Slings are an underrated weapon in most games if they even appear, i propose that slings be added to the game
===Basics===
Slings would be a one handed projectile weapon for players
slings would have somewhat less damage then long bows or crossbows but better damage then shortbows
however slings may be used with some shield types like bucklers, targes, light shields or a light offhand weapon unlike bows or crossbows which generally are 2 handed weapons
slings would have a better range then shortbows or crossbows but less then longbows
The speed would be around shortbow speed because irl a good slinger could fire 10 shots per minute
slings would be far more dependent on the user's skill then bows or crossbows are for damage and accuracy
the slings base damage based on material type and tier is somewhat worse then bows/crossbows so the user depends on good skill and good ammo more unlike bows/crossbows
slings would use strength as their governing attribute instead of agility/dexterity since slings use a different method and way of firing ammo then bows do, bows and crossbows use mechincal tension to fire projectiles but slings rely on the user's own strength
the advantages of slings would be they are far easier and cheaper to make then any other ranged weapon, ammo is far easier to make and obtain for slings, it also provides a nice ranged option for poor players, starter characters, monks, light traveling players and npcs
An additional idea to make them more useful is slings have a chance to knockback foes unlike bows or crossbows
===Slings Themselves===
The skill requirements or materials needed to make slings and their ammo is far less then bows and arrows, ideal for poor players, new players, players out in the field or light traveling players
Slings and their ammo would weigh far less then bows/crossbows and their ammo,
slings maybe don't even have a weight due to their design (this is partially based of D&D) unlike bows/cbows
Additionally like irl players could wear it as a belt or necklace or headband to save room in inventory or to travel more lightly when not using it as a weapon
sling ammo has little weight due to the size and shape, maybe even less then arrows/bolts
===Making Slings===
Slings could easily be crafted in the field without need of a forge, workshop or any type of tool needed unlike bows/crossbows or their ammo which require several tools or a workshop
players could have a special ability similar to the lesser powers in skyrim, this ability would let them attempt to make a sling where ever they currently are if they have the materials and are not in combat, this is also ideal for survival based players so they don't need workbenchs or shops
Slings could be crafted from wool, animal hair, plant and tree roots, sinew, a creature's gut, hide and leather obtained from foes slain, rush, reeds, vines, jute, hemp, flax, rope, certain types of ferns and bark and maybe even metal chain(like for jewelry)
Braided and plaited slings irl are generally considered to be the best type of slings, perhaps with the craft skill players can learn to make the better types with better materials
===Making and Getting Sling Ammo===
slings would use bullets or rocks as ammo
players can make metal bullets from metal bars, this requires less skill then making arrows and materials, only metal bars are needed for making metal sling bullets unlike arrows which might need wood, feathers and metal for creation, metal bullets would have the best damage potential of all sling ammo but weigh the most and have higher requirements to make
clay bullets can also be made by players by mining clay near water then baking it in a kiln, as with metal bullets, only clay is needed, they have the second best damage potential and weigh 2nd most
players can also use rocks as ammo, these weigh the least but have the weakest damage (though they are still deadly) and are very easy to find
players can obtain rocks when mining for ore, from foes, from vendors or from smelters
Players also could have a special ability called search area: when used the character spends some time searching for rocks in the area
Using the search ability near natural water sources greatly increases the amount and chances of suitable rocks being found, irl the best rocks were found by rivers and shores
Clay bullets and rocks are always lost on use but metal bullets have a decent chance of being able to be recovered, for rock ammo it’s not an issue as they can be found basically anywhere
An additional idea based of rl history is players can also have aerodynamic ammo, this ammo in an ovoid shape is more aerodynamic and fits in a sling better, when used, the ammo travels further and is more likely to hit a foe
Metal and clay bullets can be made aerodynamic with the right skill but require somewhat more skill then regular bullets to make
Aerodynamic rocks are random chance if they are aerodynamic when found, though rocks from rivers and shores are more likely to be aerodynamic due to how flowing water shapes them over time
=== Sling Conclusion===
