Pole-arm - Revision history

Sdhjk: /* Types of Pole-arm */

2025-10-04T19:57:41Z

Types of Pole-arm

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:57, 4 October 2025
Line 78:		Line 78:
	*'''Voulge:''' While superficially similar to the glaive, the voulge had a broader blade meant for hacking rather than cutting. Think of it as a meat cleaver on a pole and you have the general idea of how it worked. Also like the glaive, some forms (called voulge-guisarmes) had hooks added to the back of the blade, along with a pointed tip for stabbing.		*'''Voulge:''' While superficially similar to the glaive, the voulge had a broader blade meant for hacking rather than cutting. Think of it as a meat cleaver on a pole and you have the general idea of how it worked. Also like the glaive, some forms (called voulge-guisarmes) had hooks added to the back of the blade, along with a pointed tip for stabbing.

	*'''War Scythe:''' [[Mortarion\|Contrary to popular belief]], a scythe on its own is too unwieldy to make a good weapon and the blade often too thin and long. But if the scythe's blade is reforged to be bulkier and denser before being re-mounted to extend upward instead of out to the side, it can be fairly effective as far as improvised weapons go. Because of the ease with which they could be repurposed from common tools, they were one of the most likely weapons to be used in peasant uprisings. War scythes were the preferred pole-arm of the Poles (no pun intended).		*'''War Scythe/Kosa Bojova:''' [[Mortarion\|Contrary to popular belief]], a scythe on its own is too unwieldy to make a good weapon and the blade often too thin and long. But if the scythe's blade is reforged to be bulkier and denser before being re-mounted to extend upward instead of out to the side, it can be fairly effective as far as improvised weapons go. Because of the ease with which they could be repurposed from common tools, they were one of the most likely weapons to be used in peasant uprisings. War scythes were the preferred pole-arm of the Poles (no pun intended).

	*'''''Blade On Extra-Long Handle:''''' Improvised pole-arms made by attaching sharp objects on longer handle than it's supposed to, sharpening it, and mounted to extend upwards. Daggers/knifes on spear handles, axes on longer handles (e.g. hatchets on longer handles were commonly used by vikings), sharpened pitchforks and shovels, and other such weapons. ''Any'' metal-head-on-shaft object can be sharpened - turning it into enormous shiv; even ''gardening rackets'' were sharpened this way. Using shafts of shorter or longer length was also common modification. Some would count as axes or spears, if blade was too small and/or shaft is too short. Commonly used in peasant uprisings. Many types of "actual" polearms started out as hand tools mounted onto spear shafts; e.g. "Bill" polearm was originally just gardening billhook on a spear shaft; for each 1 contraption type which was successful enough to be used by actual soldiers and evolve into proper polearm, there were 10 contraption types which were bad or barely-usable and as such were forgotten.		*'''''Blade On Extra-Long Handle:''''' Improvised pole-arms made by attaching sharp objects on longer handle than it's supposed to, sharpening it, and mounted to extend upwards. Daggers/knifes on spear handles, axes on longer handles (e.g. hatchets on longer handles were commonly used by vikings), sharpened pitchforks and shovels, and other such weapons. ''Any'' metal-head-on-shaft object can be sharpened - turning it into enormous shiv; even ''gardening rackets'' were sharpened this way. Using shafts of shorter or longer length was also common modification. Some would count as axes or spears, if blade was too small and/or shaft is too short. Commonly used in peasant uprisings. Many types of "actual" polearms started out as hand tools mounted onto spear shafts; e.g. "Bill" polearm was originally just gardening billhook on a spear shaft; for each 1 contraption type which was successful enough to be used by actual soldiers and evolve into proper polearm, there were 10 contraption types which were bad or barely-usable and as such were forgotten.

Sdhjk at 19:42, 4 October 2025

2025-10-04T19:42:40Z

Show changes

imported>Administrator: 77 revisions imported

2023-06-22T14:42:00Z

77 revisions imported

← Older revision	Revision as of 14:42, 22 June 2023
(No difference)

imported>Administrator: 1 revision imported

2023-06-19T02:56:57Z

1 revision imported

← Older revision	Revision as of 02:56, 19 June 2023
(No difference)

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:B1DB:DD21:1188:2216 at 17:06, 7 June 2023

2023-06-07T17:06:51Z

1d4chan>Newerfag: /* Types of Pole-arm */

2023-05-09T21:15:39Z

Types of Pole-arm

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:15, 9 May 2023
Line 70:		Line 70:
	*'''Voulge:''' While superficially similar to the glaive, the voulge had a broader blade meant for hacking rather than cutting. Think of it as a meat cleaver on a pole and you have the general idea of how it worked. Also like the glaive, some forms (called voulge-guisarmes) had hooks added to the back of the blade, along with a pointed tip for stabbing.		*'''Voulge:''' While superficially similar to the glaive, the voulge had a broader blade meant for hacking rather than cutting. Think of it as a meat cleaver on a pole and you have the general idea of how it worked. Also like the glaive, some forms (called voulge-guisarmes) had hooks added to the back of the blade, along with a pointed tip for stabbing.

