Forums » Elder Scrolls

• Premier Eden

  

  • 152 posts
   

  June 25, 2013 7:33 PM EDT

  OK! Question is how do the actions in game (applying poison to a blade as an example) work in combat???

  Serious answers now "not its a pause menu thing blah blah" If you say that may Molag Bal own your soul for the rest of time!

  This was inspired by my question in the story corner about the mechanics of sword and shield warriors also using a bow! I mean, where the hell does the bow go???

  ideas

  1) how does poison application/potion use work mid combat?

  2) where do shields go when you use a bow?

  3) anything along those lines!

  anddddddd GO!

  May Talos guide you and Arkay bless you!

   

• Vazgen

  

  • 1483 posts
   

  June 25, 2013 7:58 PM EDT

  Poisoned bladed weapons in real life have always been uncommon and not very effective because successful strikes make almost all the poison bleed out almost as soon as the wound is made (not to mention that with such a weapon, simply damaging a major organ or fatality via blood loss works with greater speed and reliability). Blowdarts, throwing spikes and the like are exceptions because they cause very little bleeding, and do manage to inject useful amounts of poison into the body.

• PFD2

  

  • 147 posts
   

  June 25, 2013 8:27 PM EDT

  Well he's the friggin dragonborn, he has an inter-dimensional backpack thats also invisible 

• PFD2

  

  • 147 posts
   

  June 25, 2013 8:27 PM EDT

  He can also apply poison with his mind.

• Premier Eden

  

  • 152 posts
   

  June 25, 2013 8:29 PM EDT

  and Molag Bal now owns your soul

• Premier Eden

  

  • 152 posts
   

  June 25, 2013 8:29 PM EDT

  That's pretty awkward transition, and none of the shields in Skyrim have that function by design (except maybe the bonemould one

• Premier Eden

  

  • 152 posts
   

  June 25, 2013 8:31 PM EDT

  don't tell Bethesda that

• Kynareth

  

  • 140 posts
   

  June 25, 2013 9:32 PM EDT

  I know that this is not acted out in game, but I was reading where some warriors had a stand for their shield to place in front of them while they used their bow.  It was more for coordinated military action though, and not something that would apply for a wandering hero.  

  I think many shields were more of a buckler style in history that would attach at the waist, and allow for a transition to bow or crossbow.  I think the ones in Elder Scrolls are too large to be considered a buckler.  

  I am glad you posted the question, and I hope some historical military experts chime in!  

• Premier Eden

  

  • 152 posts
   

  June 25, 2013 9:57 PM EDT

  the Buckler style is actually a less common style for standard military. It was more of a wander's shield. The military shield was usually like a tower or kite shield from my understanding

• Matt Walker

  

  • 89 posts
   

  June 25, 2013 11:57 PM EDT

  Many shields would have a strap that would allow it to be slung out of the way for use of other weapons or tools (the Companions of Alexander the Great were famous for this, as the strap also helped support the shield allowing more strength to be used to wield their massive pikes).    It could be inferred that the warrior could simply sling it behind him to use the bow, then stow his bow and shrug the shield into place. Slip your arm through the grips and it's go time.

• Premier Eden

  

  • 152 posts
   

  June 26, 2013 12:02 AM EDT

  Problem with that is that none of the skyrim shields are designed for that...

• Cærys Nuul

  

  • 116 posts
   

  June 26, 2013 12:31 AM EDT

  I think the OP's question is quite clear, but it seems to me that the point Vazgen is raising is this: "Why even worry about how the poison gets applied when the very idea of using poison in that way is a non-starter?"

  I think this type of thing is the reason I so rarely use poisons: it breaks the flow of combat by forcing me into menus to select the poison.  Which, seems so weird and meta that I almost never do it.

• Remy

  

  • 59 posts
   

  June 26, 2013 2:09 AM EDT

  I like the question and answers. That said:

  It might be that the shields of Skyrim are not designed like that, but that is how games work (design over practical use*). BTW: the land of Skyrim has magic, magic straps?

  *See the female armor discussions in the girl gamer section. Breastplate is actually lethal...

