Alright, while working on my newest project I have come across a few glitches that I need worked out. As usual instead of cluttering p the forums I have decided to place all my questions here. The following takes place in a modern day kitchen. 1. If a character wields a typical dinner fork as a melee weapon is it viable that he could cause any damage (aside from the obvious eye stabbing or throat puncturing or hits to the 'vitals') 2. Would a metal cooking pot make a viable shield against a meat cleaver wielded by an average human male? 3. If a toaster is plugged in would it electrocute anyone hit with it hard enough to break the toaster? If so, would it electrocute the wielder? 4. If a heated frypan is used to batter an enemy would it inflict burns as well as blunt force trauma? 5. Would an average human be able to shove the handle of a spoon through his targets leg? The following takes place in an office building 6. If used as a melee weapon would a stapler deal any useful damage or just break in the users hands? 7. If a pot of coffee is used to hit an opponent will the coffee spatter and hit others? 9. Would a rotating office chair make a viable melee weapon? 10. Would a blast from a foam fire extinguisher blind an opponent after the foam has been removed? The following are medical questions, I have no combat experience of any kind so sorry if these are daft questions. 11. If stabbed in the thigh with a pen would the victim suffer a drastic loss of mobility? 12. If bleach is thrown onto a combatant would the ensuing burns be sufficient to diminish his fighting ability or would they merely annoy and distract? The bleach is aimed at his face but misses horribly, dousing his shoulders and neck mostly.
1. I hardly think so, but it could cause enough pain to give the (fork-)attacker an opportunity to follow up with a better attack. 2. Depends on how strong it is, how big it is and how strong the attacker is, I guess. The pot-wielder could easily lose the pot when it's hit. 3. Probably not. I would assume it just breaks and ends up useless. Despite what you see in movies, it takes a lot to electrocute someone. Even throwing the toaster in the bathtub might not be lethal. The toaster would simply short-circuit and switch itself off, but it depends how old the toaster is. 4. Maybe a bit, but it would cool off quickly, and it won't connect to the skin very long. 5. Heh, not likely. Try to shove a spoon into your own leg or arm as a test. I don't think you can. Even shoving a fork or knife through your arm is very difficult. Again, despite what you see in movies. In the movies, the hero can easily stab a sword through a person all the way to the shaft, then pull it out easily enough with one hand. In reality, it's very difficult to stab the sword through someone, and even if you do, you won't get it out again easily. If you have a piece of meat or something (and I meat steak etc), try to shove a knife through it without pause. How far can you get? I'd say not far. 6. If you stable your own fingers, it will hurt for a bit. But not so much that you can't pull the stables out again easily enough (unless you staple all the way to the bone. In that case getting the stables out again can be difficult, but it's not that painful.) A stapler wouldn't exactly be my first choice of weaponry. 7. Probably if they are close, but free-flying coffee cools off quickly. Besides, I've spilt boiling tea on myself often enough to know it's not that painful. :redface: (you forgot quesiton 8) 9. Not likely as an offensive weapon. It's too big and clumsy. It might be useful for defense, though, But it depends what the opponent is using. 10. The foam itself is the best ammo, but it can throw up all sorts of dust etc. It might blind the opponent a bit, but I wouldn't count it lasting too long. It also depend on who the opponent is. A trainer soldier shouldn't have too much problem getting around. 11. Depends on how deep the pen is and where you hit. I don't think you can get it that deep, so I would say "proobably not". But if you got lucky, and if you hit a vein, then sure. But that's not likely. 12. If it only hits the shoulders and neck (and I assume the opponent is wearing clothes), it would probably only annoy and distract.
Hi, 1 A table fork is too small to cause any impact damage,so its only ability to hurt would be by puncturing, and since its quite small, it would have to be a sensitive area. 2 I have some cast iron pots which I imagine would make excellent foils. I also have aluminium pots which are much lighter and I would guess stop a few blows with a clever but take a lot of damage in the process. They are lighter and therefore easier to move and so block an incomining attack though. 3 In order to electrocute someone the toaster needs to be broken down to the point where wires are exposed. And most toasters even when plugged in couldn't do that as they're still off. It needs to be plugged in and the lever pulled down to start toasting. However if it was in this state and a man with a dinner fork somehow managed to jam the fork down the slots, then he likely would be zapped. 4 Probably. But in order to cause serious burns you need both heat and some time to be exposed. A sudden impact with a fry pan is probably very quick and so burns would be minor. But if the fry pan was held against him for a second or more, the burns would be much worse. 5 The handle of a spoon? Unless its been sharpened probably not. Try and cut a steak with the blunt end of a spoon and you'll get the idea. 6 You could do some useful damage with a stapler, but most of the modern lightweight desktop staplers wouldn't survive very long at a guess, and in order to really cause some impact damage they need to be heavier. But there are those big staplers usually kept out by the photocopiers etc, which are used to staple small books together. 7 The coffee will absolutely splatter. 9 How would you wield an office chair? It'd be very awkward to pick up and swing. 10 Not sure. Depends on the foam and if it gets into someone's eye. 11 Probably not. A pen would make only a small puncture wound, and the thigh is full of large muscles. To cripple the pen would have to hit a part of the leg that was vital to mobility, knee cap or tendons perhaps. 12 No. Domestic bleach is only around 3 to 5%. Unless you get it in your eye (maybe also mouth and nose) its not going to burn you. It will bleach your clothes though. Cheers.
Thanks for the replies people. As I said I have very little combat experience and appreciate the help
I laugh in the face of anyone who thinks an office stapler would make a viable weapon. I work with both pneumatic and gas powered staple and nail guns on a regular basis, and hate to break it to you, but unless you actually stick one of these things against a mostly immobile person's body, they aren't going to cause any damage. When shot at someone from a distance the worst they might do is injure an eye and sting a bit. A typical office stapler? You're better off swinging your fists. As for a toaster? The typical American toaster is run off of a 110 volt circuit. It is plugged into the wall. It will not break upon contact, and if it does the damage will still be entirely blunt trauma to whatever part of the body it strikes. Moreover, unless it has an exceptionally long cord, it will have become disconnected by the time it strikes the victim. And 110 volts is not too terribly dangerous, unless you do something stupid like touch a bare wire while standing barefoot upon metal. Honestly, if you don't believe me, just unscrew the outer cover of any normal receptacle in your house, remove the two screws attaching it to the box, pull it loose, and touch fingers to the metal screws on either side. Some (hardcore) electricians are known for testing whether a circuit is live or not this way. Not much worse than the jolt from touching an electric fence.
Hmmm yeah about the stapler thing, I'm not talking about using the staples themselves as a weapon, just a wallop from the stapler, blunt force trauma. I know they aren't ranged weapons and that, it is a close combat question and I have handled some heavy staplers in my time, in fact just yesterday I dropped one on my toe and I have to say I think it would be a viable melee weapon, it lacks nerve endings and that alone makes it better than your fists. I'm sure you didn't mean to sound rude there but the lack of tone on the internet does make it easy to take things the wrong way.