	*'''War Scythe:''' Contrary to popular belief, a scythe on its own is too unwieldy to make a good weapon. But if the scythe's blade is re-mounted to extend upward instead of out to the side, it can be fairly effective as far as improvised weapons go. Because of the ease with which they could be repurposed from common tools, they were one of the most likely weapons to be used in peasant uprisings. War scythes were the preferred ~~pole arm~~ of the Poles.		*'''War Scythe:''' Contrary to popular belief, a scythe on its own is too unwieldy to make a good weapon. But if the scythe's blade is re-mounted to extend upward instead of out to the side, it can be fairly effective as far as improvised weapons go. Because of the ease with which they could be repurposed from common tools, they were one of the most likely weapons to be used in peasant uprisings. War scythes were the preferred polearm of the Poles (no pun intended).

	==Gallery==		==Gallery==

2A02:8070:8E81:DD40:0:0:0:C711: /* Types of Pole-arm */

2023-02-26T03:04:24Z

Types of Pole-arm

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:04, 26 February 2023
Line 53:		Line 53:

	*'''Poleaxe:''' It's an axe head on a pole, just as the name suggests. Compared to a halberd, it has a smaller head, which focuses kinetic energy onto a smaller area and lets it cut through armor more effectively. In other words, while the halberd prioritizes thrusting, the poleaxe prioritizes chopping. The spike on the end of the pole's butt also made it useful for thrusting attacks, and it could be used to block in the same way as a quarterstaff. Generally a poleaxe has a spike at the tip, rather like a spear head, an axe blade and a hammer on the opposite side of the axe blade - the hammer was all but necessary to crush plate armour and the man within, after all.		*'''Poleaxe:''' It's an axe head on a pole, just as the name suggests. Compared to a halberd, it has a smaller head, which focuses kinetic energy onto a smaller area and lets it cut through armor more effectively. In other words, while the halberd prioritizes thrusting, the poleaxe prioritizes chopping. The spike on the end of the pole's butt also made it useful for thrusting attacks, and it could be used to block in the same way as a quarterstaff. Generally a poleaxe has a spike at the tip, rather like a spear head, an axe blade and a hammer on the opposite side of the axe blade - the hammer was all but necessary to crush plate armour and the man within, after all.

			*'''Pilum''': The standard polearm in the service of the ancient Roman Legions. Defies the categorization of this page a bit, since it's not particularly large (about 2 meters at most) and wasn't used like we would think a polearm would be used. The Pilum was an iron tipped javelin, thrown against enemy formations before the charge. Its very thin tip concentrated most of its force in a very small area, making is possible to pierce most kinds of armour and shields the enemy would use. As an additional feature, the shaft was of the tip was made from a softer iron than the tip itself, meaning that even if you blocked a Pilum with your shield, the Pilum would get stuck and bend, adding a 1 kilogram heavy paperweight to it and limiting your manuverability severly.

	*'''Quarterstaff:''' The simplest type of polearm there is, inasmuch as it is an actual pole. It's probably the oldest, too; smacking someone with a stick is easier to think of than sharpening it so you can stab them. A favored weapon of [[monk]]s and other unarmed classes in DnD, these could be used both as a blunt implement and as a thrusting weapon, while a carefully aimed sweeping blow aimed at the legs could easily knock a foe off his feet and send him sprawling onto the ground. It's not too likely that these were used in actual warfare, as they were mainly meant for self-defense and martial arts; in many cultures with martial arts traditions the staff was regarded as providing the strongest defense of the basic types of weapons. They were also useful as walking sticks, of course. In China, where it is known as the Gùn or Bang staff, it is called the "Grandfather of Weapons" in the classical weapons quartet (the others being the Jian sword, Qiang spear, and the Dao sabre).		*'''Quarterstaff:''' The simplest type of polearm there is, inasmuch as it is an actual pole. It's probably the oldest, too; smacking someone with a stick is easier to think of than sharpening it so you can stab them. A favored weapon of [[monk]]s and other unarmed classes in DnD, these could be used both as a blunt implement and as a thrusting weapon, while a carefully aimed sweeping blow aimed at the legs could easily knock a foe off his feet and send him sprawling onto the ground. It's not too likely that these were used in actual warfare, as they were mainly meant for self-defense and martial arts; in many cultures with martial arts traditions the staff was regarded as providing the strongest defense of the basic types of weapons. They were also useful as walking sticks, of course. In China, where it is known as the Gùn or Bang staff, it is called the "Grandfather of Weapons" in the classical weapons quartet (the others being the Jian sword, Qiang spear, and the Dao sabre).

