Expanded Weapon Mechanics

Design Notes: Adapted, and expanded from Legendary Games’ CoreFinder pre-Alpha development.

Table: Simple Melee Weapons

Table: Martial Melee Weapons

Table: Exotic Melee Weapons

Table: Ranged Weapons

Table: Enhancements & Special Materials

Table Legend

• Items denoted with (M) are primarily made of metal. Items with (W) are primarily made of wood. Items with these indications are susceptible to effects that affect metal or wood, respectively, and can be made with special materials in place of their metal and/or wooden components. Items denoted with ‡ are required to be masterwork, their stat adjustments include the masterwork adjustments.
• Price: The cost of the weapon
• Dmg: Damage dealt by the weapon, including type of damage dealt: B = bludgeoning, P = piercing, S = slashing. If two or more damage types listed, it deals damage of each of those types simultaneously. If multiple damage types are separated by a slash, the weapon can deal one type at a time, chosen by the wielder; the default damage type is shown first. If the alternate damage type deals a different die, it is noted with the damage type.
• Critical: All weapons by default deal double damage (including doubling all static bonuses) on a critical hit, when a natural 20 is rolled on a hit or when your attack roll exceeds the target’s AC by 10 or more. Some weapons deal a different multiplier, as listed, and/or score a critical hit on a roll other than a natural 20.
• Weight: The weapon’s weight in pounds.
• Hands: The number of hands needed to attack with a weapon. Weapons requiring 0 hands are part of another item (like spikes on a shield or armor) or part of your unarmed strike (like gauntlets). You can carry a two-handed weapon in one hand but do not count as wielding it. Changing your grip on a weapon is a free action. Some weapons have different effects when wielded in one or two hands.
• H/HP: The item’s Hardness/Hit Points. Items reduced below half their HP gain the broken condition. Those reduced to 0 are destroyed.
• Range: The weapon’s range increment (if applicable). Attack rolls take a -2 penalty for each range increment after the first. Unless otherwise stated, thrown weapons have a maximum range of 5 times their range, or 10 times their range for weapons with ammunition.
• Traits: Different types of weapons may have one or more of the following traits.
  • Armor piercing (AP): The weapon ignores ADR as if the weapon was one category stronger (adamantine > magical > masterwork > mundane). Adamantine AP weapons ignore ADR provided even by adamantine armor.
  • Brace: When you ready an action to attack a charging creature, you deal double damage on a hit.
  • Demo: This weapon is especially useful for destroying objects, using the next highest damage die against them; if the weapon is a heavy weapon then using both hands to deal one higher damage die stacks with this property against objects.
  • Disarm: You gain a +2 circumstance bonus on disarm checks, and this same bonus to your CMD against disarm maneuvers with this weapon.
  • Disarm: If you are proficient with this weapon, you can make disarm combat maneuvers with the weapon, and do not suffer attacks of opportunity when making this maneuver with this weapon without the Agile Maneuvers feat. If you do have the Agile Maneuvers feat. you add all bonuses to attack with this weapon to your CMB.
  • Double: The weapon has two ends that can be used to attack. It can be wielded two-handed as a heavy weapon, or as a Dual Attack as if it were one medium weapon and one light weapon.
  • Drive: You build momentum with multiple attacks, adding a +1 circumstance bonus to damage on each attack after the first that you make on your turn.
  • Dual: Reduce the attack roll penalty by 1 when you use this weapon for an off-hand attack.
  • Finesse: The weapon can be used with your Dexterity bonus to modify the attack roll, even if it is a medium weapon but does not add 1-1/2 times your Strength bonus if wielded two-handed when using your Dexterity bonus to modify its attack roll or damage.
  • Fragile: The weapon is made of stone, bone, obsidian, or a similar material. It has a -1 penalty on attack and damage rolls against creatures wearing metal armor and on a natural 1 on an attack roll the weapon is broken. If already broken, it is destroyed.
