Can crush through blocks

The Black Mace bearing the trait.

Can crush through blocks is special effect only some kinds of Melee weapons can deal in Warband and With Fire & Sword.

With this effect, a weapon can literally break through blocks, dealing damage and stuns over a shield or weapon block. It does not always happen, however. It depends on your speed bonus, the resistance of the shield, and some luck. It tends to occur against a shield in most cases, and very rarely against weapons. When on foot, only the overhead swing can result in a crushing blow. Against chamber blocking, if the attack made would have crushed through a normal block, it will also ignore chamber blocking but the slow speed of most crushing weapons can still result in the attack being interrupted by the enemy's own blow landing first.

The chance of a block crush depends on the damage and crush angle. For example, a 90 degree full-speed hammer charge slam into the target will result in full damage and stun to the enemy, but a near-miss done standing still will fail for sure.

Additionally, the effect's chances are based on the weight difference between the two weapons that clash. For example, it is possible to block a Sledgehammer with a Great Hammer, which weighs more, whereas a Maul can easily crush the block of an opponent that uses a one-handed sword.

It is possible for an attack that breaks through a block to fail to do any damage by simply missing your opponent entirely, passing through the empty air between the shield and its wielder. This is particularly common when riding on a horse, as the weapons capable of breaking through blocks are often short and can have trouble dealing with elevation issues on even slightly uneven terrain.

Weapons Affected

Warband

• Iron Mace (two-handed)
• Great Hammer
• Maul
• Morningstar
• Sledgehammer

With Fire & Sword

• Pikes
• Lances
• Black Mace
• Mace
• Flanged Mace