RuneScape Forum Archive | Longsword Fencing

heretic hary

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Fool
Fool is a guard that challenges the opponent to make an attack, earning its name as only a fool gives the opponent a moment to attack. But Fool has commendable defensive properties, thus meriting mention. Have the right leg forward, the sword forward and point aimed downward, but still in the opponent's direction. The entire purpose of this guard is inviting the opponent to attack, and delivering a powerful counter that doesn't involve foolishly overexerting a character and creating openings.

*Sicarius' right leg forward, Sicarius kept his sword forward, below the--
--waist, with the point aimed towards Enemy's shins.*

I recommend describing body language and other factors to help lure an opponent into attacking. Hurl insults, feign fear and/or weakness, whatever makes for good bait.
In most cases, when the opponent attacks, a powerful, upward displacement can be made while sliding the point forward, underneath the opponent's sword, for a thrust. If someone's weapon is above the body, and yours is underneath his/her weapon, you can easily get a hit in.

Iron Door and Middle Iron Door
The previous four guards were primarily German, and applicable to any weapon. Starting here, these guards are Italian, and focus more on explicit use with the longsword. While not as simple, these guards boast deceptive qualities, and ultimately leave attacks to be nearly unpredictable unless the opponent is already familiar with them. Given how the Sicarius use splitrobes to conceal the legs and help make footwork less predictable, this fits in quite well.

The Iron Door and Middle Iron Door are low guards, with an emphasis on defense. For the Iron Door, have the left leg forward with the right heel off the ground. The sword is held with the guard at the hip, one hand on the pommel to create a fast, lever-like motion that allows for sudden and powerful displacements in the form of uppercuts. Lean forward in a way that offers the head as bait. Sicarius style.

20-Apr-2014 02:40:47 - Last edited on 20-Apr-2014 03:03:44 by heretic hary

heretic hary

Posts: 3,137 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

*Sicarius' left foot forward and right heel raised, Sicarius held his sword--
--with the guard at the hips, point aimed to Enemy's feet. Sicarius leaned--
--his chest slightly forward, his head a ready target.*

For the Middle Iron Door, the sword is held at the hips, but in front of the body. Attacks are displaced with an uppercut that brings the opponent’s strike above the right shoulder, followed by a downward cut to the exposed body. Or, make an uppercut at the hands, using the strong to parry his/her sword in the process.

*Sicarius’ left side forward and right heel raised, Sicarius held his sword--
--before him, pointed at the feet and hilt held level with the waist. Sicarius--
--had a slightly forward lean, the head a ready target.*

Uppercut to the hands:
*Enemy brings his sword down at Sicarius’ head, intending to cleave Sicarius’ skull.*
*Sicarius straightens his back, bringing his head away while making a 35°--
--right-to-left uppercut with the middle to try striking Enemy’s hands and--
--break them, while parrying Enemy’s cut with the strong in the same stroke.*

Woman's Guard
The Woman’s Guard is a high guard, and a favorite of mine as it implies the user about to make a large, baseball-style swing, but actually gives a different attack: a sharp cut specifically done at 35° or a thrust, depending on what you think will work best. This guard comes from image of a woman about to beat someone over the head with a broom. The left side leads, and the sword rests along the right shoulder, point aimed slightly at the opponent. You can lead either forward or backward.

Woman’s Guard with forward lean:
*Sicarius left side forward, Sicarius rested his sword on his right shoulder--
--like a baseball bat, point aimed at Enemy from behind the neck, leaning--
--forward with the head farthest out.*

20-Apr-2014 02:40:52 - Last edited on 20-Apr-2014 03:04:29 by heretic hary

heretic hary

Posts: 3,137 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Woman’s Guard with backward lean:
*Sicarius left side forward, Sicarius rested his sword on his right shoulder--
--like a baseball bat, point aimed at Enemy from behind the neck, leaning--
--slightly backward.*

35° cut from the Woman’s Guard:
*Sicarius made a short left step with the left foot, before passing forward--
--right and not delivering a large, baseball-style swing like expected but a--
--35° right-to-left cut meant to hit and break Enemy's closest shoulder with--
--the weak.*

You choose other angles, I figured it'd make for a good opening attack as you can not only pass back to avoid any overcompensating counter and pass forward to deliver another attack, but the deceptive quality also leaves a chance for an opponent to do the wrong counter. I advise changing the initial sidestep to the left with the left foot into a rounded left sidestep with the left foot, for reasons that you (should) already know.

