CLSWiki: Requiem/Fighting

A disclaimer. I'm not good at fighting. But I believe I have the basic principles right, so I'm going to go ahead and write down what I think they are in a semi in-character kind of way.

Fighting, by Zaknaufein Tinifel

: First Take Your Sword

To fight, you need a weapon; any fool may tell you that. But I look around on the practice fields and even the field of battle and see so many people wielding weapons that they are very unsuited to. If you've a choice, then choose, roughly as follows:

Pick up your sword. Is it so heavy it requires too strong a grip? Is it so light it cannot parry a blow easily?
Swing your sword, strike and parry at the air. Is the balance to your liking? The weapon should feel light, almost alive in your hand.
Can you change the sword's direction easily? When you pull a strike, the tip of the weapon should come back in a straight line.
Now imagine yourself fighting with this sword. Would you look silly wielding it? Can you imagine wielding a better weapon? If the answer to either question is yes, then get yourself a better one.

We'll cover other weapons later.

: Proper Stance, Footwork and Guard

If you aren't standing right, you will fall over your own feet! If you aren't holding your blade right (guarding), you will die quickly! Make neither mistake.

Stand with your feet a comfortable distance apart, facing your opponent. Move your right foot (assuming you are right handed) forwards half a step. Turn your left foot sideways. Bend your knees slightly. This is the beginning of a proper stance.
Take your sword in your right hand. It's a deadly weapon; point it at people you wish to kill! I'm serious here. Bend your elbow. Point your weapon at your foe, with the hilt at about waist level and the blade slightly higher than the hilt. This is the middle guard, the simplest to learn and fight with. From here you can parry any cut at your chest, head or arms without issue, and the other common cuts without that much peril.
Don't forget your left hand! It's not just there to wave at people. Some people like to keep their off hand behind their back, or out behind them with a flourish. I like to use mine for balance, and to look good - I hold it out to the side, approximately in the same plane as my back leg.
If you look better than your opponent, you're more likely to win.
When you move, move smoothly like a cat. Cats don't walk stiff legged, and they don't cross their legs over; follow their example. The stalking of a cat is one continuous fluid motion, with weight moving smoothly from one place to another: this is how to move. When you dodge, do so quickly and without misstep. And when you strike, do so fast and without warning.

: Proper Defence

If you cannot parry or void an attack, you will be dead. Dead people can't win fights. So don't get dead.

See the attack incoming. Know your opponent's reach: are they going to hit you? If so, you must stop the attack hitting you.
If you can, void rather than parry. To 'void' is to dodge an attack, preferably in such a way as to let you strike back immediately; a parry ties up your sword whereas a void does not. This is accomplished with a short catlike step or jump - or sometimes just a lean or twist of the body.
If you must parry, then do so as follows. Move the entire weapon to strike at their weapon, deflecting their blow away rather than meeting it directly. Then return to your guard, or preferably strike them immediately. The point of your weapon should be always nearer to pointing at them then the point of theirs is to pointing at you - thus you have less far to move your weapon to strike them.
Do not parry just with a wrist movement. It will be ineffective.
Do not parry just with a movement of the hilt of the blade. It will be effective, but leave you very open to a second attack.
Always, but always, return to your guard position after a parry.
If you see a master teaching a student, you will notice that the student's blade goes further and further away from pointing at the master while the master's blade hardly moves from the guard position. Be the master not the student.

: Proper Attack

The best way not to die is to kill your foe. Likely they are fitter and stronger than you, so do not think to tire them out by hours of perfect parries before making a single killing strike! Whoever is fighting on the defensive must be lucky every single time the other attacks. Whoever is fighting on the offensive must only be lucky once. Be on the offensive.

