Weapon combat is a large part of the NERO game. Because of
NERO’s reliance on weapons, proper weapon construction is necessary to insure
safe yet semi-realistic combat.
Before every NERO event, all weapons must be approved at check-in by the weapons marshal. Since the
requirements for the construction of weapons are fairly strict, it is not
unusual for a weapon to be disqualified at check-in. Even a weapon which
qualified at a previous event may be disqualified (Weapons do wear out).
NERO reserves the right to fail any weapon that is deemed
unsafe or hazardous.
Any experimental weapon using unusual materials can fail
safety check at any time. Bring a couple of standard weapons with you as a
backup in case yours fails inspection. Often the deficiency can be corrected
with the addition of a little open cell foam or tape, so it is good to bring
these extra supplies with you in case your weapon is not allowed so you can fix
it.
If you are having trouble with weapon construction, then
bring what you have so far to a NERO event, and you can show it to the marshals
who will give you a hand when they can.
The old saying “practice makes perfect” is especially true
with both weapon making and use.
Weapon
Tags
Every weapon must have two tags attached. The first is the
Weapon Safety Tag. This tag proves that your weapon has gone through safety
check and is approved to be used for that event.
The second tag is the Weapon Tag. This is the tag that shows
that the weapon is in-game. When you purchase a weapon from a weaponsmith or
from logistics, you will be buying this tag to place on your own weapon. In
most chapters, if you steal a weapon, you will take the weapon to the
weaponsmith or other designated out-of-game area where you will be given this tag.
Some weapons can be strengthened to withstand two or three
Destroy or Shatter spells. When you have this done to your weapon, you will be
given a specific tag which must be placed on your weapon. Weapons can also be
silvered which can be very useful when fighting certain monsters. (See the
“Weaponsmith” skill in the Chapter on Skills.)
Weapon
Guidelines
The parts on a weapon are the grip,
cross-guard, blade (head), and thrusting tip. All weapons must be within the
minimum and maximum length, grip and blade requirements. Blade heads are
required on all axes, clubs, hammers, maces and polearms. The head extends from
the blade, must be a minimum of 6 inches in length along the blade and must be
“visibly larger” – that is, padded to a greater extent than the 5/8 inch wall
closed cell foam of a normal sword blade. Finally, for all weapons, from the
top tip of the blade (farthest from the grip) to the cross-guard or the place
where your hand grips the weapon must be padded with at least 5/8 inch wall
closed cell foam, regardless of blade size. As always, a local weapon safety
marshal may fail any weapon deemed unsafe.
Two handed
weapons must be used with both hands at all times. If you lose the
use of one arm (as from a Wither Limb
spell), then you cannot wield the weapon at all. If the weapon is approved
using a stronger inner material than CPVC piping, then the weapon should have
double padding by having a layer of pipe insulation covered by open cell foam.
Hammers, axes, and maces must have a thrusting tip that is padded to an even greater
extent than a sword. At least 18 inches below the head must be padded with the
pipe foam insulation. The heads of the weapon must be made of open cell foam.
It must be noticeably thicker than the pipe insulation and should squash
easily. If a blunt weapon does not have a head of some kind on it, then it will
do one point less damage.
Staffs must be
handled with both hands in the middle 3 feet (no sweeping swings). The middle
6" of the staff must be padded with a minimum of ½" thick pipe
insulation.
Javelins are made
from 3 feet of foam tubing (no pipe) and must have thrusting tips.
Thrown
Weapons must be soft sculptured. They can be dagger shaped, star
shaped, or any other shape. They must be between 6 and 18 inches in length, and
all other dimensions must be no less than 2 inches. Rocks to be used as thrown
weapons must be at least 6 inches in diameter and must be made of open-cell
foam, not pipe foam. There cannot be any stiff corners or small protrusions on
the weapon. Because they can be odd
sizes and shapes, they must be approved on a case-by-case basis. Thrown weapons
can never be used as a melee weapon in a fight; they must be thrown.
