Would this kill a zombie?
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http://www.wushudirect.co.uk/acatalog/Wushu_Lightweight_Weapons.html Monks Spade Ref: KFS017 £50 to you gaijin.qbert4ever said:
Me personally I would use a crowbar on the zombies head Or if I Had to use along range maybe a crossbow.
Then use a gravity gun on a......Hang on one second haven't I already done this before ????
Then use a gravity gun on a......Hang on one second haven't I already done this before ????
Well, if you're going with the spirit of the modern virus-zombie myth (err, the one that makes zombies resilient and inhuman rather than deranged cannibals, at least), most of the fiction implies that part of their toughness is the result of reduced nervous system functionality. That's how they don't feel pain, &c. Based on that trope, most of a zombie's brain would be dead weight, with only the most primitive bits (which, inconveniently enough, tend to be deep inside the head) being necessary for the body to continue functioning.
That means the kind of blow that would easily kill a real person isn't really enough -- blood loss isn't going to stop a zombie (somehow), concussions don't affect them, and you can really go to town on their frontal lobes without harming them much at all.
So, if you were gonna play the trope to its fullest, you really should be trying to destroy the head (or sever it, which is probably easier), not just deal a wound that's strong enough to down a real human being.
And, of course, the number one rule of zombie-fighting is to keep your distance, so reach is good, too.
Conclusion: polearms with sharp bits are the best choice of melee weapon. A kaiser blade or some kind of brush hook would make a decent improvised weapon. The much-joked-about monk's spade is a good actual weapon.
(Many zombie movies, of course, throw in the exploding-head trope common to action movies and video games [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/YourHeadASplode], in which case shotguns and baseball bats and almost anything else that would normally be enough to seriously wound a human being will cause zombie head explosions. Doing you-have-to-totally-destroy-their-heads zombies without that kinda makes them very unfair.)
-- Alex
That means the kind of blow that would easily kill a real person isn't really enough -- blood loss isn't going to stop a zombie (somehow), concussions don't affect them, and you can really go to town on their frontal lobes without harming them much at all.
So, if you were gonna play the trope to its fullest, you really should be trying to destroy the head (or sever it, which is probably easier), not just deal a wound that's strong enough to down a real human being.
And, of course, the number one rule of zombie-fighting is to keep your distance, so reach is good, too.
Conclusion: polearms with sharp bits are the best choice of melee weapon. A kaiser blade or some kind of brush hook would make a decent improvised weapon. The much-joked-about monk's spade is a good actual weapon.
(Many zombie movies, of course, throw in the exploding-head trope common to action movies and video games [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/YourHeadASplode], in which case shotguns and baseball bats and almost anything else that would normally be enough to seriously wound a human being will cause zombie head explosions. Doing you-have-to-totally-destroy-their-heads zombies without that kinda makes them very unfair.)
-- Alex
Remembering that a zombie is a re-animated corpse (and therefore is in a state of rapid decomposition) many improvised weapons would have a great effect on the undead (maybe more than they would have on a living being) since they would literally be falling apart.
A bladed weapon like a sword would decapitate the zombie in question while a hammer/club/stick etc. would pulverise the head if the weilder landed a good blow. If it weren't for the issue of ammunition and accuracy then firearms would be the best weapon avalible against the undead (due to their immense stopping power and range).
The best weapon against the undead would have to be a fire axe (it would be effective at damaging the head of a zombie while it could also be used to break down doors/walls/windows/barriers etc. to create alternate escape routes if cornered) or a tactical nuclear strike (you can be very certain that nothing will survive that short of Godzilla).
A bladed weapon like a sword would decapitate the zombie in question while a hammer/club/stick etc. would pulverise the head if the weilder landed a good blow. If it weren't for the issue of ammunition and accuracy then firearms would be the best weapon avalible against the undead (due to their immense stopping power and range).
The best weapon against the undead would have to be a fire axe (it would be effective at damaging the head of a zombie while it could also be used to break down doors/walls/windows/barriers etc. to create alternate escape routes if cornered) or a tactical nuclear strike (you can be very certain that nothing will survive that short of Godzilla).
What you need is a Pneumatic-Punching-Jackhammer-Arm Tm. Made of diamond.
In the interest of more mundane weaponry, I think a cricket bat would be both hilarious and effective. Or a croquet mallet. Or bocce balls!
In the interest of more mundane weaponry, I think a cricket bat would be both hilarious and effective. Or a croquet mallet. Or bocce balls!
When the dead finally get around to rising, I plan to defend myself using a giant pair of garden shears, Clock Tower-style.
I may eventually get chewed, but no one can deny the appeal of running around with a giant pair of scissors and snipping peoples' heads off.
I may eventually get chewed, but no one can deny the appeal of running around with a giant pair of scissors and snipping peoples' heads off.
Hypothetically speaking, if I were surrounded by zombies and could only reach either a hammer or a sword made out of diamonds, I would take the sword. For those of you who think that diamonds would 'shatter' or be too 'brittle' please see the posts above detailing why diamond is so freakin' strong! We use diamonds to cut diamonds, because nothing else is strong enough to. Diamond is the strongest substance humans know of, so it would not snap and it would not be too brittle. Diamond would have an advantage over metal swords in that it would not dull as fast. Also, being a stronger and harder substance than human bone, it would do greater damage to a zombie.
