Aztec Weaponry [Archive] - Wizards Community

Aztec Weaponry [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Uratoh
10-24-04, 02:29 AM does anyone know the name of the swords the aztecs used, those essentially wooden clubs with obsidian jags? I'm trying to create the 'aztec equipment list' for a lizardman civilization...my main question aside from name on the swords is how would being made of darkwood affect them in combat?
Sucineri
10-24-04, 03:39 AM Maca

They are listed in the Maztica campaign setting. I believe you can actually download the whole Maztica campaign setting from wizards.com since it was written in 2nd ed.
Watchman
10-25-04, 03:45 AM Macauitl, to be precise. Some were big enough to require two hands, and there was also a version not unlike a glaive with another name.

Making them out of darkwood ought not to affect their combat performance much, save perhaps make them harder to sunder. The business end of the weapon is the obsidan shards glued to its edges, which apparently tend to wear out and get chipped and broken like you wouldn't believe even against wooden shields nevermind any solid armor. After those are gone it's really just a club.

But then again, the Aztecs' obsidan-based tools and weapons has been referred to as "the ultimately expendable" - obsidian cannot be repaired or otherwise fixed in any way, but there was no shortage of the glass around and a skilled craftsman could fashion serviceable replacement parts in matter of minutes.

As a side note the macauitls were actually pretty lousy weapons and couldn't even penetrate the cotton-quilt body armor the LatAm native peoples used extensively - but then that suited the Aztecs just fine, because they wanted captives for sacrifice and not corpses and limb hits with the weapons were pretty incapaciating. The other civilizations, like the Inca, mostly lacked such religious preoccupations and "went for the throat" with more effective weaponry - the Incas' heavy copper axes were powerful enough to be a threat even to the armored Spaniards.
Tony Vargas
10-25-04, 03:37 PM Darkwood just makes items weigh less, it has no particular effect on a weapon's performance in combat.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Uratoh 10-24-04, 02:29 AM	does anyone know the name of the swords the aztecs used, those essentially wooden clubs with obsidian jags? I'm trying to create the 'aztec equipment list' for a lizardman civilization...my main question aside from name on the swords is how would being made of darkwood affect them in combat?
Sucineri 10-24-04, 03:39 AM	Maca They are listed in the Maztica campaign setting. I believe you can actually download the whole Maztica campaign setting from wizards.com since it was written in 2nd ed.
Watchman 10-25-04, 03:45 AM	Macauitl, to be precise. Some were big enough to require two hands, and there was also a version not unlike a glaive with another name. Making them out of darkwood ought not to affect their combat performance much, save perhaps make them harder to sunder. The business end of the weapon is the obsidan shards glued to its edges, which apparently tend to wear out and get chipped and broken like you wouldn't believe even against wooden shields nevermind any solid armor. After those are gone it's really just a club. But then again, the Aztecs' obsidan-based tools and weapons has been referred to as "the ultimately expendable" - obsidian cannot be repaired or otherwise fixed in any way, but there was no shortage of the glass around and a skilled craftsman could fashion serviceable replacement parts in matter of minutes. As a side note the macauitls were actually pretty lousy weapons and couldn't even penetrate the cotton-quilt body armor the LatAm native peoples used extensively - but then that suited the Aztecs just fine, because they wanted captives for sacrifice and not corpses and limb hits with the weapons were pretty incapaciating. The other civilizations, like the Inca, mostly lacked such religious preoccupations and "went for the throat" with more effective weaponry - the Incas' heavy copper axes were powerful enough to be a threat even to the armored Spaniards.
Tony Vargas 10-25-04, 03:37 PM	Darkwood just makes items weigh less, it has no particular effect on a weapon's performance in combat.