clearing on 3/10/2008 at 08:49
It was be cool (in Thief 4?), if haunts could drop sword pick up a hammer and start hammering hammerites, then could drop the hammer and pick the sword up again.
kamyk on 3/10/2008 at 11:39
How very odd, I never noticed that before either... I'm inclined to agree that Hammers are holy symbols, and therefor all Hammerites should use them, and all undead should not.
On a side note however, if that is the case, where do all the Hammer Haunts get their swords? I wonder if they wake up in their tombs, and go off to a specially licensed weaponsmith first thing, lol. Boy would that be a creepy job. (Totally unserious idea posted for the ludicrous imagery).
Petike the Taffer on 3/10/2008 at 15:11
I've read the whole thread. Personally, I think Hammerites use swords as well (probably as sidearms). It's just that battle hammers are their preferred weapons because of the religious symbolism of their faith. They're quite comparable with the simple, cross-like swords of crusader knights from the real world Middle Ages.
Beleg Cúthalion on 3/10/2008 at 19:00
I'm not quite sure if there is evidence that medieval soldiers fully recognized or cared about the sword-cross similarity. :erg:
Either way, those sledge hammers they're using are hardly practical unless you're in plate armour (what at least the TDP Hammerites should be, although the texture is quite primitive) and have to crush the bones of other plate-armour-wearing villains who cannot move quickly either. That's why I think swords are necessary if you want to take part in real wars.
Petike the Taffer on 4/10/2008 at 09:16
Quote Posted by Beleg Cúthalion
I'm not quite sure if there is evidence that medieval soldiers fully recognized or cared about the sword-cross similarity. :erg:
Either way, those sledge hammers they're using are hardly practical unless you're in plate armour (what at least the TDP Hammerites should be, although the texture is quite primitive) and have to crush the bones of other plate-armour-wearing villains who cannot move quickly either. That's why I think swords are necessary if you want to take part in real wars.
Indeed.
Gambit on 4/10/2008 at 11:20
But the fear factor is much greater.
A man in full armor and a giant hammer crying "The Builder shall punish thee!" is much more fearsome than some dude with a sword saying "Oy! Wait till I find you... Hic!"
Beleg Cúthalion on 4/10/2008 at 12:00
Of course that's more impressive, but have you ever taken part in some sort of re-enactment battle? The most annoying things - and thus those which you are usually afraid of - are the small ones like spears that come quickly out of nowhere. A big Hammerite is only terrifying if you cannot move out of its way. :p
But I'd like to see more of actual warfare in Thief, albeit as a minor matter.
Captain Vimes on 5/10/2008 at 18:12
Off the topic, but as a contrasting view to Beleg,
The only time you fear the lightly armoured soldiers with spears is when you yourself are lightly armoured! If you're in full plate, (And 'Packing Steel!' of course!) a squishy with a spear, (Sorry, squishy = lightly armoured person!) is of no consequence. A bloke with a big hammer will do more damage to a heavily armoured man, (As I believe someone mentioned earlier in the thread.)
I have heard a theory, (But I can't find the ancient thread or e-mail it came from) that the followers of the Builder carried swords initially and it wasn't until after the disaster with the Eye that raised the Haunts that the Bretheren took up hammers as their main weapon. I believe the suggestion was that the swords failed to stop the newly raised undead and, in desperation, a Brother seized up a Hammer he was busy forging and smote the advancing undead. As this 'Holy' weapon worked, the remainder of the Order quickly adopted it.
(I have no evidence for this theory but, in the words of King Julian "I like it." so I'm sticking to it!)
jtr7 on 28/11/2008 at 03:28
I guess this tidbit would best go here, for now. I only just discovered this fact about the Haunts ( :tsktsk: ):
Not only do they have swords, but the swords they have are unique in the Thief Universe, adding to their mystique, and kinda "confirming" the possession by something not quite Hammerite:
Inline Image:
http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/9940/hauntxd8.pngI immediately thought of Constantine's sword, with the stripe down the length of the center, too. Con's sword is a black metal and the golden stripe is thinner. It is in all likelihood a coincidence that there's one more thing "connecting" the Haunts with the Trickster, and it would be more symbolic than anything.
I haven't looked at the TDS Haunts to see if that detail was retained.
ShadowSneaker on 28/11/2008 at 04:14
I only just noticed they have cute little hammers on the ends of their shoes. Glad I never noticed that while playing :erg:.
Quote Posted by jtr7
I haven't looked at the TDS Haunts to see if that detail was retained.
Haunts in DS carry hammers, not swords.
SS
