D&D 5E - The D&D rapier: What is it?

May 2024 ยท 3 minute read
Hello

(Please note: this is a history/fluff threat, not a thread to debate if a rapier should do 1d6 dmg or if dex is too powerful. If that is what you are looking for, please head over here: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?529884-I-hate-rapiers-Do-you )

So. D&D has rapiers, and it's a pretty good weapon in 5e. But what *is* the D&D rapier?

First let's clear up what rapiers aren't. Rapiers aren't what's used in Olympic fencing - it's not a foil or an epee

fencing-weapons-foil-epee-sabre.jpg

Rapiers aren't smallswords either - they are the smallsword's predecessor, same way the small sword became the olympic fencing weapon. Smallswords are far shorter, lighter and have a simpler hilt

31tQgoYI6rL._SX355_.jpg

So what is a rapier. A rapier is a long bladed sword, with a very narrow blade, complex hilt and devoted to the thrust. It was carried by civilians and frequently used in duels. Something a bit like this:

main-qimg-bc19d1d7f9d1f54119748c422c6e18ff

This particular example (Arms and Armor reproduction of a Spanish blade) has a blade that is almost 42 (!) inches long and 0.75 inches wide. This is *very* long (and some were longer). I have a bastard sword at home and the blade is 34 inches, for comparison. So yes, this is a "proper" rapier, and most of you would recognize it as such.

... but is it a *D&D* rapier? ... Probably not. See the rapier evolved for a very narrow use-case scenario - civilian combats and duels vs unarmored humans. Rapiers did poorly vs armor (a way to "cheat" in a duel was to wear a fine shirt of mail underneath your clothes as extra protection), were poor cutters and were often slow to kill - a stab in the gut, pre modern medicine, was lethal, *but* it would take you hours or days even to die. Even a penetrating wound to the chest, unless it hit the hear or aorta, could take minutes to kill. The long blade, while it provided superb reach, could also be cumbersome.

D&D adventurers aren't quite sure what they are going to face. Monday it's brigands but Tuesday it's Ogres and thursday Ankhegs. A sword designed for such a precise use - and it was very good at that use! - is just not suited for the wild variety of challenges the D&D adventurer will face. So that rapier, that super long pointy thing, not good. It's not the D&D rapier

So what is? Well people, historically, recognized that the rapier had these limitations, and "scaled back" the design, using something more akin to a "trust and cut" sword. Some were called "war rapiers", to distinguish them - the blade was shorter and wider. This example had a blade 37 inches long and slightly over an inch wide, making it more maneuverable and able to deliver better cuts. It also happened to the the sword of a warlike king.

https://myarmoury.com/feature_vasa.html

pic_vasa2.jpg

Some went even further - this reproduction (called the "cavalier rapier", based on a 1660 piece) was was over 1.5 inch wide and 34 inches long, and it's becoming closer to being an arming sword with a fancy hilt:

rapier164a_s.jpg

While doing research for this post, I also stumbled upon the "bilbo sword" (nothing to do with Tolkien), a short, wide bladed rapier that was popular in America and on board ships for some time:

therionarms_c1231a.jpg

Doesn't that look like what a ne'er-do-well would carry around?

So in conclusion, rapiers *do* have a place in the arsenal of the D&D adventurer, but only certain types. I hope that this was interesting, and will help those who are having an issue with the "mental picture" of the thin rapier poking holes into an ogre imagine something a bit more palatable - and realistic.

cheers,

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