What should an extra-scary spear look like?

[WarKitty]

So I officially have an extra-scary looking longspear for my character. I'm debating what a scary spear should look like. I want an obsidian blade, but I'm not sure what else to do. Any ideas? Has to be reasonably practical, in the sense of being able to actually stab someone without spikes or something getting in the way.

[Knaight]

The biggest things would be to have it show signs of obvious heavy use and obvious maintenance, thus conveying that whoever has been using it has been doing so for a while and successfully.

[WarKitty]

The biggest things would be to have it show signs of obvious heavy use and obvious maintenance, thus conveying that whoever has been using it has been doing so for a while and successfully.

Despite, I suppose, the fact that I probably couldn't hit the broadside of a magic castle with it?

[Lord Torath]

I would recommend a harpoon-style barb or two sticking out from the back of the spear head. Just to make it certain it'll REALLY hurt coming back out. Also, maybe coat the 2-3 feet of shaft behind the head in steel?

[khadgar567]

Big blade with runes shining when blade is freshly bloodied and blade color is obiously black

[Stealth Marmot]

Serrated blade.

[khadgar567]

Living eye in cross guard

[LibraryOgre]

Going with the obsidian blade theme, how about obsidian shards down the next couple feet of shaft?

Also, consider wrapping the shaft in something that cries "bad-ass"... reptillian hide, even if it's not actually a dragon, is pretty cool. Or Wyvern hide, with a wyvern barb as the blade.

[WarKitty]

Going with the obsidian blade theme, how about obsidian shards down the next couple feet of shaft?

Also, consider wrapping the shaft in something that cries "bad-ass"... reptillian hide, even if it's not actually a dragon, is pretty cool. Or Wyvern hide, with a wyvern barb as the blade.

Hmm...I kinda want to go with a nature-y feel. Alligator hide would be cool though. Or eelskin.

[Mastikator]

If it's supposed to be practical then don't use obsidian. Obsidian is glass, it's brittle and will shatter if you hit a hard surface like metal armor. Use steel and paint it black.

You could have skulls on the lower parts of the fasting and evil looking runes painted along the shaft.
The spear could have a skull shaped pommel.

[InvisibleBison]

Maybe give the spear some sort of mystical aura? Not something that actually does anything, just have some magical energy dancing around the shaft or something.

[Beleriphon]

You can always go with the Japanese version, and just give the a great big spear head covered in written prayers.

Tonbokiri wielded by Honda Tadakatsu

And this thing: https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%BE...89%8B%E6%9D%B5

[TeChameleon]

The 'moving eyeball on the haft of a blood-red blade' is, of course, always a classic, but can end up a bit silly looking.

If you want to go the understated route, a fun one might be a spear that looks utterly, forgettably generic... except for the still-beating heart of, say, an Archdevil or some variety of Celestial (depending on alignment) jammed just below the blade, and the attendant sheen of ichor a short distance down the shaft.

Or just one that was black. Not painted black, or anything, but pretty much a spear-shaped hole in the air.

[Pauly]

The tonbokiri, and naginatas/yaris in general are glaives not spears. They function as a sword blade on an extended handle. Definitely very good looking weapons.

For more fearsome looking true spears.

Boar spears - extra large leaf shaped heads.
Partisans/ranseaurs - have protrusions from the base of the spear head to assist parrying.

Although to be honest I really dislike the inflatable weapons that you see in most fantasy art. I think some discrete decoration on a functional weapon that other people will recognize is sufficient.

[eru001]

conventional wisdom is that the scariest spear is the one flying directly towards you

[Grod_The_Giant]

Or just one that was black. Not painted black, or anything, but pretty much a spear-shaped hole in the air.

I like this one.

[WarKitty]

conventional wisdom is that the scariest spear is the one flying directly towards you

Well, it's a longspear, so it's not exactly meant to go flying. And it needs to have some oomph beyond just a normal weapon, but without being too over the top. It's not magic, just scary-looking.

[Grod_The_Giant]

Well, it's a longspear, so it's not exactly meant to go flying. And it needs to have some oomph beyond just a normal weapon, but without being too over the top. It's not magic, just scary-looking.

Something like a boar spear, perhaps? Some extra fancy spiky bits to stop people from sliding down the shaft after you stab 'em?

[Deaxsa]

Maybe it's not te spearhead that looks particularly intimidating, it's just very sharp blade. The shaft, however, is a bit thicker than normal and carved with screaming mouths/intestines/republicans. And maybe it's varnished but looks like it's been haphazardly splashed and stained with some sort of dark ichor? I think people are too focused on the pointy bit.

Does it smell odd?

Doesnt a weapon evoke fear as an intrinsic quality anyways? I mean, they are tools of endin lives. Kindof a scary situation if you're being threatened with one.

[WarKitty]

Maybe it's not te spearhead that looks particularly intimidating, it's just very sharp blade. The shaft, however, is a bit thicker than normal and carved with screaming mouths/intestines/republicans. And maybe it's varnished but looks like it's been haphazardly splashed and stained with some sort of dark ichor? I think people are too focused on the pointy bit.

Does it smell odd?

Doesnt a weapon evoke fear as an intrinsic quality anyways? I mean, they are tools of endin lives. Kindof a scary situation if you're being threatened with one.

Well, in game terms, the weapon provides a +2 bonus to intimidate checks. It's meant primarily for intimidating in combat and providing a bonus over and above what a normal weapon would, albeit a small and non-magical one.

[Max_Killjoy]

Well, in game terms, the weapon provides a +2 bonus to intimidate checks. It's meant primarily for intimidating in combat and providing a bonus over and above what a normal weapon would, albeit a small and non-magical one.

Is this a magic bonus or purely from the appearance?

[WarKitty]

Is this a magic bonus or purely from the appearance?

This is a purely non-magical bonus. It's just a scary-looking spear. For 3.5 players, it's basically a masterwork tool, only instead of buying a new tool I put the cost on and added it to a spear.

[JAL_1138]

Perhaps a ranseur instead of a standard spear?

Spoiler: ranseur

Show

[InvisibleBison]

Perhaps it has some sort of doodad that makes an ominous sound when you move the spear?

[Thrudd]

The scariest spear looks like just any other spear - until you find out it's shaft has grips made of human skin.

[WarKitty]

The scariest spear looks like just any other spear - until you find out it's shaft has grips made of human skin.

Ok, new caveat: we're trying not to be evil.

[Vinyadan]

The base of the spear portrays the face of the Gorgon, or, even better, Charles Bronson giving dirty looks to your enemies.

[Thrudd]

Ok, new caveat: we're trying not to be evil.

Ok, then it's got a tassel, Chinese style, that is made of the rattling teeth and finger bones if your enemies. Just teeth, that's not so evil, right? ;)

[Slipperychicken]

It has illustrations of pairs of evil eyes on both sides of the blade. They're those optical illusion eyes that seem to follow the observer, and can be unnerving at times.

[Max_Killjoy]

There's only so scary you can make an mundane weapon before you make it so obviously useless as an actual weapon that it's no longer scary.

A sort of "uncanny valley" of weapon design.