Armored Combat:Conventions - Use of weapons and defensive equipment

Conventions of combat - Use of weapons and defensive equipment

1. You must use your weapon according to its design. E.g. spears can only be used for thrusting, axes for striking along the edge of the blade, etc.
2. You can thrust only with a weapon approved for that purpose.
3. You are not allowed to feint a thrust with a weapon that is not allowed to be used for thrusting.
4. Before a bout where you use a thrusting weapon, you must inform your opponent and marshals that you have a thrusting weapon and show your opponent your thrusting tip.
5. You are not allowed to grasp the striking surface of your opponent's weapon, their shield, bow or crossbow during combat.
6. If your hands are appropriately armored, you are allowed to grasp any part of your opponent's weapon that is not a striking surface.
7. You are not allowed to trap the striking portion of your opponent's weapon against your body as a means of preventing them from using their weapon.
8. You are not allowed to deliberately block a weapon in motion with an illegal target area, eg. an empty hand, knee, lower leg or foot. If you do, you must lose the limb as if it were struck in a legal target.
   1. If you are holding a weapon in an appropriately armored hand, or your weapon has a basket hilt, you can deliberately block with that hand or the basket hilt without losing the limb.
9. If you repeatedly block with your own weapon and it is in contact with your helm, body or shield at impact, the marshal can decide that your weapon is considered broken for the remainder of the bout.
   1. If you are carrying a secondary weapon, or your opponent allows you to rearm, you can continue the bout, otherwise you must forfeit the bout.
10. You are allowed to use your weapon or shield to displace, deflect or immobilize your opponent's shield or weapon, as long as this does not endanger you or your opponent.
11. You are allowed to place your shield or the haft of your weapon against your opponent's body to restrict their ability to strike or defend, but you must not strike them with shield or haft.
12. As long as your hands are properly protected, you can use throwing weapons to strike at your opponent hand-to-hand, and you can also throw them in melee scenarios where thrown weapons are allowed. Examples include thrust-and-throw javelins, axes, knives, etc.
13. Your shield must be controlled by your hand. A passive shield (not controlled by your hand) is decorative armor, and you must accept blows that strike it as if it was not there.
14. Your shield (when controlled by your hand) is considered invulnerable to all strikes, except those from siege class munitions.
15. If you are carrying and controlling a pavise with your hand, treat it as a shield.
16. If you are carrying a pavise in a manner that does not require hand control (eg. by a shoulder strap), you are not allowed to actively block with it, and if the pavise is struck by a weapon, you must take the blow as if the pavise was not there.
17. A pavise set up on the ground is considered invulnerable to all strikes, except those from siege class munitions. If you are sheltering behind the pavise when it is struck with siege class munitions, you are not considered killed, but the pavise must be immediately dropped flat or removed from the field.

Combat archers

1. Your minimum range is dictated by ensuring that the ammunition completely clears your bow/prod before contacting your opponent.
2. You must be aware of what is beyond your target to ensure that errant shots do not endanger anyone.
3. Each arrow or bolt must be inspected individually before every use.
   1. Tubular-shafted ammunition may be inspected by the archer and use again immediately.
   2. Fiberglass-shafted ammunition must be taken off the field and re-inspected under the supervision of a marshal who is qualified to inspect combat archery ammunition before being used again.
4. Ammunition dropped onto the ground is considered dead as if it had been fired, and needs re-inspection.
5. If the scenario rules allow:
   1. If you are a live combatant, you are allowed to pick ammunition off the field for re-inspection and reuse it during the same battle.
   2. If you are a dead combatant, you can clear ammunition from the field for use in future battles.
   3. You are allowed to take ammunition from caches stored on or off the field and from other combatants (dead or alive) with permission of the owner.
6. You must not deliberately block a strike or projectile with your bow or crossbow.
7. You are allowed to carry and use a shield or pavise. You are not allowed to draw or span your bow or crossbow while holding a shield or carrying a pavise.
8. You are allowed to have a backup weapon, but are not allowed to draw it until your bow/crossbow has been safely disposed of (taken off the field, discarded in a low traffic area, handed to another combatant, etc).
   1. If you draw your backup weapon to enter combat, your hands must be appropriately armored for using that weapon.
9. You are allowed to carry and use throwing weapons without the need to discard your bow or crossbow or change hand armor.
   1. Your hands must be appropriately armored to use throwing weapons to strike at your opponent hand-to-hand.

Siege engineers

1. Direct-fire engines must not be discharged against people within a range of 30 feet (9.2 meters).
2. No engine will be discharged while any non-crew person is within 5 feet (1.52 meters) of the travel path of moving parts (e.g., a trebuchet will not be discharged while a fighter is standing anywhere in the path of the arm, front or back).
3. Battering rams and battering structures are permitted for use against designated buildings and siege structures.
4. Using a battering ram against a human target is expressly forbidden.
5. Siege ammunition is not allowed to be fired from small arms or thrown by hand.