Long Point
Long Point is a guard good for keeping space between you and an adversary, also countering any other guard that has the point aimed at the opponent. Either leg can be forward, and the sword will always be held forward with the point aimed at the chest. The arms should be extended, but not fully extended so that a thrust can be made. While the sword can be easily knocked aside, this can be turned into part of the spin-hitting method described by Rai in Advanced Fighting Melee , or the sword can be angled in one direction or another to let the opponent's strike miss, and you can follow this up by attacking the opponent's arms while he/she is trying to recover. I advise using spin-hitting to counter strokes that are closer to horizontal angles, and twisting the sword around for attacks closer to vertical angles.

*Sicarius' left leg forward, Sicarius held his sword out, arms extended (but--
--not fully stretched out), and point aimed at Enemy's chest.*

20-Apr-2014 02:40:57 - Last edited on 20-Apr-2014 03:05:19 by heretic hary

heretic hary

Posts: 3,137 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Moving the blade out of the way and following up with a thrust:
*Enemy made a 35° right-to-left diagonal cut at Sicarius' sword, intending to knock the sword down for a follow-up strike.*
*Sicarius winded his sword in a tight, spiraling motion, letting Enemy's blade--
--narrowly fall to the side of his sword before passing forward right and try--
--to stab Enemy through the exposed abdomen, while Enemy's sword was still--
--falling.*

Moving the blade out of the way and following up with a cut:
*Enemy made a 35° right-to-left cut at Sicarius' sword, intending to knock the sword down for a follow-up strike.*
*Sicarius winded his sword in a tight, spiraling motion, letting Enemy's blade--
--narrowly fall to the side of his sword before making a downward cut toward--
--Enemy's descending wrists, to try breaking them.*

Short Point
Similar to Long Point, Short Point has the arms held closer to the body, and only thrusts can be made from Short Point. Unlike Long Point, Short Point requires the fencer to keep moving to prevent an opponent getting past the point. This guard's main purpose is simply preparing to go into Long Point.

*Sicarius' left leg forward, Sicarius held his sword out, arms kept close to--
--his chest, and his point aimed at Enemy's chest.*

Two-Horned Guard
This is a guard that can be retreated to from Long Point, in which the sword is held with the elbows touching, and the point aimed up or at the opponent. The guard can be vertical or horizontal, though horizontal allows the crossguard to protect the hands from a cut.

*Sicarius left foot leading, Sicarius held his just before his chest, the--
--crossguard laying horizontally, point aimed at opponent's neck.*

20-Apr-2014 02:41:03 - Last edited on 20-Apr-2014 03:06:10 by heretic hary

heretic hary

Posts: 3,137 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Long Tail
Long Tail is a low, deceptive guard. The sword is held behind the body, point aimed down, with the opponent unable to see exactly where your sword is if he/she is in front of you. (This use of splitrobes and cloaks helps the Sicarius in this matter.) Since the sword and arms are away from the opponent, he/she needs to get close to strike. Fighting from Long Tail focuses on making a diagonal uppercut that comes about as high as the head for a displacement, and from there fighting as though from Long Point. When striking offensively, an opponent will likely make a displacement, so then pass forward and fight from the bind there.

*Sicarius' left foot leading, Sicarius held his sword low, behind his right--
--side with the point aimed at the ground.*

Boar's Tooth
Another low guard, Boar's Tooth is a guard that makes use of the concept of attacking from various angles, and not the center. The right leg is in front, with the left heel raised. The sword is held below the waist, and not along the center of the body but to the left side, so cuts and thrusts come from an angle. The head can be tilted forward to bait a strike there as well.

*Sicarius' right foot leading and left heel raised; Sicarius held his sword--
--below his waist, to the left of his body with the point aimed up at Enemy's--
--chest. Sicarius' head was tilted slightly forward, towards Enemy's sword.*

Crown
Crown (not to be confused with a displacement with the same name later) is a high guard where the sword is held up, centered before the body with the point skyward. This guard is usually entered into by making an upward displacement. (For example, an uppercut made from Fool, Iron Door or Boar's Tooth could end up in Crown.) The main strength of this guard is deflecting a thrust or cut down and to the side.

