From: Accel ACE | #181
Vance doesn't want longswords, tempest technique is strong but limited to specific weapons (i.e, onehanded weapons with the off-hand property). And aside from that, Vance doesn't even really need weapons to begin with, the shortsword he's wielding is for defensive purposes more than offensive ones.
As far as Bracers of Mighty Striking vs Iron Armbands of Power, the former is a level 2 item, and I felt that putting that on my wishlist was more reasonable since it's for all intents and purposes "less powerful".
Don't bother about power, honestly. In theory, you couldn't even receive the Bracers, while you CAN get the armbands!
(And yes, this is a dumb restriction, but honestly, don't sweat it - the armbands are right in the range of items we're s'posed to get, the bracers aren't, so why lowball?)
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Sburbopolis, Homestuck RPG: http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/60981373