TigerBlooImmortal Why not use an unorthodox weapon then? Like an everyday object that is changed up a bit in the story to make a whole new weapon. Like a feather since it can act as a fan, a sword(which considering your taste is not an option), a long range weapon if you use the barb(the soft fluffy part protruding from the quill) as a sort of needle gun, and once it runs out of needles you can use the quill itself as a spear. You can choose one of these options as your weapon base and imagine it like Sun Wukong’s staff and it can shrink or grow so it is easy and convenient for the MC to carry around. When meeting a high ranking official the guards may take away your weapons, but who would take away a small feather?
Sword are wayyyyy to overused
Elude What baited you?
EldridSmith Whip swords are the only type of swords.
lynerparel Tbh fists are rarely used primarily by MCs. and when they were it tends to only be for a short part of the novel.
MarcheHare haha so true
EldridSmith I understand the use of swords but it's like this, everyone uses swords so wouldn't there be a basic defense for them no matter the type of sword? I mean on a basic level it's been used so much everyone and their mother has probably heard of or seen a move similar or the same as any sword move you can come up with, and swords are really just overused, but each author makes it seem as if the use of the sword is the most rare thing ever
Elude I'll leave it to your imagination
UnjustlyUnderpaid truebut I'm OK with it being used as a sword as the idea itself is truly unorthodox and unique, it's not the swords themselves I dislike it's the authors constant use of them in the same way not even trying to make it special, for example a regular sword handle, with a long thin sword about 6 feet, that's unique and not something you see
Elude we are fellow daoist discussing the dao
TigerBlooImmortal I'm merely pointing out that you generalize swords too much, however I do agree.
Even my mc uses a normal sword, but this is also tied to his heritage... well anyways I get your point.
EldridSmith I understand you to
EldridSmith what is yours called, maybe I'll give it a read
4 days later
lynerparel
Nah, the only character I have seen stick with this is Shi Yan from Battle Through the Heavens, but he is more of a mage type fighter using the incredible control he has over his many heavenly flames later on in the story if I recall correctly.
TigerBlooImmortal Hahahaha I was just thinking about how swords are used too much
What about a rather simple weapon. Alright, so it is a Dual-Ended halberd. I will link a conceptual image.
And, what if the staff part of it can change into chains? So have a cultivator who cultivates the Dao of Metal, giving him the ability to alter the weapon slightly while maintaining the shape?
Ewww too kinky you little creep!!!!!
like what the heck hahahahaha
Yeah, and because he hates it, he just melts it down and makes a meter long ruler (thick and blunt) ahaha
In a book called Painting the Mists (on RRL, incredibly high-quality eastern fantasy Wn btw), the main character uses a massive brush that can alter its size.
WorstNameEver
Precisely, things like that are always fun and shows off the author’s creativness
WorstNameEver cause of death: rough bristle attack,
i like it
- Edited
A spear is considered the best weapon for melee combat. Spearmen often used swords as a backup.
Swordplay is famous due to its complexity, and the fact its considered an art and presentation.
at least for moderately trained people and below.
Nah he is a Combat Formation and Talisman user. Basically uses special focuses that are unaligned to an attribute and places very special runes on them to align them to his cultivation technique. These focuses are arragned in particular ways while activating certain elements (he is a 5 element+ Creation and Destruction cultivation technique) then connects the focuses with line using his bruch to make formations while fighting
He also uses talismans
UnjustlyUnderpaid
Yeah you ahould read it. He fights wth formations and Talismans (really gets detailed past book 2 though).
The way they work though is really cool.
One of the most creative ways of fighting I have seen because the way formations are actually made in combat is amazing.
Swords a popular so people generally tend to be more familiar with swords. They seem to be easy to wield or easy to describe wielding since it's a concept that is easy to understand. However, different swords have different uses and different techniques and those are very rarely mentioned. Some smash, some slash while others impale. Some have protrusions that can catch the opponents weapon or even limbs while others can easily maneuver around shields. Also, urumis exist and they're technically swords. Generic swords are overused but there are so many different types out there and they're so prevalent in almost any culture. It's just one of those things that need to be researched. Have so much information and history behind them to not include them without good reason would break the immersion.
Anyway, there isnt one way of the sword but multiple. Some for combat while others for show.
In case you ever need ideas for unique weapons, do what I do-
Go to this website, and pick a weapon from their huge list. Try to find something you haven't heard of or seen used very much.
https://www.d20pfsrd.com/equipment/weapons
Once that's done, if you want to make it magical and have unique abilities, just use the magic weapon creation chart from the same website.
https://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/magic-weapons
No one needs to know that you're using game templates to write your fantasy world, but trust me when I say using things like this is a massive boon for developing unique content quickly.
WorstNameEver hahah I really love to see the face of the legendary sword being reduce to a ruler
- Edited
Ikr, their treasure spirit's face would be horrified.
I actually have a trolly idea now. So this noble Primordial Spirit Sword with a dignified appearance (in weapon and spirit form) is melted down into a meter-long ruler and the spirit form is altered as a result.
His new appearance, a 50-yr old looking teacher! Like one of those male teachers who looks like a pervert/child molester.
OMFG imagine how funny that would be hahaha
I going for needles that use massage 
& can use healer or kill ppl like movie:Kiss of the dragon
I going for needles that use massage & can use healer or kill ppl like movie:Kiss of the dragon
2 months later
Seink I might be thinking of doing something similar, but the hammers can merge into a warhammer.