20-Apr-2014 02:51:16 - Last edited on 20-Apr-2014 03:06:41 by heretic hary

heretic hary

Posts: 3,137 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

*Sicarius' left foot leading, Sicarius held his sword above his shoulders,--
--centered before his body with the point aimed skyward.*

Other Techniques
Here, I've listed various techniques that fall outside of the "hidden strikes". Some of them are counters, some of them attacks. This is probably the simplest section here, and will add the most to your flowchart.

Fault/Feint
This is my favorite, that I like using for quickly ending fights. The "fault" (which is known to most of us as "feint&quot

is a strike meant to help defeat the opponent who relies too much on displacements. Most roleplayers have no clue what a feint actually is, and then describe a powerless "feints a horizontal cut," or something of that sort. That is weak and easily countered, and any character of ours who is adept at melee will have no problems claiming a swift victory. What actually makes a feint different from a regular cut or thrust is that the arms are not extended when attacking, prepared for the opponent to displace the feint. The moment the feint is displaced, the arms extend and any other necessary motion is done so the opponent suddenly is bringing his/her sword away from a now-exposed body.

*Sicarius passed forward right, making a 35° right-to-left cut /without--
--extending the arms/, a feint, to Enemy's leading left shoulder.*

Striking a feint can also be called "fighting short", and recognizing when an opponent is doing this is perfectly possible. Simply make a very direct attack to any opening in a way that allows you to easily parry his/her attack when the arms are extend, while continuing the offensive. These also make good opening attacks, as they still incite excessive counters from novices. You do not need to mention “a feint” as noted on line 2, especially if you think the other roleplayer will wrongly react by seeing those words.

20-Apr-2014 02:51:22 - Last edited on 20-Apr-2014 03:08:00 by heretic hary

heretic hary

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Pursuit
Pursuit techniques can almost be called "lazy" techniques as you attack while the adversary attacks or after, or evade the attack while attacking the opponent; letting him/her have the first strike. With the "strike first" emphasis in the Sicarius, this will be fine for when the opponent beats us to the initial attack. The word "pursuit" is used because you take an opening created by the adversary, and pursue it with your sword.

First Pursuit:
This is a pre-emptive attack against a downward cut, performed while the contestant is bringing the sword up. While he/she is doing this, make a cut or thrust to anywhere above the waist before the attack can made.

*Enemy brought his sword up, away from Sicarius, and then sought to deliver a bone-rending vertical cut to Sicarius’ torso.*
*While Enemy brought his sword up, Sicarius made a thrust toward Enemy’s upper--
--left ribcage, trying to stab through Enemy’s heart before the sword--
--descended.*

First Pursuit Variant:
Do the same as before, but instead strike to the raised arms to deal injury and force the opponent away from your character.

*Enemy brought his sword up, away from Sicarius, and then sought to deliver a bone-rending vertical cut to Sicarius’ torso.*
*While Enemy brought his sword up, Sicarius made a high, right-to-left--
--horizontal cut to Enemy’s raised elbows, trying to break them and disable--
--the arms while pushing Enemy back before the blade could descend.*

Second Pursuit:
This works well if you missed the time to use the first pursuit. If the adversary brings his/her sword down in a cut, step off line while cutting at the head before his/her sword can be raised. However, if he/she wants to attempt a stab by entering Long Point from the sword's descent and attack from there, then make a thrust of your own before the contestant can do the same. (The attack should be done in the moments the opponent is transitioning to Long Point, in position to thrust.)

20-Apr-2014 02:51:28 - Last edited on 20-Apr-2014 03:08:38 by heretic hary

heretic hary

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*Enemy makes a downward cut from above the shoulders at Sicarius.*
*Sicarius makes a rounded sidestep left out of the cut*s path, and delivered a--
--right-to-left horizontal cut /over/ Enemy’s descending blade, trying to hit--
--and break the neck, before Enemy can bring his blade up.*
*Enemy extended his arms as they fell, stopping the sword and seeking to then step forward and stab through Sicarius’ chest to try hitting Sicarius before Sicarius’ attack hit.*
*Noticing Enemy’* extension of the arms, Sicarius fully extended his own arms--
--and angled his point to stab just below Enemy’s neck, to stab Enemy far--
--before Enemy’s stab could be done.*

Overrunning
Overrunning relies on the simple fact that a high attack will have longer reach than a low one. If an opponent makes a low attack to anywhere below the waist, retreat a step to move out of the sword's range and make an attack to anywhere above the waist. This reflects the Sicarius’ old (and very useful) method of using the legs as bait, before moving them away and striking the lowered opponent’s head for a close, lethal strike.

