Possible weapon for an assassin.

[goonsackwriting]

Does this sound plausible, interesting or just silly?

The assassin would have a blade running down each tricep and up each shin. Bending the arms and knees will draw the blades out with a spring mechanism of some sort (Like of something like a knee and elbow brace). The blades when their retracted could be a sort of defence in a knife fight. This would leave unprepared assailants on the back foot.

There would be a knob that the assassin would use to tighten and loosen the springs in the hidden blade mechanism. This would allow the assassin to sit down and have a drink in public places, without accidently having a blade shoot out. Also the fact he has to prepare for his blades is a disadvantage if he was to get jumped suddenly.

The assassin would uses techniques mirroring mauy thai. The uses of elbows and knees in the martial art would allow the assassin to fight effectively with the hidden blades.

The metal used for the blade would be light and flexible yet strong.

I understand that overly built triceps might cause placement issues. But the assassins triceps would scale accordingly to fit the devices.

 

[CupofJoe]

The principle might work. It looks ingenious. In the 19C there were definitely spring loaded wrist-mounts for gamblers that had very small concealed guns.
But if the assassin ever gets searched then is there another explanation for the weapon that won't get them thrown in jail or killed? Anything that marks then out as an assassin will make their life harder.
I have no intimate knowledge of assassinations but I've always thought a weapon that can be "lost" quickly after the event and looks innocuous beforehand was the way to go.

 

[Russ]

It sounds kind of fun, but I think your blade placement is odd.

Mauy Thai is a short range art and your assassin loses a lot of range with the placement of those blades. The arc and reach of the elbow and knees is much shorter than those of the hands and feet.

A swordsman with even a modest length sword in hand would have no trouble keeping this assassin outside of effective range.

 

[Jerseydevil]

The concept is interesting, but there may be a few problems. First off, remember KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid, not the band, though I'm listening to Detroit Rock City right now). The more complex an object, plan, whatever, the more likely something will go wrong or malfunction. You did say there was a knob that the assassin would turn to deactivate the device, but that might be tedious to say the least, if it does not break at the most inopportune time. Also, people bump into things, fall, and generally abuse their equipment (the military requires their equipment to be "soldier proof" since the person that it was issued to will be rougher on it than the enemy).
Like its been pointed out earlier, knees and elbows are close range strikes, meaning that unless the assassin and the target are grappling, it would be ineffective. A wrestling match would also mean that the target could yell for guards which bring me to the next point.
The key to assassination is to avoid attention. This always bothered me about the "ninja sword." Having a weapon used only by assassins means that anyone who sees it will be able to instantly identify the user as an assassin, and send every guard in shouting distance after them. There needed to be some sort of plausible deniability if caught. A simple knife was worn and used by pretty much anyone until the early twentieth century. A complex spring loaded weapon, specialized for assassinations might be a tad bit too hard to explain away. The best mode of assassination is to get in, kill quickly, and get out before anyone realizes anything is amiss.

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

My main concern would be the placement - you want them on the upper arm? Surely you would want them strapped to the forearm. And you certainly don't want them strapped across the tricep - when they were released they'd dig straight into your arm. As for your button, no, too complex and too much chance of something going wrong like an accidental release.

Strap the knife thrower to the forearm so that the tip of the blade just about touches the inside of the wrist. Then make the release trigger a hand movement so that the assassin to use them simply aims, then bends his hand away so that the hand / fingers are out of the firing line - a trigger perhaps on the back of the hand would work. That way even if he fires by accident the knife won't take out his fingers. You might also want to incorporate a safety so that until it's released the knife can't be thrown.

Cheers, Greg.

 

[goonsackwriting]

Thanks for comments, they definitely made me think.

I didn't think about the issue with getting searched. Thanks for pointing that out.

Cupofjoe and Jessydevil. I think your both onto something about losing the weapons quickly after an assassination as well. Would definitely be an issue, not that i'm an expert in assassination either. But your point i feel your points make sense.

The issue Russ raised about the arcs of the elbow and knee is true i realize, Jessydevil mentioned something similar as well. The idea I have is that the assassin would use a sword as well. After a parry or using a dodge the assassin could aim a well placed knee of elbow. His fighting style would look for gaps in opponents techniques used to just fighting others with swords, taking advantage of them. That would be the idea anyway. Do you both still see an issue? (It may look weird in a sword fight, but the whole idea was the assassin to have an unconventional weapon that distracts enemies. Looking our for 5 blades instead of one in the assassin hands.)

I realized now as well abuse of the weapon could cause serious issues. The knob as well not working would, of course, be an issue. Used in a story it might make for a good dilemma the assassin would have to face when he is fighting. But thanks for pointing that out these out. I never thought of the abuse the device would potentially take.

Psychotick, the blades run down the tricep and arm. Like placing a small ruler from your elbow running up towards your shoulder. Bending the arm you draw is out of its device, parallel to the elbow. If you knew that already and meant something else sorry this is what i got from your comment. As for the forearm placement, i feel this is to much like assassin creed's device and tried to steer away from too much similarity.