slings would be excellent ranged weapons for character types like monks, clerics, minimal item types, farmers, wanderers, pilgrims, priests, survivalist and hunters
slings could be extremely common for most npcs and foes to carry, the humble peasants , farmers, hunters and monks would almost certainly carry a sling and know how to use it, it would help against wolves, bandits or other threats, the sling irl was a commoners weapon and often sadly seen as a lower class weapon while bows and crossbows were more the rich persons or military weapon of choices despite slings being able to be just as deadly
slings are also good ranged options for non agility based ranged characters like warriors instead of bows that use strength and carry heavy equipment on them and need a lighter ranged weapon option
Slings being able to be used with shields also gives ranged characters some interesting options for combat
slings not requiring tools or a workbench to make gives them a nice edge over other ranged weapons
bows and crossbows were more rare then fantasy tends to make you think they are since they require a skilled crafter and tools to make as well as make the ammo, slings? You can make one easy anywhere with no tools and rock ammo is basically free and everywhere
there's no real reason why pretty much any non super rich person wouldn't carry a sling, it weighs next to nothing and ammo is super easy to find, seriously go outside and search for any small rocks for 5 minutes
Slings are good at short, medium and long range for battle
slings irl were fully capable of being just as lethal as bows against foes, even armored foes as they could break bones, shatter swords, cause concussions, contusions and cause fatal internal injuries and bleeding
Virtually every ancient army used slingers to some degree.
Slingers from the island of Rhodes were considered to be very skilled compared to other Greeks; so much so that Xenophon asked his Rhodian hoplites to be slingers instead.
The Spanish Balearic Islands were also famous for the skill of their slingers; being employed as mercenaries by the empires of Carthage and Rome.
The tematlatl was a sling that atzec warriors used that spanned as much as 2.2 metres , could fire stones that were the size of a chicken egg. Often the stones were custom chosen and sharpened as well to inflict more damage. The tematlatl had a range equal and sometimes greater than bows, could kill a horse in one blow, hurt even heavy armored foes well and shatter swords
this is a chance and a way to portray slings in a realistic and good way for a change
===Basics===
Slings would be a one handed projectile weapon for players
slings would have somewhat less damage then long bows or crossbows but better damage then shortbows
however slings may be used with some shield types like bucklers, targes, light shields or a light offhand weapon unlike bows or crossbows which generally are 2 handed weapons
slings would have a better range then shortbows or crossbows but less then longbows
The speed would be around shortbow speed because irl a good slinger could fire 10 shots per minute
slings would be far more dependent on the user's skill then bows or crossbows are for damage and accuracy
the slings base damage based on material type and tier is somewhat worse then bows/crossbows so the user depends on good skill and good ammo more unlike bows/crossbows
slings would use strength as their governing attribute instead of agility/dexterity since slings use a different method and way of firing ammo then bows do, bows and crossbows use mechincal tension to fire projectiles but slings rely on the user's own strength
the advantages of slings would be they are far easier and cheaper to make then any other ranged weapon, ammo is far easier to make and obtain for slings, it also provides a nice ranged option for poor players, starter characters, monks, light traveling players and npcs
An additional idea to make them more useful is slings have a chance to knockback foes unlike bows or crossbows
===Slings Themselves===
The skill requirements or materials needed to make slings and their ammo is far less then bows and arrows, ideal for poor players, new players, players out in the field or light traveling players
Slings and their ammo would weigh far less then bows/crossbows and their ammo,
slings maybe don't even have a weight due to their design (this is partially based of D&D) unlike bows/cbows
Additionally like irl players could wear it as a belt or necklace or headband to save room in inventory or to travel more lightly when not using it as a weapon
sling ammo has little weight due to the size and shape, maybe even less then arrows/bolts
===Making Slings===
Slings could easily be crafted in the field without need of a forge, workshop or any type of tool needed unlike bows/crossbows or their ammo which require several tools or a workshop
players could have a special ability similar to the lesser powers in skyrim, this ability would let them attempt to make a sling where ever they currently are if they have the materials and are not in combat, this is also ideal for survival based players so they don't need workbenchs or shops
