Saurons Weapon of Choice?

[Belegorn]

If he fought bare-fisted, or with his hands wrapped up like the old Greek boxers, think of maybe Jet Li in The One, hands versus bullets.

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Belegorn

If he fought bare-fisted, or with his hands wrapped up like the old Greek boxers, think of maybe Jet Li in The One, hands versus bullets.

In pure fisticuffs, Sauron's superior stature and strength would always give him an edge over lesser beings. Being in nature an angelic, embodied spirit, I would think even sword and arrow-wounds wouldn't put him down, unless he received very many of them. Morgoth, though obviously greater in all ways than Sauron, was able to withstand multiple sword-wounds by one of the most powerful of the Noldor. I don't think Sauron would have had much fear of even armed adversaries.

[Belegorn]

True, but many of his enemies were on a whole other level, being Elves and Dúnedain. Sauron himself was not quite on the level of his master. I'm just watching Full-Metal Alchemist and I think the Dúnedain were sort of like King Bradleys, and of course the Elves generally were like them, except of course the exceptional ones. I mean in the end he was put down by two of the elite of their respective kindreds so I do not see him so much out of their league as to just be strolling in among his enemies, at least at this point in history, and expecting to walk away relatively unscathed.

Remember when Isildur and his 200 or so Men were ambushed by over 2000 Orcs and they still almost wiped them out. They were horribly outnumbered. It took about 5-6 together to take out one Dúnedain, but their methods it seemed involved sacrifice because they needed to try and hold them down to get at them, almost a recklessness. I do think perhaps Sauron had something to help him deal with his enemies weapons, to mitigate their impact to some degree. He also had that heat with which he took out Gil-galad.

He was a master of wolves, I'm not sure about this, but did he make much use of them in the 2nd Age? I'm not so sure. I know some of the Orcs under Saruman used Wargs & the like, but I'd think Sauron would keep such powerful creatures around to strengthen his forces. I can certainly see Sauron going at it with just his own physical tools. It seems for the most part that warriors of note, or at least the famous people/beings tend to have their weapons mentioned. Morgoth did, as did the Balrogs, and various Elves and Men. I suppose Sauron sort of went at it like the dragons did.

[Alfirin]

Actually the skills of the Dunedain and Elves would probably almost make armor a requirement if Sauron ever planned to be on the battlefield. After all, how could he be sure that his enemies would be so noble as to keep themselves confined to close combat when he was concerned. Up close and personal, he had is power and his fire. But what would happen if they had decided to take him out from a distance. Both the elves and men possesed in thier armies numerous incredibly crack shots with bow and spear; what's to keep them from simply taking aim and riddling him. I imagine that any fear powers Sauron has won't work on intert objects and using his fire to burn them rather relys on him being able to see all of them. I tend to think his firepower requires conscios effort, that his background heat was not so high that arrows and spears simply spontaneously combusted as they got near him (and even if they did, the heads would still get though which would funtionally be the same as the whole arrow or spear. Plus assuming anyone knew about the fire thing (and they probably did. All they'd need are arrows or spears with iron shafts as well as heads). No armor means no defense against projectiles; Sauron would be a pincusion before he got twenty paces out of the gates. If his finger can be cut off, his body can presumably be peirced.

[Inziladun]

Armor or no, I still think that the lack of any mention of Sauron's engaging in melee action or his possession of any weapon is a good indication he did not carry one.

[William Cloud Hicklin]

Denethor laughed bitterly. 'Nay, not yet, Master Peregrin! [Sauron] will not come save only to triumph over me when all is won. He uses others as his weapons. So do all great lords, if they are wise, Master Halfling. Or why should I sit here in my tower and think, and watch, and wait, spending even my sons?'

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by William Cloud Hicklin

Denethor laughed bitterly. 'Nay, not yet, Master Peregrin! [Sauron] will not come save only to triumph over me when all is won. He uses others as his weapons. So do all great lords, if they are wise, Master Halfling. Or why should I sit here in my tower and think, and watch, and wait, spending even my sons?'

Oddly enough though, Denethor accused Gandalf of that very thing, yet Gandalf is the one Maia we do see personally wielding a weapon (excluding the Balrog)!
And no, I don't count Saruman's cheap shot at Frodo with his fingernail clipper.

[Boromir88]

Originally Posted by William Cloud Hicklin

Denethor laughed bitterly. 'Nay, not yet, Master Peregrin! [Sauron] will not come save only to triumph over me when all is won. He uses others as his weapons. So do all great lords, if they are wise, Master Halfling. Or why should I sit here in my tower and think, and watch, and wait, spending even my sons?'

Lots of irony in Denethor taking leadership lessons from Sauron, but he's still wielding a sword and wearing armor (although lending credence to Inzil's argument, if Sauron had armor or a weapon it would have been mentioned, especially when in battle):

...spending even my sons? For I can still wield a brand."
He stood up and cast open his long black cloak, and behold! he was clad in mail beneath, and girt with a long sword, great-hilted in a sheath of black and silver. "Thus have I walked, and thus now for many years have I slept,' he said 'lest with age the body should grow soft and timid."~The Siege of Gondor