(This page concerns the weapon - not to be confused with the sort of sap that is essentially plant-juice, nor the sort that is an assault trench).
Basic Information
The sap1 is a bludgeoning weapon intended as less lethal way of knocking opponents unconscious than simply beating them over the head with a club.
This weapon generally consists of a cloth or leather bag packed with a heavy, yielding material such as wet sand or lead shot. The whole assembly is generally small enough to be concealed in the wielder's sleeve and attached to his wrist by a strap so that it can be quickly dropped out into action.
Normal use involves sneaking up on the target and dealing them a forceful blow to the head with the sap - in theory the yielding nature of the filler makes it less likely that they will suffer a fractured skull or broken neck from the attack, although in actual use brain damage and outright fatalities are still fairly common.
Sources
Game and Story Use
- This is a traditional weapon for The Thief - in fantasy or heroic crime genres, they do not cause fatal or crippling brain injury and are the mark of a noble criminal.