Slings could be crafted from wool, animal hair, plant and tree roots, sinew, a creature's gut, hide and leather obtained from foes slain, rush, reeds, vines, jute, hemp, flax, rope, certain types of ferns and bark and maybe even metal chain(like for jewelry)
Braided and plaited slings irl are generally considered to be the best type of slings, perhaps with the craft skill players can learn to make the better types with better materials
===Making and Getting Sling Ammo===
slings would use bullets or rocks as ammo
players can make metal bullets from metal bars, this requires less skill then making arrows and materials, only metal bars are needed for making metal sling bullets unlike arrows which might need wood, feathers and metal for creation, metal bullets would have the best damage potential of all sling ammo but weigh the most and have higher requirements to make
clay bullets can also be made by players by mining clay near water then baking it in a kiln, as with metal bullets, only clay is needed, they have the second best damage potential and weigh 2nd most
players can also use rocks as ammo, these weigh the least but have the weakest damage (though they are still deadly) and are very easy to find
players can obtain rocks when mining for ore, from foes, from vendors or from smelters
Players also could have a special ability called search area: when used the character spends some time searching for rocks in the area
Using the search ability near natural water sources greatly increases the amount and chances of suitable rocks being found, irl the best rocks were found by rivers and shores
Clay bullets and rocks are always lost on use but metal bullets have a decent chance of being able to be recovered, for rock ammo it’s not an issue as they can be found basically anywhere
An additional idea based of rl history is players can also have aerodynamic ammo, this ammo in an ovoid shape is more aerodynamic and fits in a sling better, when used, the ammo travels further and is more likely to hit a foe
Metal and clay bullets can be made aerodynamic with the right skill but require somewhat more skill then regular bullets to make
Aerodynamic rocks are random chance if they are aerodynamic when found, though rocks from rivers and shores are more likely to be aerodynamic due to how flowing water shapes them over time
=== Sling Conclusion===
slings would be excellent ranged weapons for character types like monks, clerics, minimal item types, farmers, wanderers, pilgrims, priests, survivalist and hunters
slings could be extremely common for most npcs and foes to carry, the humble peasants , farmers, hunters and monks would almost certainly carry a sling and know how to use it, it would help against wolves, bandits or other threats, the sling irl was a commoners weapon and often sadly seen as a lower class weapon while bows and crossbows were more the rich persons or military weapon of choices despite slings being able to be just as deadly
slings are also good ranged options for non agility based ranged characters like warriors instead of bows that use strength and carry heavy equipment on them and need a lighter ranged weapon option
Slings being able to be used with shields also gives ranged characters some interesting options for combat
slings not requiring tools or a workbench to make gives them a nice edge over other ranged weapons
bows and crossbows were more rare then fantasy tends to make you think they are since they require a skilled crafter and tools to make as well as make the ammo, slings? You can make one easy anywhere with no tools and rock ammo is basically free and everywhere
there's no real reason why pretty much any non super rich person wouldn't carry a sling, it weighs next to nothing and ammo is super easy to find, seriously go outside and search for any small rocks for 5 minutes
Slings are good at short, medium and long range for battle
slings irl were fully capable of being just as lethal as bows against foes, even armored foes as they could break bones, shatter swords, cause concussions, contusions and cause fatal internal injuries and bleeding
Virtually every ancient army used slingers to some degree.
Slingers from the island of Rhodes were considered to be very skilled compared to other Greeks; so much so that Xenophon asked his Rhodian hoplites to be slingers instead.
The Spanish Balearic Islands were also famous for the skill of their slingers; being employed as mercenaries by the empires of Carthage and Rome.
The tematlatl was a sling that atzec warriors used that spanned as much as 2.2 metres , could fire stones that were the size of a chicken egg. Often the stones were custom chosen and sharpened as well to inflict more damage. The tematlatl had a range equal and sometimes greater than bows, could kill a horse in one blow, hurt even heavy armored foes well and shatter swords
this is a chance and a way to portray slings in a realistic and good way for a change