I have been playing DnD for many years and I can't recall many depictions of 1 handed swords being worn on backs. I think it works in legend of Zelda, but it looks so weird in Baldur's Gate 3. I'm also a history buff and I'm highly intrigued by weapons and warfare of old. Swords were pretty much, as far as any historical records indicate, never worn on backs. It looks fine for big 2 handed weapons, but it looks so silly 1 handed weapons. I know this is a fantasy game and I am loving it. That being said why rapiers and other smaller swords (smaller than zweihander) on back. Its so dorky and there is no reason for it. History aside, its just highly impractical. Seriously. Get a sword. Put it on your back. Then try to draw it. To me it looks like putting a hat on a foot (why would you do that?). No scabbards makes it easier I suppose but if they are supposed to be hanging from a loop it would end up having the same problem. Kinda ruins immersion because I would never roleplay a character that wields a 1 handed sword on his back, let alone be in a party with anyone who would...I know I will probably get flak for this, and overall this is a small complaint, but I would love to see a rogue carry his rapier(s) on his hip. Please reconsider how characters carry their 1 handed weapons, or maybe even give an option to change it please. I beg you.

It does seem to be a bit of a fantasy standard. I have a RL hand-and-a-half (an Albion Gallowglass) and while I can't say how that fits into D&D's slightly esoteric categories, it's definitely not a small sword. But in spite of me not being particularly tall (5'7"/171cm) I can wear it from a belt with no problems: it doesn't drag on the ground, I can yank it out of its scabbard etc.

I have slightly mixed feelings about the subject. It's not realistic. On the other hand, I like swords so I like being able to see them, and while they're on my characters' backs I tend to get a better look. So there is that. And the swords are (so far) better done than the usual bejewelled spiky horrors that the fantasy genre is overly fond of...

The long sword in BG3 is a little long for my tastes, it’s more like a bastard sword (which isn’t inaccurate historically speaking), I just prefer the AD&D bg1/2 variants.

Yes to down by side, I just think scabbards tend to be a pain to do graphically.

I'm not really annoyed by weapons on our back. This is not really "immersion breaking" to me even if it's not "realistic".
What is really a problem according to me is that our shields /secondary weapons just appear and dissapear.

Everything on the back is fine to me, but everything... And maybe it's easier to have melee weapons on hips + bow/quiver/(shield) on our back.

It's not only swords, the staff in the back looks absolutely STUPID.

Two handed weapons, especially the long sticks (staff and spears and halberd) should ALWAYS be in one hand or two, not attached to back PERIOD. It's sooo silly.

Artists, please stop being lazy and work a little.

Talking about lazyness ... have you tryed to simply click Tab?

Nothing looks dumber than when you are wielding a lit torch, and your character just casually puts that burning torch on their back, lit end down.

I just tried.

And you know what?

Right when I decide to cast a spell the staff goes back to the back.

Is it some kind of homage to World of Warcraft or just "We don't have time to make spellcasting animation with staff/weapon in one hand, we'll just make the staff magnetically stick to the back"?

*It certainly is not because of DnD 5e rules : you need only ONE free hand to cast spells with somatic components.

Yes definitely. And they already put knives on the hip, so why not longswords as well (at the very least)?

Going a little further, having a belt with items visibly represented could be interesting.
We could have weapons and items attached. For visual clues but also to directly target items (alchemist fire) dangling off a goblins belt or shoot and dislodge a weapon the same way.

Some enemies have things like this already and to shoot a flask lying around with a bow already works well and feels great.

It's ironic that they don't cast spells using their staff... since staffs are ARCANE FOCI! They are supposed to use it to cast their spells!

I really loath the staff on back too

I have never tried it and probably don't have much of a spatial/kinetic sense but wouldn't a sword on the back be completely possible as long as you have a sheath that can swing outward from the body when you start drawing the sword?

Also a point for thought -- I know swords weren't carried on backs in any kind of combat situation but I always figured it would be the most comfortable placement for long swords when marching and not expecting to have to use it.

These are both really side thoughts though. I agree that it would be nice if swords were on the belt. Axes and clubs and such even more.




Bastard swords count as Longswords in 5th ed terms.




Is that a fire in your pants or are you just happy to see me?

