V9: Melee Weapons

This page is part of the Official Amtgard V9 Alpha-Playtest Rulebook.

• The Amtwiki is the official home and primary source for Amtgard V9 Rules as of February 25, 2023.
• These rules are currently in Open Alpha Playtest. See the Playtest Disclaimer for more details.
• To learn more about Amtgard V9 Development, please visit Amtgard.com.
• To view the current Amtgard V8 ruleset, please see the Amtgard V8 Rulebook.

---

Melee Weapons

Melee weapons represent swords, axes, spears, flails, polearms and anything else that can be used to directly strike an opponent. V9: Universal Melee Weapon Rules (Gameplay) V9: Universal Melee Weapon Rules (Construction)

Dagger

• Must meet the Universal Equipment Requirements.
• Total length must be at least 12" (1ft), up to 24" (2ft).
• At least 2/3 of the weapon must be Strike-Legal.

Short

• Must meet the Universal Equipment Requirements.
• Total length must be greater than 24" (2ft), up to 36" (3ft).
• At least 2/3 of the weapon must be Strike-Legal.

Long

• Must meet the Universal Equipment Requirements.
• Total length must be greater than 36" (3ft), up to 48" (4ft).
• At least 2/3 of the weapon must be Strike-Legal.
  
  

Two-Hand Armor-Breaking Variant

• Any weapon segment that has at least 6" of Super Heavy Padding gains Armor Breaking when the weapon is wielded with two hands.

Great

• Must meet the Universal Equipment Requirements.
• Total length must be greater than 48" (4ft), up to 72" (6ft).
• Must be 50% padded and have at least 18" Strike-Legal.
  
  

Two-Hand Shield-Crushing Armor-Breaking (SCAB) Variant

• Any weapon segment that is Strike-Legal for at least 2/3 of the weapon's full length; or has at least 18" of Heavy Padding gains Armor Breaking and Shield Crushing when the weapon is wielded with two hands.
• Stab-Only segments require just 6" of Heavy Padding to gain this benefit. (Reminder: You cannot Shield Crush with a stab.)

Reach

• Must meet the Universal Equipment Requirements.
• Total length must be greater than 72" (6ft), up to 108" (9ft).
• Must be 50% padded and have at least 18" Strike-Legal.
  
  

Two-Hand Armor-Breaking Variant

• Any weapon segment that has at least 18" of Heavy Padding gains Armor Breaking when the weapon is wielded with two hands.
• Stab-Only segments require just 6" of Heavy Padding to gain this benefit.

Pike

• Must meet the Universal Equipment Requirements.
• Pikes are Stab-Only. They cannot be used to slash.
• Total length must be greater than 108" (9ft), up to 144" (12ft).
• Must be 50% padded and have at least 6" Strike-Legal as per Stab-Only.
  
  

Two-Hand Armor-Breaking Variant

• Any weapon segment that has at least 6" of Heavy Padding gains Armor Breaking when the weapon is wielded with two hands.

Flail

Different styles of Flail

• Must meet the Universal Equipment Requirements.
• Is composed of a handle with a single chain and articulating head. It cannot be multi-ended.
• The total length of all three components cannot exceed 36" when gently pulled taut.

Flail Head

• Must be equal or larger than a 2.5" sphere.
• Must be entirely Strike-Legal.
• Cannot contain a rigid core.
  

Flail Chain

Example Flail Chain

• The combined chain-and-head portion may not exceed 18" in length when gently pulled taut.
• Must be constructed using soft, durable, non-abrasive materials, such as a cotton rope. Actual chains are prohibited. A rope-like core is not required as long as this section behaves like a chain and is not at risk of tearing apart under the stress of the flailing motion.
• If the chain portion is longer than 0.5", it must include small foam rings (or equivalent design) spaced no further than 0.5" apart along the entire length.

Flail Handle

• Must be at least 12".
• 50% of the flail handle must be padded.
• The top 1/3 closest to the chain must also be Strike-Legal.
  • This padding must begin at point where the chain connects to the handle and extend down the length of the weapon on all sides of the core (i.e. it must be Omni).
  • The amount of Strike Legal required cannot be reduced by Heavy Padding or Super Heavy Padding.

Flail Combat Rules
Only the head of a flail can inflict valid strikes, even though the handle segment also has strike-legal padding. This extra padding is intended to allow a player to strike the handle safely against other equipment so the flail can wrap around without damaging the struck equipment.