Question about the armaments of spearmen + some various notes about the weapons/warfare of Roshar

[Bowiespoon he/him]

I would love to know the size and shape of the gear spearmen use on Roshar.

 

- How long are their spears? What shape are the heads? Are they double ended?

 

- what are the shapes of their shields? Are they the massive square shields used by roman legionaries, the large circular shields used by greek hoplites, or more akin to the diamond shaped shields of the middle ages? Also, wood or metal?

 

- what does spearmen armor look like? All I know is they have a steel 'cap', but what does that look like? A cap could be anything. Side note, do spearmen even wear body armor?

 

Notes:

 

I believe that the Half-shards, shields made to block shardblades, are comprised of aluminum (wrong, but aluminum probably could still block a shardblade)

 

I suspect that pre-soulcasting warfare was incredibly slow, with supply routes and troop movements being hampered by regular highstorms and an oversaturated ground.

 

We know that warhammers are used by platebearers, but it is unknown if blunt weapons like a mace, hammer, or flail are used by lighteyes or darkeyes.

 

If I was directing the war on the shattered plains, I'd place caltrops upon neutral plateaus, because that would definately be an unpleasant suprise for the parshendi.

 

The horneater peaks will likely experience some battles in the future, as it contains one of those pools you use to worldhop

 

due to the.... wet nature of Roshar, gunpowder and other pyrotechnics will likely not be invented for some time

 

a great way to hold off a shin army would be to soulcast a large swath of ground to stone

Edited March 9, 2016 by Bowiespoon

[Voidus]

I would love to know the size and shape of the gear spearmen use on Roshar.

 

- How long are their spears? What shape are the heads? Are they double ended?

 

- what are the shapes of their shields? Are they the massive square shields used by roman legionaries, the large circular shields used by greek hoplites, or more akin to the diamond shaped shields of the middle ages? Also, wood or metal?

 

- what does spearmen armor look like? All I know is they have a steel 'cap', but what does that look like? A cap could be anything. Side note, do spearmen even wear body armor?

 

Notes:

 

I believe that the Half-shards, shields made to block shardblades, are comprised of aluminum

 

I suspect that pre-soulcasting warfare was incredibly slow, with supply routes and troop movements being hampered by regular highstorms and an oversaturated ground.

 

We know that warhammers are used by platebearers, but it is unknown if blunt weapons like a mace, hammer, or flail are used by lighteyes or darkeyes.

 

If I was directing the war on the shattered plains, I'd place caltrops upon neutral plateaus, because that would definately be an unpleasant suprise for the parshendi.

 

The horneater peaks will likely experience some battles in the future, as it contains one of those pools you use to worldhop

 

due to the.... wet nature of Roshar, gunpowder and other pyrotechnics will likely not be invented for some time

 

a great way to hold off a shin army would be to soulcast a large swath of ground to stone

On the half-shards I'd be very surprised if they were, they work with augmenting fabrials which enhance durability, if they can block Shardblades I don't see why they'd be able to be part of a fabrial.

Edit: And on the shin, Shinovar is one of the only places where the ground isn't already stone.

[Bowiespoon he/him]

On the half-shards I'd be very surprised if they were, they work with augmenting fabrials which enhance durability, if they can block Shardblades I don't see why they'd be able to be part of a fabrial.

Edit: And on the shin, Shinovar is one of the only places where the ground isn't already stone.

Didn't read that, I'll make an edit

[Voidus]

Didn't read that, I'll make an edit

Aluminium probably could block one. Though given how soft it is it's debatable as to whether or not it could function well as a shield.

I really like the caltrops idea, might not be able to penetrate warform carapace but it could certainly make things tricky. My idea was to soulcast a film of oil onto the platforms so they all slide into the chasms

[Bowiespoon he/him]

Aluminium probably could block one. Though given how soft it is it's debatable as to whether or not it could function well as a shield.

I really like the caltrops idea, might not be able to penetrate warform carapace but it could certainly make things tricky. My idea was to soulcast a film of oil onto the platforms so they all slide into the chasms

if you've already got the plateau covered in a highly flameable substance why don't you just throw a torch onto it, the liquid won't burn away instantly, and will still make them slip as they attempt to flee the flames (regardless of whether or not the fire can hurt them, all things fear fire)

[Cortez he/him]

I seem to recall axes being used by heavy infantry so I would be surprised if warhammers and maces aren't also used and I think I recall halberds being used by some of the honour guards. Dalinar sees soldiers wearing bronze breastplates in his visions and mentions that they would be steel in his time.

 

Kaladins squad are described in Chapter 1:

 

the darkeyed spearmen wore equipment like Cenn's: leather jerkin and knee length skirt with a simple steel cap and a matching breastplate (chapter 1, p.37)

They seem to use both short spears and long spears (although it isn't clear on the lengths). I would guess at ~6-9ft for the short spear and 12ft for the long spear (based on Greek, Roman and medieval examples such as the Welsh long spear).

