  be the pivotal shift in naval warfare in this period.
  Galleys were too narrow for stability under the
  recoil of massed cannon fire to port or starboard, so
  warships grew wider to accommodate both cannon
  and additional fighting men. Too few oarsmen could
  fit along the sides of such a craft to attain a good
  speed, though, so ships came to rely almost entirely
  on sails. Large vessels had two, three, or more
  masts, letting them carry a huge sail area. To get the
  most from the chancy winds, mariners developed
  the full-rigged ship, which combined square sails
  suited to running before the wind with fore-and-aft
  sails that helped them beat upwind efficiently.
  With these technologies, a sea battle became a
  long, almost formal affair, with enemy captains
  trying to outmaneuver each other to achieve a
  good firing position. Two hostile fleets would form
  parallel lines, and the ships in each line would
  maneuver as a unit with the aid of signal flags (see
  GURPS Low-Tech). The first major battle between
  fleets of sailing ships was the Spanish Armada’s attack on
  England in 1588, just a few years after Lepanto (1571).
  The biggest warships were called ships of the line.
  Command of such a vessel became every young naval officer’s
  dream. With no need for large numbers of oarsmen, ships of
  the line instead carried far more sailors than they required. In
  battle, the extra men could be assigned to damage control or
  boarding parties. Afterward, they could replace combat losses
  – or crew a captured enemy ship and take it to port as a prize!
  Larger warships also carried marines, who served as shock
  troops in boarding actions or during raids on land-based ene-
  mies, and whose presence helped deter mutinies.
  NAVAL WEAPONS
  Fighting at sea is akin to siege warfare on land. A ship is a
  large structure with solid walls; capturing it is rather like cap-
  turing a fortress. Ships are mobile fortresses, though, able to
  approach one other – much as if two siege towers could
  maneuver to attack each other, but faster.
  Small Missile Weapons
  The first shipboard armaments were personal missile
  weapons, usually pointed ones: spears, bows, and eventually
  crossbows. A ship’s crew would try to pick off members of the
  opposing vessel’s crew – especially the other side’s officers! This
  kind of combat continued into the Age of Sail, with small
  firearms replacing muscle-powered weapons.
  Such weapons are normally used at a considerable distance
  from the adversary, which makes targeting individual foes dif-
  ficult. Missiles are therefore often shot at the enemy vessel as
  a whole, in which case its Size Modifier helps to counteract the
  range penalty (p. B550). Attacking from a moving vehicle
  imposes additional penalties – although ships have a high SR,
  allowing a good offset from aiming and bracing (p. B469).
  The GM may opt to treat such weapons fire as occurring in
  volleys. Handle all shots the crewmen take at the enemy ship as
  a single attack, resolved using the rules in Rapid Fire (pp. B373-
  374). Assume Rcl 1 for this massed fire, since shooting one
  crossbow or musket doesn’t actually push the one next to it out
  of line, much less rock the ship.
  Boarding
  Battling ships sometimes maneuvered close enough to per-
  mit crewmen to board the enemy vessel and fight the rival crew
  hand-to-hand. This usually involved pulling the two ships
  together, whether with polearms or using grapnels and ropes.
  The crossing was done at deck level or, if the ships had elabo-
  rate sails and masts, in the rigging.
  At TL2, ships of the Roman Republic employed another
  boarding method. The corvus – meaning “raven,” so named for
  its protruding beak – was a boarding plank 36’ long by 4’ wide
  with a spike at the end, mounted on a galley’s prow. When a
  galley armed with a corvus had closed on the enemy, the plank
  was swiveled into position and dropped. The spike stuck in the
  opponent’s deck, locking the two ships together. Marines then
  crossed the plank two abreast, resting their shields on the side
  rails for protection.
  Corvus (TL2): This accessory gives the attacking captain
  +2 on all Shiphandling rolls he makes for boarding. However,
  it also renders his ship top-heavy, meaning that turning
  requires a Shiphandling roll at -1 (possibly explaining why
  the corvus didn’t remain in use for long!). It has DR 3, HP 80.
  $2,750, 1,070 lbs.
  Ramming
  Yet another ship-to-ship combat option was ramming:
  deliberately running a vessel’s prow into another ship. This
  relied heavily on speed, leading the Phoenicians to develop the
  bireme, with a second row of oarsmen. The Greek trireme
  added a third row. Ramming was a tactic for galleys. Two sail-
  ing ships – both dependent on the wind – had a hard time
  building up sufficient relative speed.
