A melee weapon is one which requires the character wielding it to be adjacent to the enemy he is attacking. These are divided, more or less, into three categories of weapons: slashing, piercing, and bludgeoning.
Slashing
These weapons form the bulk of the offensive weapons found in Neverwinter Nights. Most perform dual roles as both slashing and piercing weapons, but nothing does more damage quickly like an arc of death removing heads and limbs. Swords form the vast majority of weapons in this category. Axes made specifically for combative uses are almost as common.
Piercing
These weapons are the backbone of an infantry. Polearms protect from charging horses and keep the enemy at a respectable distance while arrows fly through the air to turn people and beasts into pincushions to bleed to death from the smallest of wounds. Some swords, such as rapiers, fit into this category as well.
Bludgeoning
Bludgeoning is the peasant's main resource for dealing damage. A qaurterstaff, a chain flail, or even the rudimentary club, can be deadly in desperate or determined hands. With one of these in battle, only the most skilled could hope to overcome an opponent who comes armed with a sword.
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