Sap

Saps were a type of light, non-lethal martial melee weapon.

Description
Saps were a lead rod or disk hammered somewhat flat and wrapped in leather, then fitted to a spring handle. The handle could either be an actual spring or a flexible strip of steel.

Alternatively, a sap was filled with lead shot (small pellets), sand, or a similar material.

Weaponology
Saps were designed to deliver non-killing blows, dealing out non-lethal damage for roughing someone up or knocking them unconscious. Knowing where to strike and getting in close enough to use a sap required some skill and thus they were considered a martial weapon. It was very difficult, but not impossible, to kill someone using a sap by striking them in their most vulnerable areas.

The act of trying to knock someone out with a sap was referred to as "sapping".

Varieties

 * Truncheon: a heavier version of the standard sap.

Groups

 * The City Watch of Waterdeep typically carried around long truncheons.
 * All members of the Guild of Chandlers and Lamplighters were trained in the use of improvised saps, which consisted of a fistful of coins wrapped in a shirt or other cloth.
 * The security at Nurneene's Marvelous Masks often wielded saps.

Individuals

 * Alak Abaeir
 * Lepidius Tragemandes
 * Yalister Ikhusaru was proficient in the use of saps.

Races & Intelligent Creatures

 * Kenku were often known to wield saps.

Regions & Settlements

 * In the land of Sembia, saps were a signature weapon of thieves in the city of Daerlun.

Appearances

 * Novels
 * Tymora's Luck &bull; The Sapphire Crescent
 * Card Games
 * Dragonfire (Sea of Swords)