  Early Paddlewheels
  Paddlewheel ships are usually associated with the Age of Steam.
  The paddlewheel itself – powered not by steam engines but by
  human or animal muscles – is much older, however. A late fourth-
  century Roman military treatise, De Rebus Bellicis, described vessels
  with paddlewheels driven by pairs of oxen turning capstans,
  although it’s unclear whether such craft were ever constructed.
  In 784 A.D., the Chinese actually began to build paddlewheel
  ships powered by men on treadmills. These were used in the navies
  of the later Song Dynasty (1132-1279). Typical designs had four men
  per wheel, but larger numbers were recorded for some vessels. The
  Mongols used captured paddlewheel ships in warfare, but appar-
  ently built none of their own.
  How fast these ships were is unknown. Ancient writers certainly
  found their speed impressive – one class was known as “flying tiger
  ships.” Paddlewheel ships used against the British in the Opium
  Wars could achieve about 4 mph (Move 2) with one wheel on each
  side; ancient ships often had multiple wheels, and could conceivably
  have been twice as fast.
  
  MOBILITY
  36
  Ramming inflicts collision damage (p. B430). A large craft
  may overrun a smaller one for additional damage (p. B432).
  Damage to the side of an oared ship’s body can injure oarsmen
  on that side; use Occupants and Vehicle Damage (p. B555),
  treating damage as crushing rather than cutting. At TL2,
  Phoenician and Greek vessels were built with a ram at the
  prow. A ram gives +1 per die to the damage inflicted on the tar-
  get, and -1 per die to the damage the attacker suffers.
  Instead of ramming an enemy’s hull, a ship may run along its
  side, attempting to shear off its oars. Treat this as an attack on a
  propulsion system – locations 6-7, 13-14 on the Vehicle Hit
  Location Table (p. B554) – with the usual -2 to hit. A miss by 1
  turns into a body hit for both vehicles. Damage over HP/(2 ¥
  number of oars on vehicle) cripples an oar, with effects similar
  to those for a character with the same number of legs losing one
  leg (pp. B54-55); multiples of this amount of damage shear off
  several oars on that side. Loss of all oars on one side makes the
  ship unable to maneuver except by sailing.
  If a ship suffers a shearing attack, the flailing motion of
  the oars inside inflicts damage on the rowers on that side, as
  noted above. However, the oarsmen may attempt to avoid the
  attack by pulling their oars back into the ship – or, on a ves-
  sel with one man per oar and one row of oarsmen, raising the
  oars above the attacking ship. This counts as a parry at (aver-
  age Oarsman skill/2) + 3; if there are two or more men per
  oar, use the average skill of the lead oarsmen. Success means
  the ship’s oars take no damage.
  Catapults
  Not long after catapults were developed, Greek and Roman
  warships began to carry them. Ships commonly mounted bolt-
  throwers called scorpions (see GURPS Low-Tech); the 36” size
  was standard. Some craft might carry a small ballista hurling
  15-lb. stones or other missiles. Shipboard catapults remained
  in use until gunpowder appeared on the scene.
  Roman ships also used bolt-throwers to shoot grappling
  lines at enemy vessels. The line was attached to a metal missile,
  the harpago. This gives the catapult half its usual range. If any
  damage penetrates the target’s DR, the harpago is embedded.
  An attached harpago grants the attacking captain +4 on all
  Shiphandling rolls he makes for boarding. It’s destroyed if its
  metal grapnel suffers 25 points of injury or if a specific section
  of the connecting rope takes 10 points of cutting damage.
  Incendiaries
  Another use for shipboard stone-throwers was to lob pots of
  flaming oil at enemy ships. On a hit, these inflict 1d-1 burning
  damage per second in a one-yard radius for 3d seconds. Treat
  most ships as being made mainly of seasoned wood, which
  requires 10 points of damage to set afire; see Making Things
  Burn (p. B433).
  In the Middle Ages, the Byzantines developed a deadlier
  incendiary: Greek fire. See GURPS Low-Tech for details.
  Depending on their size, Byzantine warships carried one to
  three fire-siphons for dispensing this mixture.
