Weapon suggestion- the san-tai harubādo, or three-sectioned halberd

[mamita]

I was thinking of fooling around with medieval weapons in a game today,
and an idea sprung into my head: A halberd. Those would be interesing to have in SLO.
Then another: Halberd+ Three-sectioned staff!
Now if you've never seen a three-sectioned staff before, they appear in a lot of kung fu movies.

If you watch Naruto Shippuden, I think Tenten uses one. Maybe.
And so, my idea for the san-tai harubādo, or halberd of three bodies, was born!

It seems like a perfect weapon for kenjutsu users. You can start off wielding the halberd for
close-quarters combat, then switch to the second form and attack from a distance using the
spike on the end of the chain. And if an opponent somehow manages to dodge the spike,
you can use the head of the halberd as a hand axe to defend yourself.
What do you guys think? Would this make a good weapon ingame?

[Mars]

Would be a cool weapon, though my only concern would it be lacking ninja-esque vibes

[mamita]

Perhaps. The halberd isn't really an asian weapon, hailing from europe.
Still like it better than the chinese counterpart...
If you have any ideas on how to make it more ninja-esque, please post em!
If you can come up with a different look/redesign, that would be welcome!

[NinjaMirage]

I like it!!!!
 First to make it slo style it could work off a similar theory as the puppet mater Jutsu
Where the halberd is held together by chakra strings. This could potentially increase the range and damage of the sections dramatically.

Secondly I don't think villages should all be Asian design and I beleve thats bin mentioned.
So having weapons from different back rounds is a good idea.

third the idea is not far off from the ax hammer combo that was in naruto as one of the 7 ninja swords.

[mamita]

Yeah, having villages give off different vibes should be interesting.
However, chakra strings weren't exactly what I was thinking.
I was imagining something more physical, like a long cord that
can be commanded to constrict in order to collapse the halberd.

[NinjaMirage]

I agree the concept at a low level of kenjutsu
Should function on a cable/chain/rope  what ever but the most powerful version of the weapon should incorporate chakra. Kenjutsu I think should mostly depend on stamina like Taijutsu- but both should use skills and Jutsu that incorporates chakra.

[Dragon6624]

It seems like a perfect weapon for kenjutsu users. You can start off wielding the halberd for
close-quarters combat, then switch to the second form and attack from a distance using the
spike on the end of the chain. And if an opponent somehow manages to dodge the spike,
you can use the head of the halberd as a hand axe to defend yourself.

What do you guys think? Would this make a good weapon ingame?

As Sasori says in relation to puppets, the weakest point of any construct will always be the joints; Therefore, if you add 'joints' to a Halberd, it will never again be structurally rigid enough to allow for the impacts a Halberd is meant to carry out (if you intend to use chakra to stabilize this, you'll now be expending a great deal of it upon each impact, due to the recoil force that will inevitably be sent along the shaft and the necessary amount of chakra required to stabilize such force....in three separate sections). This now leaves you with only the three-section-staff-esc function -- and though I'll admit I find nothing wrong with the actual end-spike (I'm assuming you're mostly going to be attempting to bludgeon your opponent from range with that end, because otherwise it's a bit impractical...even though Flails are mostly impractical to wield in the first place), it's on the opposite end that I find absolutely no purpose in wielding a hand-axe the size of a Halberd...mostly due to it being too unwieldy and awkward, both in handling and aesthetic design. However, the curvature of the Halberd is meant to try and maximize the range of angles the blade can strike with most effectiveness from (see for a better understanding of what I mean: ), and I personally find that quite handy at close-quarters (when it'd be pretty fatal to miss with an edge or point).

*Half an hour of thinking later*

...So, I spent a good half an hour attempting to think of a way to redesign the head so that it would be a little bit more practical in use, while still being attached to the three-section-staff...but the problem I always ran into happened to be that it *needed* to attach to a three-section-staff. Thus, I've concluded that having a weapon with multiple sections is simply too impractical --in my eyes, anyway, someone more clever might prove me wrong here-- and should therefore be split into *two* weapons, to be used in conjunction with one another. The first would be a flail-like weapon (I know I already said these were a bit impractical, but I didn't want to throw out all of the basic principles of the original design, rather, I wanted them to be modified to be a bit more effective) that is --essentially-- a miniature wrecking-ball for your personal use. The second would be more akin to a sharpened buckler, if you will, allowing you to block, parry, and counter at close range...though, granted, it wouldn't be designed to *pierce*, per say, but you could always design a version capable of being imbued with chakra, and thus increasing its edge to the point where it can cut through pesky little things like armor. Below are the rudimentary models:



Those are just my thoughts, however, and I'm looking forward to seeing if anyone else has differing design ideas on this topic.

[NinjaMirage]

@Dragon6624

That video while  hilarious did make a good "point"(pun intended) about the curves on a ax.
The reason I suggested chakra to begin with was because of the week points in the staff. As well as providing additional power to blows.

The effectiveness of the 3 sections is in the
Style of how they are welded. It's designed to help you shift from a offensive stance to defence more quickly by moving part of the large weapon instead of the whole thing.

A halberd if I remember right was between 6 to 9 feet long. Alowing for a long fulcrum point generating a lot of power to the ax head. Also the reach of the weapon is much longer then Your standard Malay  weapon.
The downside to this is that it's slow. By sectioning it you reduce damage and increase speed as well as shorten the range of effective attacks.