  • Heavy: If wielded with two hands, use the next larger damage die in place of its normal damage die.
  • Hide: This item is easily concealed, granting a +2 circumstance bonus on Sleight of Hand checks to hide the item on your person.
  • Improv: This is an improvised weapon when used in melee, with the appropriate penalties and modifiers.
  • Jousting: When mounted, you can wield the weapon with one hand, changing your grip as a use action. If you attack as a charge, you add the listed damage die.
  • Light: These weapons can be wielded in one hand and are small and light, can be used be used with your Dexterity bonus to modify the attack roll, can be used while grappled, and reduce the penalty two-weapon use as indicated in the table.
  • Locked: This weapon is worn, or otherwise locked to its location and can’t be disarmed.
  • Mixed: This weapon has components both of metal and of wood or similar material (usually a wooden haft with a metal business end), and can have each respective component made of special materials.
  • Monk: Monks are proficient with this weapon, and the weapon can be used in place of, or in addition to, unarmed strikes with a monk’s flurry of blows.
  • Nonlethal: The weapon deals nonlethal damage by default, attempts to deal lethal damage with this weapon cannot deal critical hits, unless modified by another feat or ability, such as Whip Mastery.
  • Parry: This weapon has a hilt or guard aid your defense. If you are proficient with this weapon, as a move action you gain a +1 dodge bonus to AC until the start of your next turn, and using this weapon to fight defensively increases your bonus to AC by +1
  • Pull: If you are proficient with this weapon, you can make drag combat maneuvers with the weapon, and do not suffer attacks of opportunity when making this maneuver with this weapon without the Powerful Maneuvers feat. If you do have the Powerful Maneuvers feat. you add all attack bonuses with this weapon to your CMB.
  • Push: If you are proficient with this weapon, you can make bull rush combat maneuvers with the weapon, and do not suffer attacks of opportunity when making this maneuver with this weapon without the Powerful Maneuvers feat. If you do have the Powerful Maneuvers feat. you add all attack bonuses with this weapon to your CMB.
  • Reach: You threaten creatures 10 feet away from you but not in squares adjacent to you unless you spend an immediate action to choke up on the weapon, at a -4 penalty to hit until it is returned to the reach position.
  • Reload: Reloading this weapon is a move action (or standard action for a heavy crossbow) and requires the Rapid Reload feat chain to make more than one attack in a round. A free hand is required to reload this weapon, even if it can be used in only one hand.
  • Slow: Using this weapon incurs a penalty 0f -1 to your Initiative.
  • Sneak: Add +1 precision damage when you successfully hit a flat-footed or helpless creature.
  • Special: unique qualities of a particular weapon as noted in its weapon description.
  • STR: Add your Strength bonus (or penalty) to damage rolls with this ranged weapon.
  • Sweep: You can make wide swings when making multiple attacks, gaining a +1 circumstance bonus on attack rolls after your first attack, as long as each attack is made against a different target.
  • Swing: When you miss with a melee attack, you gain a +1 circumstance bonus on your next attack roll with the weapon before the end of your turn.
  • Tangle: If you are proficient with this weapon, you can make ranged trip combat maneuvers with this weapon, and do not suffer attacks of opportunity when making this maneuver with this weapon without the Agile Maneuvers feat. If you do have the Agile Maneuvers feat. you add all attack bonuses with this weapon to your CMB.
  • Thrown: This weapon can be thrown as a missile weapon, with its range increment given in feet.
  • Trip: If you are proficient with this weapon, you can make trip combat maneuvers with this weapon, and do not suffer attacks of opportunity when making this maneuver with this weapon without the Agile Maneuvers feat. If you do have the Agile Maneuvers feat. you add all attack bonuses with this weapon to your CMB.

