Arbalest (stirrup/lever drawn): Some of the larger crossbows
had a stirrup at the fore to place the foot in order to obtain the necessiary
leverage to cock the bow. A lever arrangement, such as a belt and claw or cord
and pulley, could also be used to aid in drawing back the string. See Crossbow.
Atl-atl (spearthrower): The name is Mexican but many spear-wielding
cultures use these devices. The most common form is a straight, flat stick with cord
loops at the handle end and a notch upon which to rest the butt of the spear. This
device acts by effectively extending the thrower's arm length to impart greater force
to the throw through a whipping action.
Blowpipe: a long tube of wood, reed, cane, metal, or even plastic, through
which darts are propelled by the breath of the user. Because the darks are lightweight
and are not propelled with very significant force, they are often coated with some
kind of poison to make them more effective.
Cranequin: Not a weapon in and of itself, this device is actually the name
of the rack and pinion cocking mechanism on the powerful arblest. See Crossbow.
Crossbow: The most common is a heavy bow, typically made of steel or iron,
mounted upon a gunlike stock, with a groove on top for the arrow, and a mechanical
arrangement for holding and releasing the string. More bang for the length than the
average longbow, this weapon packed almost as much punch as the average pistol, or rifle.
However, it's shorter and heavier ammunition (quarrels) greatly reduced the effective
range as compared to the longbow.
Common Sling: A strip of flexible material, such as leather or cloth, with
a pocket near the middle. A stone, or ball of some other material, could be placed within
that pocket while the sling is held with one end tightly wound about the hand and the
other end held loosely in the grasp. The sling would then be whirled about the head and
the stone would be released towards its target by the release of the loose end. This
technique imparts significant velocity to the stone, enough to put a hole through a modern
car door at approximately twenty-five feet when used correctly.
Dai-kyu: A seven-foot long bow designed to be fired from horseback. It can
generally hit targets out to around 200 yards, depending, of course, on the skill of the
rider using it.
Dokyu: The name means "frequently bow" derived from the Chinese "Chu-Ko-Nu". At
its most basic description, it is a repeating crossbow. The quarrels are contained within
a box slid onto the top of the stock, and moved by a lever. Throwing the lever forward and
back causes the bow to be drawn, a quarrel to be placed into position, and the weapon
to be fired. Typically a magazine holds about five quarrels, fired one at a time.
Longbow: A self-bow made approximately as long as the user is tall, and generally
of the best material avalible to the maker, yew and hazel woods being the most sought after.
Ash, ironwood, and osage, however, do make suitable substitues. Historically, this weapon has
been called the "long" bow in order to differentiate it from the short arbalest/crossbow.
Prodd: A light crossbow of ordinary construction, except that the string has been
doubled with a pouch to accomodate stone, lead, metal, or clay pellets.
Quarrels: The arrows, or bolts, used in most of the crossbow-class bows. These
are far shorter and stockier than your typical arrow, often with little to no fletching. The
power of the crossbow gives it significant impact, but the lower aerodynamics of the design
greatly shorten its effective range with a good aim.
Self-bow: Any bow held upright, pulled, and released by hand.
Yumi: Designed to be fired while standing, this is a short bow. Its effective
range tends to be in the area of about 200 yards.
