Why did rapiers replace Longswords?

The longsword was a military weapon, carried in combat as a primary weapon. The rapier is a civilian weapon. If it replaced anything, it was the shorter, lighter, one handed arming sword. They started adding more complex hilts to the arming sword to provide better hand protection.

What replaced rapiers?

This is when the rapier began to give way to the colichemarde itself being later superseded by the small sword which was later superseded by the épée. Noticeably, there were some “war rapiers” that feature a relatively wide blade mounted on a typical rapier hilt during this era.

Can a rapier slash?

You can, but because a rapier is straight rather than curved, a “slash” isn’t delivered the same way you would with a cutlass or sabre. The shape of most rapiers (a relatively thin blade without a lot of mass behind it) generally made them quick blades, but not especially powerful.

Why did the three musketeers use swords?

Musketeers are military men, so would rarely be almbling around town off duty armed with battlefield weapons. Swords were the personal defence weapon of the day and the Musketeers would have spent time practicing with them to get good. So, for the most part of the story, swords were the weapon of choice.

Is rapier a finesse weapon?

Rapier: You can use the Weapon Finesse feat to apply your Dexterity modifier instead of your Strength modifier to attack rolls with a rapier sized for you, even though it isn’t a light weapon. You can’t wield a rapier in two hands in order to apply 1-1/2 times your Strength bonus to Damage.

When did Longswords fall out of use?

Beginning about 1520, the Swiss sabre (schnepf) in Switzerland began to replace the straight longsword, inheriting its hilt types, and the longsword had fallen out of use in Switzerland by 1550. In southern Germany, it persisted into the 1560s, but its use also declined during the second half of the 16th century.