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

I really don't understand. How do you draw a weapon from the upper arm if it's atached to the upper arm and under your sleeve? And if it fires / spring releases, how do you keep it from cutting your forearm apart? As for the Assassins Creed, have no idea. Never played the game.

Cheers, Greg.

 

[Zack]

Alright, since somebody mentioned Muay Thai I have to ask. The reverse rolling thunder kick, it looks awesome, but how useful is it really in a fight? Considering you fall even if executing the kick correctly it's a super risky move, especially if you miss. But if you set it up correctly and have your opponent in the right position is it even worth it? If not would a Tornado kick or Roundhouse be a more suitable option? The character I'm using right now is very skilled in many disciplines of martial arts/hand to hand and employs a very high-risk high-reward fighting style. However, I'm NOT saying he takes risks unnecessarily. Not sure where I should ask this question.

 

[Jerseydevil]

Jut want to add this. The assassin needing to use a sword then defend himself with some other weapon means that he has already failed. Most people want to base assassins on the stereotype of a ninja. In actual fact, most assassinations were not done be some guy dressed all in black with specialized weapons, skulking about and doing flips in the darkness. As I mentioned before, this means that anyone who sees him will immediately identify him as an assassin and respond accordingly. If a sword fight breaks out, the target will call for guards (always close at hand if the person is important or paranoid enough) and the assassin will be overwhelmed. Forget what you see in movies, even the most skilled swordsman can't fight three people at the same time if they are even semi competent. Two will be difficult enough under the best circumstances. If the target even knows he's being attacked, the mission has failed.

In real life, ninjas would often pose as workers for their assassinations. He would get a job as a carpenter and when no one is looking, beat the target to death with a hammer and run away. Or better yet, pose as a gardener and stab him to death with a pair of shears. Seriously, they actually did that. The black ninja outfit is from kabuki theater, where stage hands would dress in black, and out of convention the audience would ignore them a they move pieces of the set. Playwrights would show a particularly insidious ninja as springing up from one of these stage hands and killing a character. It's more for shock value than practical technique.

This is a fantasy work, so yes, it can work, and by all means go for it, but if realism is what you are striving for, something more simple may be necessary. Just my 1.5 cents.

 

[Jerseydevil]

Alright, since somebody mentioned Muay Thai I have to ask. The reverse rolling thunder kick, it looks awesome, but how useful is it really in a fight? Considering you fall even if executing the kick correctly it's a super risky move, especially if you miss. But if you set it up correctly and have your opponent in the right position is it even worth it? If not would a Tornado kick or Roundhouse be a more suitable option? The character I'm using right now is very skilled in many disciplines of martial arts/hand to hand and employs a very high-risk high-reward fighting style. However, I'm NOT saying he takes risks unnecessarily. Not sure where I should ask this question.

First off, yes it can work, but it is very high risk ,high reward. I've seen it done a few times in kickboxing and mma matches, but these are usually smaller shows, not big time UFC events. In a sanctioned sporting event, your character might be able to pull it off, but that's because if it fails, he gets KO'd and the ref stops the action. In a defense situation, he might be landing on stone or concrete, which is much more painful than the floor of a ring or cage. Also, if it fails, the opponent will be in a perfect position to counter and beat him to death. In my opinion, its not worth it.

As far as the tornado kick, it's again, high risk high reward. By jumping, it gives the opponent a few moments to move out of the way and counter. It can work, but It might not be worth it. The roundhouse is a better option., but there is still a high risk. Watch the Rich Franklin vs Ken Shamrock fight. Shamrock tries a roundhouse, slips, and Franklin pounds him into submission. At my martial art school, several of us thought that should be required viewing as to why high kicks are a bad idea in general. They are like planes. When they work, they work beautifully, but when they fail, it's usually catastrophic. Most fights are based on risk management, the less risk the better.

Roundhouse kicks can be used, but targeting the legs (especially the inner thigh, which is full of nerve clusters) or the ribs. The rib kick is performed at an upward angle, smashing the shin into the lower part of the rib cage. Most people want to see the highlight reel head punch or kick knockout, but shots to the body are usually safer, easier, and more effective. The head is a small target the consistency of a bowling ball. The head moves out of the way pretty easily, but the body is harder to move and fighting while unable to breathe is difficult to say the least.

 

[Ban]

I like the idea, but I doubt it would be very effective for an assassin. Not only would he have to close in on his target, but he'd also be completely unprepared if he was discovered before activating his weapons.

This would work better for a guard or a common thug. Someone who is expected to do a lot of close combat fighting.

 

[glutton]

This would work better for a guard or a common thug. Someone who is expected to do a lot of close combat fighting.

Seems like it could work well as a weapon for an exotic gladiator or similar bloodsport fighter.

 

[Ban]

That sounds cool glutton, hadn't thought of that one. I can see something like this being some sort of special gladiator game. You could have some fighters completely dedicated to this one form of fighting. I suppose the fighters wouldn't survive for very long, so you'd need a lot of gladiators. Not really a large chance to survive multiple close combat cuts.

 

[Zack]

Ok, thanks. Been trying to make fight scenes realistic, and that helps a lot!