Do not stab with the point of your weapon, even if the blow looks likely to miss. Do not lunge with the point aimed so as to stab, with the intention of making a cut with a wrist flick.
Make every blow from the guard position. Aim it wherever you feel like, but start in the guard position.
Always pull your blows. They can be as fast as you like, but learn how to pull a blow to any target from any starting position.
Always return to the guard position. If you do not, you will be struck in return.
If they parry well, beware your foe's answer to your strike! It may be an idea to void even before they strike, if you wouldn't be able to parry any strike they did make.
If they parry poorly, attack again! And again! And again! Drive them back; drive them into the ground and cut off their legs!
If they look intimidated, scare them! Shout! Jump! Attack quickly and often!
Remember that it's possible to feint and play false. Look like you're making the obvious attack, and then do something else. Keep your opponent guessing.

: Proper Tactics

The best way to kill your foe is from behind, or if they're lying down, or unarmed, or asleep, or already dying. Do not fight fair if you can avoid it.

United you stand, divided you fall. If you are outnumbered, stick together. Watch one another's backs.
If you have no opponent, then no matter how little damage you can do you are a massive asset to the fight. A surrounded foe is a dead one, so get behind the enemy line. They will turn around and then your best fighters get to stab them in the back.
Do not scatter by 'trying to outflank them'. A circle of you around a circle of enemies is good, but scattered bunches of you being pursued by superior enemies is very very bad. Wait until battle is joined to get behind them.
Kill the weak. This sounds silly, but it's a very good strategy. If there are four enemies attacking you, and one is strong while the others are weak, kill the weak ones while keeping the strong one busy. Then you can surround and destroy the strong one.
If you are one of the party's better fighters, charge the foe and attract their attention. Your main job is to attract enemy attacks. If you can, carve through their ranks to the enemy spellcasters. Be a big and obvious target. Do not let them get around you.
If you wield ranged attacks, spells or miracles, your targets are (1) The mages. (2) The priests. (3) The strongest fighter. Do not waste spells or miracles or ammunition on weak fighters. If the fighters are doing their job you will not need to defend yourself.
If you are a second-line fighter, your targets are the weakest enemies whatever they are. Do not strike in the front when you can strike in the back. Do not strike a strong enemy when you can strike a weak one instead. Do not miss an opportunity to strike an enemy. Do not let them surround and pull down your own strong fighters. Surround and pull down their strong fighters when all the weak ones are dead.
Be aware of everything around you. There should be a zone around you where if an enemy enters they will be hit.
Don't be afraid to move, and move quickly. Outmanoeuvring your foes can let you take down enemies that would normally be far beyond you. Be cleverer than them.

Basically, this all boils down to two things. Be strong where they are weak, and confuse and distract their strength so it strikes where you are strong. This is the overriding principle of how to fight.

Oh - and look good. Good fighting looks good. Look good, and then either you're fighting well or you look like you are (in which case, maybe you'll confuse people and they'll leave you alone).

: The field of battle

There are basically three fighting styles worth using for a front-line fighter (and one that many use, that is less effective). I've listed them in order of what I perceive to be their effectiveness - these I call the 'first-rank' styles, for any one of these may stand in the first rank of warriors to face the foe.

Weapon and shield. The fighter has a shield in their off-hand and uses it actively to block attacks to that side and force the opponent to move and strike within a narrower range. It is wise to wear a helmet when using a shield, for the head is one of the few places it's hard to guard with one. Still fight offensively, but don't be so hasty to break ranks - let the enemy come to you, and be the rock against which they break. This style is strongest in a one-on-one fight, where you can let the shield control the fight and not worry about outflanking. It is vulnerable to being outflanked; a shield also makes you a primary target for enemy spells.
Large weapon. The fighter wields a long hafted weapon, typically approaching their height in length. The correct grip with this is 'overhand' in both hands, with the elbows low and the back hand higher than the front hand. Strike low and quickly, and be mobile; aggressiveness is even more important with the intimidating polearm, but be prepared to back out and let your comrades deal with enemies who wish to close quickly and attack with daggers or claws. This style is strongest in attack, where its improved reach means that the enemy may be menaced without risk to the wielder. It is vulnerable to being rushed; it will get a strike in as the enemy closes, but the polearm is useless up close and personal.
Dual-wielding. The fighter wields two weapons - either a pair of arming swords or a long and a short weapon. This requires skill to do properly, as the optimum strategy is to defend with one weapon and attack with the other. Use mobility to your advantage, and your ability to strike twice as often and from unpredictable angles; dual-wielding is the most aggressive of the styles. The off-hand weapon serves both as shield and weapon - one school of thought says that it should be short enough to pass inside your guard easily, and used mostly to parry and exploit holes in the opponent's guard, while the other says that it should be equal to the on-hand weapon and used to keep the opponent on the defensive. This style is strongest in a general melee or flanking manoeuvre, where it can exploit to the full its ability to strike quickly at all targets within reach. It is vulnerable to polearms and shields, which can strike at it without taking damage in return.
Great weapon. The fighter wields a double-handed weapon, either a large sword, a hammer or axe. This is only barely a useful frontline combat style, and only has a point to it if the fighter is properly trained in getting the best out of a great weapon. Your main defence is mobility; you cannot parry as fast or as well as any of the above styles (in fact, a hammer or axe is better off not parrying at all). Be aggressive and try to be intimidating. Roar and shout and scream warcries; rain blows upon your foe. This style is strongest in a general melee or flanking manoeuvre, where it can exploit its high damage potential without exposing its very weak defence. It is vulnerable in one-on-one combat or any fair fight, where its fewer defensive options leave it somewhat exposed.

You will notice the lack of 'single weapon' on that list. This is because aggressively wielding just a single one-handed sword, axe or whatever in a real battle is a sure recipe to get yourself sent to your deity of choice before your desired time of death. The second-rank combat styles - those used in support of the first rank - follow.

Trained wielder of a single-handed long sword (also applies to axes, maces and the like). You have basically the same combat options as a great-weapon wielder, but less damage to do. Void rather than parry whenever possible. Remember that your weapon can be used in two hands; this restricts your mobility but allows surer strikes and parries. Use your off-hand for balance and distraction. Remember that this is not the practice field; do not fence but hack and slash. Be cautious against any of the four styles above, and don't try to take any of them on alone. Be cautious against any dagger-armed foe, for they can and will get inside your guard if you let them. This style is adaptable and useful in most situations, but will lose to any first-rank style. It has no particular strengths or weaknesses, being what all the rest are judged against.
Untrained wielder of a staff or similar weapon. You have reach on most people - use it! Keep them back and menace them - distract and harry your opponent with many strikes, wielding your staff like a polearm. If your opponent closes (and they will), then be ready to use both ends and the middle of the staff while backing off like crazy - you actually have more close-in options than most polearm wielders. This style is weakest against any close-in style, but will beat most single sword wielders back merely by virtue of reach.
Wielder of two short weapons. You have a truly massive damage potential, but very little defence at all. Trust to your armour and your mobility, and do not face any other style one-on-one (you will lose). Outflank and outmanoeuvre, and remember that you do not look nearly as powerful as you are. I rank this so low because alone it is nothing - but if you can successfully outflank or close with an opponent then they are probably dead. Either act like a dual-wielder of long weapons, and strike often and at many different targets, or hunt down individual ones. Choose your moment to strike, and keep attacking and closing until that target is dead. Then move on. This style is weakest one-on-one. Do not attempt to close with a wielder of two long weapons! They will merely smile and cut your arms off while you're still straining to reach them.

Any other weapon combination will merely die. A single short weapon, even in trained hands, is not effective enough close-in and has no defence or reach. An untrained sword wielder does not have enough damage to be able to close, nor do they have the reach to strike without fear of reply like a staff wielder may. And archers, while excellent support, should be classified with mages and priests rather than fighters; a bow or crossbow is not fast enough in reloading to be useful at short ranges.

Throwing weapons are useful; if you get the time and a decent teacher, learn how to use them effectively. Volleys of throwing weapons are good distraction and might even do some damage.

: more possible