Many great stories have fantastic fantasy weapons. Ones forged of magic or with fabled materials. Some have grand names and histories behind them.
These weapons are popular in the fantasy genre, and in this guide, we’re going to dive back in time to the medieval period to look at some common—as well as uncommon—medieval fantasy weapons, all with the aim of helping you with ideas for your own stories.
This is a comprehensive guide to fantasy weapons, though I’m sure some of you will be annoyed I’ve left out your favourites. Still, it looks at some of the lesser-known yet effective tools of destructions, all with the aim of helping you find original angles with your fantasy writing.
We’ll finish the guide with a look at some interesting and cool fantasy weapons that people have come up with.
What Are Fantasy Weapons?
When we think of fantasy weapons, our minds may wander to magic swords or the staffs of wizards or witches.
You may also picture elegant elven bows or the enchanted axes of dwarves.
Some of these fantastical weapons may have names, like Oathbringer, Andúril or Excalibur.
The point I’m trying to make here is that fantasy weapons offer the reader something more, something unusual and distinct from the ordinary.
We’ll look at some ways to create different types of fantasy weapons below, but if you keep this principle in mind, you can’t go wrong. Let’s look at an example from the fantasy genre:
A List Of Fantasy Weapons Inspired By Medieval Times
The development of weapons in the Middle Ages resulted from the advancement in medieval armor, which you can read about here.
The trusty sword was no match for the walking tanks that were knights, unable to pierce, smash or crack the plated armour they covered themselves with.
In fact, a shortsword, thrust at arm’s length with both hands, could puncture plated armour by a mere inch—and the blade would be stuck there too.
So weaponsmiths the world over went back to the workshop to devise weapons to defeat the armoured warrior. Here’s a list of forty medieval weapons, and further below, you can find more in-depth information on a few of the more unique ones.
- Longsword: A versatile two-handed sword with a straight double-edged blade.
- Battle Axe: A large, heavy axe designed for combat, usually wielded with one or two hands.
- Warhammer: A heavy weapon with a long handle and a head made of metal, often used to crush armor.
- Flail: A spiked metal ball attached to a handle by a chain, swung to strike opponents.
- Mace: A club-like weapon with a heavy head often studded with spikes.
- Halberd: A pole weapon featuring an axe blade topped with a spike, used for slashing and thrusting.
- Morningstar: A spiked metal ball attached to a handle, similar to a mace but with a longer reach.
- Spear: A long pole weapon with a sharp pointed blade, used for thrusting or throwing.
- Crossbow: A ranged weapon consisting of a bow mounted on a stock that shoots projectiles called bolts.
- Longbow: A large bow, often taller than the archer, used for long-range shooting.
- Dagger: A short-bladed weapon, often used as a backup or for close combat.
- Poleaxe: A pole weapon with an axe blade on one side and a hammer or spike on the other.
- War Scythe: A modified farming tool turned into a weapon, featuring a long curved blade on a pole.
- Rapier: A slender, sharply pointed sword, primarily used for thrusting.
- Billhook: A farming tool adapted into a weapon, featuring a hooked blade with a sharpened edge.
- Greatsword: A large two-handed sword with a long, wide blade.
- Bastard Sword: A sword that can be wielded with one or two hands, featuring a long, straight blade.
- Katana: A curved, single-edged sword traditionally used by Japanese samurai.
- Naginata: A Japanese pole weapon with a curved blade on the end of a long shaft.
- War Pick: A melee weapon with a spiked head, designed to penetrate armor.
- War Flail: A variation of the flail with multiple spiked metal balls attached to a handle.
- War Bow: A large, powerful bow designed for use in battle.
- Scimitar: A curved sword with a single-edged blade, originating from the Middle East.
- War Fan: A folding fan with sharp metal edges, used as a concealed weapon in Japan.
- Crossbow Pistol: A smaller, handheld version of the crossbow, used for close combat.
- Sling: A simple ranged weapon consisting of a strap and a pouch used to hurl projectiles.
- Javelin: A light spear designed for throwing, commonly used by infantry.