*Enemy makes an attack at Sicarius, intending to hit Sicarius’ unarmored legs.*
*Sicarius moves the lead leg back a step, out of Enemy’s range, while trying--
--a close, quick cut to Enemy’s head, which was in Sicarius’ range since--
--higher attacks have more range than lower attacks.*

I’m assuming that the last part about mentioning how higher attacks have more range than lower attacks will need to be mentioned, since not all roleplayers can understand what the RSRP community has deemed “weapon physics” very well.

20-Apr-2014 02:51:33 - Last edited on 20-Apr-2014 03:09:29 by heretic hary

heretic hary

Posts: 3,137 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Offsetting
Offsetting techniques focus on a spiral-shaped thrust in which the strong is used to briefly force aside a contestant's weapon that is in the process of a cut or thrust, while then stabbing the adversary in the same motion. Both examples of offsetting techniques shown involve the guard Plough, so this is a good technique when your character's sword is lower than anything else.

First Offsetting:
If you suspect your opponent wants to hit below your waist, then go into the guard Plough on the right, to expose your left side. When the opponent tries to attack the left side, wind your sword up to the left, against his, while taking a step forward to force his/her attack aside while performing the thrust.

*Sicarius' sword's hilt was held at his rear, right hip, point aimed toward--
--Enemy's chest, Sicarius' left side leading and exposed.*
*Enemy chooses to attack Sicarius' left side.*
*Sicarius winded his sword to his left side in a spiraling motion, using his--
--strong to force Enemy's sword aside at the weak, while keeping the point--
--aimed at the chest and passing forward right, trying a thrust through --
--Enemy's upper chest in the same motion.*

Second Offsetting:
If you are in the guard plow, on the left side, and the contestant attacks the left arm, move your sword up high to the left side -using the hilt to guard the face- and with step forward with the right foot and stab head or anywhere else.

*Sicarius' sword's hilt was held at his leading, left hip, point aimed toward--
--Enemy's chest.*
*Enemy attacks Sicarius' left side, choosing not to go for the farther right side.*
*Sicarius moved his sword up high with the hilt before his face, angling the--
--strong to force aside Enemy's sword while Sicarius' stepped forward with the--
--right foot, trying to stab Enemy through the base of the neck in the same--
--motion.*

20-Apr-2014 02:51:38 - Last edited on 20-Apr-2014 03:09:58 by heretic hary

heretic hary

Posts: 3,137 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Changing Through
If you don't want to let an adversary use a bind from a cut or thrust as a moment to launch an attack, let the bind happen but with your sword sliding underneath his sword and seek to stab him in the chest. Stepping off the line of attack is a must as a preemptive defense.

*Enemy brings his sword down to parry Sicarius' blade.*
*Sicarius winds his sword so that when the blades meet, Sicarius' sword is--
--underneath Enemy's, and with the point aimed just below Enemy's ribcage,--
--steps slightly to the left while letting his sword slide under Enemy's in an--
--attempt to stab through to Enemy's lungs.*

Twitching
Twitching isn't as much of a technique as it is a method of putting more aggressiveness even into everyday binds. The idea behind this is that if your opponent were to parry a downward diagonal cut, you maintain blade pressure and contact while taking a step closer. Then, jerk your sword away from the bind -the built up tension and force of the other roleplayer's character now likely to force his/her sword briefly in the direction he/she was pushing- while you then attack immediately to the opposite side, or anywhere open.

*Enemy parries Sicarius' diagonal cut at the middle of the two swords.*
*Sicarius presses heavily against Enemy's sword, taking a step closer to exert--
--more force by better leverage. Suddenly, Sicarius jerks his sword away so--
--Enemy's blade would be forced by its own momentum one way, followed by--
--Sicarius using that moment to make a right-to-left uppercut to Enemy's open--
--head.*

If this is used for binds in which your character's sword is on top and "changing through" used for when the sword is on the bottom, an opposing roleplayer can quickly be lead to believe dodging and displacing are the only options left. (And we all know how to deal with those quite well.)

20-Apr-2014 02:51:43 - Last edited on 20-Apr-2014 03:10:39 by heretic hary

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Longsword Fencing