  The Age of Sail saw the use of an even larger-scale incendi-
  ary weapon: the fireship. This was a warship filled with com-
  bustibles, sailed into the opposing fleet by a skeleton crew and
  set on fire. On the open sea, fireships seldom did much harm,
  although they could restrict the movement of the enemy fleet.
  Ships in harbor were far more vulnerable to them, however.
  A nastier variant was the bomb ship. A warship with 20 tons
  of powder in the hold could deliver 6d¥250 cr ex damage –
  enough to inflict perceptible harm out to a radius of a mile. On
  the other hand, 20 tons of black powder would cost $800,000!
  Gunnery
  Guns entered use aboard ships in the Middle Ages – as early
  as 1337 – although not in large numbers. A typical Venetian
  war galley had one huge gun at the prow, pointed forward,
  flanked by two smaller guns to either side. These were fixed-
  mount weapons; the only way to aim them was to turn the ves-
  sel. Later galleys sometimes added small swivel guns at the
  sides, but these served mainly as antipersonnel weapons. At
  Lepanto, the last battle of the Age of Galleys, most of the ship-
  to-ship combat was by boarding parties.
  After 1500, several changes made guns more useful.
  Carriages made them movable separately from the ship,
  allowing gunners to adjust their aim. A carriage-mounted
  gun recoiled into the ship’s body when fired, so the ship did-
  n’t have to withstand the full force of the recoil; after recoil-
  ing, it could be cleaned and reloaded by the muzzle, which
  was faster and allowed stronger guns. Muzzleloaders were
  standard after 1520. Ships themselves became broader and
  more stable in the water, able to mount rows of guns along
  both sides and use them to fire volleys. The gun port,
  invented in 1501, let a ship have separate gun decks lower in
  its body, which could hold heavier guns without unbalancing
  the vessel.
  Massed fire became the main form of combat, and a ship’s
  power was measured by the weight of ammunition it could
  unleash in a single volley. Treat such attacks using Rapid Fire
  (pp. B373-374), as explained for volleys under Small Missile
  Weapons (p. 35). Speed of fire was also important here, and
  many captains drilled their gun crews to reload and fire as
  quickly as possible.
  Navies developed specialized ammunition for use against
  ships. A load of grapeshot could clear the decks of an enemy
  vessel. Chain shot, made from two small cannonballs chained
  together, could sever a ship’s mast and bring down its sails.
  Most dangerous to use, red-hot shot could set fire to a ship, or
  even touch off its magazine and blow it up – still another form
  of incendiary attack. For stats, see Alternate Cannon
  Ammunition in GURPS Low-Tech.
  The basic tactic was for
  the two fleets to come
  together in parallel lines only
  a few hundred yards apart
  and simply blast away with
  broadsides.
  – James L. George,
  History of Warships
  
  MOBILITY
  37
  GURPS Low-Tech describes small warcraft on a scale
  suited to adventurers; e.g., chariots and war canoes. Heroes
  who go to war may encounter far larger vehicles!
  GROUND VEHICLES
  Most low-tech ground vehicles were comparatively small,
  holding at most a dozen men, and often only two or three. But
  armies sometimes came up with much larger contrivances for
  special purposes.
  Siege Towers (TL2)
  Siege towers were first developed by the Assyrian Empire
  for use in taking cities. The Greeks, the Roman Empire, and
  medieval rulers continued to build them, until gunpowder ren-
  dered them obsolete. A particularly famous example was the
  Helepolis, built by Hellenistic general Demetrios Poliorketes
  (see The Helepolis of Demetrios Poliorketes, below) during the
  siege of Rhodes. Demetrios had previously constructed a some-
  what smaller tower for his siege of Salamis, but the one he
  used to attack Rhodes exceeded it in magnitude.
  The construction of siege towers isn’t standardized. Each
  tower is built adjacent to the city it’s intended to attack, and sized
  to the city walls it must defeat. Some materials may be shipped in,
  but the tower itself is far too big to transport. It’s shifted by men
  or animals positioned inside the base to protect them from enemy
  attack; they may push or pull at its structure, or turn capstans that
  drive its wheels. In any case, siege towers move extremely slowly –
  as little as a few yards per day. They require level ground to move
  at all; if the defenders can find a way to create uneven or muddy
  terrain, they may be able to immobilize a tower.
  A siege tower’s structure is made of heavy wood, able to
  withstand massive impacts; it’s effectively a mobile fortress.
  An expensive siege tower, such as the Helepolis, may be
  armored with metal plates. A more common covering is the
  untanned hides of oxen or donkeys, intended to resist incendi-
  ary attacks from the city’s defenders. Towers often have multi-
  ple platforms that can be use to shoot at the enemy; big ones
  may even carry catapults. When the tower reaches the city
  wall, one or more gangplanks are lowered to let shock troops
  cross over and assault the wall’s defenders.
  Given its size and slowness, a siege tower is better described
  as a (barely mobile) building than as a vehicle. In addition to
  the usual statistics for a building (see HP and DR of Structures,
  p. B558), it has a movement speed in yards/hour. It cannot be
  accelerated above this speed.
  Example: A small siege tower, suitable for attacking a
  provincial town, stands 30’ tall on a base 15’ square. Its front
  and sides are armored with thick hides with DR 4. Its wooden
  walls are 4” thick and have DR 4, for total DR 8. It has HT 12
  and HP 165. A crew of 10 men can shove it forward on its
  wheeled base at 6 yards/hour. $26,400, 8,800 lbs.
  The base price and weight don’t include weapons. See
  GURPS Low-Tech for suitably heavy fixed-mount weapons.
  The Helepolis (Greek for “city-taker” or “destroyer of
  cities”) is perhaps the ultimate example of a siege tower. It’s
  built on a grille of timber 72’ square, and has a total height
  of 144’. It has nine floors within, and occupants move
  between these via two internal staircases. The bottom level
  covers 4,225 square feet; the topmost level, 900 square feet.
  Its wide base for its height makes it very stable.
  The entire front and both sides are covered with iron
  plates, probably about 1/4” thick. It has DR 24 on those fac-
  ings and DR 12 elsewhere, and HP 600. The 222-ton tower
  has eight iron wheels, each 15’ in diameter, and room for
  almost 1,200 men to push simultaneously; 3,400 men oper-
  ate in shifts to move it. It can make at most 1 yard/hour, trav-
  eling only the length of its own base per day! Construction
  cost is $3.4 million – $3 million of that for the iron plates.
  The tower contains 16 ballistae and four scorpions.
  Each has its own firing port, with leather-and-wool padded
  shutters that open and close mechanically. The bottom
  floor houses two 180-lb. ballistae and a 60-lb. one. The sec-
  ond floor has three 60-lb. ballistae. Each of the next five
  floors sports two 30-lb. ballistae. The four 72” scorpions
  are placed two apiece on the top two floors. With tripods,
  these engines collectively add another $3.5 million to cost
  and 70 tons to weight.
  During the siege of Rhodes, the Helepolis drove the
  defenders from the battlements, and its catapults stripped
  the crenellations off the city walls. One tower and a section
  of curtain wall were brought down as well. Repeated
  attacks by the defenders managed to damage sections of
  the iron armor, forcing Demetrios to withdraw the tower.
  According to one account, the Rhodians managed to mire
  it in a swamp of sewage, dislodged some of its protective
  iron plating, and shot flaming arrows at it. In any case, the
  siege was ended by a negotiated peace and the Helepolis
  was abandoned. Legend has it that the sale of the Helepolis’
  iron plates was sufficient to finance the construction of the
  Colossus of Rhodes.
  Armed, armored, and (slowly) mobile, the Helepolis is
  an early troop-carrying war machine . . . or perhaps a prim-
  itive, manned Ogre!
  The Helepolis of Demetrios Poliorketes
  WARCRAFT
  The Helepolis is the ultimate
  example of a siege tower.
  
  WARSHIPS
  Ships can be made large much more easily than can land
  vehicles. Watercraft with crews of 50 or more go back to the
  Bronze Age (TL1), while the largest Iron Age (TL2) ships might
  have several hundred crewmen. The vessels below are of inter-
  mediate size – too big for a party of adventurers to man on
  their own, but smaller than massive capital ships, and likely to
  be assigned to independent action.
