Actually it would be more of a glaive. A halberd is a poleaxe and a longspear hybrid.

Anyone arguing that a sythe couldn't be used as a weapon should stand in a line infront of angry farmers weilding said sythes. Any object can kill you given enough time. If You can smother someone to death with a pillow, I imagine it's fair to assume being hit in the head with a peice of metal wont be that healthy either.

The Iron Ninja:
Anyone arguing that a sythe couldn't be used as a weapon should stand in a line infront of angry farmers weilding said sythes. Any object can kill you given enough time. If You can smother someone to death with a pillow, I imagine it's fair to assume being hit in the head with a peice of metal wont be that healthy either.

I think we were reffering to effective weapons.

I think you might not be arguing as to it's effectiveness as a weapon if someone was hitting you in the head with it.

Reaping is the appeal. Verbs make weapons badass.

Pretty easy to just look stuff up. Google gives us answers!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_scythe

http://www.armchairgeneral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=975831

http://www.wowhead.com/?item=25226

Badasserey is what makes weapons badass. That is why it goes Axe family > Polearm family > Cossbows > Catapults > Morning stars > War hammers > Swords > Longbows > Daggers > Miscleaneous siege engines > Short bows > Slings > Improvised weapons (Scythe goes here) > Unarmed.

Edit: So according to wikipedia warsythe is basically another name for a glaive. sallright, glaives are awesome. But they aint scythes.
Edited*

Souplex:
Badasserey is what makes weapons badass. That is why it goes Axe family > Polearm family > Cossbows > Catapults > War hammers > Swords > Longbows > Daggers > Miscleaneous siege engines > Short bows > Slings > Whatever you manage to pickup (Scythe goes here) > Unarmed.

Your order confuses and astounds me.

Edit: I'm pretty sure the "war scythe" is the INVENTION of the glaive.

I am not talking about how effective they are in all situations I am just talkin bout how badass they are.

The thing a scythe by definition is a tool for reaping grain. Therefore warscythes are not scythes and scythes can not be effective weapons!

HA VICTORY BY TECHNICALITY!

Souplex:
I am not talking about how effective they are in all situations I am just talkin bout how badass they are.

Souplex:

The Iron Ninja:
Anyone arguing that a sythe couldn't be used as a weapon should stand in a line infront of angry farmers weilding said sythes. Any object can kill you given enough time. If You can smother someone to death with a pillow, I imagine it's fair to assume being hit in the head with a peice of metal wont be that healthy either.

I think we were reffering to effective weapons.

Nice work

Those are two seperate quotes, one refers to my order of badasserey the other refers to the topic originally.

Fair enough. You do realise that a sythe is a polearm though right? And therefore it's pretty high up on your list of Badassery.

A polearm by defintion is a weapon on the end of a very long stick. Scythes were not originally intended to be a weapon. And the scythes stick is midsized. Therefore they fall under improviesed weapons. *Edited*

Souplex:
A polearm by defintion is a weapon on the end of a very long stick. Scythes were not originally intended to be a weapon. And the scythes stick is midsized. Therefore they fall under whatever you manage to pick up

I could "manage to pick up" a rocket launcher if one was around. is it less badass than a sling?

Edit: Also axes were not originaly intended to be a weapon either. (remember wood? we used axes to chop that stuff, it was pretty useful for neolithic man, since you can't cut down trees with a spear)

Souplex:
Badasserey is what makes weapons badass. That is why it goes Axe family > Polearm family > Cossbows > Catapults > War hammers > Swords > Longbows > Daggers > Miscleaneous siege engines > Short bows > Slings > Whatever you manage to pickup (Scythe goes here) > Unarmed.

I'm sorry, how is killing someone with your bare hands the least badass way to do it? >:/

Souplex:
I am not talking about how effective they are in all situations I am just talkin bout how badass they are.

The thing a scythe by definition is a tool for reaping grain. Therefore warscythes are not scythes and scythes can not be effective weapons!

HA VICTORY BY TECHNICALITY!

Overturned on another technicality. 'Reaping' is much more badass than 'Chopping'.

While suceeding with something lower on the list makes you more badass for being able to suceed with it I was reffering to the weapons natural badasserey.