The following weapons may be
used only after express permission has been granted by the marshals:
Monstrous
hammers or maces go by
the two-handed blunt weapons rules. Monstrous
Axes fall under polearm rules You should also be a large person in order to
use these weapons.
Polearms must have
a padded “blade” head at least 18 inches long. The pole must be padded at least
20 inches below the head. A polearm is considered a “two handed weapon” for
racial restrictions and for Wither Limb rules.
One handed
spears can only be used to perform thrusting attacks, and can never
be thrown. A character hit by a spear by any part other than the 8 inch head
takes no damage. Core material for spears or polearms must be at least ¾ inch
PVC tubing.
Hafted
weapons such as
Spears, Polearms, and Axes may have a crossguard. All such
crossguards may have a maximum length of 18 inches across.
There are a number of other weapons not mentioned here. NERO
allows creativity in developing new weapons but all must be approved before
use. It is required to gain approval (with a working model if possible) before
the beginning of an event. The weapon marshal will determine if the weapon can
be used, what skills are needed, and how much damage the weapon will do.
Remember that in weapon design, safety is always the first
consideration.
Archery
The NERO bow (referred to hereafter as Bow) must be
curved and formed in the shape of a bow. Overall length in a straight line from
tip to tip must be between 34 and 58 inches. Thrusting tips must be on both
ends.
The NERO crossbow (referred to hereafter as Bow) must
be a T-shape, with a stock length of 12 to 24 inches. The cross piece must be
at least half the stock length and may not exceed 24 inches. Thrusting tips
must be on all ends.
You can use the bow in combat for blocking, but you may not
attack with it. Once it blocks an attack, the bowstring is considered cut or
unstrung by combat. The PC cannot fire arrows from it until he restrings the
Bow (see below). For safety reasons, no physical bowstrings are allowed.
An archer’s Critical parry skill may only be used in hand to
hand range. No ranged parry exists.
Restringing involves roleplaying restringing (i.e.,
recovering a new bowstring, setting yourself, and restringing the bow).
Restringing takes approximately 3 seconds. No physical representations for extra
bow strings are needed.
Arrows/Bolts (referred to hereafter as arrows)
are represented by a Streamer packet in Melee. Streamer packets are a standard
spell packet with a string or streamer attached to its tail. The tail streamer
must be 18 to 24 inches in length. Arrows are always stoppable by shields or
weapons.
The Weaponsmith Production Cost for arrows is 1 arrow per
production point. Silver arrows are 1 silver arrow per production point, at the
cost of one silver per 4 arrows. Arrows are not recoverable.
An archer needs a Quiver in which they must carry
their arrows. A quiver holds up to 20 arrows. The archer may carry as many
quivers as he wants, as long as he has a physical representation for each.
The Bow must be held in front of the archer at arm’s length
and must be aimed at the target when the packet is thrown. The archer must take
the packet out of the quiver, touch the packet to the hand holding the bow,
then bring the packet to the shoulder area while drawing the streamer through
the two fingers of the hand holding the bow before throwing. The packet must be
thrown in the normal flight path of an arrow fired from the bow. It cannot be
thrown overhead or around corners. It cannot be “flicked.” The damage call must
be completed before throwing the packet.
The hand throwing the arrow (streaming packet) is the hand
that concerns Proficiencies. Master Proficiencies carry over to archery.
All Vorpal Poisons, Enchanted Blade, Magic Blade and Flame
Blade spells work normally. Vorpals should be taped to the bow, not the
packet. Damage Aura or Magic Aura upon a bow does not allow an
archer to throw packets for “magic.” A Formal Magic Spell would need to be cast
on each individual arrow. Other spells such as Channel will work
normally upon a bow. Bows that are unshatterable still need to be restrung
after blocking.
Real bows and arrows are not permitted.