- War Dart: A small, throwable weapon with a sharpened metal point.
- Composite Bow: A bow made from different materials like wood, horn, and sinew, providing increased power.
- Lance: A long spear-like weapon used by mounted warriors, especially in jousting.
- Arbalest: A large crossbow with a steel bow, capable of shooting heavy bolts with great force.
- Partisan: A pole weapon with a long shaft and a broad, spear-like blade.
- Bohemian Ear Spoon: A dagger-like weapon with a sharp, curved blade and a handle shaped like a spoon.
- Falchion: A single-edged sword with a curved blade, used for chopping and slashing.
- Glaive: A pole weapon resembling a large knife or sword mounted on a pole.
- War Scissors: A pair of large scissors used as a weapon, designed to cut through armor.
- Zhanmadao: A Chinese pole weapon similar to a glaive, featuring a curved, single-edged blade.
- Bec de Corbin: A pole weapon with a spiked hammerhead and a beak-like spike on the opposite side.
- War Cleaver: A large, heavy knife or sword with a broad blade, used for chopping.
- War Trident: A three-pronged spear used for thrusting and slashing in close combat.
Falchion
This weapon has cropped up before when we looked at archery. The falchion was a single-edged blade, around 24 to 30 inches long and weighing around 5 to 8 pounds, which is a little lighter than a large bag of sugar.
The falchion was designed to combine the technique of a sword with the weight of an axe, and proved very effective against chain mail, able to cleave right through it. When faced against plated armour, however, it ran into sticky ground. Like the shortsword, the blade would lodge into the armour, and a wielder unable to yank it free would present his armoured foe with a glorious opportunity to kill them.
Broadsword
Also referred to as the basket-hilted sword, this was a blade that had a broad base before narrowing into a wicked, sting-like point.
The purpose of the basket hilt crossguard was to give some protection to the hand. A skilled wielder was required, and a skilled bladesmith too—the finest steel had to be used, otherwise, it would shatter in combat.
The broadsword inspired the development of a blade known as the estoc, also known as the English tuck. This lengthy blade had a signature cruciform hilt requiring two hands. It was edgeless with a sharp point designed to pierce armour. It was, however, a little impractical in the bloody heat of battle.
The estoc holds similarities to the rapier and sabre, both weapons more at home in the realm of fencing than on the battlefield.
Can you see yourself adapting this to make your own fantasy weapons? What magical enchantments could you give a sabre, for example?
It’s one of the medieval fantasy weapons that feature quite often in the genre. Prince Arutha in Raymond E. Feist’s Riftwar Cycle famously wielded a rapier, and to legendary effect.
Mace
One of the ways to defeat plated armour was by crushing it, and that was something a mace could do. It developed out of the crude, yet effective, wooden club, and was at one time favoured by priests who preferred weapons that did not draw blood (but crushed skulls instead. Yeah, real holy, guys.)
The mace came in a variety of styles. Some were spherical or oval, covered in spikes or ribs. They tended to be made from steel, weighing between 4 and 6 pounds, which is about the weight of a table lamp—lighter than you think.
A blow to an unarmoured foe would be lethal, and against plate would certainly cause a concussion, bruising, or even haemorrhaging. It was designed for close, aggressive combat, used in accompaniment with a shield. It could even deflect blows from swords.
On its own, however, it wouldn’t be enough to kill an armoured enemy. Knocking them to the ground was the aim so they could be finished off quickly with a dagger through the visor, eye slit, or weak spot, such as behind the knees, armpit, under the breastplate or if you’re a cruel bastard, the groin.
The Flail
Similar to the mace, the flail was also a weapon inspired by its cruder predecessors. It was an ancient agricultural tool, consisting of a wooden club hinged to a long staff by rope or chain. Some sadistic prick decided to replace the club with a spiked ball, and voilà, you have yourself a killing machine.
In the medieval military world, it became known as the ball and chain, and many variations were developed, the most common being the above: single-handed with a handle of about 3 feet in length and a reach of around 2 to 4 feet.
