V9: Weapons

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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.




Weapons

Striking your opponent with a wielded weapon is the primary way to interact with them in combat.

General Rules

  1. All weapons must meet the Universal Requirements of safety, durability, and recognizability in addition to any other standards listed for their type.
    • Unsupported Weapons: In-Game representations of explosives, firearms, and chemical weapons (such as Alchemist’s Fire or Toxic Gas) are not supported by the Amtgard Rules of Play. If something of this nature is desired for a special scenario, a Game Organizer is able to design and implement such rules on a game-by-game basis.
    • Prohibited Weapons: For the safety and comfort of our players, Amtgard outright prohibits the following weapon styles and their variations. If you are unsure if a weapon design falls under these categories, consult a Reeve or other relevant Rules Authority.
      • Entangling Weapons such as Whips, Lasso, Nets, and Bolas.
      • Atlatls, Slings, Slingshots, and all other handheld projectile launchers that are not bows or crossbows.
      • Punching weapons such as Knuckles, Punching Daggers, and Tonfas.

  2. All Amtgard weapons are classified as either a ‘Melee Weapon’ or a ‘Projectile Weapon’, as well as a specific typing such as ‘Short’ or ‘Long’.
    • Weapons of the same classification and typing have the same gameplay rules, regardless of their physical form.

    For example, a ‘ Short’ melee weapon made to resemble an Axe will have the same gameplay rules as a ‘Short’ melee weapon made to resemble a Sword, Club, or even an atypical weapon like a Lute or Frozen Fish!


Terms

V9: Universal Weapon Rules (Construction)

Melee Weapons

General Rules

Melee weapons represent swords, axes, spears, flails, pole-arms and anything else that can be used to directly slash or stab an opponent in close combat.

  1. All melee weapons require a rigid core.
  2. Approved melee weapons may be used to strike with their Strike-Legal surfaces and block or parry with any portion of the weapon.
  3. Melee weapons can never be launched or thrown as a form of attack. Javelins are the only exception to this rule due to their ability to act as both as melee weapon and a projectile.


Dagger


Short


Long

Two-Hand Armor-Breaking Variant


Great

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


Reach

Two-Hand Armor-Breaking Variant


Pike

Two-Hand Armor-Breaking Variant


Flail

Different styles of Flail

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.


Madu

A typical Madu
  • Must meet the Universal Equipment Requirements.
  • Total length must be between 18" up to 108" (9ft).
  • Is a hybrid Melee Weapon and Shield.
    • Any shield with weapons permanently affixed to it will be considered a Madu and must conform to these rules.
    • Any weapon segments must be easily recognizable as weapons, and the shield portion must be easily recognizable as a shield.
    • The division between weapon and shield segments must be visually distinct.


Various Legal and Illegal Madu builds

Madu Shield Portion
The shield portion must be a legal shield.


Madu Weapon Segments
Madu weapon segments are measured from the point where they extend beyond the shield.

  • Must not extend outward from the face of the shield.
  • Must not articulate or have a chain like a Flail.
  • Must not mimic or offer similar protective coverage to that of a shield. If this is a case, the offending segments will count as part of the shield, not a weapon, and be forced to adhere to shield construction rules.
  • Segments intended to be Stab-Only must be at least 6" long.
  • Segments intended to both slash and stab must be at least 12" long.
  • Segments that measure 18" or less must be entirely Strike-Legal.
  • Segments that measure greater than 18" must have at least 18" of Strike-Legal Padding and have Incidental Padding for the remainder.
  • Padding Substitution can only be used on segments greater than 18" and cannot reduce the amount of Strike-Legal to less than 18".


Two-Hand 'Great' Madu Variant
If the total length of the Madu is 72" (6ft) or less, the following variation can be used:


Two-Hand 'Reach' Madu Variant


Madu-Specific Combat Rules

  • Madus do not have access to the variant options or gameplay rules of other weapon or shield categories, even if parts of the Madu are constructed to mimic those weapons or shields.
    • Example 1: A Madu constructed with a small-size shield will still take up a free hand and cannot be strapped to the arm without a handle.
    • Example 2: A super-heavy padded Madu that is between 36" and 48" will not gain Armor Breaking when wielded 2-handed because that variant is only available to Long weapons.
  • A Madu can only be wielded if the player can wield both a non-staff weapon of the Madu’s total length (weapon portions + shield portions) and a shield equal to or greater than the Madu’s shield's size.
  • The weapon segments can be struck and affected by weapon-specific effects such as Weapon Destroying, and the Shield portion can be struck and affected by shield-specific effects such as Shield Crushing and Shield Destroying. Once affected this way, the entire Madu is affected, for better or worse. If the weapon or shield portion is destroyed, the entire Madu is destroyed. If one part of the Madu is restored, the entire Madu is restored.