• Zach Draconis

  

  • 106 posts
   

  June 26, 2013 2:32 AM EDT

  Why is there no poison enchant??? Mod time 

• Morta

  

  • 33 posts
   

  June 26, 2013 3:27 AM EDT

  I would add another question:

  Where the hell do staves go when you sheath them?

• Cærys Nuul

  

  • 116 posts
   

  June 26, 2013 4:09 AM EDT

  I can't buy that answer.  Essentially, unless something is explicitly stated as being magical and thereby skirting the rules of physics, I always assume that it is NOT magical.  This goes for fantasy games, comic books (in which powers/mutations usually replace the word "magic"), movies, etc.

  Just because impossible things can happen does NOT automatically hand-wave away all other issues with believability.  That said, I try pretty hard to not think about the things that happen in-game solely because of good game design/mechanics and not due to reality.

• Cærys Nuul

  

  • 116 posts
   

  June 26, 2013 4:51 AM EDT

  Sure it would... but it would be a COMPLETELY different game.  One in which you are attempting to never get hit by anything... ever.  I am sure that some people would truly like a game like that (take a look at some of the crazy mods that exist that add things like frostbite!)... but not nearly as many.

  I, for one, would hate it.

• Alain Lionhart

  

  • 49 posts
   

  June 26, 2013 4:52 AM EDT

  It doesn't take a genius to awnser these questions:

  1) You smash the poison bottle on the foe's head and then you stab him with it, while he's staggered you can ingest the poison on the shards into his stomach.

  2) The dragonborn throws the shield high into the air. While he is fighting the foe the shield slowly comes down since it's blessed by the almighty dragons. DUHHH!

  Seriously, how can none of you guys come up with these anwsers?

• Cærys Nuul

  

  • 116 posts
   

  June 26, 2013 5:08 AM EDT

  Bushido Blade?  A little Google-fu... pretty sure that must be the one you mean.  I have never played it, but I am pretty sure I would have come to the same conclusion you did had I done so.

• Cærys Nuul

  

  • 116 posts
   

  June 26, 2013 5:22 AM EDT

  Depending on difficulty it could also turn into an endless stream of frustration and broken controllers. 

• Vazgen

  

  • 1483 posts
   

  June 26, 2013 8:06 AM EDT

  Chandler, I looked up the applications of poisons in real life and found a link that you may find useful. Essentially, the poison is not applicable in mid combat in real life, but it can stay on a blade long enough to last through the whole fight. Skyrim's mid combat bladed weapon poisoning seems to me as if you open a bottle and pour the content on the blade, with spilling half of it on the ground. Concentrated Poison perk, makes your poisons more sap like and more of the poison stays on the blade. 

  About shield archery, Kynareth mentioned one technique used by real life archers, those standing shields were called Pavises. Another military tactics include a support man with a shield, covering the archer, and small shields strapped to the arm of the archer, leaving his hand free in the same time. Leonardo da Vinci had another idea for round shield about twenty four inches across which had an opening in the center to shoot through and was attached to the bow. Source

• Shimazu

  

  • 209 posts
   

  July 15, 2013 9:25 AM EDT

  It also renders a levelling system useless.

• Forgotten_Hope

  

  • 10 posts
   

  July 15, 2013 10:31 AM EDT

  Well asking these questions imply the system does work, but it doesn't.

• RuneRed

  

  • 856 posts
   

  July 15, 2013 10:43 AM EDT

  Well all of the shields in Skyrim have improper 'handles'; I mean where did they get that design? - trash can lids.  Except for bucklers, shields should have a strap and a handle - something like one of these:

  

  

   

  

• RuneRed

  

  • 856 posts
   

  July 15, 2013 10:50 AM EDT

  I never apply poisons mid-combat - I always prepare the weapon in advance, and most always that weapon is a bow/crossbow (for reasons Vazgen mentioned earlier).

  The shield goes into that same place as the 30 potions, 4 cheese wheels, 4 boots, 9 suits of leather armor, 9 swords, and 800 arrows go.  Seriously, if you need immersion, do not carry more than you think you would be able to carry.

  I 'imagine' my shield goes on my back when I draw my bow (easy to imagine in first person play). I also imagine that I toss my bow down for melee combat (to pick up later); I don't actually drop my bow; I tried it a few times, but it became too much of a pain to constantly having to recover my bow.