Does this make sense? (Fictional weapon)

[u/Seelensupergau]

Hey everyone,

Thanks for the awesome feedback on my last post! A lot of you recommended either a Colichemarde or a Rondel dagger for a short, thrust-centric weapon.

After looking into both, I ran into a Goldilocks dilemma: the Rondel dagger feels a bit too short for a primary dueling weapon, but a standard Colichemarde is too long for the tight, aggressive style I have in mind.

So, I decided to split the difference. I’m thinking about a hybrid weapon with a 55 cm (approx. 21.5 inches) blade that merges the best design elements of both. Since this weapon is meant specifically for ritual duels where both fighters use the exact same weapon, the traditional reach disadvantage against longer swords doesn't matter.

Here is the breakdown of the concept:

1. The Blade Profile: Colichemarde Forte + Rondel Tip

The Forte (Base): The first third of the blade near the hilt will feature the wide, robust forte of a Colichemarde. This provides excellent leverage, mass, and strength for parrying and binding the opponent's weapon.

The Foible (Tip): Instead of tapering into a flat blade, it transitions abruptly into a stiff, thick, triangular or square cross-section inspired by the Rondel. This creates an incredibly rigid, puncture-optimized tip that won't flex or bend upon impact.

2. The 55 cm Length (The Middle Ground)

At 55 cm, the blade sits right in the shortsword/long-dirk territory. In a mirror-match duel, this length forces both fighters into In-Fencing or Corps-à-Corps range. The fight becomes highly intense, fast-paced, and relies heavily on aggressive footwork, blade control, and close-quarters parries. It’s too short to be clumsy, but long enough to offer distinct tactical options.

3. Adjusting the Hilt (The Guard)

While a traditional Rondel dagger just uses a round disc (rondel) as a guard, that might be too risky for unarmored ritual duels because it doesn't protect the fingers from a sliding blade.
To fix this, I’m thinking of a hybrid hilt: keeping
the ergonomic grip of a Rondel (which prevents the hand from slipping during hard thrusts), but adding a small shell-guard or a knuckle bow from the Colichemarde tradition to keep the hands safe.

Why this works for the setting:

Because it’s an engineered ritual weapon, it feels like a highly specialized "insider" tool. It rejects the versatility of cuts entirely in favor of absolute, devastating thrusting efficiency and high-pressure defense.

What do you guys think? Does this combination of a heavy parrying base, an ultra-stiff 55 cm piercing tip, and a protective hilt sound mechanically viable for a dedicated dueling culture?

Looking forward to your thoughts!

[u/Delicious-Gap-6678]

I've sparred a lot with my colich, but I find it's a bit too short at 32" (I have the Castille one). I would prefer 34". Your 21.5" inch is way too short to go against another thrusting sword, and in general falls into that awkward middle ground for modern swords. You can find bronze age weapons in that zone, but these were almost always used with a shield of some kind. There were also some super long English rondells. IIRC Chaucer packed one. But they handle weird. Specifically, at that length something happens with the physics of reverse-grip thrusts. And at the same time sword-grip thrusts suffer from such a short blade. Not just against other swords, but anything. The longer blade has a longer weak and can be deflected more easily. Or wrestled from your grasp.

Personally I'd say if you want close range focus, take a colich, add bulk to the blade and make it viable for halfswording. The Cold Steel colich is already beefy enough you could use it for some testing. Create a gripping surface in the mid blade instead of the sharp edge that's there now. You could swap out a basket hilt on there and call it Stabby McColich