Greatsword
Exceedingly long and heavy straight-edged swords of the western tradition, notable for their very long grip, which allowed two hands with some space between them for added leverage- like a sledgehammer, but less balanced. These weapons were... uncommon. In the few accounts of their use in actual warfare, it seems they either were treated the same as long swords, or the longest varieties took on a role similar to pikemen, with a focus on slaying horses, or clotheslining riders from their saddles. Although they are designed for a thrusting kill-stroke, there isn't much record of them being used as such. Really, many of these were so heavy, that the broken bones and concussions from being struck by it were probably more than enough to kill most men. (Go find an industrial pry-bar, the 5-foot kind, and try swinging it around by the weighted end. It isn't easy, and it'll give you an idea of just how impractical and terrifying these things really are.)
Other Names for Greatswords
- Claymore. A Scottish word for a great sword. The Scottish weapon smiths crafted their hilts with forward-tilted crossguards more often than the craftsmen farther east or south. The Scots occasionally used these to arm their so-called "berserkers", though axes and various cudgels were more common.
- Flambard. Also flammard or flammenschwert, a wave-bladed sword.
- Nodachi. Also Ĺdachi, or literally Japanese for "great sword". Wood block prints of samurai show this sword was no larger than what we would expect from a greatsword, and the curved blade does not significantly change the greatsword's statistics.
- Two-Pronged Sword. A trope in modern fiction, a dual-pronged sword usually consists of two parallel blades on one hilt, with sharp edges pointing outwards and blunt edges pointed inward. It is occasionally used to catch the heads of polearms, or create resonance at a particular frequency as a tuning fork does.
- Zweihander. The German great sword, and the longest style of great sword ever made in the real world. In the single account of their use in combat, they filled in the back ranks of a contingent of pikemen, and their job was to kill horses and their riders during a cavalry charge.