Weapon
Construction
All weapon construction is viewed with the idea of safety
foremost. Note however that even the safest weapon could cause injury if
improperly used. Therefore, in addition to weapon construction, practice in the
use of the weapon is needed to allow optimal enjoyment for all players.
Weapon construction does take some practice, and it is highly
likely that your first few attempts will be rejected by the marshals at
check-in. Although NERO endeavors to have weapons available for loan or sale,
we cannot guarantee that any will be available at the local chapter. The NERO
Intl Office (914-628-9497) can sell you a weapon or a shield at a reasonable
price. It will be shipped to you within 14 days, as well.
There are a number of types of weapons that can be made to
simulate weapons available in medieval and fantasy situations. NERO allows
experimentation with weapon types as long as they conform to the basic
standards of safety. However, you should check with the Marshals before and
during construction so that you do not end up wasting time and materials on a
weapon that will not be allowed in the game.
All tips must be rendered safe with tape and padding. In a
melee, it is possible to accidentally hit someone with the pommel or
crossguard—so even these parts must be protected.
All weapon tips and crossguards high up on the weapon must
have a Thrusting Tip. A “Waylay Tip” (the
tip closest to the handle) is considered a Thrusting tip for the purposes of
Weapon Construction, whether or not the player wielding the weapon actually has
the Waylay skill.
A Thrusting Tip consists of at least two inches of open cell
foam padding beyond the end of the pipe insulation. If the foam tip is too
small, opponents could get hurt with a stiff thrust. If the tip is too large,
it could easily break off or fold over, making it useless. However, crossguards that do not contain a
core do not need the 2 inches of open cell foam. All thrusting tips do, in
fact, count towards the weapon’s overall length. This is a matter of safety and is not negotiable by any means.
This rule may not be changed by individual chapter variant. All NERO chapters
are instructed to fail all weapons that do not comply with these guidelines.
No thrusting tip should be longer than its diameter. The tip
must collapse about 50% of its length when pressure is applied. The tip should
also be at least 2 inches across.
All blade areas or areas of the weapon that may come in
contact with another player must be protected with at least 5/8 pipe
insulation. This includes the shaft areas of weapons such as axes, hammers,
maces, etc.
All weapons must be fairly rigid so as not to act as a whip
when swung quickly. Because of this rule, ½ inch CPVC tends to be unacceptable
for weapons over 32 inches long in total length. Consult the table for more
information on recommended piping materials for various weapon sizes.
Under most circumstances, a weapon tip should not bend more
than 6 inches from true when a moderate weight is applied to the tip and the
grip is held level.
To increase a weapon’s rigidity, first try using fiberglass
reinforced strapping tape applied lengthwise along the pipe. If this does not
reduce the whippiness, a larger pipe may be needed.
Conversely, all weapons must also have some give to them when
contact is made. The pipe should flex somewhat. To insure this, you should make
the weapon out of the appropriate materials. If the pipe does not flex, then
you may be required either to use a smaller diameter pipe or add more open cell
foam padding to insure that the weapon is safe. This is often the case with
metal pipes or when the pipe diameter is too large for the weapon type.
Metal pipes—even lightweight aluminum and copper pipes—are
usually not allowed. Some exceptions may be made, but will require the
permission of the weapons marshal before you begin construction.
If you bring a weapon to an event that has been made with
materials other than those listed under construction materials, be prepared to
have the weapon fail if you have not first received permission. Wood is also
not allowed as a core.
If the pipe insulation on the shaft or blade is always
compressed, the weapon will hit harder than desired and will fail a weapons
check. One common mistake leading to this problem is to use foam of a smaller
diameter than the pipe being used, forcing the foam over the pipe. Another
common mistake is to wrap the duct tape around the foam too tightly, or even in
a spiral pattern up the blade. This tends to make the insulation too stiff and
gives unwanted weight.
