Scythe
When Alaric stood outside of Rome with the Visigoth army, Roman envoys told him it would be a fruitless attack. Rome’s nigh-infinite soldiers would easily overpower the barbarians, the envoys threatened. Alaric replied, “The thicker the grass, the more easily scythed.” The barbarians then sacked the city.
The Visigoth king wasn’t speaking of scythes, specifically, but the comment applies to the device regardless. A scythe features a tall, crooked wooden handle (close to six feet long), at the top of which is a thin blade measuring around 30 inches in length. Some people employ the scythe to cut grass, others might use it to cut corn or other crops. They do so with wide sweeping motions — the blade swoops down and severs the green stalks in twain.
Of course, the scythe is also the mythical tool of Death himself. Father Death (that wretched figure in the black cloak, holding the ever-dwindling hourglass) reaps the souls of the dead with his black scythe blade. The scythe, for this reason, is certainly a weapon of legendary proportions. As with polearms, a character using a scythe gains a +1 bonus to Defense.
The Visigoth king wasn’t speaking of scythes, specifically, but the comment applies to the device regardless. A scythe features a tall, crooked wooden handle (close to six feet long), at the top of which is a thin blade measuring around 30 inches in length. Some people employ the scythe to cut grass, others might use it to cut corn or other crops. They do so with wide sweeping motions — the blade swoops down and severs the green stalks in twain.
Of course, the scythe is also the mythical tool of Death himself. Father Death (that wretched figure in the black cloak, holding the ever-dwindling hourglass) reaps the souls of the dead with his black scythe blade. The scythe, for this reason, is certainly a weapon of legendary proportions. As with polearms, a character using a scythe gains a +1 bonus to Defense.
Item type
Tool
Size: 4/N
Durability: 2
Cost: •
Notes: +1 Defense