The Lucerne Hammer
The Lucerne hammer was a type of war hammer which saw usage by the Knights Templar commander of Limassol, Frederick the Red, during the Templar rule of Cyprus.
Description
As with other war hammers, the Lucerne hammer consisted chiefly of a metal hammer embedded atop a wooden stick. The eye of the hammer was a cube from which the head and two spikes protruded. One spike, elongated and curved like a beak, occupied the rear of the eye, directly on the opposite side of the head, while another was planted directly at the top; both could serve to pierce targets in combat.[1][2]
Unlike the mercenario and condottiero war hammers, the profile of the Lucerne hammer's handle was round rather than rectangular. It was capped with a metallic pommel—also spiked—and was notably a well-balanced, even weapon in comparison to its mercenary counterparts. Despite this, it was not an altogether exceptional weapon; its strength lay in its balance while excelling in no remarkable aspect.[1][2]
History
Although the Lucerne hammer was a common weapon manufactured and sold by blacksmiths throughout Rome in the late 15th century,[2] its basic design had by that point persisted for centuries. The Lucerne hammer was already in use the year after the Third Crusade, with a prominent wielder being the Templar knight Frederick the Red who governed Limassol, Cyprus before being assassinated by the Assassin Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad.[1][2][3]
Centuries later, the Italian Assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze acquired Frederick's Lucerne hammer along with other personal weapons of the Cypriot Templars and set it in his armory for display.[1] Similarly, he would purchase a different Lucerne hammer in late 1503 for the armory of the Assassin headquarters on Tiber Island.[2]
Weapon statistics
| Damage | Speed | Deflect | Cost | Availability |
| 2 | 2 | 2 | 6,370ƒ | Sequence 5 |
Trivia
- In real-life, the Lucerne hammer is properly a polearm, but it appears as a one-handed, medium-sized weapon in the Assassin's Creed series.
- The Lucerne hammer is named after the city of Lucerne, Switzerland.
Appearances
- Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines (first appearance)
- Assassin's Creed II
- Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (First identified as "Lucerne hammer")
- Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade