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Post by chamir on Nov 20, 2009 14:25:03 GMT -5
If not by now, then soon enough, you learn that each of the four bending disciplines primarily adheres to a particular Chinese martial art. Serving as their base, waterbending is derive from taiji/tai chi, earthbending from hung gar and firebending from shaolin. That covers bending lickity-split but what about everything else revolving around combat? Don’t worry we at Feng Shui will try to keep you covered. Right now, we have an understandable table of military ranks for those of you making military characters and for others there is weapons guide for any character you want to unleash a taste of the painbow. And remember, if you find any broken links please report them to a moderator. - Military Ranks
-our list of military ranks within the Feng Shui’s Avatar world; completely inaccurate by real-life standards, sure, but still easy enough to comprehend.
- Aden’s Guide to Avatar Weaponry
-listing a variety of weapons seen in show and may possibly exist in the Avaverse, and helping to steer everyone away from katana and daggers.
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Post by chamir on Nov 20, 2009 14:25:35 GMT -5
So to avoid confusion when it came to military rankings, past profile moderator dear Kura, provided a list of comparative military ranks that should be used in this RPG. Keep in mind that these ranks are NOT accurate by modern military standards. They were edited and reorganized to fit within the Feng Shui Avaverse and for the sake of simplification. We already know they do not equal each other by modern day standards. This chart begins from highest rank to the lowest: | Naval Forces | Land Forces | | Admiral | General | | Commander | Major/Colonel | | Captain | Captain | | Lieutenant | Lieutenant | | Ensign | Sergeant | | Leading Rate/Officer | Corporal | | Seaman | Private |
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Post by chamir on Nov 20, 2009 14:27:25 GMT -5
One of our resident weapon collectors, Aden wrote for us this splendiferous guide on the weaponry of the Avatar World! Keep in mind as Jialing said, “Well this is simply a guide.. we can add more as we go.. it's all suggestions.”
Due to the Asian inspired nature of the Avatar universe, as well as the culture specific fighting styles and resources available to each nation, this essay will serve to determine which weapons are appropriate for characters to wield. Water TribeThe frozen poles of the water tribes are almost completely devoid of local sources of metal, along with the coal or wood required to fuel a forge. As such, it is assumed, with evidence from the show to support it, that the majority of steel weapons were traded for and modified or maintained. The appearance of steel spearheads and axe blades suggests that steel could be traded for and mounted onto shafts of bone and used. Knives and other relatively small weapons of steel have been seen used by Water Tribe warriors (Sokka's Boomerang included). Because of this, Water Tribe weapons, especially those from the South Pole, are encouraged to be made out of the ivory of bones and teeth, along with other natural materials. Swords of bone are allowed, but in all practicality, they would most likely be shortswords with broad blades because of the frailty of bones as a weapon material. Anything made of steel should be no more than a foot in length and shouldn't be anything more outlandish than basic knife shapes. The Water Tribes are based on Inuit culture, and as such they didn't have extravagant, specialized fighting styles. On a special note of foreign weapons appearing in the Water Tribe, it is conceivable for warriors to have acquired Fire Nation weaponry left over from recent siege attempts. Most Common Weapons:Less Common/Allowed Weapons:Discouraged Weapons: (unless adequately explained) - Long steel swords (jian, dao, etc...)
- Bows and arrows (simply not practical without trees)
- Specialized weapons (Sais, jittes, hook swords, Naruto-style kunai)
Earth KingdomThe Earth Kingdom is possibly the most diverse of the Four Nations, but there is clearly a predominant use of traditionally Chinese weaponry. Several regions of the kingdom seem to be influenced by other Asian cultures, however, and make allowances for distinct weaponry. Examples of this include the Bedouin influences of the Si Wong natives or the Japanese traditions evident in the Kyoshi Islands. Several more exotic weapons have also been shown to be in use throughout the Earth Kingdom. These weapons are typically associated with particular styles of kung fu, or were specially designed for a function such as countering a sword or trapping an enemy spear. However, a primary concern with a character obtaining an unusual or specialized weapon comes with the circumstances of them being able to acquire and effectively use it (i.e. Farmhands finding hook swords at a local craft fair and then mastering their use in their spare time). Most Common Weapons:Less Common/Allowed Weapons:Discouraged Weapons:- Katanas
- Greatswords (Nodachi, Claymore, Zweihander)
Fire NationLike the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation has a large repetoire of weapons that are all primarily Chinese in origin. Due to their mastery of fire, the Fire Nation seems to have the most well-developed metal-working skills and thus some of the most advanced technology and intricate weapons. However, for all the displayed weapons, there are several that stand out as the mainstays of the the Fire Nation army. Most Common weapons:Less Common/Allowed Wepons:Discouraged Weapons:(See Earth Kingdom) In addition to the specific lists, common sense should also be used in giving a character a certain weapon. The possible exceptions are too numerous to name, but as rule of thumb, try to imagine the likelihood of your character ever coming into possession of, and/or learning to use their weapon effectively. A Water Tribe warrior fighting in a parka and winter gloves is never going to master double daos, while an Earth Kingdom peasant is unlikely to learn the subtleties of a 3-section staff without a teacher. Not only should their weapon fit their social situation and available teaching, but it should also be practical to their abilities. Finally in regards to weapons that are improvised from tools or other equipment, these would be allowed. However, users must realize that there are certain limitations on how effective they would be compared to weapons designed for combat. Scythes and sickles can certainly kill a man, but there is a reason they aren't seen in the battlefield. In addition to these weapons displayed in the show or assumed to exist by default of the show's Chinese influence, there are also a number of other cultural weapons that would be allowed for certain ethnic groups within the world of Four nations. Culture Specific Weaponry:Other Miscellaneous Weapons:Weapons that will not be allowed- Katanas (No Samurai in Avatar!)
- Longswords (No Knights either!)
- Greatswords (Nodachi, Claymores, Zweihanders)
- Viking broadswords
- Rapiers, sabers, and smallswords
- Scythes (Upon research, the scythe was an invention of medieval Europe. Hand sickles are still allowed)
- Halberds(European styled) and Bills
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