Clubs, Short, and Long Spikes

[Terageld]

In game, I got myself a maul because mauls are awesome. I noticed that it was catagorized under the clubs. This made me question the weapons system.
I don't understand what short and long spikes mean. Does "short" and "long" refer to the length of the "spike" or the pole/handle of the weapon?

If it goes by length of spike:
SHORT SPIKES:
Maces (light and heavy), light hammers, mauls, warhammers (maybe...)
LONG SPIKES:
Picks, mattocks, gardening hoe

If it goes by length of pole/handle
SHORT SPIKES:
Light maces, light hammers,
LONG SPIKES:
Heavy maces, warhammes, mauls, mattocks, gardening hoe

I think clubs should remain clubs. They should be weapons you could see either a caveman or a policeman holding. I don't think a maul is a club.

[Maetha]

A maul is traditionally this in appearance. So it has no spikes at all, thus it makes for a fine club. And, to be honest, if the only clubs you can wield are the stray knotted pieces of wood, you might as well remove the weapon type entirely, since I don't see people using it at that point

[Larethiel]

Personally, I have seen people using clubs. And keep in mind, it is not only PCs that wield weapons and there are countless NPCs out there wielding clubs and weapon types not so popular with some players.

PS: There never was such a thing as a caveman. A caveman as referring to early hominids and humans.

[Terageld]

I'm gonna post twice because quoting twice in one post is too hard.

A maul is traditionally this in appearance. So it has no spikes at all, thus it makes for a fine club. And, to be honest, if the only clubs you can wield are the stray knotted pieces of wood, you might as well remove the weapon type entirely, since I don't see people using it at that point

Awesome maul you got there. I know the thing is suppose to look like a sledgehammer who spent too much time the gym. The "spike" is kinda the striking surface. Same goes fo warhammers. Some maces don't have "spikes" either, being just a metal ball, or a flanges acting as striking surfaces. Short spikes, if "short" refers to length of spike, would include these weapons, as the distance between the striking surface and the weapon pole is short.
Is that a good description? I don't know how else to describe it. Sorry if I'm not making any sense.

Edit: And don't fun of clubs. Clubs are awesome. I've actually got one lying around somewhere. It's actually a branch that fell out of a tree, that I whittled a little and stuck a few nails through. It's horrifying. I shouldn't have this thing in my room.

[Terageld]

PS: There never was such a thing as a caveman.

*blink*
What?
Wikipedia says on her "Caveman" article,

A caveman or troglodyte is a stock character based upon widespread concepts of the way in which Neanderthals or early humans...

Then I searched for "Troglodyte" on the Forgotten Realms Wikia.
http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Troglodyte
They aren't what I thought they looked like, but they do exist. They're like stinky lizardmen, the size of kobolds. I guess they used clubs... I don't even know what I'm arguing at this point.

[Alitar]

Bigger than Kobolds, by a whole size category.

[Terageld]

Bigger than Kobolds, by a whole size category.

Right. Sorry 'bout that. I've always thought kobolds were vicious dog-goblins, just a step away from gnolls, until very recently when I read the wikia more carefully. It never occured to me that they were halfling sized and kinda cute in a weird lizardy way. Looking back on ye olden days, I probably looked a lot less badass than I thought when I challanged four kobolds at once.

[Maetha]

Personally, I have seen people using clubs. And keep in mind, it is not only PCs that wield weapons and there are countless NPCs out there wielding clubs and weapon types not so popular with some players.

SNIP.

I deny. MORE DOUBLESWORDS, MORE DIRE FLAILS!

[Gwain]

Mauls should stay as great clubs, its better for use in this game world. You can always claim its something else though.

[Terageld]

But what about everything else? The organizing doesn't make sense right now, and it's slowly driving me nuts.
I propose ditching the 'clubs' weapon type and reorganizing,
Smashers: Mauls, heavy and light maces, clubs
Spikes (combined long and short): Picks, mattock, gardening hoe
The warhammer becomes a variable weapon. You get to choose to use it as a smashing weapon or a spike.

I also have a seperate question. Is the FR wikia a reliable source for FK? The page on "morningstar" claims that the weapon is a large spiked mace, not a ball on a chain. It the wikia is to be trusted, morningstar would go under "Smashers", and the original ball on a chain would go under chains. We might as well combine the "Chains" and "Great chains" at this point.

[Alitar]

It's a lot of work that I genuinely don't see any pay off for.

[Terageld]

Now that you mention that, it does seem kind of petty. It's really just for more realistic organization purposes. I'll throw this thread into my time capsule and dig it up again in four or five years to see how we feel about it then.