Red Mage's Arm
Red Mage's Arms are weapons used by 
red mages. They consist of 2-handed rapiers and foci.
Level 1 - 10
| Item | Icon | Level | Item Level | Requirement | Damage (Type) | Materia Slots | Stats and Attributes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Augmented Hellhound Tuck | 
|
1 | 1 | RDM | 9 
|
0 | |
| Chicken Knife | 
|
1 | 1 | RDM | 9
|
0 | |
| Hellhound Tuck | 
|
1 | 1 | RDM | 9
|
0 | |
| Kokuko Rapier | 
|
1 | 1 | RDM | 9
|
0 | |
| Tropaios Rapier | 
|
1 | 1 | RDM | 9
|
0 |
Level 11 - 20
No items in this level range.
Level 21 - 30
| Item | Icon | Level | Item Level | Requirement | Damage (Type) | Materia Slots | Stats and Attributes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rapier of the Serpent Lord | 
|
30 | 30 | RDM | 36
|
0 | Intelligence +6 Vitality +6 Critical Hit +8 Direct Hit Rate +6 |
Level 31 - 40
No items in this level range.
Level 41 - 50
Level 51 - 60
Level 61 - 70
Customizable 
Level 71 - 80
Level 81 - 90
Level 91 - 100
Lore
Before the realm's armorers perfected methods of pounding iron into donnable plate, soldiers clad themselves in heavy jackets of linked iron chain. As traditional edged blades would merely glance off the protective garb, thin, edgeless blades with pointed tips were conceived to drive through the chains and skewer the man beneath. These early rapiers were carried into battle by many a chivalrous warrior as supplements to their longswords—a practice that, over time, became seen as symbolic of knighthood itself.
As the blades' relatively diminutive size did not serve as a cause of burden for their bearers, knights would wear them at all times, making them the first weapon in hand were one forced to defend his honor. It was thus that the items became associated with dueling, and both rules of noble engagement and the traditional techniques of fencing slowly took form.
It is interesting to note that, despite distinct Elezen origins, the rapier never became popular in the city-state of Ishgard. This is believed to be a result of the nation’s long history of strife with dragonkind—weapons with far more reach, such as the lance, being valued over those better suited for close combat. It was instead the Elezen of Amdapor and Mhach who fled to Gyr Abania following the Fifth Astral Era’s great flood who introduced the dueling weapons to the region’s red mages and oversaw the eventual addition of the trademark aetherial mediums to their hilts.
Prominent Designs
Tuck
A secondary weapon used by cavalry knights after dismounting, the dual-edged blade’s foible is widened and reinforced to improve its ability to puncture the metal links of chainmail.
Rapier
The rapier is what might be considered the extreme evolution of the dueling arm, its thin blade and insubstantial weight (usually less than three ponzes) considered a liability in all but affairs of honor. Unsuitable for grasping while equipped with bulky gauntlets or gloves, the hilt keeps a wielder’s hand from harm by employing a complex web of curving arms, looping side rings, and plunging bows.
Foil
Once reserved for use in training—their blades blunted or rounded to prevent serious injury—knights became so adept with the weapons, adapting their fighting styles to take full advantage of the foil?s pointed tip, that many began carrying them into battle along with their broadswords and lances.
Degen
Another variation on the tuck and rapier, the degen’s blade is twisted from the ricasso all the way down the length of its forte before straightening to a dual-edged foible fortified at the tip with a flared arrowhead-like point.
Smallsword
With its flat, tapered blade of twin edges, the smallsword bears a much closer resemblance to a short sword than it does a rapier; however, its widespread acceptance by the realm?s red mages has seen it recently recategorized as a dueling arm.
Far Eastern Blades
Beyond daggers and the samurai’s wakizashi, short-bladed swords are scarce in the Far East—edgeless ones, almost nonexistent. An influx of Western adventurers in the region, however, has increased the demand for rapier-like weapons, and the unique steel-folding techniques employed by Hingan blacksmiths are well suited for producing works that will withstand the force of an armor-piercing thrust.
Ala Mhigan Rapier
The Ala Mhigan struggle for freedom from the Empire’s shackles is rife with tales of young maidens, some having seen not a dozen summers, taking up the blades of their fallen mothers and fathers. This rapier was crafted to honor those brave children, the scales serving as the weapon’s medium engraved with the slogan of the Resistance, “Liberty or Death.”
Verdun
In a time when men began turning their backs on their former allies, the dragons, one knight stood to defend his wyrm companion against a mob of bloodthirsty priests. While successful in fending off the attackers, the knight eventually succumbed to his wounds and passed in the embrace of the one he swore to defend, To honor this sacrifice, the dragon breathed white-hot flames over his friend, transforming the body's remaining aether into a crimson jewel which he then affixed to the knight’s blade.
Mokusa
A unique smallsword named for the legendary line of Hingan blacksmiths who conceived its design. It is widely believed that the blacksmiths of the Mokusa clan were the first to abandon traditional straight-edged blades for ones curved. Lesser smiths, however, could rarely duplicate the complexity of most Mokusa creations, a single curve proving the limit of their talents, and thus did the standard katana retain its simple shape.
Scaevan Magitek Hanger
Painstakingly designed and crafted by imperial-terror-turned-Ironworks-engineer Nero Scaeva to impress his new employers, the sword is cluttered with countless components of ingenious, yet unnecessary gadgetry, from a detachable blade and hilt, to a retractable knuckle-bow.
Chicken Knife
An unfortunate name for a weapon with an unfortunate history, it is believed the first chicken knife was wielded by a cowardly thief who would purposefully let fall a child’s doll to the cobbles, and then stab his victims in the back while they stooped to collect the item. Why the blade has seen a recent resurgence in popularity amongst red mages is unknown.
Schlaeger
When an Ala Mhigan princess was publicly accused by a court chancellor of practicing the dark arts, her brother challenged the official to a duel that he might restore his sister’s honor. The ensuing battle was not even a contest, the accuser not even managing a single riposte ere his heart was transfixed; though it was more the prince’s sixteen summers of training in swordplay than the quality of the weapon—Schlaeger—that saw him victorious.
Ruby Tide Rapier
Following his discovery of a book of fantastical tales in the wreckage of an Eorzean trading galley, a blacksmith of Sui-no-Sato set out to forge a blade similar to the one boldly brandished by the swashbuckling red mage portrayed in the stories. While the result is most certainly nothing akin to what the author of said tales imagined, the weapon is an astonishing display of skill nonetheless, and many students of the red arts have since traveled to the underwater village, seeking to procure one of their own.
Belah'dian Degen
A receipt of purchase accompanying this blade, discovered in a storeroom deep within the abandoned Great Gubal Library, shows that it was forged during the early Sixth Astral Era in a Belah’dian smithy for export to select neighboring city-states, providing valuable insight into the state of international relations at the time.
Lost Allagan Foil
Dubbed a foil for its lack of a distinct edge, the weapon was created using technology and techniques discovered within an Allagan tomestone decrypted by the Garlond Ironworks. Both its grip and blade are forged from a special alloy that draws upon one’s internal aether and transfers it seamlessly to the tip.
Shishio
A relic brought back by Rowena for sale in her House of Splendors, the shrewd proprietress claims that the blade was a gift from a Hingan emperor to a samurai who lost his own blade slaying the evil auspice Nue. While the item is clearly a work of master craftsmanship, history has shown that Rowena is wont to embellish an item’s origins if she believes it might increase profits. [1]
References
- ↑ Encyclopaedia Eorzea: Volume II, page 213-214