Clay maker weapons

Clay peeps have a huge problem when it comes to defense.

Being able to make basic slings and use clay balls as ammo would be great.

10 Likes

ranged starter weapons…

:thinking:

…
I actaually really like that idea, to be honest.

4 Likes

I have been thinking of this for quite awhile. I really think it would really fit with the theme of Raya’s Children :jubilant:

3 Likes

I intended to add both clay weapons and armors into my Armis Maximus mod but in doing some research there wasn’t really any armor OR weapons that were clay based. Aztec had clay balls “seasoned” with obsidian shards for their slings and ancient Mesopotamia had both “fidget spinners” and mace heads that were made from clay. Unfortunately for the latter it was probably more ornamental / ceremonial then actually for fighting. Even less for armor :frowning: . I found both of these interesting as we now can create ceramics harder than most metals. At any rate I didn’t have any good real life models to use to try and keep it “real” hence why there are still none in the mod.

2 Likes

That’s a really cool idea! So far Rayas Children have no differences for their combat. Giving them stone/obsidian weapons to start with would be cool and kind of… mesoamerican?

Actually requested the slings because of the info on spiked balls used by the aztecs. If obsidian could be mined rayas children could create a sling out of clay+obsidian thus fitting the historical accuracy of the addition.

Using clay to temper blades is also something done to improve the quality of a blade.

2 Likes

Maybe some clay explosives:

Barrels, fire pots and other breakable containers of pitch, Greek fire, and other incendiary mixtures could be thrown;

From the 12th century, Muslims in Syria were using clay and glass grenades for fire weapons, thrown by machines.

Byzantine sources recorded the demolition of stone structures caused by placing clay pots of burning charcoal at the base of walls moistened with vinegar

The defenders filled a clay jar with chicken feathers, which they then lit, using bellows to blow the acrid smoke down the tunnel; unable to approach the pot due to defensive spears, the Romans were forced to abandon their works.

2 Likes

Alternatively…why not add a method for the potter to make ceramic clay, and make ceramic weapons?

1 Like

Luke talked about this during that last livestream. The issue with ceramic is that it’s too brittle. Modern day ceramic can be very strong but that’s because it’s more of a metal/ceramic alloy of sorts.

2 Likes

True, and currently there’s no way to break weapons, or you could just make ceramic clubs that break in one hit, but do a lot of damage from that concussive force plus leaving shards in the enemy.

For ease of conversation, the correct term is a ceramics-metal composite, or composite for short, although composite refers to a broader group of materials with two vastly different components.

Luke also said that it is kind-of a fantasy game though, and we also have the reinforced wooden door which uses iron ore, so it’s not like other crafters can’t work with ore, albeit very limited. The blacksmiths hammer also requires copper ore. The decorative vases require both copper and iron ore.

1 Like

There is at least one instance I’m aware of where terracotta armour was worn in ancient China, it wasn’t terribly effective but it did help significantly against arrows… for a time. It was basically ablative armour, many panels might be destroyed in a battle but as long as each stopped the incoming blow then it had done its job. A new panel could be added in to replace the smashed one.

That design, however, wouldn’t really work in Stonehearth I’m afraid.

One option for the RC though is to take advantage of the early weaver options (i.e. larger numbers of spindly bushes) to make cloth and leather armour. I really like the idea of slings as well, they fit into the desert setting and would work well with stone for ammo (rather than clay, since stone is less labour-intensive.)

2 Likes

Question, Why is everyone concerned with era specific tech? There are zombies, goblins, and turnip turrets. We have priests that magically heal hearthlings. I can understand the need to draw inspiration from irl to come up with ideas in Stonehearth but I dont believe it should restrict truly necessary functionality.

2 Likes