I'm assuming there was a single diamond large enough to make a sword and that I would have been strong enough to adequately use the sword. Even a general sword would be better than a hammer because of the longer reach and ability to damage several zombies at once if swung in a circle.
Perhaps a slightly more managable sword would be a regular one with a diamond blade, though I don't know if that would work.
I'm assuming there was a single diamond large enough to make a sword and that I would have been strong enough to adequately use the sword. Even a general sword would be better than a hammer because of the longer reach and ability to damage several zombies at once if swung in a circle.
Perhaps a slightly more managable sword would be a regular one with a diamond blade, though I don't know if that would work.
WRONG! A diamond can be smashed with an ordinary hammer, they may be hard but they're also brittle. having said this a diamond sword would work great against a zombie because they're all soft and squidgy.EXPLICITasian said:Ummm, diamond can't really... what's that word? Um BREAK... that's why they need diamond cutters instead of smashing it against the ground. The diamond molecule is very stable with very long connected (strands? forget the scientific word)... any way the bond is too great to break.
Of course theres always the thing that diamond is very heavy so swinging it would be hard, and finding one big enough for a hammer would be very hard... so you know, you're both wrong in a way
noobs. you use a katana or a foil, if you absolutely must get in close. both excelent zombie killing weapons. and the katana excelent for a zombie apocalype scenario, because IIRC the design was such that they did not need sharpening, and were measued by how many bodies they cut through cleanly (the good ones were 5-i got stuck on the history channel). i would have to say a good ol fashioned katana if you MUST kill zombies with melee weapons-and no, dont say "but i dont have one at my house" because im pretty damn sure i dont have a sword made out of daimonds.
an alternative being a foil, but only if you previously did a LOT of fencing. good peircing weapon and super-light.
but even better... flaming lightsaber
an alternative being a foil, but only if you previously did a LOT of fencing. good peircing weapon and super-light.
but even better... flaming lightsaber
A diamond sword...
Well-cut diamonds aren't exactly easy to break. But they do have these, uh, fracture planes. Force oriented along those planes is much more damaging to the diamond. Assuming any idiot who turned a flawless giant diamond -- something that was easily an order of magnitude bigger than the world's biggest diamond -- into a goddamn sword decided to do it right, the thing wouldn't fall apart in your hands. Because the material has a lower density than steel, you could also make the thing significantly thicker, if that helps the structure. However, when diamonds chip it's usually around thing edges, so the sharper you try to make it, the more likely it is to flake during use. (Notice how diamond points, not edges, are used for cutting.)
After all that work you'd produce a sword that costs more than the GDP of some nations but handles no better than a steel blade. Ultimately, hardness just isn't that big of a deal when cutting flesh (nor will it really help much when trying to cut harder stuff like tanks and evil robots, either, because you also need force to actually cut).
You really are better off wishing for a lightsaber. Or a magic nuclear-powered robot exoskeleton (they'd have a hell of a tougher time zombie-infecting you then). Or how about a remotely-commandable helicopter that you could use to escape to your own self-sustaining private island?
... Srsly diamond sword wtf?
-- Alex
Well-cut diamonds aren't exactly easy to break. But they do have these, uh, fracture planes. Force oriented along those planes is much more damaging to the diamond. Assuming any idiot who turned a flawless giant diamond -- something that was easily an order of magnitude bigger than the world's biggest diamond -- into a goddamn sword decided to do it right, the thing wouldn't fall apart in your hands. Because the material has a lower density than steel, you could also make the thing significantly thicker, if that helps the structure. However, when diamonds chip it's usually around thing edges, so the sharper you try to make it, the more likely it is to flake during use. (Notice how diamond points, not edges, are used for cutting.)
After all that work you'd produce a sword that costs more than the GDP of some nations but handles no better than a steel blade. Ultimately, hardness just isn't that big of a deal when cutting flesh (nor will it really help much when trying to cut harder stuff like tanks and evil robots, either, because you also need force to actually cut).
You really are better off wishing for a lightsaber. Or a magic nuclear-powered robot exoskeleton (they'd have a hell of a tougher time zombie-infecting you then). Or how about a remotely-commandable helicopter that you could use to escape to your own self-sustaining private island?
... Srsly diamond sword wtf?
-- Alex
Well I've heard the best blades are carbon (or diamond) tipped titanium.
Gives the best of both worlds.
For a hammer, I'm sure you'd just want something heavy (since your crushing things) so how about carbon coated depleted uranium?
Diamond tipped hammer... now where have I seen that before? hmmmm....
http://static.escapistmagazine.com/media/global/images/castfire/mini/209.jpg
Gives the best of both worlds.
For a hammer, I'm sure you'd just want something heavy (since your crushing things) so how about carbon coated depleted uranium?
Diamond tipped hammer... now where have I seen that before? hmmmm....
http://static.escapistmagazine.com/media/global/images/castfire/mini/209.jpg
If you have four friends and happen to live in the UK you might find this a little more ... suited to zombie murdering
http://gallery.military.ir/albums/userpics/challenger2.jpg
http://gallery.military.ir/albums/userpics/challenger2.jpg