How is rapier different from armored combat?
The biggest difference is the armor. Armored combatants wear full armor (such as chain mail, plate, or leather) and a metal helm like a Knight or solider would have worn, and the rattan weapons represent heavy cutting blades or mass weapons. Rapier combatants wear puncture-resistant cloth armor over the torso (such as a commercial fencing jacket or a doublet made from layers of sturdy fabric), as well as a mask, hood, and gloves. The weapons are metal blades, usually much lighter than the rattan weapons used on the armored list. Calibration, or the force used to “kill” an opponent is another difference. In armored combat, a telling blow has a significant amount of force behind it. While it’s not supposed to hurt much, bruises are a part of the game. In rapier combat, positive force in the direction of the blade is sufficient, and much more than that is considered excessive. While you’ll still get a few small bruises every now and again, you won’t hit or be hit nearly as hard as in armo
