Rapier
A rapier’s dual-edged blade, easily three feet in length, is poorly balanced for slashing. The weapon instead makes small cuts — little slices, really, more demeaning than damaging — in an opponent. When the time comes for the kill, the swordsman thrusts forward and runs his adversary through with the point.
It was for this reason that the rapier saw little battlefield experience. Historically, the rapier was the weapon of the wealthy, a sword of distinction marking one’s own influence and affluence. Some called this sword the espada ropera, the Spanish dress sword, as it mostly hung by a man’s side as ornamentation. A man only unsheathed the sword during fencing matches or duels, and rarely were such duels to the death. Those contests were all about that first degrading cut, whether it was a sliver of flesh taken from the back of a hand or a slash through the adversary’s cheek. The rapier has fallen out of usage, even in modern fencing (see “Fencing Swords”). Still, some elder or traditionalist vampires carry their rapiers with them during events of pomp and circumstance, just in case they need to embarrass some upstart with a quick whisper of the flashing blade.
Two more battlefield-savvy versions of the rapier are the estoc and the Panzerstecher (or “Armor- Stinger”). All rapiers have a point sharp enough and a blade thin enough to pierce armor, and thus have Armor Piercing 1.
It was for this reason that the rapier saw little battlefield experience. Historically, the rapier was the weapon of the wealthy, a sword of distinction marking one’s own influence and affluence. Some called this sword the espada ropera, the Spanish dress sword, as it mostly hung by a man’s side as ornamentation. A man only unsheathed the sword during fencing matches or duels, and rarely were such duels to the death. Those contests were all about that first degrading cut, whether it was a sliver of flesh taken from the back of a hand or a slash through the adversary’s cheek. The rapier has fallen out of usage, even in modern fencing (see “Fencing Swords”). Still, some elder or traditionalist vampires carry their rapiers with them during events of pomp and circumstance, just in case they need to embarrass some upstart with a quick whisper of the flashing blade.
Two more battlefield-savvy versions of the rapier are the estoc and the Panzerstecher (or “Armor- Stinger”). All rapiers have a point sharp enough and a blade thin enough to pierce armor, and thus have Armor Piercing 1.
Item type
Weapon, Melee
Size: 2/L
Durability: 3
Cost: ••
Notes: Armor Piercing 1