Pick, Military

The medieval military pick was a specialized weapon. It probably originated from the common mining tool. As armor grew heavier, the pick's form and function were soon adapted to a specialized role. This role was to penetrate the heavier armor types, from chain mail up through full plate armor. The military pick was a modification of a weapon called the martel-de-fer, a type of war hammer that had a hammerhead balanced by a thick, curved piercing fluke or “crow's beak.”

The military pick generally consists of a heavy piercing fluke mounted on a haft. The weapon might have either one or two flukes, and the haft might be spiked.

The weapon is popular with knights and the heavy foot soldiers of certain mercenary companies. Dwarves and gnomes are also fond of the weapon, and deep gnomes (svirfneblin) in particular use great numbers of them.

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