The chain at the end was wrapped around the wrist. It had the lovely nickname ‘The Holy Water Sprinkler’ (bloody priests at it again). Some variations even had two or even three spiked balls at the end.
This was a dangerous weapon, not just for a foe, but for the wielder too. The swinging arm had to remain extended at all times, and that ball had to keep on swinging—the higher the speed the easier it was to control, paradoxically.
Coming up against it must have been terrifying, with one eye on the spiked ball flashing left and right, and the other eye on the wielder. It did, however, make for a rubbish defensive weapon, unable to deflect blows, and if the swinging stopped for a moment, your foe had a chance to attack. It was bloody exhausting to use too.
I would regard this as one of the lesser-used medieval fantasy weapons, and given its brutal effectiveness, it’s one that could be featured to good effect in stories, especially with a magical enchantment to aid its wielder.
Warhammer
No, not the game. This weapon was also inspired by cruder versions, the wooden mallet in this case. The warhammer had two different features: a flat head—the hammer side if you will—which with some variations had serrations to bite into armour, and; the other side which consisted of a long narrow spike, known as ‘The Crow’s Beak’, designed to puncture plate.
It was light enough to carry one-handed, most effective in quick combinations—a blow to stun with the hammer, followed by a ruthless puncture.
As with all weapons designed to pierce armour, it had its downside. The wielder had one chance to land the killing blow. If the point became lodged your foe had a nice opportunity to strike back. Killing is never straightforward, is it?
Now a warhammer would make for one of the cooler medieval fantasy weapons, don’t you think?
Spears
Spears, in short, were useless against plated armour. The points lacked the sharpness to pierce and couldn’t generate enough power to penetrate. The long wooden shafts could also be sliced by blades.
The Germans took these problems into account and developed an interesting weapon called the ahlspiess, which translates to the ‘eel spear.’ It was around five feet long, weighing around 8 and 10 pounds. It consisted of a sharp point at the end of a slender blade, with a crossguard and wooden haft.
With this weapon, the wielder could aim for weak spots in armour, or pierce right through it. The downside was that it was pretty heavy, with all the weight at the business end, and it was two-handed, so defensive options were limited.
Billhook
We come to probably my favourite of all these oddities: the billhook.
As with a lot of these weapons, the billhook began its life as an agricultural tool, one that’s still used today.
It consisted of a long, single-edged blade with a curved end, branching off into a spike. At the back of the blade is another, smaller spike, known as a fluke. It was around 6 to 8 feet long and weighed around 10 pounds.
Being an agricultural tool it was quite easy to make. This weapon provided flexibility in the attack, able to thrust, slash and deflect. Perhaps the most effective feature was its ability to hook onto armor.
It was capable of deadly combinations with the top spike able to pierce plate if used with enough force. The fluke at the back was also used for stabbing. The billhook was also very effective against cavalry, able to sweep riders from their saddles.
The downside was it required two hands, so parrying was important to make up for the lack of a shield. If a blow was blocked, it had to be swept away. It was also pretty useless against thrusting blows.
Of everything on this list, I think the billhook takes the crown as one of my favourite medieval fantasy weapons. I used them quite a lot in Pariah’s Lament and adapted them so they could be used with a shield.
Shields
When you think of a shield you think of its ability to block projectiles and blows, but in fact, it was quite an effective offensive weapon.
Shields have been around for over 4,000 years, still used today by the police. Over the course of this period they’ve had to contend with lots of different weapons—arrows, javelins, throwing axes, heavier Dane axes, maces, swords … the list could go on. Two qualities were necessary from a shield: strength and lightness.
To achieve this magic combination a variety of materials were used. One of the earliest was linden wood. This material is extraordinarily light and flexible. Linden shields were held together with a glue made from cheese. Unsurprisingly, they didn’t last long in battle, shattering when struck by arrows, or any blow for that matter.
To achieve extra strength, linden shields were wrapped in the untreated hide of a cow—it had to be from a cow, much tougher than sheep, for example. This did, however, add a fair bit of weight, but could absorb blows from projectiles, but against heavier attacks shattered.
