'Dhanurvidya & Varman: The Arms & Armor of India' Introduction

Following is a brief history of the arms and armor of the Indian subcontinent that serves as the Introduction to Skirmisher Publishing's Dhanurvidya & Varman: The Arms & Armor of India, a licensed 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons sourcebook.

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While some Indian arms and armor have counterparts in traditional D&D campaigns, the richness, color, and variety of many of the region’s ancient and medieval armaments provide a glimpse of a mysterious world as yet unknown in most roleplaying game settings. Weapons and armor are, of course, only two pieces in the exotic mosaic of Indian history and culture. They are, however, some that can be used to punctuate the distinct, exciting adventures possible in settings inspired by the vast subcontinent and the equally distinct characters that might hail from it.

The area traditionally known as India covers a vast area and included what are now the nations of India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, and the border regions with Afghanistan, Bhutan, Burma, Nepal, and Tibet.

Historically, much of this area was both subject to many foreign invasions and enjoyed extensive international trade — successively with Assyria, Sumer, Greece, Rome, Mongolia, and Turkey, among others — all of which left marks upon its weaponry and armor from the 2nd millennium B.C. onward. From around 1500 B.C., contact with Persia influenced the development of Indian arms and resulted in an overlap of the weapons of these two regions. In the 4th century B.C., Alexander the Great penetrated the subcontinent and defeated a major army at the battle of the Hydaspes, leaving a Mediterranean influence. Much later, many sorts of weapons and equipment were introduced by Muslim invaders and settlers over a 900-year period, beginning in the 7th century A.D.

As a result of these foreign influences, the weaponry and armor used by India’s diverse peoples was no more homogeneous than they are. The weapons and protective gear described in this book include both those that were wholly indig-enous to the Indian subcontinent itself and those that have their origins in outside cultures. Certain weapons were used by India’s aboriginal inhabitants and only in specific areas, while others were more universal. Similarly, weapons imported over the ages were sometimes used only in a certain region, while others gained more widespread usage.

Notes regarding this are made where applicable to assist DMs in their campaign planning. The weapons of the indigenous inhabitants of central and southern India and the Andaman Islands were generally the most primitive, while those of the Rajputs, who ruled northern India from the 8th to the 13th centuries A.D., and the Marathas, a people of southwestern India, were unparalleled in beauty and craftsmanship. The arms of the northwest frontier — toward modern Pakistan — those of the hill people of the northeast, those of the jungle dwellers of Burma and Siam,

and those of Nepal all have a unique, distinct, and exotic character.

Ornate decorations and embellishments were often characteristic of Indian arms and armor and those who could afford expensive arms often had them crafted into works of art unto themselves. Many were chased with brass, silver, or gold, or fitted with ivory or jade hilts and the finest arms and armor were often richly embellished with koftgari work, an inlay of gold or other precious metal applied to the surface of an item in thin layers. Prices given for weapons in Indian campaigns thus represent only the base values of the weapons, and any sort of decorative work can easily increase their value from two to 10 times or more. Indeed, in general the aesthetic level of Indian weapons and armor exceeded that of armaments anywhere else in the world, including Europe.

What is most important for DMs to consider when equipping the warriors, monsters, and other denizens of an Indian milieu is that there should be a great variety of such equipment, and that many of the innumerable tiny kingdoms and enclaves will have their own variations and styles of armaments.