Rapiers

Talking with FuzzyGeff about Pathfinder and I noticed, again, that it has a rapier.

In the real world, rapiers don't come along until well after guns are commonplace on the battlefield, mid 16th century.

Their development happens about the same time as the processes that allow for there to be steel plate armor.

But do you need guns for them to be developed.

The "fencing" weapons all come the idea that your opponent isn't wearing armor.

Armor that was, mostly, abandoned because of firearms.

Firearms that aren't any better than crossbows that didn't spur people to stop wearing armor; at least according to the stats in the game.

GURPS gives more realistic guns and thus you can see why someone wouldn't want to be wearing something heavy and uncomfortable that didn't do much to protect them.

Pathfinder?  FuzzyGeff informs me that if you get a crit hit with a gun, it's pretty spectacular, but otherwise, it's the same as a crossbow for damage and rate of fire.

Crossbows, in the real world, didn't spur the abandonment of armor, despite there being some that can punch all the way through the knight, saddle and horse if fired downward at an angle like you'd see if they were firing from a wall.