The results are in. The kobolds have spoken.
The results we have at the end of this post are not what I expected, but kobolds are sneaky and unpredictable by nature. And the winner is…
[Ahem. You probably guessed part of it by the image chosen for this update! Without further ado….]
The steel-hafted flanged mace is the simplest of all the choices, and is essentially a cut and weld project. So to spice this up a little, I’ll consider any input submitted as comments here. The only restriction is that the project has to maintain its identity as a steel-hafted flanged mace. That’s what the kobolds voted for and that’s what they’ll get.
| Answer Choices | Responses |
| Pilum |
13.46% |
| Gunstock Spontoon |
21.15% |
| Flanged Mace (Wooden Haft) |
19.23% |
| Flanged Mace (Steel Haft) |
46.15% |
A dagger-shaped tip would be a nice enhancement, I think.
I think you said that the reach of the steel mace was shorter than the wood hafted one, so something to stick someone with when he or she is real close sounds like a good thing. Or you can always drop the mace as a free action and quick draw a dagger :-)
Maybe a thing spike on the handle for when attacking with the head of the mace into just isn’t possible, like in tight spaces, or when an enemy is right behind you.
Or, conversely, a knobby projection on the base/butt of the handle for some “non-lethal” lethal damage.
More interestingly: though perhaps this might decrease swinging and hand/wrist maneuverability, how about a spiked or stud-enhanced hand guard…
Failing either of those: a cannon to accept the mace as a spring-projected missile. ;)
@Darkjoy, Damian the Tiefling, Morgan Boehringer –
A blade like tip will be too weak for the lateral forces it might receive from a swing, but a spike is quite doable and I don’t see why not.
A guard is a cool idea but it changes the handling enough so I’m not so certain about it – I’ll think about it and see if I can come up with a way to make it work.
A spike at the base is a good idea, but it competes with a pommel, which is also a good idea. We could do both, but the pommel would be a stop for your hand and the spike would be the business end. I’ll think about this also. The pommel is a definite, the spike a maybe.
You’ll be sorry you asked. How about something like a rondel dagger hidden inside the handle?
Steve
Could this be attached to a shark?
@Steven Hammond – Not with a steel haft. It’s technically possible, but the juice isn’t worth the squeeze. Not even close to sorry I asked! :)
@Trom – Yes, but a trout is more practical.
What about a wrist strap connecting the strap to the bottom with a chain. This way you can swing it overhead and gain a foot or more reach?
Spiked or studded hand guard, so the only place you want to get hit by, if you must get hit, is the shaft in the middle!
Being metal, it makes me think of running tiny holes up to in-between teh flanges and some pressurized flamable gas to make it a flaming mace (or use magic, but where’s the ingenuity in that?!)
@Dragonbite – The wrist strap w/ chain is probably a go. I’m normally cautious about flails (they’re *really* dangerous) but I think it’ll be OK here.
The thought of a propane fueled flaming mace terrifies me. There is so much that can go wrong really badly….. :o
….I’ll think about it, but not this project. :)
What if you just had decorative cutouts in the flanges that you could thread a kerosene soaked rag through. That might be a more practical flaming option.
@Steven Hammond – No mods needed for that.
What’s with the fire?! Wolfgang, you’ve got a buncha pyros hanging out here!
I’m changing the name of the column to “Fireball 3000” or “Lets Burn Some S&*t!”. :)
You could have the flanges be a profile of a person with a strong, pointed nose. Or perhaps a mysical beast. Perhaps each flange could be the head of a hydra, with the neck coiling about the handle and the handle being the body. (see, I didn’t mention fire once!)
@Philo Pharynx – The profile is a great idea. If I can figure out a way to do that with a reasonable expenditure of time and effort, it’s in.
The hydra is an even better idea, but too complicated for this project. I’m filing it away for later use. :)
I second the “creatively profiled flanges” option. I’ve seen talons of birds as the flanges and heavy beaked versions a la an eagle beak in fantasy art….
+1 to wrist-strap/chain
(No love for my idea of mace-as-ammunition-for-uber-spring-cannon Todd? Ok I guess….)
@Morgan Boehringer – Yeah, they’re both great ideas.
Lotsa love for your idea, no cannonsmithing skills. :oops:
I really like the idea of making it a flaming weapon with an oil-soaked rag twisted through the flanges! I’m sure that *someone* a thousand years ago must have done something like that to make themselves look more terrifying to the enemy.
I’m also sure that, soon after terrifying the enemy, they managed to set their own tabard on fire and thereby terrify their allies along with their foes. It must surely have been a memorable battle for all concerned!
Looking forward to the mace! :)
@Charles Carrier – A real self immolating hero would have run, flaming, into the enemy ranks – like the uruk torch runner.
I imagine the scalders working the battlements had mishaps also. 8O
I know, as a tiefling, this is a bit self-serving, but what about devils’ heads on the head of the mace. I’m sure those horns would do some pretty deep, gory damage, sort of like a spiked club. Also, twenty foot gouts of fire and armored trout spraying from the head of the mace, like a terrifying Rod of Wonder. I had to throw that bit in there.
@Damian the Tiefling – Forging faces is something I hope to work on this Summer, and I’ve seen it done on maces before. This could definitely happen on a future project.
Gouts of fire and armored trout….. Sounds like a bad dream Salvador Dali might have.