I need more…
Weapons
Don’t be caught without a weapon, or the knowledge of how to use one!
Latex & Boffers
PORTAL utilizes latex and boffer weapons.
Swords, Maces, Daggers, Spears and more are at your disposal. Wield wisely!
You can purchase either variety online, but you can also make your own latex & boffer weapons at home.
In addition to Mytril, we recommend Calimacil & Lucid Illuminations
Bows
Whether you’re sporting a recurve or packet bow, you’ll be a long range contender!
Recurve bows under 26lb rating with approved LARP arrows are allowed at longer ranges while packet bows are encouraged at all distances!
Shields
Shields can be made of either latex, wood, plastic or cardboard.
You can purchase them online or even make them yourself!
What Do I Need To Know About Weapons?
Every weapon must have a Weapon Card.
This card lists your name, the type of weapon, and the date of the Event for which the weapon was created and approved. Without a dated weapon card, a weapon does not exist In Game. If you lose the Weapon Card, then you have lost the weapon In Game.
The Weapon Card must be attached to the weapon’s physical representation at all times.
Clear tape can be used to attach the Weapon Card.
At the beginning of every Event, you must get all your weapons approved by an Arms Marshal.
If your weapon is approved, the Arms Marshal will issue you a colored dot with the Event date (month and year), their initials and Player Number.
As you play the game, your character may acquire special weapons or shields: Silver, Mithril, or Magical, for example. If you have one of these special weapons, you will be issued a special Weapon Card along with a weapon or shield. These weapons are property of PORTAL.
You may have any number of Weapon Cards in your sleeping area. However, you must have a physical representation for each card you take out with you.
All weapons in the PORTAL system have minimum and maximum size requirements. Weapons that do not fall between these limits will not be allowed into the game.
All measurements are given in inches.
Weapons Chart
*The first number is used when striking with two hands, the second when using only one.
Bows
More Info
Recurve Bows under 26lb draw strength, at 28 inches, utilizing approved foam tip arrows are one type of bow you can use at PORTAL.
Packet Bows are also allowed!
While recurve bows cannot be used at close range, they deliver a superior real to life bow experience and they hit for the most base damage!
Packet Bows have a traditional or boffer bow stave with a prop string utilizing spell packets with ribbon tails to represent arrows. A specific motion is required to draw and release the arrow packet towards your target.
Packet Bows can be used at any range and the packets will fly as far and as accurate as your throw/shot!
Special Weapons
More Info
Some weapons have special in-game effects that add modifiers to your attack.
Watch out for magic swords, weapons that swing fire or crackle with electricity!
Calling Damage
More Info
When you strike with a weapon, you should call out the damage inflicted by that weapon.
The damage done by a weapon must be followed by some modifier; normally this is the word “damage”.
For example, if you are wielding a Two-Hand Edged weapon and you have no special combat bonuses, you would call “Three Damage” when you strike an opponent with your weapon.
Weapon Specifications
Each weapon has a base damage as well as other specifications that are outlined in the chart above.
All weapons in the PORTAL system have minimum and maximum size requirements.
Weapons that do not fall between these limits will not be allowed into the game.
All measurements are given in inches
Bows Requre Ammo!
Arrow packets or foam tip arrows are the ammunition required to fire your weapon.
There is no cost In Game for normal ammunition, carry as much as you can.
Approving Weapons
Weapons can wear out, so even if a weapon is legal at one event it may no longer be legal at the following event.
Therefore, at each event you must present all the weapons that you might be using to an Arms Marshal for inspection.
Making Latex Weapons!
Here is a high speed video showcasing the making of the base of a latex sword.
Cores are carbon fiber rods (taken from old golf clubs!)
The blue foam you see is a closed cell polyethelene foam; it can be found here and other places as well.
The grey foam is EVA foam and can be found here!
Adhesive is DAP Weldwood Rubber Contact Cement.
Epic Armoury has some great latex tutorials, and How It’s Made did a wonderful episode detailing the process.
Making Latex Weapons can be quite advanced, but it is definitely do-able on your own and you will get better and learn so much with each creation!
Armor
Armor Up
Protect Yourself! You Only Get So Many Lives…
Leather
Lightweight, versatile and quiet.
It might not protect you from a lot, but no one will hear you coming!
Chain
Manueverable, effective but heavy.
The increase in durability comes at a cost. Are you willing to pay?
Plate
For those ambitious few, truly serious about self defense.
Often used piecemeal except on those who can carry it all…
What Do I Need To Know About Armor?
While the weapons in PORTAL are made out of foam, we encourage players to wear real or real-looking armor.