  War Galley (TL1)
  A classic example of the war galley is the penteconter, the
  Greek warship of the heroic age (TL1). The ship the
  Argonauts used on Jason’s quest for the Golden Fleece was a
  penteconter; so were most of the vessels the Greeks took to
  Troy. A penteconter is primarily a transport for foot soldiers,
  carrying 50 rowers who disembark to fight on land; it has
  room for a captain, perhaps a few passengers, and a modest
  amount of cargo. If it must fight at sea, it does so by having
  the crewmen shoot small missile weapons, or by grappling
  and boarding. The oarsmen form two rows of 25 men, one
  down each side. A single mast bears a square sail, best suited
  to running before the wind. Construction is based on planks
  joined edge to edge, in a tongue-and-groove arrangement
  held together with wooden pegs.
  Many other cultures used roughly similar galleys in compa-
  rable combat roles. Viking longships (TL3) are a good example.
  Like a penteconter, a longship had a single square sail; how-
  ever, it had two men per oar, not one. Viking ships were clinker-
  built, with the sides of adjacent planks overlapping and
  fastened mainly by cords rather than pegs. The result was a
  vessel sturdy enough to survive the Atlantic’s rough waters. The
  snekke on the Warships Table (below) is a relatively small ves-
  sel, capable of being beached (making it useful for raiding) or
  even physically carried over a portage by its crew; performance
  statistics come from a reconstructed snekke, the Helge Ask.
  Trireme (TL2)
  An advanced variant on the war galley, the trireme was the
  best-known warship of ancient Greece and Rome. The
  Athenian Empire’s power came from a fleet of roughly 200
  triremes; the Roman Empire moved back from larger warships
  to a mainly trireme-based fleet, which served to keep the
  Mediterranean largely free of piracy. In the 20th century, the
  British-based Trireme Trust constructed a working trireme, the
  Olympias, based on indirect evidence of how triremes were
  built; working trials achieved performance roughly compara-
  ble to ancient historical descriptions.
  The trireme is specialized for a single purpose: attacking
  other ships. Its main weapon is a bronze-and-iron ram at the
  prow (see Ramming, pp. 35-36). To enable it to strike with the
  greatest possible force, and to enhance its maneuverability, it
  carries three rows of oarsmen on each side, for a total of 170
  men. To accommodate the top row and upper bodies of the
  middle row, it has a superstructure on each side of the hull,
  extending out to a width of 18’. It also carries nine officers, 10
  sailors, and a variable number of marines – 18 were standard
  in Athens. It has barely enough room to fit them all in, no
  cargo space, and no quarters; standard practice is to spend
  nights ashore. A mainmast to the aft and a smaller foremast
  hold sails, but these are taken down at the start of a battle.
  Turtle Ship (TL3)
  The Korean turtle ship, or geobukseon, was yet another vari-
  ation on the war galley, but with an unusual feature: it was com-
  pletely enclosed, giving its crew much more protection in battle.
  Historical accounts sometimes describe turtle ships as “iron-
  clad.” Actually, the sides and roof were made of thick pine, like
  the hull; iron was used only in spikes protruding through the
  roof, which functioned like caltrops (see GURPS Low-Tech).
  Even so, this gave the turtle ship substantial protection against
  enemy vessels, and made boarding it nearly impossible.
  MOBILITY
  38
  Warships Table
  Terms and notation are as defined in Vehicle Statistics (pp. B462-463).
  TL
  Vehicle
  ST/HP
  Hnd/SR
  HT
  Move
  LWt.
  Load SM
  Occ.
  DR
  Range
  Cost
  Locations
  Draft
  Notes
  SHIPHANDLING/TL (SHIP)
  1
  Penteconter, 120’
  86†
  -4/3
  11c
  1/4
  12.5
  7.5
  +8
  55
  3
  F
  $84K
  MO
  6
  [1, 2]
  2
  Trireme, 120’
  194†
  -2/3
  12c
  1/5
  77.7
  20.7
  +8
  207
  3
  F
  $1.2M
  2M2S
  4
  [1, 3]
  3
  Snekke, 60’
  73†
  -3/2
  12c
  0.8/3
  7.5
  4.5
  +6
  30
  4
  F
  $28K
  MO
  2
  [2]
  3
  Turtle Ship, 112’
  161†
  -4/4
  12c
  0.4/2
  50
  17.5
  +9
  125
  6
  F
  $300K
  2MS
  5
  [4]
  4
  Caravel, 100’
  165†
  -3/4
  12c
  0.1/6
  100
  65
  +9
  24
  4
  –
  $325K
  2MS
  7
  [5]
  4
  Frigate, 100’
  268†
  -5/5
  12c
  0.2/5
  500
  350
  +9
  198
  6
  –
  $1.4M
  2MS
  14
  [5]
  4
  Sloop of War, 60’
  165†
  -3/3
  12c
  0.15/4
  100
  65
  +7
  70
  4
  –
  $325K
  MS
  8
  [5]
  Notes
  [1] Has a metal ram that improves collision damage (see
  Ramming, pp. 35-36).
