I was thinking it would be fun to know what are specific weapons preferred in different parts of the inner sea.
It is quite obvious that if a weapon in RL is east-Asian then it is used in Tian Xia, or if south-Asian, in Vudra.
What about the arms and armour of the inner sea region?
We know the Aldori sword is used in Brevoy and probably around the north of Avistan, Khopesh are big in Osirion and the Shoanti of Varisia have unique weapons such as the klar and earthshaker.
What about other places? Polearms for instance are very diverse and each style can suite a country without affecting much usability or balance-
The bardich for instance just screams Irrisen to me (maybe because it comes from Poland/Russia), while a halberd could be used in Taldor, Andoran and Molthune.
Other weapons/armor can fit thematically. I would guess big maces and flails are fashionable in modern day cheliax, while Taldans go about rapiers and stilletos, and a pirate of the shackles feels naked without a cutlass.
Do Nirmathi soldiers use long pikes to offset Molthuni mounted knights?
Do people in Absalom laugh at you for wearing splint mail when everybody who is cool is wearing banded?
If someone is carrying a bill and a shotel, does it mean she is probably from Hermea?
your thoughts please
anyone?
I'm all for it. I'm interested in getting something put together for another look at weapons overall- the old sling thread really got me thinking about what the fanboy approach to certain weapons has done to this game.
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You would think that adventures travel and adapt to many different weapons and pull the.best for the job immediately at.hand. some pick up weapon focus and stick with one more often. Once you spend gold on go, you ate more likly to stick with that but most NPCs do not have the funds to carry a +1 sword. Maybe they stick with what they get as a masterwork weapon. I hate how NPC stat blocks often have only a single weapon. Not even a backup dagger but that us an effort to save spaace ans time on the stat block.
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Note that the falcata is specifically described as a popular weapon in Taldor, as the rondelero dueling style that utilizes it was developed there. The Scizore is also referred to as a Taldan Scissor, and was developed as an alternative to rondelero. Rondelero ultimately proved more popular in the end.
I'd say that Nirmathani guilleros favour ranged over melee weapons. They'd also extensively use traps. Nirmathas has no organized military, so the individual warriors use whatever they know best.
The Taldane military seems to be quite conservative to me, so the Phalanx should simply use long spears/pikes. The falcata should be an officer's and/or champion's weapon, though I'd say that rapiers and long swords are becoming more widespread among them.
The Taldane Horse is a heavily armoured cavalry unit along the lines of the Persian cataphractoi. That means they mainly use lances, with single-handed weapons, for example falcatas, as a back-up.
Their enemies, the Quadirans, use mostly lightly armoured mounted skirmishers, so short bows and sabres would be their weapons of choice.
many of the early 3.5 location books featured weapons from that region I think
I need to go over them all again probably, I totally forgot about the scizore for instance (thanks Zousha!)
So, if we focus on what was said and some deductions we have:
Taldan characteristic weapons:
Dagger (rondel), rapier (or Dueling Sword/ ISWG), scizore, falcata, pike (longspear)
Also : short sword (broadsword like), cestus, pilum, spear, lance, sling, short bow
Armor: breastplate, chain shirt and leather armor for most, field plate for heavy hitters. Large metal shield (round, definitely round!)
here are some others based on previous knowledge or inspiration:
Shoanti:
Totem spear, hide shirt, earthbraker, klar, Shoanti bola
Also: handaxe, throwing axe, big knife of some sort
Chelaxian:
Light mace, morningstar, flail, heavy flail (or dire flail for extra weirdness) halberd, ranseur, glaive, mancatcher, greatsword, bastard sword, flambard, dagger (stilleto, dirk), quadrens, heavy crossbow, whip, scorpion whip, barbazu beard (Cheliax sourcebook)
Armor: full plate (duh) but also chainmail, heavy triangular metal shields
Galt:
Rapier, dagger (main gouche), swordbraker dagger, punching dagger, bladefoot dagger, longspear (pike), morningstar, light crossbow, bayonet (on crossbows), sap (blackjack),trident, bec de corbin, guisarme, garrote
Armor: breastplate, studded leather
Maybe somewhere a bit more exotic? Geb:
Shotel, Cat o nine tails whip(pirates of the inner sea), fauchard,kama, scythe, mancatcher, two bladed sword, bolas, lasso, hunga munga, blowgun, pickaxe
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The protagonist of the Web Fiction story Hell or High Water is a Mwangi huntress who fights with a pair of mambeles, depicted here. Ultimate Equipment classifies these as a type of Hunga Munga (multi-bladed throwing weapons), and there are probably many other variations on the theme used throughout the Expanse.
Other weapons thematically appropriate to the Mwangi Expanse might include:
boomerang (representing throwing clubs like the East African rungu), longsword (various types of one- and two-handed slashing swords were used in irl West Africa), machete (Serpent's Skull has an adamantine machete that is treated as a short sword that does slashing damage), shotel, throwing axe (like the Congolese nzappa zap), and, of course all manner of bows, clubs, knives, and spears.
Wearing any armor at all in a tropical environment can be a liability, and armor check penalties interfere with the stealth on which hunters rely. Therefore, Mwangi warriors probably rely on agility, cover, and shields, and eschew body armor.
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Aside from the aforementioned khopesh, if Osirion's army is much at all like those of the Egyptian Pharaohs at the height of their power, the most important weapon would be the composite bow. Other important ancient Egyptian weapons include boomerangs ("throw sticks"), short spears, and slings.
Due to the intense desert heat, I would imagine that Osiriani infantry probably don't usually wear armor, though heavy shields would be appropriate. Charioteers and/or cavalrymen and other elite soldiers might wear scale or similar medium armor.