How to kill a knight in full plate armour?

[The Red Lion]

I was on wikipedia reading about halberds, and then 2 hours later I realized I was reading about medieval armours and I found out that Full Plate Armour was super OP and that nearly nothing could penetrate a well made one. From what I have read Poleaxes were able to dent the steel, so were halberds, but they were heavy weapons that few could wield well enough for that. Same thing with Warhammers, but they were used

aimed at the helmet ( not to crush them, to cause concussions ), and even then, it wasn't a one hit KO blow. So, what is capable to stop a knight in plate on Westeros? I never read about anyone using Poleaxes or Halberds, and only about robert using an UBER war hammer, that crushed even the most well made armor. So, how can they kill these OP motherfuck*rs?

[lupis42]

A lance, with a charging warhorse behind it, is a solid one-hit kill. Most other weapons, you wear your opponent down, and look for weak spots in the armor - Dunk's fight with the Longinch, or Oberyn's fight with the Mountian style. Warhammers and poleaxes are a little different - your goal there is to get the knight down onto his back so that you can deliver a full-power shot. Most knights who are killed in battle are killed by a well placed sword through an armpit or similar weakspot, a lance, or a prolonged series of blows from a blunt weapon.

[Fogo Vivo]

The book don't clearly details the use of weapons on the battlefield. However I think that only the nobles and elite guard have full plate armor. I think the level of development of equipment for war in Westeros is proportional to the fourteenth-century Europe.

[Fogo Vivo]

But answering the question.

The plate armor is not 100% invulnerable. Repeate attacks with spear eventually piercing the armor. Maces and warhammers would be effective. Bolts and bodkin point arrows were also used against heavy armor.

[Defengar]

If you had massive strength and a large 40 pound war hammer with a pyramided side you could easily puncture plate (kind of like Robert with Prince Raegar). A flat ended 40 lbs hammer would shatter your ribs if it hit you in the chest no matter what plate armor you had on (unless it was like a quarter inch thick, and only the mountain could wear armor that strong).

[kingkiller]

use a dragon

[Aeryk Targaryen]

Stick them with the pointy end, repeat as necessary.

:fencing:

(Obviously easier said than done)

[Stannis the Great]

With a dragon. [Edit: Sorry @kingkiller - didn't see your post until now... :s ]

I have absolutely no clue on the subject but how much damage (if any) would a crossbow bolt at close range do?

[kingkiller]

With a dragon. [Edit: Sorry @kingkiller - didn't see your post until now... :s ]

I have absolutely no clue on the subject but how much damage (if any) would a crossbow bolt at close range do?

haha no problem.

as for bolts, it depends. there was a point in time where a bolt probably could punch through armor. but after bolts were created, armorers answered by making their armor even stronger. this would result in well made armor USUALLY repelling a bolt. but this progression took place in our world, not GRRM's. therefore it is hard to say exactly how strong armor is compared to crossbows in his world since the technological advances do not have to match up to our own at all.

if i had to guess i would say arrows are still more prominent than crossbows in westeros, and well made armor would protect its wearer against a bolt in most instances.

[Jory's Shade]

Wildfyre worked pretty well for the Mad King on Rickard Stark.

[Mads]

Clay pot of wildfire. Light it with a torch and toss it at 'em. Even a spitfire with lampoil would ruin the day of any armored knight.

A javelin, thrown at an advancing knight, might also work.

And if the armor isn't "bulletproof", a big crossbow, especially if fired in the knights back. A ballista or scorpion should also pierce any armor.

Also, the best counter to an enemy that has the advantage is to not fight them untill you have the advantage on them. This is proven time and time again in the series.

Especially if social circumstances force a combatant to engage on unfavorable terms; which is why brienne almost always wins her fights, why Bran won his fight in the eyrie, and why nearly all westerosi knights have won their duels in the east.

For every defense, there's a tool to crack it, but getting your opponent to allow you to _use_ that tool is the problem, not the utility itself. Very rarely is a fight settled during the fighting itself, it almost always happens before.

[zmflavius]

And it's probably worth remembering that a full suit of plate is very, very, very expensive.

[DoomPancakes]

If you had massive strength and a large 40 pound war hammer with a pyramided side you could easily puncture plate (kind of like Robert with Prince Raegar). A flat ended 40 lbs hammer would shatter your ribs if it hit you in the chest no matter what plate armor you had on (unless it was like a quarter inch thick, and only the mountain could wear armor that strong).

I'm pretty sure a full on hit with a 10lb warhammer would break ribs. A 2 lb hammer to the head would definitely cause a concussion on a good hit, even with a helmet.

[Black Amethyst]

I did read that those with a great proficiency in swordfighting were able to pinpoint weak spots where the armour joined, that were unprotected. It's not all one seamless piece. I don't know how easy that technique would be from horseback, but probably fairly easy on foot. To use a Westeros example, it's what Gregor did to defeat that kid at the joust. He didn't have his gorget on right and he went up under it.

Then again, men in full plate probably tried to avoid being on foot for any length of time, it being so difficult to move in, so I'm not sure how often that happened.

[mediocre cheese]

machine guns

[MyDogIsNamedDanerys]

Couldn't English longbows pierce plate? Likewise, something Jorah said in aGoT made me think that Dothraki bows could possibly kill a knight in armor.

[Aeryk Targaryen]

Couldn't English longbows pierce plate? Likewise, something Jorah said in aGoT made me think that Dothraki bows could possibly kill a knight in armor.

They were used quite effectively at Agincourt to mow down the French knights & men-at-arms.

[MaesterWinters]

Don't forget Bronn as Tyrion champion in the Eyrie. Wear 'em down, and then attack a weak joint.

[Defengar]

Don't forget Bronn as Tyrion champion in the Eyrie. Wear 'em down, and then attack a weak joint.

and make a giant statue fall on them to finish them off lol.

[Timur Khal]

They were used quite effectively at Agincourt to mow down the French knights & men-at-arms.

that is being more and more questioned as time goes on, but it's still relatively true.

They didn't quite 'mow down' men in full plate; on the contrary, a full catch on the breastplate with a normal arrow at decent range wouldn't kill the knight within. However, a catch on a metal imperfection, a joint, a weak spot, a place wearied down by combat, or the like, and the longbow was your weapon (especially if you used specific arrows meant for such a task, I forget the name). This would probably be better than a crossbow in regard to the range and speed with which you could reload, although there were plenty of big 'ol crossbows with more direct stopping power.

Of course, don't forget stakes. The amount of force a knight on horseback has at full speed is pretty huge, hence their use basically as battering rams against footmen, and is also nifty when you want to kill the man inside the armor. If he charges into a planted and sharpened stake, the result is not pretty, especially if hills are involved. If he isn't impaled or severely injured from the force of it, he will at least be knocked off his horse and in great pain. And all that armor when on foot, after just being thrown off your horse by a sharpened stake plus the optional chance of rolling down a hill (think Agincourt, where the French charged their cavalry up the hill and into stakes). Bonus points if it's also muddy (Agincourt again)