With 2 to 3 foot sections you could easily protect your back with the middle section and still be combat effective in the front.
With chakra giving you the elasticity of a cord and the strength of steel.
Making for a well designed weapon!!

As for the chakra requirement to hold the weapon together.. there would not be many weapons besides another halberd at full length swing that could brake the sections unassisted by chakra. And sence basic chakra control can grip a tree to be able to hold your whole body weight. Holding together a few 3 foot long 2 inch wide pipes/bamboo/whatever Realy is not so unrealistic.

More advanced chakra control would be needed to do anything more then hold the halberd together. The chakra cord if not trained in higher chakra control could even be vulnerable to attacks.

[Dragon6624]

@Dragon6624

That video while  hilarious did make a good "point"(pun intended) about the curves on a ax.
The reason I suggested chakra to begin with was because of the week points in the staff. As well as providing additional power to blows.

The effectiveness of the 3 sections is in the
Style of how they are welded. It's designed to help you shift from a offensive stance to defence more quickly by moving part of the large weapon instead of the whole thing.

A halberd if I remember right was between 6 to 9 feet long. Alowing for a long fulcrum point generating a lot of power to the ax head. Also the reach of the weapon is much longer then Your standard Malay  weapon.
The downside to this is that it's slow. By sectioning it you reduce damage and increase speed as well as shorten the range of effective attacks.

With 2 to 3 foot sections you could easily protect your back with the middle section and still be combat effective in the front.
With chakra giving you the elasticity of a cord and the strength of steel.
Making for a well designed weapon!!

As for the chakra requirement to hold the weapon together.. there would not be many weapons besides another halberd at full length swing that could brake the sections unassisted by chakra. And sence basic chakra control can grip a tree to be able to hold your whole body weight. Holding together a few 3 foot long 2 inch wide pipes/bamboo/whatever Realy is not so unrealistic.

More advanced chakra control would be needed to do anything more then hold the halberd together. The chakra cord if not trained in higher chakra control could even be vulnerable to attacks.

Mmmm, alright, that's all true; I suppose that a very large gripe I have with it also happens to be just the *thought* of its 'mash-up' concept. Things like Hanzo's sickle-chain always seem awkward to me, because reality keeps reminding me that such a thing couldn't ever possibly work in real life >_<). I might as well take a lot of fantasy designs with a dash of "Suspension of Disbelief"...aye ya yai.

...Eh, I'm still not entirely sure about it, and it would be nice to get several intelligent perspectives on it; Who knows, it might just be me.

[DarthTyrael]

Change the halberd concept into a Naginata.
BAM!
Ninja-esque weapon :3

Typical naginata for those who don't know what it is:

[mamita]

Wow. I was not expecting this much thought to be given to my idea.

@Dragon6624 You make a good point there, but as cmsurfer states,
the strength requirements to hold your entire body horizontally by your feet from
any surface in general dwarf the amount theoretically needed to hold the halberd
together. Of course, perhaps this weapon should be designed to channel chakra for
that sort of thing, and (very, very slowly) drain your chakra when being used in that
manner.

And also. The weapon Hanzo uses is called a kusarigama. It was actually used in
medieval japan as a weapon. The problem with his is that he holds it backwards xD
You're supposed to use the sickle for melee combat, not swing it around.

I do however, really like that weapon design you came up with there!

@DarthTyrael I chose the halberd because of it's versatility. A naginata, from
what I remember, is more of a shortsword mounted on a staff.
While that could, I suppose, be used just as well as an axe for close-quarters defense
when in three-section form, it lacks the four points of the halberd (which I liked about it),
as well as the giant axeblade which (possibly) protects the hand holding it from injury.

If we really can't use anything that lacks asian/ninja vibes,
I have an alternative suggestion for the base polearm.
The chinese Ge, or Dagger-Axe.

Basically a chinese take on the halberd. Four points? Check. Asian? Check. Ninja-esque?
With a little creativity, yes.
Although, does it necessarily have to be japanese?
Just my idea.

[Diamond Lee]

Wow. I was not expecting this much thought to be given to my idea.

@Dragon6624 You make a good point there, but as cmsurfer states,
the strength requirements to hold your entire body horizontally by your feet from
any surface in general dwarf the amount theoretically needed to hold the halberd
together. Of course, perhaps this weapon should be designed to channel chakra for
that sort of thing, and (very, very slowly) drain your chakra when being used in that
manner.

And also. The weapon Hanzo uses is called a kusarigama. It was actually used in
medieval japan as a weapon. The problem with his is that he holds it backwards xD
You're supposed to use the sickle for melee combat, not swing it around.

I do however, really like that weapon design you came up with there!

@DarthTyrael I chose the halberd because of it's versatility. A naginata, from
what I remember, is more of a shortsword mounted on a staff.
While that could, I suppose, be used just as well as an axe for close-quarters defense
when in three-section form, it lacks the four points of the halberd (which I liked about it),
as well as the giant axeblade which (possibly) protects the hand holding it from injury.

If we really can't use anything that lacks asian/ninja vibes,
I have an alternative suggestion for the base polearm.
The chinese Ge, or Dagger-Axe.

Basically a chinese take on the halberd. Four points? Check. Asian? Check. Ninja-esque?
With a little creativity, yes.
Although, does it necessarily have to be japanese?
Just my idea.

lmao download shadow fight 2 from the AppStore (its a reaaaaally great game), and look at the weapons there once you finish the game. There's everything a ninja could need lol