1d4chan>Rocko1345 at 14:33, 23 August 2022

2022-08-23T14:33:16Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:33, 23 August 2022
Line 1:		Line 1:
	~~{{cleanup}}~~
	[[image:Polearms.jpg\|thumb\|300px\|right\|And those are just the ''most common European'' varieties, too!]]		[[image:Polearms.jpg\|thumb\|300px\|right\|And those are just the ''most common European'' varieties, too!]]
	A '''Pole-Arm''' technically refers to any type of weapon consisting of a metal head with a long wooden pole. [[Spear\|Spears]] fall under this classification, but more often than not it is used to refer to weapons with something more than just a point at the end to stick people with. Pole-arms were usually capable of any combination of chopping, cutting, smashing, or stabbing an enemy by attaching [[Battleaxe\|axe]]-heads, spikes, hammers, and various blades to the end of a long shaft. Due to their relative ease of use and the sheer versatility they offered, pole-arms have been used by civilizations across the length and breadth of the globe and have proven themselves to be very effective in mass combat, even up to the Napoleonic and American Revolutionary wars.		A '''Pole-Arm''' technically refers to any type of weapon consisting of a metal head with a long wooden pole. [[Spear\|Spears]] fall under this classification, but more often than not it is used to refer to weapons with something more than just a point at the end to stick people with. Pole-arms were usually capable of any combination of chopping, cutting, smashing, or stabbing an enemy by attaching [[Battleaxe\|axe]]-heads, spikes, hammers, and various blades to the end of a long shaft. Due to their relative ease of use and the sheer versatility they offered, pole-arms have been used by civilizations across the length and breadth of the globe and have proven themselves to be very effective in mass combat, even up to the Napoleonic and American Revolutionary wars.

71.205.180.193: /* Types of Pole-arm */

2021-12-01T02:28:24Z

Types of Pole-arm

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:28, 1 December 2021
Line 55:		Line 55:
	*'''Poleaxe:''' It's an axe head on a pole, just as the name suggests. Compared to a halberd, it has a smaller head, which focuses kinetic energy onto a smaller area and lets it cut through armor more effectively. In other words, while the halberd prioritizes thrusting, the poleaxe prioritizes chopping. The spike on the end of the pole's butt also made it useful for thrusting attacks, and it could be used to block in the same way as a quarterstaff. Generally a poleaxe has a spike at the tip, rather like a spear head, an axe blade and a hammer on the opposite side of the axe blade - the hammer was all but necessary to crush plate armour and the man within, after all.		*'''Poleaxe:''' It's an axe head on a pole, just as the name suggests. Compared to a halberd, it has a smaller head, which focuses kinetic energy onto a smaller area and lets it cut through armor more effectively. In other words, while the halberd prioritizes thrusting, the poleaxe prioritizes chopping. The spike on the end of the pole's butt also made it useful for thrusting attacks, and it could be used to block in the same way as a quarterstaff. Generally a poleaxe has a spike at the tip, rather like a spear head, an axe blade and a hammer on the opposite side of the axe blade - the hammer was all but necessary to crush plate armour and the man within, after all.

	*'''Quarterstaff:''' The simplest type of polearm there is, inasmuch as it is an actual pole. It's probably the oldest, too; smacking someone with a stick is easier to think of than sharpening it so you can stab them. A favored weapon of [[monk]]s and other unarmed classes in DnD, these could be used both as a blunt implement and as a thrusting weapon, while a carefully aimed sweeping blow aimed at the legs could easily knock a foe off his feet and send him sprawling onto the ground. It's not too likely that these were used in actual warfare, as they were mainly meant for self-defense and martial arts; in many cultures with martial arts traditions the staff was regarded as providing the strongest defense of the basic types of weapons. They were also useful as walking sticks, of course. In China, where it is known as the Gùn or Bang staff, it is called the "~~grandfather~~" ~~of weapons~~ in the classical weapons quartet (the others being the Jian sword, Qiang spear, and the Dao sabre).		*'''Quarterstaff:''' The simplest type of polearm there is, inasmuch as it is an actual pole. It's probably the oldest, too; smacking someone with a stick is easier to think of than sharpening it so you can stab them. A favored weapon of [[monk]]s and other unarmed classes in DnD, these could be used both as a blunt implement and as a thrusting weapon, while a carefully aimed sweeping blow aimed at the legs could easily knock a foe off his feet and send him sprawling onto the ground. It's not too likely that these were used in actual warfare, as they were mainly meant for self-defense and martial arts; in many cultures with martial arts traditions the staff was regarded as providing the strongest defense of the basic types of weapons. They were also useful as walking sticks, of course. In China, where it is known as the Gùn or Bang staff, it is called the "Grandfather of Weapons" in the classical weapons quartet (the others being the Jian sword, Qiang spear, and the Dao sabre).

