Original Character's Weapon Guide (Revamp)

In the grand wake of the Wikia getting updated and recharged, certain guides have to be remodeled and refurbished. This guide will be done by me, BurningHype, and we will go into some basic and further knowledge of weapons within the RWBYverse.

RWBY and Weaponry

Alright, so provided you've watched the show, the weapons that are in RWBY are quite diverse. Some transform, completely forsaking design for an aesthetic as well as practicality in the fields of battle. Some are plain, preferring the simplicity in design. Some are fancy and stylish, and others are dull but get the job done.

Weapons are conduits for Aura, as stated and known throughout the series. With their weapons, Hunters can fight back the creatures of Grimm, as well as any inadversanty that may stand in their way. Weapons make a statement about the person who uses them, much more beyond simply fighting with them. The name given to their weapon is also another identifier, the weapon being the Hunter's personalized tool.

How you go about giving your OC his/her weapon should generally fit their characteristics, how they wish to fight, and perhaps even tell more about them; Are they the brave type to leap into battle without care? Are they more about unleashing wicked attacks onto their foes with enough charging time? Are they sneaky in that they'll use the environment to their advantage? Weapons can reflect these natures and many more, then intensify them.

Weapon Typing

Every weapon has a specification in what it is meant to do. While there are exceptions and some weapons can belong in multiple specifications as well as none, generally you will see four types of classifications.

Slashing!

Weapons that pride themselves with swings, cutting foes in their path belong in this typing. You'll typically see weapons with blades here; Swords, Axes, Whips, Claws, and the like. These weapons can be as graceful as destructive, and the amount of variety in Swords alone make the slashing group quite large. That said, typically these weapons are pretty all purposed and can take on a variety of jobs.

I.E. A claymore is a two handed sword that is largely used for slashing with strength. The use of two hands allow much more momentum to be put into the blade opposed to something like a cutlass, which is more speedy and can be used with one hand. 

Smashing!

Weapons that simply have one job: To crush people and terrain with overwhelming force. Or rather, weapons that are blunt in force and usually do not have a sharp blade fit here; Maces, Hammers, Staffs, even Fists and other weapons. Blunt trauma is what is important here: Sometimes bladed weapons will not make the cut they want. Therefore, inflicting physical damage with nothing but something hard may be preferred in certain areas.

I.E. Imagine trying to cut thick ice. A Slashing or Piercing weapon may have a hard time dealing with it, but a Smashing weapon can just crush the ice with nothing but reverb and force in itself. A prime few example of this within RWBY would be Yang, Nora, and Mercury.

Piercing!

Weapons that have the job to penetrate both armor and flesh with successive jabs belong in this typing. Things such as Kunai, Rapiers, Needles, Daggers and other weaponry that generally pierce can fit here. Piercing weapons tend to be the fastest of the melee related weapons: Sacrificing power for speed, these weapons require preciseness but pay off with relative ease of having very fast action time.

I.E. Piercing weapons can also be used to Slash, but are inferior to those weapons specifically for it. However, the raw weightlessness and nimble nature of piercing weapons make it easier to fit into other weapons. An example of this weapon would be Weiss

Artillery!

This specifically belongs to weapons that rely on ammunition. Whether it may be as small and compact like a pistol, to large and obscene as a portable missile silo, artillery weaponry is far from unheard of. In this universe, Dust is purchasable within Ammunition and as such, are quite capable in application. Prime examples of artillery within RWBY would be Neptune, Coco,and Ironwood, but most characters seem to have an added form that allows artillery.

Important: A thing to consider is that projectiles often do not get the protection of Aura once they have left your body.

Dust!

To go from Artillery, Dust is a specific powersource used by Remnant for their convenience and survival. Currently there are four types found in nature: Fire, Water, Wind, and Lightning. However, it is possible to cross the Dust and mix them specifically to obtain more specialized Dust, such as Kinetic and Gravity based Dust. Dust is special because it can be utilized along with the weapons above, and it may be it's own weapon in special cases. It's safe to say that most Hunters will be involved with Dust in one fashion or another, and is a common aspect in weapons within the show.

Important: Dust CAN be used up if used too often. After which, you're dry as Dust is normally mined from the Earth.

Weapon Diversity

+ Other - Dust Casting, etc.

Four basic combinations if you are looking into weapon combinations. M+M is simple: A weapon typing that dominates in the close range, but not much else. M+G seems balanced in that someone will always be able to do something, but due to having to transform or be aware, this typing entirely matters on the user's skill & battle sense. G+G is a typing that uses the range to it's advantage, but is not seen often due to the lack of strength it has in close range problems.

To go into Other slightly more, there are alternatives to mechanical weapons in that raw Dust casting is capable by using Dust-woven clothes or simply having Dust on your person. Examples of this lie within Cinder (ignoring Maiden Powers) and Glynda.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a question below. However, do note that this is a guide and not to be taken verbatim. It is to help others gain a better understanding of weapons within the universe.