Armoured Combat Draft:The Use of Weapons and Shields

Weapons

General

1. You may only use a weapon according to its design, i.e. spears may only be used for thrusting, axes for striking with the edge of the blade, etc.
2. Blows repeatedly blocked by a weapon in contact with your helm, body, or shield at the moment of impact may, at the Sovereign's or marshal's discretion, be considered to have broken the blocking weapon. This will force you to forfeit the fight, unless you are carrying a secondary weapon or your opponent chooses to allow you to rearm with another weapon.
3. You may use a shield or weapon to displace, deflect, or immobilise your opponent's shield or weapon, so long as such use does not endanger the safety of the combatants. You may safely place a shield or haft against your opponent's body to restrict their ability to strike or defend.
4. In a tournament combat bout, you may only use weapons you have brought onto the field at the beginning of the round, but may freely change between those weapons. An exception is allowed if your weapons physically break in the course of a bout. In such circumstances, you may rearm with the same type of weapon to complete the bout.
5. Archers may have a backup weapon on them, but may not draw it until their bow/crossbow has been safely disposed of (taken off the field, discarded in a low traffic area, handed to another combatant, etc). Upon drawing a backup weapon to enter combat, hands must be appropriately armoured.

Thrusting weapons

1. You may only thrust with weapons approved for thrusting. You must not feint as if to thrust with a weapon not approved for thrusting.
2. You must not thrust with any weapon in the direction of travel while running.
3. You must not brace thrusting weapons against the ground or other immovable objects. Cupping the butt of a thrusting weapon in the palm of your hand is also prohibited.
4. Before any tournament bout where you are going to use a thrusting weapon, inform your opponent and marshals, and show the thrusting tip to your opponent.

Missile and thrown weapons

1. You cannot throw or discharge a missile weapon at targets within 5 metres.
2. You cannot discharge any missile from a missile weapon other than those types of missiles which have been approved for use in that type of weapon. Doing so may be considered grounds for removing you from the field. You may be subject to further disciplinary action.
3. You may only use arrows and bolts as missiles launched from a bow, crossbow or approved siege weapon. You may not use them as hand-held thrusting weapons. Such use will be considered grounds for removing you from the field and may lead to further disciplinary action.
4. You may only use arrows if they have been inspected under supervision of a marshal. You are responsible for re-checking the safety of your arrows at the time of use.
5. You must not pick up arrows from the field and immediately re-use them, they must be re-inspected off the field prior to re-use. In resurrection battles, arrows should be collected by all "dead" combatants returning to the resurrection point.
6. If you fall on your quiver, or spill arrows, the arrows must be inspected off the field under the supervision of a marshal before use.
7. If a bow or non-rigid quiver containing arrows or bolts is struck, the bow or missiles must be inspected off the field before being used again. If a rigid quiver is struck the arrows or bolts may be used without re-inspection.
8. Archers may carry and use thrown weapons without need to discard their bow/crossbow or change hand armour.
9. Missile combatants may not have both inspected and un-inspected missiles stored or carried together. If un-inspected and inspected missiles become mixed, then the entire group of missiles must be re-inspected under the supervision of a marshal before use.
10. Darts, javelins and throwing axes may be picked up, field inspected, and immediately re-used.

Shields

1. Shields must be controlled by your hand. Shields not controlled by your hand are considered assumed armour, and you must take good blows falling on them.
2. You may place pavises on the field before the start of a scenario.
3. You can carry a pavise in a manner which does not require hand control (such as a shoulder strap), but you are not allowed to actively block with it, nor use your own weapon, and if struck by a hand weapon, the blow is counted as if the pavise was not there.
4. To prevent confusion with armoured combatants, plumed participants are prohibited from carrying shields or pavises in mixed scenarios.
5. In scenarios containing no armoured combatants, plumed missile combatants may carry a light buckler up to 250mm in diameter, or equivalent surface area, for warding off missiles.