It is essentially the Mr.T vs Superman argument of badasserey.

lol

badassery

this thread just keeps getting better and better

Bottom line - a scythe can and will kill you.

if you bring a scythe to a gun fight, you deserve to die

Scythes generally have really sharp points, and a decent amount of weight to it. The blades may be a little flimsy when compared to that of a sword or axe, but it's enough to stick into you and not come out until you're dead, even if it breaks with one blow, it was one blow too many for your pathetic human body.

bottom bottom line - if someone thinks it looks cool (and it does), then let them live with their delusions of awesomeness. It does no harm to you to have someone make believe that a scythe is the ultimate human killing device right under anthrax and a crayola pencil (thanks Joker)

Are war sythes still in the mix?

truthfully, I don't think they were what the OP had in mind, and I think other then the name, they share very little actual resemblance to the farming implement, but feel free to rant on it all you like :P

Well technically they have as much in common as war axes (what the opening poster claims is the most badass) does to an axe used to chop wood. So Unless we're comparing the farming versions of all these weapons I think you'll find swords will end up at the top of the list, since they are one of the few weapons developed specifically for war

Copter400:
You could make a war scythe. Twist the blade up by 90 degrees and hey presto, you have a simple halberd.

That is what a war scythe is. They call it a scythe but in essence it is more of a halberd or kwan dao.

I'm not going to argue with you.

I certainly wouldn't want to come in contact with someone wielding a scythe. I don't care if it's not designed to kill people. Neither is a boulder.

Yeah... I wouldn't want to come into contact with someone weilding any kind of weapon (I get anxious around people with BB guns)
The badassery is really down to the dude (or Dude-ette) that weilds it

The weapon is more of a plus x badasserey as I have already stated.

If someone comes at you with an axe, they're deranged.
If someone comes at you with a gun, they're dangerous.
If someone comes at you with a scythe, they're so far gone for not using any other better weapon, that they're automatically badass.

You've got all the power of a bo-stick, the blade of a scimitar and there's no way in hell you're gonna take it from him or get within his sweep range without taking a hit.

Of course, if you run into a corridor, he's fecked.

The scythe of death was almost a visual pun - he was wielding said scythe because it fit with the metaphor of a shepherd cutting crops to keep the field reproducing and refreshing - the people who developed the idea just thought that the idea of death wielding a scythe to cut us even though we're not corn was cool and chilling.

People consider the scythe to be a weapon in modern society because when their brains were still underdeveloped they saw some media representations of a scythe and didn't think to classify it as anything other than what it was in those media presentations - a particularly badass, evil weapon!

Souplex:
Axes also have connotations with death. Executioners and vikings people.
Also, only the inner part of the scythe is bladed not the outer part, so you basically need to get it around your target.

That's actually the beauty of it - against a shielded opponent, its curved blade allows you to slip behind their guard and tear their innards out through a nice gap in the side while you're at it.

Also, manreapers. Chaos Lords use 'em for a reason.

Souplex:
Why do people act like scythes are weapons as opposed to harvesting tools?

At your most badass while holding a scythe you look like a rather annoyed farmer who could not find a shotgun or pitchfork.

Me I personally blame those guys who decided to personify death as a skeleton in robes with a scythe.

Um if you look at history all hand weapons came from tools of some sorts...

so your point really isnt much of a point...

Decoy Doctorpus:
No. No they won't. They'll cut hay in half with a single swing. The shape of a scythe means swinging it 'at' someone is impossible, you'd need to move it past them then pull it towards you, no where near enough momentum to go through bone.

You can swing the scythe from side to side, that works quite well.
Actually, it's about the only way a scythe works without endangering the wielder, and also the way it's used for cutting grass.
Interestingly, on a somewhat related topic, Death, as mentioned in the Bible, uses a bow, probably because it was one of the most inescapable and deadly weapons at that time. I don't know if longbow arrow hails were already in use back then, but I definitely wouldn't like to get in one.

Decoy Doctorpus:

Knight Templar:
I've heard of a war scythe been used in war. Seems logical for an army to use whatever they can in a time of need.

The fail was a tool not unlike the scythe before its use in war.

Your absolutely right. Just not in the way you expected.

Ha ha, I missed that.

Anyway I have no doubt it was used as a weapon, most likely not a very good weapon due to it's odd shape. It could get stuck, not hit or hurt the user instead of the target.

Not a good weapon from my point of view because it requires long sweeps, it could work well sometimes but...

No it would be bad in the long run.

Souplex:
Actually it would be more of a glaive. A halberd is a poleaxe and a longspear hybrid.

It would be more of a UR MOMS FAT LOL

I stand corrected.

"once it gets moving, no-one, not even the wielder, knows where it's going to be next"

The_root_of_all_evil:

Souplex:
I am not talking about how effective they are in all situations I am just talkin bout how badass they are.

The thing a scythe by definition is a tool for reaping grain. Therefore warscythes are not scythes and scythes can not be effective weapons!

HA VICTORY BY TECHNICALITY!

Overturned on another technicality. 'Reaping' is much more badass than 'Chopping'.

Seconded. Motion is carried.