Javelin

Warrior with a Javelin


Javelin Hybrid Combat Rules


Magic Staff

A Wizard with a Magic Staff.


Magic Staff Combat Rules

  • Cannot be used to strike. It can only block.
  • Is a weapon. Can be destroyed like any other weapon.
  • Does not take up a Free Hand when casting abilities.
  • Players can only wield a single magic staff at a time.



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Projectile Weapons

General Rules

Projectile Weapons represent anything that is launched or thrown to inflict damage or effects, such as arrows, kunai, chakrams, and tomahawks as well as magical blasts like fireballs and lightning. The following general rules apply to all forms of projectile weapons:

  1. May not be used to strike in melee.
  2. May not be used to parry or block.
  3. Cannot become destroyed by any means.
  4. May be carried in any number unless otherwise restricted, such as by class customization.
  5. All projectiles except Arrows and Bolts must be thrown by hand, one at a time, per hand.
    • A player may hold a throwing weapon in each hand and throw both of them simultaneously, but cannot throw them together from the same hand.
  6. Arrows and Bolts must be fired from a bow or crossbow as appropriate.
  7. Each projectile can affect multiple targets in a single flight as long as each contact meets the criteria for a valid strike. Projectiles become harmless after their movement is completely halted.
  8. Batting, kicking, or otherwise applying significant force to a projectile in motion is prohibited.
    • Arrows in flight must be blocked passively by placing an object in their flight path.
    • Other non-arrow projectiles may be blocked, parried, or lightly struck out of the air.
    • Players may not catch or grab projectile weapons in flight.
  9. Projectiles may be shared among players that are given explicit permission from the owner of said projectiles.
    • The owner may retract their permission at any time for any reason.
    • The owner is responsible for ensuring the safe use of their projectiles when shared with or used by another player.
    • Players using shared projectiles should be respectful and treat the borrowed equipment with care.
    • When sharing Spellballs, Specialty Arrows, or any other similarly restricted projectile, players must still adhere to the associated frequency rules and carrying limits.
    • Players using shared projectiles must not hoard them or otherwise try to gain a gameplay advantage by deliberately obstructing the amount of projectiles that other sharing player(s) have access to. This is especially relevant when sharing Spellballs and Specialty Arrows.
  10. There are two sub-types of projectile weapon: Contact Projectiles and Stabbing Projectiles.
    • Contact Projectiles can strike with any part of their surface.
    • Stabbing Projectiles can only strike with their tip.



Contact Projectiles

Small Thrown


Large Thrown


Spellball

Ability-Linked

  • Players can only use a Spellball projectile if they have a Spellball ability that allows it.


Rocks

Rock Gameplay Rules



Stabbing Projectiles

Javelins

See Javelins under Melee Weapons.

Bows & Crossbows

Archer with a Bow

Bows and Crossbows are used to fire arrows or bolts respectively. Only actual bows and crossbows may be used for this purpose. Other forms of projectile launchers cannot be used to represent a bow or crossbow.

  • Compound bows are prohibited.
  • Regular Bows must have a draw weight of 35lbs or less at a 28" draw.
  • Crossbows are limited to no more than 450 inch-pounds.


Bow & Crossbow Gameplay Rules

  1. Bows and Crossbows cannot be destroyed.
  2. The physical bow or crossbow cannot be used to strike another player. They must be exclusively used to launch Arrows & Bolts.
  3. Cannot be intentionally struck nor used to block, deflect or otherwise defend against incoming strikes. A certain amount of incidental contact during the chaos of live combat should be expected, however repeated or egregious disregard for this rule can result in suspension from play or loss of archery privileges.
  4. Bows and Crossbows cannot be wielded with any other equipment in the same hand (besides arrows). Likewise, other equipment cannot be wielded while in the same hand as a bow or crossbow. A buckler or small shield may still be wielded on the arm so long as there is no risk of it interfering with the safe use of the bow.
    • For gameplay purposes, reloading a crossbow does not count as wielding it.
  5. Bows may not be drawn beyond 28" at any time and must be half-drawn at ranges closer than 20ft. Crossbows are not required to half draw.



Arrows & Bolts

All forms of arrows and bolts follow the same rules.

  1. Must meet the Universal Equipment Requirements.
  2. Must be built to be fired from a bow or crossbow, as appropriate.
  3. Must be safe to strike other players with the tip (see construction guide below).
Developer Note: For accessibility purposes, playtesters may continue to use Amtgard V8-Legal arrows during V9 playtest games until such a time that we can guarantee the investment in reconstruction will not be wasted effort. That said, we are deeply thankful and appreciative of everyone who chooses to invest their time and resources to build and playtest the construction rules below.


