Weapon Geometry

From LSWiki

Hypothesis (read as: my whiny complaint)

• Giant Hammers are stupidly heavy and it's dumb and upsets me and I want someone to change it so that I can use them without large encumbrance penalties.
• my reasoning
  • Axe = stick with a heavy wedge on it
  • Mace = stick with a heavy turd on it
  • Hammer = stick with a heavy cylinder (or spike) on it
  • I expect a hammer or mace to weigh more than an axe, but not massively so, probably between 1 and 2 times the mass on the striking end, with a comparable haft, the biggest difference being the shape of the striking surface.
  • A weapon that is weighs vastly more than a sword for example, shouldn't fall into the same "size" category despite being of comparable size. (I can swing a 15 foot pool noodle with more accuracy and speed than I can a 5 foot solid iron bar, this would still be true if I was strong enough to lift said bar)
  • A weapon scaled up for use by a larger/stronger wielder would have a longer haft, comparable sturdiness (technology permitting) and would probably weigh more, but I would still expect axes, maces, and hammers to maintain constant relative weights as they scaled up.

Process

• I collected some weapons and looked at them while holding them.
• Here be some data points about weapon weights.

Tremendous

Name			weight	geometry given
*Sinbyen shimmering violet adamantite weapons
Giant Hammer		172.00	2 across, 12.5 long
Giant Scythe		76.80	0.95 across, 26 long
Giant Axe		57.35	1.35 wide, 22 long
Giant Flail		72.60	1.03 across, 18.5 long
Giant Spear		23.35	0.45 across, 31.5 long
Giant Sword		13.45	0.8 wide, 0.15 tall, 23.5 long
*Og Stuff
Giant Iron Hammer	277.50	1.95 across, 12 long  (from the smith)
Giant Wooden Club	117.00	2.75 across, 23.5 long
Giant black oak staff	61.20	1.80 across, 27 long (Bilga, material probably varies)
Giant Obsidian Axe	48.75	0.7 wide, 20 long
Giant Iron Sword	37.70	0.95 wide, 0.20 tall, 22 long
*Musspleheim
Giant Fiery Steel Mace	292.50	2.20 across, 12 long
... Hammer		218.50	0.90 across, 12 long
... Axe			87.85	1.40 wide, 21.5 long
... Sword		21.40	0.85 wide, 0.20 tall, 23 long 
Giant Blackwood Staff	24.35	1.75 across, 27 long
Hlerbani  		201.50	2.35 across, 13 long (oak and lodestone mace)
Eldrsleggja		68.55	2.15 across, 13 long (fiery granite hammer, 1/3rd the weight of other hammers?)
*Shadow Tower
Ektharnor Gadel		189.00	3.35 across, 21 long (Giant Scourge)
*Kazarithaxai
I'm too small to test.

Great

Name			weight	geometry given
*Sinbyen black adamantite weapons
Great Flail		17.85	0.65 across, 12.5 long
Great Hammer		17.45	0.7 across, 10.5 long
Greataxe		9.04	0.65 wide, 14 long
Greatspear		8.25	0.3 across, 26.5 long
Greatsword		7.10	0.65 wide, 0.15 tall, 18.5 long
*Shadow Tower
Vorpal Blade		3.68	0.65 wide, 0.15 tall, 18.5 long
Magma Maul		21.35	0.95 across, 9.90 long
Singularity Staff	17.40	0.35 across, 21.5 long
Daemonicus Omega	26.55	0.95 wide, 20.5 long (Reanada Halberd)
*Storm Rock
Bronze Great Flail 	28.45	0.60 across, 12 long
Bronze Greataxe		27.15	0.85 wide, 12.5 long
Mithril Greataxe 	8.79	0.65 wide, 14 long
*LH Grebor's Smithy
Iron Greatsword		19.85	0.80 wide, 0.20 tall, 17 long

Medium or whatever

Name			weight	geometry given
*Shadow Tower
Heavensfire		0.23	0.15 wide, 14.5 long (Longsword?)
Qith's Morning Star	9.95	0.85 across, 5.70 long
Mithril Spear		5.30	0.20 across, 21.5 long (reanada staticload)
*Storm Rock misc
Bronze Flail		20.85	0.70 across, 6.40 long
Mithril Flail		15.45	0.70 across, 6.45 long

Conclusions

• Material obviously plays a role in determining the weight, the dimensions also vary, which is weird and confusing.
• Material seems to have a larger effect on lighter weapons than heavier ones: A Giant Fiery Steel Hammer weighs 27% more than the comparable adamantite one, Meanwhile the GFS Sword weighs 59% more than it's adamantite equivalent.
  • Of course, their dimensions differ. And I have relatively few data points to actually consider which makes this not very conclusive of anything.
• A lot of weapons don't have distinct haft-materials, this can affect different weapons more or less based on geometry. I don't know to what degree this matters, but I imagine the biggest impact would be in swords and pole arms.
• Weapon size category either has nothing, or very little to do with weight. This more or less makes sense, since Travelers, kazarzeth and Lightbringers can have giant weapons that weigh practically nothing.
• Square Cube rule seems to be affecting certain weapons more than others as their dimensions are scaled up. (Great Hammer/Great Sword=2.45, Giant Hammer/Giant Sword=12.78 lolwat)
• Weapon design is hugely dependent on history and technology, so it's hard to imagine what a fantasy bludgeon for a significantly-larger than human race (in a magic infused world no less) might actually look like. From a modeling perspective, it could very well make sense that a hammer used by a giant weighs ten times that of a sword used by the same giant. But from a gameplay perspective, Hammers are basically furniture right now unless we spend hours painstakingly infusing them, and that's a bummer.
• Giant hammers/maces/scourges should have their geometry modified until their weight is more comparable to giant axes. So says I.

Not addressed here

• There are a lot of materials that are practically weightless, and that's also dumb nonsense.
• Weapon weight doesn't directly impact ratings while using it (aside from encumbering you), that's also weird. (maybe it does actually, just speculation on my part)