  [2] Using oars. Under sail, Range is “–” and Move is 1/4 in a
  favorable wind.
  [3] Using oars. Under sail, Range is “–” and Move is 1/6 in a
  favorable wind.
  [4] Using oars. Under sail, Range is “–” and Move is 0.4/2 in a
  favorable wind.
  [5] Under sail.
  Harder to save the warships
  once they’re up in flames.
  – Homer, The Iliad
  
  MOBILITY
  39
  Turtle ships were heavy and slow, but
  hard to stop – rather like seagoing tanks.
  Their flat-bottomed construction let
  them maneuver easily in shallow water.
  Propulsion came mainly from oarsmen
  on the lower deck (eight oars on each
  side, with five men per oar), but there
  were also two masts with junk-style
  sails. The upper decks carried cannon of
  various sizes, usually firing long shafts
  like huge crossbow bolts rather than
  cannonballs: two at the prow, alongside
  the dragon-shaped figurehead, and six
  more along each side.
  Full-Rigged Ship (TL4)
  The first step toward the full-rigged ship took place at late
  TL3, with the development of the carrack, a modified cog (see
  GURPS Low-Tech Companion 3) with two masts (1350-1425)
  – or, later, three (beginning in 1416). The three-masted form
  was standard after 1450. These vessels had high superstruc-
  tures, called castles, fore and aft. Columbus’ largest ship, the
  Santa Maria, was a carrack.
  His other two ships were caravels, a Mediterranean design
  with a long, narrow shape. Two masts carried fore-and-aft
  sails. These were speedy craft, widely used in exploration, and
  for patrol and convoy duty.
  The next version of the large ship was the galleon, a warship
  specifically designed to carry guns. Such craft no longer
  included a high forecastle, but came
  to be built with three decks, includ-
  ing a separate, relatively low gun
  deck for better stability. Galleons
  were long and narrow, rather like
  caravels, but full-rigged. The first
  frigate, a two-decker analog of the
  galleon, was built in 1646, and
  smaller vessels of this type become
  the most common warships of their
  time. The larger warships came to
  be known as ships of the line. Adding
  to the range of options, navies also
  included sloops and brigs, small
  ships with one or two masts.
  Smaller ships with modest-sized crews, in which a party of
  adventurers might play a significant role, include:
  Caravel: A ship modeled on the Iberian caravels of around
  1500, with a narrow hull (beam ratio about 5:1).
  Frigate: An early version of the frigate, as built around 1700.
  It carries 20-24 cannon, typically 6-lb. In the British navy of its
  day, it would be categorized as a sixth-rate ship.
  Sloop of War: A small sailing ship from around 1700, with a
  single mast bearing a fore-and-aft sail. A large bowsprit adds to
  the sail area. When outfitted with perhaps a dozen small can-
  non, this is a favorite of pirates for its speed and maneuverabil-
  ity. In the British navy, this would be an unrated ship,
  commanded by a “master and commander,” not a captain. This
  isn’t the same as the much smaller “sloop” in GURPS Low-Tech.
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  INDEX
  40
  Age of, Galleys, 34; Sail, 35.
  Animals, as guards, 30.
  Archers, 6, 7, 10; chariot, 6, 7;
  horse, 7-8, 10.
  Armies, modern, 11; travel, 32-33;
  see also Cavalry, Infantry.
  Armor, cool ethnic, 16; damage to,
  25; early, 5-8, 10; firearms and,
  11; maintenance, 25;
  munitions, 10; overrated, 16;
  piercing weapons, 12; plate, 7,
  10, 25; quick and dirty damage,
  25; repairing, 25; scaling, 21;
  spiked, 18; studded, 18;
  targeting, 25.
  Armor-piercer modification, 12.
  Artillery, pneumatic, 9.