	*'''Shaolin Spade:''': As the name suggests, it's a weapon with a spade-shaped blade on one end, with a crescent shaped blade on the other. The Shaolin monks used this weapon for two purposes: to bury the dead, and for defense against bandits. Possibly one after the other.		*'''Shaolin Spade:''': As the name suggests, it's a weapon with a spade-shaped blade on one end, with a crescent shaped blade on the other. The Shaolin monks used this weapon for two purposes: to bury the dead, and for defense against bandits. Possibly one after the other.

71.205.180.193: /* Types of Pole-arm */

2021-12-01T02:22:33Z

Types of Pole-arm

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:22, 1 December 2021
Line 55:		Line 55:
	*'''Poleaxe:''' It's an axe head on a pole, just as the name suggests. Compared to a halberd, it has a smaller head, which focuses kinetic energy onto a smaller area and lets it cut through armor more effectively. In other words, while the halberd prioritizes thrusting, the poleaxe prioritizes chopping. The spike on the end of the pole's butt also made it useful for thrusting attacks, and it could be used to block in the same way as a quarterstaff. Generally a poleaxe has a spike at the tip, rather like a spear head, an axe blade and a hammer on the opposite side of the axe blade - the hammer was all but necessary to crush plate armour and the man within, after all.		*'''Poleaxe:''' It's an axe head on a pole, just as the name suggests. Compared to a halberd, it has a smaller head, which focuses kinetic energy onto a smaller area and lets it cut through armor more effectively. In other words, while the halberd prioritizes thrusting, the poleaxe prioritizes chopping. The spike on the end of the pole's butt also made it useful for thrusting attacks, and it could be used to block in the same way as a quarterstaff. Generally a poleaxe has a spike at the tip, rather like a spear head, an axe blade and a hammer on the opposite side of the axe blade - the hammer was all but necessary to crush plate armour and the man within, after all.

	*'''Quarterstaff:''' The simplest type of polearm there is, inasmuch as it is an actual pole. It's probably the oldest, too; smacking someone with a stick is easier to think of than sharpening it so you can stab them. A favored weapon of [[monk]]s and other unarmed classes in DnD, these could be used both as a blunt implement and as a thrusting weapon, while a carefully aimed sweeping blow aimed at the legs could easily knock a foe off his feet and send him sprawling onto the ground. It's not too likely that these were used in actual warfare, as they were mainly meant for self-defense and martial arts; in many cultures with martial arts traditions the staff was regarded as providing the strongest defense of the basic types of weapons. They were also useful as walking sticks, of course.		*'''Quarterstaff:''' The simplest type of polearm there is, inasmuch as it is an actual pole. It's probably the oldest, too; smacking someone with a stick is easier to think of than sharpening it so you can stab them. A favored weapon of [[monk]]s and other unarmed classes in DnD, these could be used both as a blunt implement and as a thrusting weapon, while a carefully aimed sweeping blow aimed at the legs could easily knock a foe off his feet and send him sprawling onto the ground. It's not too likely that these were used in actual warfare, as they were mainly meant for self-defense and martial arts; in many cultures with martial arts traditions the staff was regarded as providing the strongest defense of the basic types of weapons. They were also useful as walking sticks, of course. In China, where it is known as the Gùn or Bang staff, it is called the "grandfather" of weapons in the classical weapons quartet (the others being the Jian sword, Qiang spear, and the Dao sabre).

	*'''Shaolin Spade:''': As the name suggests, it's a weapon with a spade-shaped blade on one end, with a crescent shaped blade on the other. The Shaolin monks used this weapon for two purposes: to bury the dead, and for defense against bandits. Possibly one after the other.		*'''Shaolin Spade:''': As the name suggests, it's a weapon with a spade-shaped blade on one end, with a crescent shaped blade on the other. The Shaolin monks used this weapon for two purposes: to bury the dead, and for defense against bandits. Possibly one after the other.