Weapon Construction

There are several ways to make weapons in the Realms. If you are playing for the first time, it might be a better idea to borrow weapons than try to make any of your own. Once you have seen what other weapons have looked like and asked a few questions on how others have made their weapons, then you will be better prepared to construct your own.

Be sure to follow these guidelines when constructing a weapon:

* All non-missile melee weapons must be made out of PVC pipe labeled 1/2", 3/4", or 1"diameter and closed-cell foam pipe insulation which must be at least 5/8" thick. Weapons must be safely constructed. There can be nothing in the pipe. Both ends must be capped with a rigid material, and the weapon must have a 1 3/4" thrusting tip (the pipe foam that extends beyond the tip of the pipe).

* A weapon's blade must be firmly strapping-taped in place.

* Weapons made over 12" and up to 3'8" must be made of PVC pipe labled 1/2", 3/4" or 1" diameter. The thrusting tip must be at least 1 3/4" long.

* Weapons over 3'8" and up to 5' must be made out of PVC pipe labeled 3/4"'or 1" diameter. These weapons must have a 1 3/4" thrusting tip.

* Weapons over 5' must be made out of 1" pipe. These weapons must have thrusting tips that are at least 2 1/4" long as well as squishy-foam tips on top of the thrusting tips. The squishy-foam tip of a thrust-only (greater than 6'6") weapon must be at least 2".

* The striking surface of any single-bladed slashing weapon must be at least half the total weapon length

* No surface of a double-bladed one handed slashing weapong may be shorter then 6". The overall (combined) foam length must still be at least half the length of the weapon. Each striking surface of a double-bladed slashing weapon of hand-and-a-half length of longer must be at least one-third the total weapon length. Weapons with an unbladed portion longer then the shorter of the two blades must provide non-damaging covering foam or other padding as a courtesy to shield the exposed pipe.

* The striking surface of any non-missile thrust-only weapon must be at least one-third the total weapon length (including the 1 3/4" thrusting tip) in addition to a minimum 2" squishy-foam tip.

* Only golf tube arrows and aqua tube arrows are legal arrows. All arrows must have 2" thrusting tips and 2" squishy foam tips to be considered safe. All aqua tube arrows must be made from 3/4" or 1" diameter tubing. All aqua tube shafts should, at minimum, be covered by two lengths of strapping tape. Crossbows and custom-designed golf tube or aqua tube arrows are up to the individual EH's discretion.

* Javelins may be constructed using golf tubes or aqua tubes with foam coverage as shafts. Javelins cannot be nocked, and arrows may not be flung with the naked hand. Javelins must be made from new pipe foam and must have squishy-foam heads. Any fletching added must be made out of foam, and the javelin may not be weighted in any way. Javelins must be between 2'6" and 3' long.

* Only magic weapons should be made with blue duct tape, and you may only make a magic weapon through the use of spells in the magic system, or if you are an EH.

Shield Construction

* Shields must be at least 12" long (as measured by the longest dimension). You as an individual must be able to safely weild it. A marshal or EH can pull a shield if they feel it is unsafe.

* Shields can be made of any safe material, such as wood, plastic, or cardboard. Metal shields are heavy but are allowed, if otherwise safe.

* All shields must have thier edges covered by foam. Any protruding metal screws or bolts should also be padded.

Weapon Inspection

You are to inspect your own weapons before they are used. If you are unsure about a weapon's safety, ask a marshal and they will inspect it for you. Any weapon can be inspected at any time during an event on anyone's request. This is meant for the purpose of ensuring the safety of combat, and should never be used for strategic or tactical purposes. Weapons can be failed for many reasons. A weapon can have too much "whip" (one that flexes too much) or not enough "whip" (one that doesn't flex at all). There is no standard way of measuring this; you will have to use your common sense. A weapon can be failed if it has seen too much abuse and has not been repaired recently. The most common problem weapons have is that their thrusting tips are breaking down or have been compacted.