  Axe head modification, 13.
  Axes, double-headed, 18;
  introduction, 4.
  Bachawali Tope, 31.
  Baileys, 29.
  Ballistae, 36.
  Barbs modification, 14.
  Basket hilts, 15.
  Bigas, 7.
  Birds, as guards, 29.
  Biremes, 34, 36.
  Blade shield modification, 20.
  Blades, DR and HP, 23;
  introduction, 5.
  Blunt modification, 13.
  Boarding ships, 35.
  Bolas, introduction, 4; skill, 17.
  Bomb ships, 36.
  Bombards, 31.
  Boss modification, 20.
  Bows, DR and HP, 24; introduction,
  6; see also Archers.
  Brick defenses, 27.
  Butt spike modification, 14.
  Caracole, 11.
  Caravels, 38, 39.
  Carts, 33.
  Castles, 29-30.
  Cataphracts, 8.
  Catapults, 9, 36.
  Causewayed enclosures, 28.
  Cavalry, 7-8, 10, 11; firearms and,
  11; London lobsters, 25; travel,
  32-33.
  Chain modification, 14.
  Chain shot, 36.
  Chains, barbed, 17.
  Chariots, 6-8.
  Circumvallation, 5-6.
  City defenses, 27.
  Clubs, introduction, 5.
  Combat, see Warfare.
  Concrete defenses, 28.
  Corvus, 35.
  Cribwork, 28.
  Crossbows, double, 18; DR and HP,
  24.
  Defenses, location, see
  Fortifications.
  Demetrios Poliorketes, 37.
  Dhul Dani, 31.
  Disarming spikes shield
  modification, 20.
  Ditch defenses, 26; rampart and, 26,
  27.
  Dogs, as guards, 29.
  Dragoons, 11.
  Dromons, 34.
  Dulle Griet, 31.
  Earth defenses, 27.
  Embossing, 28.
  End cap modification, 14.
  Engines, war, 8-9, 36.
  Estoc, 12.
  Exotic Weapon Training perk, 17.
  Falchion modification, 12.
  Feudalism, 9, 10.
  Firearms, 11, 35.
  Fireships, 36.
  Flails, bladed, 18.
  Flange modification, 14.
  Flexible modification, 13.
  Foot travel, 32.
  Fortifications, city, 27-31; field, 26.
  Fortresses, 28-30.
  Forts, hill, 28; star, 30.
  Foxholes, 26.
  Frigates, 38, 39.
  Furusiyya, 10.
  Gadlings, 18.
  Galleys, 38; introduction, 34; travel,
  33.
  Gastraphetes, 8.
  Geese, as guards, 29.
  Grapeshot, 36.
  Greek fire, 36.
  Grips, alternate, 19.
  Guards, 29.
  Guiges, modification, 20; use, 19.
  Gunnery, 36.
  Gunpowder, 11.
  Guns, huge, 31; see also Catapults,
  Engines, Firearms.
  GURPS, 7, 12, 16; Basic Set, 13,
  15, 16, 19, 22; Low-Tech,
  3-5, 7, 8, 10-16, 19-21, 24, 25,
  27, 29, 31, 33-39; Low-Tech
  Companion 1: Philosophers
  and Kings, 8; Low-Tech
  Companion 3: Daily Life and
  Economics, 25, 27-29, 32, 39;
  Martial Arts, 6, 7, 10, 14-17, 19.
  Hammer head modification, 14.
  Harpagos, 36.
  Haselrig, Arthur, 25.
  Hedges, 27.
  Helepolis, 37.
  Hilts, basket, 15; modifications, 15.
  Hook modification, 14.
  Hoplomachia, 6.
  Hornbows, 6.
  Horses, 32-33; archers, 7-8; saddles,
  8; transporting by sea, 33; see
  also Cavalry, Chariots.
  Incendiaries, 36.
  Infantry, 6, 7, 9-11; chariots and, 7,
  8; travel, 32.
  Iron weapons, 7.
  Javelins, introduction, 7.
  Knights, 9-10; see also Cavalry.
  Knives, DR and HP, 23.
  Kusari modification, 14.
  Lance cutout modification, 20.
  Lantern hook modification, 20.
  Liburnians, 34.
  London lobsters, 25.
  Long arms, introduction, 11.
  Long handle modification, 13.
