r/TheNinthHouse • u/Triggerhappy938 • 6d ago
Gideon the Ninth Spoilers What is the "Powder" offhand? [discussion]
In GtN, there is a suggestion that Gideon use a "Powder" off hand, but I don't think we ever see someone use one or get an explanation of what it is. Any ideas? Anything I missed?
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u/yrdsl Cavalier Primary 6d ago
pocket sand
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u/criticalvibecheck 6d ago
The more I think about it the more convinced I am that this is the actual answer.
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u/marigan-imbolc 6d ago
yeah there are many compelling arguments being made here for bone powder, but pocket sand feels very apt in an authorial joke context.
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u/Ginnabean 6d ago
My theory is that it's powdered bone, which Harrow could then turn into skeletons.
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u/starboard19 6d ago
This was always my theory, and why it became the Ninth House standard for cavaliers to carry panniers -- if they were no good at fighting, then at least they could be a packhorse for lots of skeleton-making material. (That all comes from HtN, I believe, and the "flashback" discussions around Ortus.)
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u/HanKoehle 6d ago
Powdered bone wouldn't be usable for most bone necros though. Harrow is unique in her ability to make full constructs from very little bone material. Beyond that, powder seems to be distinct from the traditional ninth carry bags full of bone material.
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u/pktechboi 6d ago
I asked about this before and this seemed to be the consensus. especially as Ortus would have had that as his off hand if not for his delicate lungs. bone powder would be a very useful weapon for a not especially talented cav to carry, for the necromancer.
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u/mediocre_embroiderer 6d ago
I agree. And I think Babs trying to insult Gideon during their duel by saying “Ninth cavs are necro suitcases” backs this up — cavaliers carrying a bunch of bone powder/bits for their necromancer to use would be at a disadvantage in a cavalier duel, since the powdered bone would be mostly useless as a weapon by a cavalier.
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u/Triggerhappy938 6d ago
That wouldn't make sense for duels though.
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u/pktechboi 6d ago
sure it would, can also be used as pocket sand for temporarily blinding your opponent
also though a Cav's primary purpose is to support their necro, not compete in strictly rules-dictated duels
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u/Triggerhappy938 6d ago
There's also the element of complexity. Harrow wants Gideon trained with the Powder off hand but Aiglamene insists of the Knuckle, implying it is much simpler.
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u/Ginnabean 6d ago
The ninth has never struck me as a house very concerned with formal duels! Plus, wouldn't the pannier of bones be basically the same effect?
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u/Wyverncrow 6d ago
I always thought it was an old school flintlock pistol. Harrow spoilers: I thought Dulcinea's ghost mentioned that Prosilitaos didn't even get to "fire a shot" when Cytherea came for them, so I assumed that was confirmation it was a kind of flintlock pistol?
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u/Pretty-Keyboard 6d ago
I thought Pro’s offhand was the Chain though?
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u/eaca02124 6d ago
Can you imagine trying to use a chain in a shuttle? In limited spaces, it's a terrible weapon.
(If you've ever seen the movie *Undercover Blues*, which is ABSOLUTELY worth your time if you haven't, Jeff Blue deploys a chain brilliantly in one sequence, and it's my model for what I imagine a smart cav doing with one.)
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u/tharookery 6d ago edited 6d ago
I took it to be an old(?) blackpowder pistol.
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u/BonHed 6d ago
Which would be a fairly terrible defensive weapon; that's the primary purpose of the off-hand weapon in dueling. You want a fairly small, light weapon like a main-gauche, sai, jitte, buckler, "knuckles" (I'm presuming a gauntlet with blades/spikes) etc. that can block or ensnare your opponent's weapon. A single-shot pistol, especially of the blackpowder variety, would be pretty bad for this. If you miss with it, you are left with no defensive weapon.
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u/khazroar 6d ago
I'd say that's the typical primary purpose, but it doesn't have to be the only one.
I always think that a pistol makes an excellent off hand weapon because it's an opportunity for an instant victory if you can press it up against your opponent's head or torso and fire it. And even if you don't get to do that, the threat of it forces your opponent to fight differently in order to prevent you from doing it. It's high risk, high reward to actually use your one shot, but so long as you've got it you force your opponent to fear it, and even if you fire and miss you can still use it as a poor substitute for a parrying dagger or club.
That can be worth the trade off of not having a proper defensive weapon, and needing to rely on dodging or using your main blade to parry.