 

Half shards are described as being diamond shaped with a gemstone in the middle. The other shields aren't described but based on the l.imited description we can rule out the Hoplon (which had to be strapped to the forearm). It sounds to me like the shield would either be rectangular or oval (similar to Roman or Chinese designs) as they are used in shieldwall type formations. Round Viking style shields seems less likely to me as it doesn't really fit the other descriptions.

Edited March 9, 2016 by Cortez

[A Windspren he/him]

I don't think that aluminum could block a Shardblade, as Shallan gets an aluminum necklace as a present, and people would probably notice that it would block Shardblades.

[Bowiespoon he/him]

I seem to recall axes being used by heavy infantry so I would be surprised if warhammers and maces aren't also used and I think I recall halberds being used by some of the honour guards. Dalinar sees soldiers wearing bronze breastplates in his visions and mentions that they would be steel in his time.

 

Kaladins squad are described in Chapter 1:

They seem to use both short spears and long spears (although it isn't clear on the lengths). I would guess at ~6-9ft for the short spear and 12ft for the long spear (based on Greek, Roman and medieval examples such as the Welsh long spear).

 

Half shards are described as being diamond shaped with a gemstone in the middle. The other shields aren't described but based on the l.imited description we can rule out the Hoplon (which had to be strapped to the forearm). It sounds to me like the shield would either be rectangular or oval (similar to Roman or Chinese designs) as they are used in shieldwall type formations. Round Viking style shields seems less likely to me as it doesn't really fit the other descriptions.

Thanks, that's a really helpful response!

[Three1415]

I don't think that aluminum could block a Shardblade, as Shallan gets an aluminum necklace as a present, and people would probably notice that it would block Shardblades.

 

 

This is a good point--although aluminum seems to be Investiture-neutral in most universes, we still aren't sure exactly how it interacts with Rosharan Surgebindings. Unusually, it can be Soulcast (notably, that's the only way to produce it in-universe), so it does not seem unreasonable that it would also interact with other Cognitive-Realm based transforms (e.g, Shardblades).

[Jondesu he/him]

Since Shardblades can cut dead, inanimate things no problem, I doubt a lack of investiture in aluminum would pose a problem. It should cut it like anything else, but aluminum could potentially have effects in other places in the magic system I suppose.

jW

[A Windspren he/him]

I think that there isn't really much special with aluminum. It might just have to do with how a specific magic system works, and I doubt that it is a universal Investiture negating metal.

[Eagle of the Forest Path he/him]

It's not universally investiture negating, but mr. Sanderson has said that aluminum has some strange effects on every magic system.

 

We know it can't be forged or awakened, and it pretty much just ignores allomancy, but the rest of the field is wide open, as far as I know.

[amulligan99]

It's not universally investiture negating, but mr. Sanderson has said that aluminum has some strange effects on every magic system.

We know it can't be forged or awakened, and it pretty much just ignores allomancy, but the rest of the field is wide open, as far as I know.

I don't think half shards are made of aluminum but could plate be made of it? Szeth can't put lashings on plate and I'd guess the same is with aluminum. Just a speculation. Edited March 11, 2016 by amulligan99

[natc]

I don't think normal metal shatters from blows.

[Bowiespoon he/him]

I don't think normal metal shatters from blows.

If you are talking about shardplate, I'm pretty sure that stuff shares the properties of stone, only much tougher. It shatters rather than breaking, its natural color is slate-grey, and in roshar stone seems to be the equivalent of metal on Scadrial.

[Oversleep]

Hm... My colleague have written an article about Rosharan weapons, I'll try to translate the most important bits.

...(If I don't do it by the end of the week, feel free to PM me. I forget about many things. Seriously, do it.)

[Eagle of the Forest Path he/him]

I don't think half shards are made of aluminum but could plate be made of it? Szeth can't put lashings on plate and I'd guess the same is with aluminum. Just a speculation.

 

IMO that's like asking "Magnets don't work on aluminum, and they don't work on cheese, is cheese made of aluminum?"

 

You're free to speculate of course, but we don't even know that lashings won't affect aluminum, so I'd say you're jumping the gun a bit on this one.

[James456]

The caps are just skull caps. They look like a bowl probably come down to the ears. Easy to make pretty much any blacksmith could make them even an apprentice unlike other armours witch would require an expert. Spears are probably double egeded like all spears as it helps in penitraition and removal. I think the sheild are round boss held viking shield though how they attach to there backs idk. Putting anything on the plains would just be washed away. I wounder why they don't use halbereds or polaxes/polhammers for the heavy infantry?

[Stormgate he/him]

Plate regrows. It feeds on Stormlight.

Whatever Plate is, it almost certainly isn't aluminum.