  Longbows, introduction, 6.
  Maces, introduction, 5.
  Map, star fort, 30.
  Matchlock firearms, introduction,
  11.
  Microlithic edges, 5.
  Middle Ages, warfare, 9-10.
  Military transportation, 32-33.
  Missile weapons, DR and HP, 24;
  on ships, 35.
  Missiles, DR and HP, 24.
  Mons Meg, 31.
  Mottes, 29.
  Mounted, combat, 7-8, 10, 11;
  travel, 32-33.
  Murshidabad guns, 31.
  Murus Gallicus, 28.
  Muskets, introduction, 11.
  Natural obstacles, 26.
  Navies, combat, 11, 34-36;
  historical development, 34;
  tactics, 35-36; transportation,
  33; warships, 38-39; weapons,
  35-36.
  Neck-strap use, 19.
  Oil, flaming, 36.
  Padded modification, 13.
  Paddlewheels, 35.
  Palisades, wooden, 26, 27.
  Penteconters, 38.
  Phalanx, 6.
  Pick modification, 14.
  Pickets, 26.
  Plate armor, 10.
  Polearms, DR and HP, 24.
  Prongs modification, 15.
  Quadrigas, 7.
  Quadriremes, 34.
  Raja Gopala, 31.
  Ramming ships, 35-36.
  Renaissance, warfare, 10-11.
  Reptiles, as guards, 29.
  Rifles, introduction, 11.
  Rim blade modification, 20.
  Romans, field camps, 26.
  Running the Pole technique, 8.
  Saddles, combat, 8.
  Scorpions, 36.
  Scutage, 10.
  Sea battles, see Navies.
  Self bows, introduction, 6.
  Shields, awkward, 19; customizing,
  19-20; damage, 19; fighting
  with, 18-19; weapons and, 19.
  Ships, full-rigged, 38, 39; military
  transport, 33; of the line, 34, 39;
  on-board armaments, 35; table,
  38; war, 38-39; see also Navies.
  Short handle modification, 13.
  Sickle modification, 15.
  Siege towers, 37.
  Slings, introduction, 5; shot, 5.
  Sloops of war, 38, 39.
  Snekkes, 38.
  Spearhead modification, 15.
  Spears, introduction, 4, 5.
  Spikes, weapon modification, 14;
  shield modification, 20.
  Stakes, 26.
  Sticks, early throwing, 4; DR and
  HP, 24.
  Stirrups, introduction, 10.
  Stone defenses, 27, 28.
  Swords, double-ended, 18; DR and
  HP, 23; introduction, 5.
  Tables, huge guns, 31; warships, 38;
  weapon and armor scaling, 21;
  weapon DR and HP, 23-24.
  Terramaras, 28.
  Throwable modification, 13.
  Throwing Sticks, introduction, 4.
  Thrown Weapons skill, 17.
  Transportation, military, 32-33.
  Trenches, 26.
  Trigas, 7.
  Triremes, 34, 35, 38; travel, 33.
  Tsar Pushka, 31.
  Turf defenses, 26, 28.
  Turkish bombards, 31.
  Turtle ships, 38.
  Ultra-light modification, 13.
  Wagons, 33.
  Warfare, early, 5; feudal, 9; massed,
  6; naval, 11; Stone Age, 4.
  Warships, 9, 38-39; see also Navies,
  Ships.
  Watchers, 29.
  Weapons, armor-piercing, 12;
  breakage of, 22; breaking, 22;
  Bronze Age, 7; cinematic design,
  16-17; cinematic examples, 17-
  18; combination, 15; cool
  ethnic, 16; customizing, 13-15;
  damage to, 22-24; determining
  ST, 15-16; DR of, 23-24; HP of,
  23-24; hunter and gatherer, 4;
  Iron Age, 7-9; Middle Ages, 9-10;
  modifications, 12-15; overrated,
  16; quick and dirty damage, 22;
  realistic design, 12-16;
  Renaissance, 10-11;
  repurposing, 12-13; scaling, 20-
  21; shield-hand, 19; Stone Age,
  4-6; throwing unthrowable, 17;
  training, 13; using oversized or
  undersized, 21.
  Wooden modification, 13.
  INDEX
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/GURPS [multi]/4th edition/GURPS 4e - Low-Tech Companion 2 - Weapons and Warriors.pdf