Different Shapes And Types Of Shields
The shape of a shield was important to its strength. Lenticular—like the lens of an eye—provided the flexibility a shield needed to stop from shattering.
Other shapes include much smaller, circular shields, known as the buckler. It was used almost as an extension of the wrist, useful for deflecting blows rather than blocking them head-on. It could also be used as a steel fist.
The kite shield was introduced by the Vikings with clever purposes in mind. During the Battle of Hastings, the Anglo-Saxons stood firm with their shield wall, something we’ll come to shortly, so a tactic adopted by the Vikings was to have cavalry charge at the wall, hurl projectiles, then beat a retreat. The kite shield provided protection to the flank of both mount and rider as they charged and fled.
We return to the shield wall, perhaps the most effective use of shields in history. It was capable of being taught to individuals with no military experience in a short space of time, and proved difficult to break down. It was the primary military tactic in Anglo-Saxon Britain.
A line of warriors stood abreast with shields interlocked, one overlapping the other. If someone tried to pull a shield forwards it wouldn’t move. Likewise, if they charged it stood strong. It did, however, require incredible teamwork. If a single gap in the wall appeared, the floodgates opened.
There were different tactics for the shield wall. A straightforward line could be adopted, though this was vulnerable to flanking manoeuvres and cavalry charges. To counter this, the line could be moved into rows, forming a dense formation. If a horse charged into the fray, they’d lost their momentum, become trapped and quickly killed.
A tactic to defeat the shield wall was known as the ‘Boar’s Snout’. This involved a narrow charge into one section of the wall, pushed forwards by the men rushing behind. The idea was to burst open the wall like a blister.
How Do You Create Your Own Fantasy Weapon?
When it comes to creating your own fantasy weapon, there are a few things to keep in mind which may help you with the process:
- It helps to begin with something you’re familiar with, like a sword or bow. Understand how it’s used. For example, some swords, like rapiers, are designed to stab. Others are designed to slash.
- Think of ways to make the ordinary extraordinary. Here are some prompts:
- Does the fantasy weapon grant the wielder magical powers?
- Is there something special about wielding this sword, e.g. lightness?
- Is it made of a unique type of material?
- What does this unique material offer, e.g. it can cut through rock?
- Does the weapon respond differently to other people?
- Does it carry some kind of enchantment, such as a healing or protective ward spell?
- Was this weapon forged in a unique way or by a fabled blacksmith or enchanter?
- Breathe life into your weapon.
- Try giving names to your fantasy weapons
- Or try giving them a past. Who has wielded it before?
- Is it widely known across the land? Does it have a reputation?
How Do I Make A Unique Fantasy Weapon?
As fantasy writers, we’re always look for ways to make our stories and creations unique and different. When it comes to your fantasy weapons, there are some things I’ve picked up over my years writing that can help you find original angles:
- To help get your creative juices flowing, start with a simple exercise. All you need to do is ask the question: “what if?” So, think of a weapon, and then start asking questions using ‘what if’ as your prompt. See where it takes you!
- Focus on how magic can interact with your weapon. Rather than think about how magic could enhance a weapon, you can also think about how it restricts it.
- Blend weapons together. Mixing a couple of standard weapons can help give you something unique.
- Put yourself in your characters shoes and be resourceful. For truly creative fantasy weapons, you could put youself in your characters shoes and think about how they would make a weapon. For example, flails and scythes were used on farms and were then developed into weapons.
For more advice on coming up with cool weapons, head here to check out a more detailed guide.
A Gallery Of Fantasy Weapons
Below, you can find a collection of some of my favourite types of weapons in fantasy to help inspire your creations.
Thank you for reading this guide to medieval fantasy weapons. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me, or join our writing group!
Most nights you can find him up into the wee hours scribbling away or watching the NBA.
- Mastering Dialogue: The Very Best Tips - January 12, 2024
- The Proven Method Of Writing Short Story Cover Letters - November 10, 2023
- Tips, Advice And Guidance On Writing Villains And Antagonists - November 7, 2023
