Halberd
The halberd, a polearm with an ax, hook and pike at the business end, saw heavy use in the 14th and 15th centuries. In battle, a warrior could use the hook to unseat riders from their mounts or yank a foe’s leg out from under him and knock him to the ground. Swinging the ax-blade with great momentum allowed the user to chop and hack his opponents while keeping them at a relative distance. The pike served to stab at those opponents or kill their horses.
A character using a halberd can make a trip attack as if he possessed the Fighting Style: Staff Fighting Merit (see p. 213). A character using a halberd who does possesses the Merit receives a +1 bonus to the roll.
A number of polearms mirror the halberd’s general construction with slight variances in the design of the weapon’s head. Particular variations include the ox tongue, bardiche and voulge. These polearms function as the halberd, with equal stats.
The halberd remains a ceremonial weapon of the Vatican’s Swiss Guard, and some say the weapons aren’t purely ceremonial, but that the guards are quite versed in using them to dispatch opponents.
A character using a halberd can make a trip attack as if he possessed the Fighting Style: Staff Fighting Merit (see p. 213). A character using a halberd who does possesses the Merit receives a +1 bonus to the roll.
A number of polearms mirror the halberd’s general construction with slight variances in the design of the weapon’s head. Particular variations include the ox tongue, bardiche and voulge. These polearms function as the halberd, with equal stats.
The halberd remains a ceremonial weapon of the Vatican’s Swiss Guard, and some say the weapons aren’t purely ceremonial, but that the guards are quite versed in using them to dispatch opponents.
Item type
Weapon, Melee
Size: 4/N
Durability: 3
Cost: •••
Notes: +1 Defense, trip attack