The pipe insulation can be split lengthwise and a section of
insulation added if necessary to insure the foam will fit. The insulation
should slide easily over the pipe, but fit snugly so that the weapon will not
rattle if the pipe is shaken.
The foam should be taped lengthwise, using 2 inch wide duct
tape and overlapping about ¼ inch. This will use the least amount of tape,
keeping the weapon lighter and safer than if the weapon is spiral wrapped in
tape or taped with electrical tape. Vinyl electrical tape is thicker and has
less give than duct tape; however, it is acceptable for use on non-contacting
areas of the weapon as decoration.
Any additions to the striking surface of a weapon must be
made with open-cell foam. Please note that local safety marshals may deem any
weapon with additions to the striking surface unsafe, and decide not to pass
it.
In addition, you may want to cover your weapon with cloth
after it is completed. You should keep in mind that it is a weapon and not use
paisley prints or other silly colors. The cloth should be sewn very tightly.
All blade lengths are measured from the front of the main
crossguard to the end of the thrusting tip. Note that if a sword is to have a
weighted pommel, that pommel must be thickly padded since it could potentially
do more damage than a normal weapon blade.
Every weapon will have attached to it a safety tag and a tag which
shows the valid event dates. Any player found to be using an unchecked weapon
will be given a warning. Depending on the severity of the infraction, a player
may be removed from game.
A player who notices another player without the proper tag
should report the infraction to a marshal and should not accept any damage from
the weapon if it is used. (In fact, for your own safety, you should call a
“Hold” immediately and not even let the unchecked weapon come near you.)
Take this point very seriously! If you do not have your
weapon checked and you hit someone and your weapon breaks and hurts them, it
will be your responsibility. The legal release you sign does not cover you if
you do not follow our safety rules.
Using the guidelines on the next page is a good way to make
your first weapon.
How
to Make a Weapon
Materials needed for creating a NERO-safe one handed weapon:
¾ inch PVC pipe (white in
color) or anodized aluminum pipe (for two handed weapons only!)
5/8 inch thick pipe insulating
foam (light green in color)
Open cell foam
Grey duct tape
Electrical tape
Hacksaw
Scissors
Razor blade
Ruler or yardstick
1. Using the hacksaw, cut the PVC pipe into the desired
weapon length.
2. Using the scissors, cut the pipe foam into the desired
blade length.
3. With duct tape, cover the ends of the PVC pipe so that
there are no open ends.
4. Slide the pipe foam over the PVC pipe so that one inch of
foam hangs over one end of the PVC pipe.
5. Measure a section of pipe foam for the crossguard. Cut a
hole in the middle of the crossguard and slide it onto the end of the PVC pipe.
Secure the crossguard to the blade using two strips of duct tape.
6. Stuff the ends of the crossguard with open cell foam to
strengthen the crossguard. Close off the ends of the crossguard with duct tape.
7. Cut off one inch from the pipe foam and cut it into two
equal halves. Compress one of the halves and stuff it into the end of the blade
end. Using the duct tape, cover the blade end.
8. Cut three inches to be used as the butt end (the “Waylay
tip”). Place the butt end over the end of the weapon so that the foam hangs one
inch over PVC Pipe. As with the blade tip, place a half circle compressed into
the end of the butt end and cover it with duct tape. Secure the butt end to the
PVC pipe with duct tape.
9. Cut a three inch thick section of open cell foam to cover
the thickness of the pipe foam. Secure the open cell foam to the pipe foam with
a few layers of duct tape (but not too many layers, as the tip will become too
stiff and unpassable).
10. Repeat this process for the butt end.
11. Poke a few holes into the tips to allow air to flow more
freely.
12. Place the duct tape lengthwise to cover the blade, butt
end and crossguard.
13. Wrap electrical tape in a spiral around the hand grip.
Your weapon is now complete! Check it for safety. (Is it too
stiff? Too whippy? Is the pipe protruding? etc.)