Enswordlopedia Britannia
From Atlantic Roleplay Wiki
Title: Enswordlopedia Britannia
Author: Rizan
Introduction
The Enswordlopedia Britannia series is a catalogue of the various swords of Britannia, both mundane and magical. Since the definition of a sword has varied from one culture to the next and even one time to the next, a standard definition should be established for what to include in this series. For my purposes, I define "swords" in UO as a weapon that uses the Swordsmanship skill, which is neither an axe nor a polearm for crafting purposes, and whose primary function is combat or martial in nature. By my definition then, Fencing weapons, cooking tools, axes, bladed staves and the like will not be considered. The first volume in the series deals with the basic characteristics of the mundane variations of swords on which artifact swords are based. The general format for each weapon listed is the same, listing the weapon, weight (in stones), base damage, weapon speed (the base delay between swings in seconds), strength required, and primary and secondary moves. The profession which crafts each sword will not be listed, since all save for the bokuto, glass sword, stone warsword, and paladin sword are crafted by smiths. The bokuto is crafted by carpenters, the glass sword by glassblowers, and the stone war sword by masons. The basic paladin sword is, at this time, uncraftable. The first volume in this series lists weapons first by those which are one handed and usable by Humans and Elves, followed by two handed Human and Elf weapons, then one handed Gargoyle blades, and finally the two handed Gargoyle swords. Damage type is not included since all basic weapons are 100% physical when crafted from their most basic material, and maximum durability is not listed since it can vary. For ease of reference, Volume I also includes a breakdown of swords by special moves and which swords have them, then another breakdown by base weapon speed and the swing speed increase and stamina required to hit the minimum swing delay of 1.25 seconds if possible with that weapon.
Volume II deals with the artifact swords which are common to all shards. In selecting which weapons to include as true sword "artifacts", I used the list on uo.com of artifact sword weapons, restricted in scope by my previously established "what is a sword" criteria. Although the Treasures of... style event named items are considered artifacts of a sort, those will not be included in the E.B series proper as they are randomized magic items, and not limited to only swords. I included in the main list the two swords that are considered major craftable artifacts (namely, the Luminous Rune Blade and Overseer's Sundered Blade), but the minor craftables have their own separate section. I also included a few uniquely named swords that are not considered true artifacts according to the master list, yet which were or are handed out as quest rewards on all shards. Following the list and breakdown of the artifact enchantments is a section detailing the various sources that artifacts may come from along with a short description. For additional details, the official wiki on uo.com and uoguide.com are excellent resources to continue your research. An additional note: sometimes artifacts will change where they drop or what they drop from according to the whims and will of the gods, so not all information listed (especially in older archives) may be correct; it is best, therefore, to treat all information with a grain of salt until personally confirmed. I will do my best to keep the information updated in future versions of the Enswordlopedia Britannia as new information comes to light or new events take place.
Finally, a separate Glossary volume is included with the Enswordlopedia Britannia series listing the various shorthand terms and abbreviations used to describe the artifacts along with a brief description of what that quality means or enchantment does. This is a separate volume so that the reader can have both books open at once to use the Glossary as a reference without needing to flip back and forth or search an external source.
Any similarities between the name of this book series and a certain famous encyclopedia set from another world are probably due to my terrible sense of humor and love of puns. Know that I spent more time than I should have laughing at the name, and I am not sorry for any groans and eye-rolls the name may elicit from the reader.
Sources Consulted:
- The official Wiki and forums on uo.com
- uoguide.com
- UO Stratics and their forums
- My own artifact collection and personal testing
- Knuckleheads' Swing Speed Calculator
Special Thanks:
I'd like to express my gratitude to the scholars, number crunchers, testers, forum posters, and wiki editors who have contributed to the vast pool of UO knowledge which I was able to draw upon and learn from. If I have provided anything of value with this series, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of the giants who came before me.
Thank you all.
- Rizan, Swordsman
First Edition
March, 2024
Second Edition June, 2024