Arming Sword

The arming sword is one of several patterns of sword common throughout Greland. The ratio of blade to handle for swords means they require considerably more high grade 'blade steel' than other hand weapons, and they have no uses outside of combat, meaning they are generally restricted to nobility. Within The Kingdom of Somercrag, Knighthood includes the right to wear a sword in any situation, further increasing the prestige associated with them.
The arming sword in particular is a short sword, slightly longer than the Shortsword, designed for swinging in hacking and slashing motions. Its small size means that it is a common sidearm for those who fight with two handed weapons, polearms, or even bows and crossbows. Some particularly wealthy holdings might arm their men-at-arms with such a weapon.
Arming Sword

Name	Damage	Critical	Range	Qualities
Arming Sword	3	3	Engaged	Defensive-2; Slashing

Defensive-2:

• This weapon adds +dd to the difficulty of any Melee Attacks that target the bearer.

Slashing:

• This weapon can spend an additional a when it scores a Critical Hit to score a Slashing Critical Hit instead.

Arming Swords in Military Units

When equipped by a Military Unit a arming sword is one of many kinds of Hand Weapon, it has no effect on the unit's fighting capabilities.

Potential Improvements

• Crossguard: Some swords have a crossguard, ranging from the ornate with carved details and gilded and jewelled, to the purely functional. A sword with an enhanced Crossguard improves its Defensive quality by 1.