Arrow Gameplay Rules

  1. All Arrows and Bolts are Armor Breaking and Weapon Destroying.
  2. Specialty Arrows (or Bolts) will impart additional effects based on their Color-Code.
  3. Players can only use a Specialty Arrow if they have an ability that allows it.
  4. Players may fire multiple regular arrows at once however Specialty Arrows must be fired alone.
  5. Multiple arrows fired simultaneously will count as separate strikes, even if they hit the same Hit Location.


Arrow Construction Guide

Anatomy of an Arrow

WarningTriangle.png
Safety First
Before building your first arrows or bolts, take the time to learn from an experienced player or study an online construction tutorial. Poorly constructed, poorly repaired, or outright broken arrows/bolts can pose a serious safety hazard and may never be used for Amtgard combat.

Arrow Shaft Construction Rules
The shaft of the arrow or bolt is the stick portion to which the head is affixed.

  1. Must be carbon, aluminum, or fiberglass.
  2. Any real arrowheads or hunting tips must be removed.
  3. Shafts longer than 28" must have a drawstop around the shaft to physically prevent drawing the arrow past 28".
  4. The nock and any vanes/fletching present must be in good repair.
  5. The orientation of vanes/fletchings (or the lack thereof) must not cause chaotic or unpredictable flight.

Arrow Blunt Construction Rules
The blunt is the reinforced tip of the shaft upon which the striking portion, the arrow head, will be constructed.

  1. All blunts must be solidly built, stiff enough to carry anticipated loads without excessive deformation, and able to support typical Amtgard archery impacts repeatedly without failure or degradation.
  2. The end of the shaft must be securely capped with a circular, impact-resistant disc at least 1" in diameter.
    • The disc must be centered over the end of the shaft.
    • If a metal disc is used, it must be at least 1/16" steel or equivalent.
    • Discs of any other material must be durable, impact-resistant, and at least 1/4" thick.
  3. The blunt must then be further built up to at least 1.5" in diameter.
    • The non-disc portion of the blunt can be constructed from any material, including foam, so long as it ensures that the foam arrowhead built upon it is not able to move easily in relation to the shaft. This includes but is not limited to: plunging up and down, wobbling from side to side, twisting-without-return, etc.
  4. The entire blunt can be a single unit (such as a 3D-printed piece) as long as the resulting structure is equivalent or safer than the above requirements.

Note: Arrows can be constructed in a wide variety of ways. You can help your equipment inspectors by keeping a single uncovered arrow available and, if applicable, an unmounted 3D-printed blunt or modular head for them to inspect. You can also keep an equipment reference sheet with details and photos about your build as well as any relevant testing credentials or testimonials. Help them help you!


Arrow Head Construction Rules
The arrow head is the Strike-Legal portion at the end of an arrow or bolt, after the blunt.

  1. Must be Strike-Legal on all sides with a foam depth of at least 2" in front of the blunt.
  2. Must have a circular cross-section of 2" or greater throughout the entire head.
  3. Must have at least 0.5" of impact-resistant safety-grade foam immediately after the blunt. This foam must not deform around the arrow shaft or blunt on impact.
  4. The physical striking surface of the arrowhead must include at least 1" comfort-grade foam with a circular diameter of 2.5".
  5. Domed arrowheads are allowed but must be no sharper than a 2.75" hemisphere. The narrow tip of the dome does not need to meet the 2.5" cross-section as long as the head meets the 2" depth rule (see diagram).
  6. Any additional foam used to meet the 2" depth requirement should be chosen with the goal of making the arrow as safe and comfortable to be struck by as possible, specifically in regards to accidental strikes to the face and eyes. When in doubt, use safety-grade foam.

Arrow Head Cover

  1. Arrow heads must be covered in a durable, opaque cloth. Cloth tape may not be used.
  2. Specialty Arrows must be covered with the appropriate Color Code.
    • Properly colored fabric strips may affixed to the shaft in lieu of colored head covers. These strips must be clearly visible from at least 20ft away and not impact the safe use of the arrow.
  3. Covers for regular arrows must be a color or combination of colors that cannot be reasonably mistaken for a specialty arrow.


WarningTriangle.png
Caution: Risk of Eye Damage
Eye damage from accidental face strikes is the most common form on arrow-based injury in LARP. A safe arrow design must not damage the orbital bones or be able to put pressure directly on the eyeball. As a rule of thumb, arrows should be built to the point that their owners are willing to receive a straight shot to the face under test conditions without fear of serious injury.




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V9: Special Weapons

Weapons
General Rules · Weapon Construction Terms · Melee Weapons · Projectile Weapons · Siege Weapons
Equipment
Equipment Basics · Equipment Use Terms · Weapons · Shields · Armor · Color Code · Visual Indicators
Amtgard V9 Rulebook
Playtest Disclaimer · Introduction · Getting Started · Garb · Honor System · Safety · Core Combat Rules · Equipment · Classes · Abilities and Effects · Magic Items · Combat Activities · Rules Authorities
Appendix: Equipment Inspection Guide · Master List of Abilities · Glossary
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