As you have learned so far, there are no stats at Asona. All character's abilities are determined by one of two factors: A) logic, or B) own personal skill. As such, when it comes to arms and armour, there will be no "+10 attack or defense." Instead, arms and armour will work as they did historically, for better or worse. They will also operate by the laws of physics, meaning that while you can try to use Cloud's Buster Sword, it will most likely throw your back out and leave you wide open after you miss on the slow, sluggish swing.

To give you an idea of how arms and armour works, let's begin with a simple example. A basic broadsword versus chainmail armour. As there are no stat bonuses for either, you will simply have to fight as though you really were using these tools of war, and will have to respect what they can, and more importantly, what they CANNOT do.

Let's say you swipe at your chainmailed opponent with your sword. Provided you hit, you are hitting with a slicing motion. Chainmail is designed specifically to counteract such a motion, and so the sword will not cut through anything. instead, it will stop dead, with its energy transfered into the chainmail and padding beneath. Your opponent is unharmed.

Now lets say you stab at your opponent with the same weapon. Should you strike, the tip of the sword will, essentially, 'wedge' open the various links in the chainmail, and somewhat effectively pierce through. Depending on the angle and power behind the strike, the sword will either be more or less effective. With a semi-awkward angled strike with one hand, the sword will most likely pierce the mail. However, it will probably be slowed to a near halt in the process, both by the friction of the metal links, as well as the energy and momentum that was lost to break them. The sword still has to go through some form of under-armour, such as padding. This will most likely stop it the rest of the way, or slow it to the point where the tip only penetrates up to an inch deep, which is not a lethal blow.

The same stab with both hands, or one hand front on with a good deal of momentum, will easily punch through the mail and the underarmour, killing whoever is wearing it. The same will happen with a spear, pike, or any other pointed tip being thrust or shot into the mail. However, virtually all light slashing weapons are useless against mail.

To fight against a mailed warrior with an axe means you will not likely cause any slicing damage. However, depending on the size of the axe, the energy conveyed in the chopping strike can easily be enough to shatter virtually any bone in the human body. Axes in general, particularly specially designed ones, can in some cases slice through mail, depending on what material it's made from and the weave of the mail. Light-weight weaves such as 2 or 3 in 1 rings can give way under a powerful chop, while heavier weaves such as 4 to six in 1 rings will still deflect the blows, although they will invariably suffer from bending.

Following these rules of logic in arms & armour are not 'optional' nor are they negotiable. You have to abide by the laws of physics and combat.

Below is a list of either specific weapons & armour, or specific types of the aforementioned, that have been singled out due to various myths and legends surrounding them.

The Katana: A brilliantly made slashing weapon that is legendary for its quality.
The Myth: There are a great number of myths surrounding the Katana. There are three important myths that will be covered, and debunked. 1) The Katana is indestructable. 2) The Katana can slice through ANYTHING, including steel. 3) The Katana is of far higher quality than any other sword, ever.
The Reality: While the Katana is certainly a very lethal weapon, it is only such against unarmoured foes. It holds its edge due to its curved swiping design, which means anytime it cuts something, it does so in a manner that allows it to 'sharpen' itself in the process. It is a very flexible sword, but is by no means indestructable. There are many accounts of katanas being broken, typically at the hilt, when used to block. As for the second, and most important myth, the Katana can NOT slice through anything. In fact, chainmail can stop katanas with absurd ease, and this legendary sword has no chance at all against plate. While it can be used for stabbing, this is not it's intended purpose, and requires a certain angle of the wrist and forearm to be done properly, taking away form the overall impact of the strike.

Western Swords: Western swords are noble weapons, holding a simplistic prestige that few other weapons can claim, including the katana.
The Myth: Western Swords are extremely heavy and unwieldy, making them difficult to swing or use with any kind of grace or precision.
The Reality: If western swords were clumsy, slow, sluggish weapons that left you wide open after a swipe, then Europe wouldn't have used them for over a thousand years! The reality is that one-handed swords weighed anywhere from 2 - 4 pounds, and two-handed swords weighed 4 - 6 pounds. Like the katana, they were constructed with lighter metals in the core, with harder metals on the edges and points. They were also designed with a "blood drain" for a reason, and it wasn't to funnel blood down the blade! This center was made because it formed an arch, improving overall strength of the sword, and because it was made thinner, meaning it lowered the total weight! Western swords also had fairly large pommels, which acted as a counter-weight to make the weapons balanced, and could act as a secondary blunt weapon. The guards on western swords, typically flat and straight, could also be used to cause gruesome puncture or crushing wounds on opponents. Virtually every aspect of a western sword is a weapon, and its most at home being used as either a heavy crushing/chopping weapon, or more commonly, a powerful stabbing tool.