WorstNameEver that's cool
Gotta Pierce Everyone with Stakes.
TigerBlooImmortal
So, I got immensely excited since this is a post about weapons and I recently did some research about them and is excited to discuss about it.
Swords. Why are they so common? So well described and used in novels.
The reason is their diverse nature. With a sword, u can make ur character follow any role he\she wants. A dark character, give a dark sword, a good character, give a sword of justice or light. It is all too common.
Moreover, Swords aren't all that easy to learn and master and there is a fair bit of training reqd to master it. Weapons like axes and maces are more common and easy to use.
The reason why Swords are difficult to master is because one needs to master to counter the weight of the blade while striking and simply slashing doesnt do any damage.
Axes and maces r more liberal in such cases as their weights r predefined. They are always at the tip of the weapon and not at the hilt or centre. This makes the weapon easier to use and also 'barbaric'.
Spears, on the otherhand is lies somewhere between a sword and all other weapons. But they are definitely not easily to master. Yes, easier than swords but not easier than axes or maces. U still need to think about how to poke before using it.
everyone cab poke, true, but to poke at the criticals, using thr weight to do max damnge, requires practice. But they are far more common and eaier, so Yea, they are good alternatives.
Hammers on the other hand is completely for different purpose. They were developed in the medieval ages in Europe to combat the exclusive full plate knight armor. They ate for impact damage and are intended to kill people inside their own armors.
There's more but let's keep it short.
Use in cultivation novels.
I would personally recommend using a sword rather than any other weapon because
1. They are diverse.
2. Can u guarantee hat u know everything about the weapon u give to ur mc? Welp! I'm not, so better not use it in a cultivation novek where one must master the mysteries if a wepaon. That's a minimum, frnd.
3. Have u fixed the character of ur mc? If he's going to be a strong character, give him a hammer. If he's a crafty, dark character give him a knife, dagger, scythe or something unconventional. If ur mc's from a tribe or village, without complete knowledge of weapon, give him a axe or mace. And if he's from the army, give him a spear. Perfect isn't it? For pure cultivation knowledge, u should really go for some old weapons like brush, whip, fists n swords would do good. Otherwise, u can use any that goes up.
4. Don't make a mess. Eg, use a hammer and then make slashing sounds. Thats insane. Make it go boom or bam!!
Lastly, I would agree that swords are overly used. True, but that's only becos 90% have no idea what a weapon is or what it does. So, to not make a mess of their novels, they go with the mass. Not their fault, weapons are more than just killing machines.
As for the person who mentioned use of greatsword in Battle Through Heaven, have u ever seen the manhua depiction of a greatsword. That's blasphemy.
That's no greatsword, I tell u. That's a fucking door.
Please, guys, not living swords is good. But maiking a door out of a greatsword is no way.
And for that person who mentioned about Japanese katana. Sorry to inform u but in japan, there is no other weapon other katana
Everything follows the katana design, just a little bit different on the sword:hilt ratio. Chck it out, I'm not lying. Eg, naginata. Its a different form of katana with a huge hilt part. Large enough to make it a pole weapon.
In japan, other than yumi and naginata, I havent seen much weapon variation.
Things like throwing stars were used but not as main weapon.
If anyone has contradictory ideas, do pm me.
For more info, visit YouTube content creators like skallagrim, Megatron, etc.
TigerBlooImmortal
WorstNameEver
Nice 
. I support it if u are going for a single-man army type mc. Can sweep the battlefield with that sort of weapon.
Btw, can I ask where u got that img from?
Cos that's Orthos Prime from Warframe. I'm a huge fan of that game, so u know. R u too??
JunkieOverThe_Moon
thats cool. In my series, I have 5 planned books and each fights differently due to the nature of their power and the benefits such power gives them.
Book 1: MC will use a Staff, but he can make weapons out of Qi. However, the way the staff was made allows it to channel qi incredibly well; the main character uses this property to use his qi weapon creation skills to make the staff turn into a different polearm depending on the situation.
This works because his physical capabilities are balanced and his Qi-attributes are incredibly versatile.
For example; the enemy has heavy armour, he makes a hammerhead on his staff and that makes it a hammer.
Enemy's defence is weak against incredibly focused attacks; the mc will make his staff a spear. Stuff like that.
Book 2: MC isn't human, so he will use his natural beastly weapons like claws. So he is a melee fighter of a unarmed combat fashion.
Book 3: MC uses a bow because he is naturally fast and his powers are some of the best mobility and escape types given that he uses Space and Time.
Book 4: Main character uses a sword and is a reincarnation (9 lives so plenty of time to master the sword).
Book 5: MC is the Dual weilding single handed hammers that merge into a two handed warhammer.
JunkieOverThe_Moon I used to be, but stopped playing due to time contraints rip.
Seink They would look like Mjolnir and he can throw them like Thor can xD.
- Edited
I agree about the overused swords. Everytime I see a protagonist with a sword, my interest in a series decreases by a large margin. Knives, staves, and spears are pretty common. I've seen a few protagonists who use bow and arrows, sabers, gauntlets, hammers, scythes, guns, their fists, string, or something a bit more unique. But I don't think I've seen a protagonist use an axe or a fan throughout a series. >3</
Im a fan of complete originality and purity. That means that if I use a sword, I will make it so that the sword is actually used. Not the swishing of swords and magic coming out. The practical killing sword, down grossly.
If I used any other I would get good understanding before putting it.
Btw, I use greatswords in my novel and I intend to use it at its best.