Looking to make a storm herald barbarian for a campaign. Would love to use the original weapons but am being told that wood and sharks teeth probably won't be very attractive on armor. Any thoughts on how to modify them to be more attractive?
If you had a massive 5" tooth from a megalodon lashed to a stick of Oceania rosewood and engraved with tribal markings and patterns, I think it would be a very formidable weapon in addition to looking pretty awesome. I think you have a cool concept and there's no reason you can't lean into it and come up with some wonderful solutions.
I have seen Polynesian weapons in museums. They look pretty effective to me.
IRL steel swords weren't very effective against plate armour, that is why pole arms were developed and used on the battlefield. D&D is a fantasy game. I would have no problem with allowing Polynesian style weapons to be just as effective as their European counterparts.
Technically, in 5e, there are no modifiers for weapon type vs armor type. But thematically I can see your point. So things to keep in mind.... A big ass club to the head will hurt, even if you are wearing a helm. An obsidian dagger is sharper than steel and can pierce plate.
If I were in your shoes....Hawaiian warriors used pole arms and shields. A spear wielding shield master with polearm master....yeah, I'd gladly kick Captain Cook's ass with that :)
Obsidian is very sharp, but it is very brittle. If you go that route, maybe a roleplaying thing your character could spend a little time doing is flint napping... wait, is it called something different when it isn't flint? If you want to be realistic, just choose pretty much any weapon other than a sword. You really need iron/steel for swords. You can make "swords" put of bronze, but theu are about the length of long daggers. But if you wanna do fantasy, or that wood weapon with teeth, that might be the closest you can get to a sword. *Edit* Actually, seems it is called a gladius.
Stone axes are good; if I recall correctly, they are even prefered for jobs like hollowing out a log to make a canoe. Could do a shark tooth spear, or whalebone spear or other polearm glaive. Maybe a squid shell (commonly called a bone)? Could make bows just fine. Or as mentioned, a bludgeoning weapon. How many of these would be authentic Polynesian weapons, I don't know.
If you have your heart set on a sword, maybe every now and then a giant squid washes up on shore and your people scavenge its "bone" from it. Would be light enough, sharp enough (or able to be sharpened), and maybe flexible enough (???). As a bonus, it could probably be dyed or painted, and fullers and holes to lighten it would be simple to make. Metal would bite into it, though. Or if that wasn't good enough, maybe an ancestor of yours killed a young cracken, and its "bone" became an heirloom sword. Since it is a monster, you could just say it is as durable as steel.
Of course, the above paragraph is pure fantasy, not based on polynesian culture.
A gladius was a Roman short sword (and largely what the D&D short sword is based on) that was the backbone of the Roman Army for several centuries. It was also Iron/steel and not bronze
Indeed it was. Funny it would have the same name. But anyway, I just did a bit more research and apparently even from a colossal squid, they are pretty thin and flimsy. I figured it would be like a cuttlebone, and was hoping a giant squid might have a strong one. Apparently, cuttlebones are not in squid at all. Dead end.
Looking to make a storm herald barbarian for a campaign. Would love to use the original weapons but am being told that wood and sharks teeth probably won't be very attractive on armor. Any thoughts on how to modify them to be more attractive?
If you had a massive 5" tooth from a megalodon lashed to a stick of Oceania rosewood and engraved with tribal markings and patterns, I think it would be a very formidable weapon in addition to looking pretty awesome. I think you have a cool concept and there's no reason you can't lean into it and come up with some wonderful solutions.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
If you haven’t seen it already, I recommend the movie Moana for inspiration.
I have seen Polynesian weapons in museums. They look pretty effective to me.
IRL steel swords weren't very effective against plate armour, that is why pole arms were developed and used on the battlefield. D&D is a fantasy game. I would have no problem with allowing Polynesian style weapons to be just as effective as their European counterparts.
Your questions is confusing. You are asking about weapons but you are specifically referring to "attractive armor"? Did something get deleted?
As a Big Island resident I'd like to think I could help you, but would really need to know exactly what you are looking for.
...cryptographic randomness!
I meant affective sorry didn't see the mistake
Well in that case.....
Technically, in 5e, there are no modifiers for weapon type vs armor type. But thematically I can see your point. So things to keep in mind....
A big ass club to the head will hurt, even if you are wearing a helm.
An obsidian dagger is sharper than steel and can pierce plate.
If I were in your shoes....Hawaiian warriors used pole arms and shields. A spear wielding shield master with polearm master....yeah, I'd gladly kick Captain Cook's ass with that :)
...cryptographic randomness!
Obsidian is very sharp, but it is very brittle. If you go that route, maybe a roleplaying thing your character could spend a little time doing is flint napping... wait, is it called something different when it isn't flint? If you want to be realistic, just choose pretty much any weapon other than a sword. You really need iron/steel for swords. You can make "swords" put of bronze, but theu are about the length of long daggers. But if you wanna do fantasy, or that wood weapon with teeth, that might be the closest you can get to a sword. *Edit* Actually, seems it is called a gladius.
Stone axes are good; if I recall correctly, they are even prefered for jobs like hollowing out a log to make a canoe. Could do a shark tooth spear, or whalebone spear or other polearm glaive. Maybe a squid shell (commonly called a bone)? Could make bows just fine. Or as mentioned, a bludgeoning weapon. How many of these would be authentic Polynesian weapons, I don't know.
If you have your heart set on a sword, maybe every now and then a giant squid washes up on shore and your people scavenge its "bone" from it. Would be light enough, sharp enough (or able to be sharpened), and maybe flexible enough (???). As a bonus, it could probably be dyed or painted, and fullers and holes to lighten it would be simple to make. Metal would bite into it, though. Or if that wasn't good enough, maybe an ancestor of yours killed a young cracken, and its "bone" became an heirloom sword. Since it is a monster, you could just say it is as durable as steel.
Of course, the above paragraph is pure fantasy, not based on polynesian culture.
A gladius was a Roman short sword (and largely what the D&D short sword is based on) that was the backbone of the Roman Army for several centuries. It was also Iron/steel and not bronze
Indeed it was. Funny it would have the same name. But anyway, I just did a bit more research and apparently even from a colossal squid, they are pretty thin and flimsy. I figured it would be like a cuttlebone, and was hoping a giant squid might have a strong one. Apparently, cuttlebones are not in squid at all. Dead end.