Plate Armour: Thought of as the ultimate protection, capable of stopping virtually any and all attacks.
The Myth: There are two myths surrounding plate armour, in general, that need debunking. 1) Plate armour is extremely cumbersome and lowers agility to practically nothing. 2) Plate armour can defend against any and all attacks.
The Reality: Myth number one is easily the most common misconception of plate armour there is. Overall, a full suit of plate armour can weigh up to 60 pounds - the same weight as a Samurai Yoroi, which is often hailed as 'lighter.' This means a full suit of plate is actually as heavy, or even LIGHTER, than a modern Marine's full kit. To add to this, plate armour is sectioned and specifically designed to have its weight distributed evently across the body, as well as to move well with the rest of the plates. Granted, you will not be as nimble as you are when in regular clothing, plate armour does not actually sacrifice that much agility or speed. It will take a toll, stamina wise, over long distances, but soldiers aren't supposed to wear plate armour for all 20 miles of the march! The second myth is a little less surprising. If plate armour was the end-all defense, it would still be in use today. In reality, there were a varity of weapons that could render plate armour useless, if not dangerous to who was encased in it. Blunt weapons can bend the armour in on its wearer, causing it to limit breathing or cause significant trauma, while spiked weapons can punch through certain parts of the armour, causing damage beneath it. Weapons like the warhammer were created with long, narrow spikes on the back for the soul purpose of punching through plate, and they did so with ridiculous ease. Bolts from crossbows and its more powerful cousin, the arbalest, can easily skewer a man who is in plate.

Mail Armour: Relatively cheap, effective armour that never rusted due to constant friction from the rings, and stopped virtually all slashes.
The Myth: Hailed as an extremely light, easier to maintain alternative to Plate Armour, mail has earned a place as one of the most effective armours in history.
The Reality: Mail is *not* light, nor is it easier to maintain. In fact, if a link in mail breaks, it is probably more of a pain in the ass to mend than a broken breastplate! In addition to this nullification of the myth beyond how pragmatic mail is, is the fact that mail armour could weigh almost as much as plate, and all of that weight is suspended from the shoulders! This means there's more weight pulling down on the body, rather than distributed across it, making it actually feel heavier than plate armour would! It would also cause more strain on the back and legs, causing whoever is wearing it to tire just as quickly, if not faster, than those in plate! It does, however, live up to its reputation of being able to stop virtually all slashes.... unfortunately, stopping the cut isn't the same as stopping the bruise, fracture, or break that the energy from it causes!

The Longbow: Sometimes hailed as the Medieval equivalent of an assault rifle, the Longbow is a legendary weapon that was used widely in the middle-ages, particularly by the inhabitants of the English Isles by the Welsh, Scots, and, of course, English.
The Myth: The Longbow is capable of punching through armour with ease. A second, less common rumour is that it's still simplistic to use.
The Reality: First off, training in the use of Longbow can take a lifetime. The weapons have an immense draw averaging 160 pounds, which requires a great deal of strength to draw and causes bone spur deformations throughout the arm. To add to this, it wasn't so much the bow, as the arrow, that did the armour penetrating. The Bodkin arrow was designed with a flat, wedged head that was intended to punch through armour. And indeed, it makes short work of mail. However, even when fired at a straight angle with a bodkin arrow from only a few yards, the Longbow is still incapable of penetrating a breastplate or shield. The longbow was used in mass numbers to great effect, as horses aren't always protected by plate, and any soldiers who are wearing mail, gambeson, leather, or padded armour were in for a nasty surprise. What made the longbow legendary was the Battle of Agincourt, where it has been misconceived that the longbow played a major role. Indeed, it did knock some French knights over into the mud, causing them to drown, but it wasn't the longbow, so much as the *longbowmen*, who played a decisive role in that battle!

Leather Armour: When some people think 'light armour,' they commonly think of leather. Indeed, leather is a light material, and it can stop a lot of blows - even piercing ones in some cases!
The Myth: Leather armour is light weight, allows a great deal of mobility, and offers some small amount of protection against glancing blows.
The Reality: Hardened leather, aka cuir bouili, is leather that has been boiled and cured into a hard plate. These plates have actually been proven to be quite effective at stopping, or at least blunting, slashes and stabs. However, the plates are horribley inflexible, and if you have leather pauldrons over leather braces and a leather cuirass, the friction and inflexibility of the leather will actually make it difficult to move.

The Pike: Used by many armies to great effect through history, the Pike is a legendary and powerful weapon, capable of killing a foe from more than a safe distance.
The Myth: The Pike is only useful against cavalry and pikemen are at a disadvantage against infantry.
The Legend: A solo-pikemen is screwed in any kind of fight, hence why pikemen are used enmasse... and when you charge a pike wall? It doesn't much matter if you're on a horse or on foot; a sharp spearhead is a sharp spearhead and it's capable of skewering you. The only disadvantage a pike really has against other infantry is if that other infantry happens to be in full Gothic Plate with a nice, tall shield or long, two-handed sword that can swipe the pikes out of the way.