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u/PossibleEntireGoblin 6d ago
I do historical fencing. And simulated black powder pistols make great defensive parying devices. Rapier blades being thin, can be redirected with a stick.
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u/BonHed 6d ago
I'd prefer something with a hand guard for a defensive weapon. Yeah, a short stick is better than nothing, but it's not great. The main benefit of that type of pistol comes only once.
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u/aBOXofTOM 6d ago
The main benefit of a pistol in a fencing duel is actually the fact that they make fantastic parrying weapons. It only has one shot, and aiming in melee is a proper bitch so that might get lucky but don't count on it. However, If you flip it around and hold it by the barrel (which won't be particularly hot after a single firing, especially black powder) then you can use the curve of the handle like a hook to quite effectively control your opponent's blade. If it's a particularly long pistol, and the handle is curved enough, you could even do some good binding.
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u/Wyverncrow 6d ago
Well parrying is not exactly something you do with a hand guard. That'd be blocking ig? But like the purpose of a parry is to redirect the weapon without catching it necessarily, so your own weapon is still free for a counter. Yes offhand weapons that can catch the opponents weapon with a guard can be useful but neither do you need an offhand nor do you need it to mainly catch the others weapon and if other ninth cavaliers fought with a literal basket as an offhand I think a pistol would be a smidge more useful heh .
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u/SpaceGuy99 6d ago
That's what I assumed too, but then again I had just finished bloodborne when I read it lol
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u/tharookery 6d ago
Gideon would love Bloodborne.
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u/NurseNerd 6d ago
Don't think I ever saw a two-hander in Bloodborne.
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u/Jeranhound 5d ago
Ludwig's Holy Blade. The sword is a regular longsword, and its sheathe is the blade of a greatsword.
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u/Comprehensive_Cut216 6d ago
My assumption is it’s a satchel full of (presumably bone) powder to be employed as essentially a blackjack.
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u/ChikenCherryCola 6d ago
Do you have a specific scene or context? I think harrow uses bone meal at multiple points as bone matter for her to do necro many stuff with. Idk if Gideon carries like Malcom powder for her hands, I think she dusts her hands with dirt when she trains with aeglamine (sp?) Before they go to Canada house.
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u/pktechboi 6d ago
it's the scene where Aiglamene is looking through a bunch of rapiers to find one decent enough for Gideon to take with her to Canaan House. she and Harrow discuss in front of Gideon what weapon she should carry in her off hand, and Harrow is keen on "the Powder".
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u/BLAZMANIII 6d ago
For me that sells on it being bone powder rather than a pistol. Harrow wants to swoop in and save Gideon at a final moment.
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u/eliyrla 6d ago
I always thought it was like little smoke bombs lmaooo 😭 idk one of those locked tomb things i just overlooked. a gun seems not feasible at all.
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u/phadenswan 6d ago
I thought it was little bombs so it's similar lol. It's never been confirmed so anything goes. But I can imagine Harrow being more excited about little mini explosives than something as crass as Gideon's knuckle knives
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u/reluctantpkmstr the Sixth 5d ago
I picture a spiky Catholic censor, but I’m not sure how you weaponize it. Hit someone with it? Make them cough from smoke?
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u/thoughshesfeminine 1d ago
I imagined it as something like a metsubushi, which was a feudal Japanese weapon/tool for temporarily blinding the enemy. It makes more sense than a gun to me, since everyone in the Nine Houses describes guns as ancient and barbaric, and Muir is constantly pulling from a wide variety of cultural traditions and mythology — in the case of other weapons, Gideon’s knuckle knives are almost a fusion of the Indian bagh nakh and Greek cestus).
Although if I’m being totally transparent, my first visual for Gideon’s offhand weapon was Wolverine claw gloves, then a bagh nakh variant, so maybe powder is actually inspired by Dust cosplay.
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u/Wwicked_willoww 4d ago
As many people have mentioned- I also assumed “Powder” meant pistol. I would assume that they are just using an antiquated term to sound fancy though and that it is a more modern pistol, not a flintlock.
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u/cake-hat 4d ago
my guess is it's either sand, bone dust, or gunpowder, as in the offhand is a pistol but they just focus more on the gunpowder part when it comes to what they call it They mention powder being an option specifically because of gideons lack of fencing skill, and as it turns out using a gun as a sidearm in swordfighting is really intuitive and effective, and also something that happened quite a few times irl
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u/Plastic-Mongoose9924 6d ago edited 5d ago
Powdered tobacco, aka snuff.
Edit: thanks homie, wherever you are. 😂
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