new item(bladed crossbow,non-magical)

Games Discussion Ars Magica
1

It makes sense(to me at least)that they would probibly put a blade at the end of a crossbow so that it could act as a melee weapon.
What say you all?
Also,what sort of magic item would this contraption make?

2

bumpy-bump

3

There are a few problems I see with this

  1. A crossbow is actually quite delicate. It is a piece of precision tooled wood. I know from personal experience that a few minor scrapes bumps and knocks can utterly hammer accuracy. Secondly an axe or heavier sword might utterly destroy the mechanism. Crossbows may be chepa comapred with training a longbow man, but they're certainly not cheap.

  2. They are quite cumbersome devices, they wouldn't neccessarily make the best melee weapons. The Bayonet (which I think is your inspiration) makes a gun into a spear. Essentially turning one weapon into another tried and tested weapon. These are smaller, clumbsy and unweildy. They would fight as well as bricks would fly.

That being said, if a verditius (or similar) wanted to make a special project of reinforcing these items into being capable of taking weapon blows then they could be feasible. But to be Honnest, they would be better off just carrying a large knife, or short sword.

4

Any story idea that might come from this? :confused:

5

Quite a few actually

  1. Finding someone of the relevent skill to make the device and what will they want in return

  2. Looking for Historical roman (or equivilent) designs for 'inspiration' However this could be in the hands of another rival covenant, a covenant who is friendly but will want favours, under the clawed clutches of a dragon, in a regio which is full of roman (or equivilent) 'ghosts' defending against the 'invaders' who make it through into the regio.

  3. Finding someone who knows how to devise a style of combat with the device.

  4. The Church's prohibtion on the use of Crossbows against christians under canon 14 of the 2nd Lateran Council. Although not massively enforcable, a zealous churchman or a churchman with a grudge may take umbridge or seem to take umbridge at this for genuine zeal, political edge or just to be a nuisance.

  5. industrial espionage. Spying design theft and sabotage from rival craftsmen (if it's made by exceptionally gifted mundae crafters.)