Spears Options

[ghastley]

Since they last appeared in Morrowind, and Oblivion and Skyrim don't have them, I've been using them a lot in my recent MW games.

I was expecting something a bit more varied or versatile. They're all two-handed, and essential a poking tool. No real damage from slash or chop, even with the Halberds that have an axe-like blade. So a single-style polearm, and nothing more.

I downloaded a one-handed spear mod (that didn't have any one-handed spears, but let you hold the long ones in one hand and carry a shield in the other), and so I made some shorter-shafted replacements that look better. Diablita is using a pitchfork, which at least fits in with the two-handed stabbing device the game expects.

I may put out a simple mod of new meshes for the existing one-hand spear mod. That works by swapping the Spear and Long Blade stats when you equip/unequip the new spears, but doesn't address the issues of Strength/Endurance not swapping or the leveling effect if one is a Misc Skill. It adds the one hand spears as random loot, so getting the new meshes into the game is not an issue, if I include an esp to re-point the added forms to them.

I was disappointed, too, at the lack of javelins in a game that lets you throw daggers, darts and stars. Although a dagger is separate from a throwing knife, even when they share a mesh, that's credible, as balance matters. I suspect the reason is that the throwing animation wasn't made with that in mind, although a spear-chucking one would probably work better for the other weapons, and even rocks.

The thrown variety I'm unsure about modding. Real-life soldiers (e.g. the Romans) only carried a couple, which were mainly used to encumber the enemy's shield and make it useless. Hunters used them with throwing sticks, like the atlatl, or woomera, to get extra leverage, and that's too much work to add. Also, they'd have different heads for different purposes, barbed for large game, forked for fishing, etc. The thrown ones are likely more effort than they're worth. They were fun in the Diablo series - but that wasn't trying to be realistic at all, and the really fun ones were all magic effect, and very little spear.

[ghastley]

Well Diablita is of course delighted that she can use her pitchfork as a physical weapon, and not just as a fire-ball generator. Her latest is enchanted with soul trap and shock damage, so she can recharge as she uses it, but I didn't think it out properly, and with higher-level enemies, it's run out of charge before they die, and so the soul trap part isn't running when it's needed. I may have to make her a new one that does less magical damage per hit, and so keeps its charge going longer.

The character using the short spears could probably use a better shield that adds to her medium/heavy skill, to make up for the switch from Endurance to Strength. I should try that soon. However, equipping it drops her AR, as she's mainly Unarmoured.

Still looking at the mods for throwing weapons, and where to buy stacks of them. Looks like Wayn's supply restocks.