Reminds me of the famous last words of Joan of Arc: "lawks-a-lordy, my bottom's on fire."

Edit: I feel I should point out this was a University Challenge question so it's totes legit.

She was evidently a victim of arson.

It would make me immensely happy to see my wizard using their staff as a walking stick and using it as a focus for their magic.
Imagine how cool it would look preparing a firebolt in one hand while brandishing their staff in the other. Also it looks so stupid when a cleric smashes their mace onto their back imo it would look much better on their hip from both a style and functional perspective

I don't even make it an issue of realism or immersion.
I just find it ugly as shit.
Like horned helms.

And giant pauldrons, of course. Never forget those.

This.

between 160 cm and 180 cm , ya not gonna hang that on your hip :P

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjURzgkCuAE&feature=youtu.be&ab_channel=Skallagrim

they where caring it on shoulder

but this is not REALITY its a fantasy game. aka "Hollywood style" is mandatory

I don't want my fantasy game to be real.

maybe you should wonder where do I put the 70 barrels am carrying.

I know you talking about 1 handed swords but , it look badass "Hollywood style" and "most" people like that

and it good for adventuring.

Honestly where they are carried is almost secondary to the fact that we should get fucking scabbards/laces.
And yeah, of course the big ones aren't going to the hip....

There actually are scabbards that make drawing the sword from the back easy, to say that it was never done is probably a stretch too.
I mean if you want to start talking about these things then our characters wouldn't be walking around all day with big two-handed swords, big shields or wear armor all day.
Anyone who knows anything about armor knows how stupid the idea of wearing armor to the extent that people in video games do would be.
In regards to '' immersion '' if you want to take it this far then there are just a lot more major issues lol.

With that said I wouldn't mind it as an option so that you could choose.
For characters with shields and a single weapon I'd actually like them to wear it at the hip too.
I think that it might be easier to avoid clipping if you just fasten it to the back tho and also since we're seeing the character from top down it just makes it easier to see what you're carrying.
It's just one of these things in video games, like the whole huge weapons and shoulderpads etc.
People say the same in games like LoL, but it's a matter of function in game design.
It's not because game developers aren't educated on this and don't know any better.
In SFV for example they made the feet and hands huge to make it easier for your eyes to register quickly where things are, it's the same in RTS or MOBA's like LoL too the silhouettes are big and expressive because it becomes very hard for your eyes to register what's going on if things are more '' realistic ''.


In a singleplayer RPG this is less of a concern since it's not a PvP game.
But I still do think that it's a concern, things very easily start blending into the environment.
I know that people don't like hearing this and I think that often times it's wrong, but I think it's a little bit the matter of people not knowing what they want.
Something might sound better on paper but in practice it isn't.
It's actually a huge concern in WC3 Reforged, that they made the silhouettes too small and detailed and it turned the game into a clusterfuck that is hard to follow and on the competitive side it's a major issue and complaint.
But there were definitely a very vocal group of people who wanted a '' realistic '' WC3 remake.
But then when it actually came out suddenly people realized how bad it was.

Like I said I don't think that it's as big of a concern here in terms of balance, but I still think that it's an understandable gameplay design choice that ultimately is a part of a whole that comes together to make the game feel more responsive and easy to follow.
Both in terms of your own character and the enemy.

Scabbards were often more expensive than the sword they contained: protecting the blade at the same time as making it readily accessible is quite an art. And talking of which, they look fancy too. In a way I think it's quite odd that Albion swords (being pretty much the gold standard for collectors of "replica" swords) don't come with them at all, but I guess the scabbard is the personalised bit. Fortunately a very good scabbard-maker lives nearby so my swords have some fancy clothes. And their blades have some protection from my sneezing.

I said it before in the past and I'll stress again that i don't really make this a matter of realism or historical accuracy.
As far as I'm concerned I wouldn't even bother me much if the "extraction" animation wouldn't really match perfectly and the weapons were just teleporting from scabbard/sheath/lace to hand without proper interpolation.

I just find the "naked weapon floating glued to the character's back" approach ugly as a debt.

In the same way I don't really care if arrows/bolts are actually unlimited. I would still like to see quivers on the characters as a cosmetic touch.