A good suit of armor can add a lot to the medieval look of the game. The defensive value of a character’s armor is represented in the game by Armor Points. The Armor Point value of the armor that you wear is assigned by an Arms Marshal.
The thicker and tougher the type of armor is, the more Armor Points it will receive. This reflects the In Game ability of the armor to protect a character.
Armor Specs
*Indicates that points should be halved if only one is worn; i.e., only one sleeve, or only one knee is covered.
Types Of Armor
More Info
There are seven types of armor that may be worn by a player.
Any type of armor worn by a player other than these types will be assigned to one of these standard categories by the Arms Marshal.
Costume Armor
More Info
Medieval and fantasy clothing is worth 2 Armor Points.
The character receives 1 more Armor Point for appropriate costume footwear.
Leather Armor
More Info
Soft Leather (SL): Real leather, 1/8″ thick without studs. (SL)
Rigid Leather (RL): Real leather, more than 1/8 thick. (RL)
Or, soft leather with metal studs no more than
2″ apart, measured from the center, with each stud having a diameter between ½″ to 1″.
Or, leather scale mail armor with each scale being no larger than 6″ square and more than 1/8″ thick. Two layers of soft leather sewn or riveted together counts as rigid leather.
Wearing two separate layers of soft leather does not count.
Ring & Chain Mail
More Info
Ring Mail (RM): Metal rings with an inner diameter of not more than 1″ and an outer diameter of 3″ mounted onto soft leather or better.
Or, rigid leather with metal studs no
more than 2″ apart, measured from the
center, with each stud having a
diameter between ½″ to 1″. (RM)
Chain Mail (CM): Metal rings with an inner diameter of at least 3/8″ and no more than 5/8 diameter (4-and-1 chain weave, more dense weaves acceptable).
Plate Mail
More Info
Light Plate (LP): Metal with a thickness of 20 to 22 gauge.
Heavy Plate (HP): Metal with a thickness of 18 gauge or more. Plate armor made of any material other than steel, regardless of thickness, can never be heavy plate.
Did You Know?
Your armor is not used up entirely after each combat you get into.
After your armor has taken enough damage to reduce it to 0 Armor Points, you may spend 5 minutes in-game “resetting” the armor. However, the armor is reduced by 3 Armor Points every time it is reset.
In Game Strength
The thicker and tougher the type of armor is, the more Armor Points it will receive.
This reflects the in-game ability of the armor to protect a character.
Points are given for each individual piece of armor by an Arms Marshal according to the Armor Point Table above.
For example, if a character is wearing rigid leather armor that covers the front, back, and shoulders, the Arms Marshal would sum 2.5 + 2.5 + 1.3 = 6.3 Armor Points.
Real Armor Bonus
Armor will also receive more Armor Points for real armor than for a substitute.
For example, the character will get more Armor Points for real leather armor than for a piece of studded naugahyde.
This reflects the fact that real armor is heavier than “costume” armor, and so the players who bear the extra weight receive Armor Points in compensation and that real armor adds to the atmosphere of PORTAL.
Etsy is a great place to find quality vendors for every taste!
Real Armor Bonus Details
The Real Armor Bonus is partly subjective on the part of the Arms Marshal; the Marshal judges how realistic the armor looks and whether it would protect the character in real combat.
The bonus listed below determines what the Arms Marshal will use for the Real Armor Bonus.
Real
Penalty: 0%
Description: Real leather of the correct thickness. Real Steel or Metal Armors.
Example: Chain Mail made with real metal and correct gauge and size. Studded leather made from real metal and metal studs.
Replica
Penalty: 25%
Description: Plastic armor that looks real. Aluminum instead of steel.
Example: Scale mail made from plastic rain barrel riveted to “O” leather.
Imitation
Penalty: 50%
Description: Armor that can be easily seen as fake, but still looks like real armor.
Example: Chainmail made with binder rings, painted hubcaps or garbage pail lids, chain mail links that are excessively small, naugahyde or “pleather” plastic costume armor.
Poor
Penalty: 80%
Description: Costuming made to look like armor.
Example: Cloth that looks like chain, toy armor, rubber armor, cardboard covered in aluminum foil, plastic rings sewn to pleather sports equimpent, etc.
Things to Consider…
“Weapon heavy character? Consider bringing extra construction materials to each event. If your weapon fails inspection for any reason, it may be possible to make repairs at the event.”
“PORTAL provides costumes, weapons, spell packets, and instruction for all the NPCs at an Event. One requirement for whatever you’ll be playing: Bring a comfortable shoe or boot.
NPCs play for free and get access to play the meanest monsters in the realm! Plus, it’s the best way to learn about the world of PORTAL without worrying about your first character death!”