So my group is playing Warhammer Fantasy (2e?) and I am creating an Estalian Diestro ( think Inigo Montoya). I was looking at the foil or rapier weapon and it sparked me thinking: what was the most deadly fencing weapon historically? The epee, small sword, saber, estoc, rapier, or something else? Most search results focus on fencing as a sport not actual combat. The situation would be single duel/ small group combat not actual war. I would love to hear some opinions!
From watching Skallagrim and Scholagladiatoria on YouTube, it’s a pretty loaded question. As shields and armor evolved, so did the weaponry to counter them. Also, if you were primarily in horseback, you would have different weapons than a foot soldier. A large two handed sword would work for someone on foot with armor, because it wouldn’t be too big to use while mounted and you don’t need the other hand for reigns or a shield. So basically through history it’s balancing what gear you have vs your enemy.
A Roman gladius has probably killed more people than most swords. It was used for a long time and looks pretty simple to produce compared to later swords. It was also used by well trained troops, not armies of random people. Not really Inigo Montoya style though.
Most of the pics I see of Estalian Diestro are using cup hilted rapiers, and falchions in some cases. A falchion (13-16 century )would come a bit before the rapier (15-17 century) if you have an early or later time period you’re looking to emulate. If you want Inigo, that’s the rapier.