Weapon Enhancements

A weapon that is masterwork, or attuned by your ABP enhancement bonus, adds to the stats of your weapon as indicated in the table. The modifiers for masterwork and enhancement bonuses do not stack.

• Composite: A bow made of composite laminated materials and wood allows the wielder to add his Strength bonus to damage rolls, up to the Strength rating of the bow. Cost: Making a bow composite adds the following costs per point of Strength rating; 75gp (shortbow), 100gp (longbow), 150gp (greatbow), 135gp (hornbow).

Additional Weapon Qualites

The following qualities can be imparted upon masterwork weapons as denoted, with any further limitations as specified in the description, along with any increase in the price and/or crafting DC (source: Dragon #358, DCs adjusted to be reasonable):

• Acid Washed: Swords made from two or more metals are acid washed in order to bring out the contrast in appearance between the two metals. Although typically performed on bladed weapons, some experimental craftsmen have attempted to mimic the process with other metal weapons and armor. Acid washing creates elaborate and beautiful patterns on the surface of the weapon. Items created with the acid washed quality gain a +4 bonus on saving throws made against acid, rust, or disintegration. This quality may only be applied to metal weapons and armor. Additional Cost: +100 gp (light and weapons), +200 gp (medium and heavy); +5 to Craft DC of masterwork component.
• Basket Hilt: A basket hilt is an elaborate guard piece that serves to protect the hand holding the sword against attacks. Basket hilts come in many forms, from a nearly solid curved shield of metal to an elaborate woven pattern. Regardless of its appearance, a basket hilt grants a +4 CMD bonus to resist disarm attempts. This can only be applied to swords and similar weapons. Additional Cost: +50 gp; +3 to Craft DC of masterwork component.
• Blood Groove: The fuller, also known as the blood groove, is a furrow that travels down the length of a sword from the hilt to just before the tip, designed to reduce the weight of the blade and increase its strength. This allows the craftsman to create a lighter blade without diminishing the strength of the weapon, a process difficult to perfect but, when successful, produces a weapon both strong and light. The fuller reduces weight of the weapon by 20%, or 1/2 pound, whichever is greater, and increase the Hardness by +2. Price: Additional Cost: +100 gp; +5 to Craft DC of masterwork component.
• Deceptive: Although the technique is frowned upon by many, especially law-abiding citizens and city guards, some craftsmen perfect the technique of making a weapon look like another item entirely. For instance, a bow might be made to slide into a wooden container that resembles a walking stick, or a sword and its sheath might appear as a cane. A deceptive weapon grants its bearer a +4 circumstance bonus on Sleight of Hand checks made to hide or otherwise disguise the weapon. Additional Cost: +300 gp; +5 to Craft DC of masterwork component.
• Enhanced Bracing: Weaponsmiths in areas with large, open terrain frequently learn to create spears and polearms specifically designed to withstand a charge from mounted cavalry or raging opponents. These weapons use special bases designed to dig into the ground, in order to prevent the weapon from becoming dislodged when striking a charging foe. A weapon with this item quality provides a +2 circumstance bonus on damage rolls when set against a charge. This may only be applied to a weapon with the Brace trait. `Additional Cost +100 gp; +3 to Craft DC of masterwork component.
• Folded Metal: A technique perfected by blacksmiths to increase the strength of metal weapons they create; the folded metal technique makes for highly durable weapons. This process involves folding two or more heated alloys onto each other numerous times during forging. A weapon crafted with this item quality gains a +4 bonus to its hardness. Additional Cost +200 gp; +5 to Craft DC of masterwork component.
• Long Range: After long trials and many errors, bowyers and crossbow makers learned the secrets to making long-ranged weapons. Although not a difficult process once the trick is known, discovering how to increase the range on a weapon can often be an arduous task. A bow or crossbow with the long-range item quality increases its range increment by +20 feet. Additional Cost +100 gp; +3 to Craft DC of masterwork component.
• Ornate: Although most soldiers in the field care little for the decorative aspect of a weapon or suit of armor, many craftsmen come to pride themselves on the ability to make an item both utilitarian and beautiful. An ornate weapon or suit of armor brings with it a certain amount of prestige, especially since quality decoration is often a sign of great honor or station. Ornate weapons and armor grant the owner a +2 circumstance bonus on Diplomacy or Intimidate checks (chosen when the weapon or armor is crafted) when wielded or worn in an appropriate setting. Additional Cost +500 (weapon); +5 to Craft DC of masterwork component.
• Resilient: Adventurers, more than people in any other profession, see the value in durable weapons and armor. Those craftsmen who learn to create items that can stand up to damage as well as normal wear and tear find their skills in high demand, as constant usage can dull and break valuable items. For this reason, many craftsmen take the extra time to create weapons and armor that can stand up to even the most extreme conditions and gain a reputation for producing excellent wares. Weapons and armors with this item quality have 5 more hit points (regardless of the original material they were made from) than standard items of the same type. Additional Cost +200 gp; +5 to Craft DC of masterwork component.
• Serrated: Dealing particularly nasty wounds, a serrated weapon possesses small notches along its edge that tear the flesh, much like a saw. Often used both on swords as well as the tips of arrows, the serrated quality can cause excessive bleeding beyond the initial damage. Weapons with this item quality deal 1 point of bleed damage each round for 1d4 rounds following a successful critical hit. This damage does not apply to creatures immune to critical hits or bleed damage. This may only be applied to piercing or slashing weapons. Additional Cost: +600 gp; +5 to Craft DC of masterwork component.
• Wand Chamber: A wand chamber is a thin, cylindrical slot on the handle of a weapon or the edge of a shield that can hold a single wand. When a wand is loaded in the chamber, it is considered ready and can be activated without having to drop the weapon or shield. Changing the wand in the chamber is a full-round action. Activating the wand is still a standard action, and when activating the wand, you lose the benefit of the weapon or shield until your next turn. May not be applied to light or thrown weapons. Additional Cost +200 gp; +3 to Craft DC of masterwork component.

Weapon Materials

In addition to properties listed, items made from special materials have a hardness, and increase the base hit points of any armor as specified in the above table. Each material description states whether or not items made of the material are required to be masterwork, and whether or not the cost of the masterwork process is included in the material cost. Craft skill DC adjustments are added both to the DC of the base armor as well as the masterwork component.

Adamantine: Weapons made from adamantine bypass all of an armor or shield’s ADR, as well as ignore any Damage Reduction except for DR/–. Adamantine also bypasses any hardness when sundering objects. Additional cost: +3000 gp (weapon), +60gp (ammo, per unit) +5 to Craft DC.

Bone: Bone can be used in place of wood and steel in weapons and armor. Other animal-based materials like horn, shell, and ivory also use the rules for bone weapon and armor. Weapons of mixed materials and metal that are made of bone can be used by characters who are otherwise restricted from using metal weapons. Light and one-handed melee weapons, as well as two-handed weapons that deal bludgeoning damage only, can be crafted from bone. Hafted two-handed weapons such as spears can be crafted with bone tips, as can arrowheads. Other two-handed weapons cannot be constructed of bone. Bone weapons have half the hardness of their base weapons and have the fragile weapon quality. Masterwork bone weapons also have the fragile quality, but magic bone weapons do not. Bone weapons take a –1 penalty on damage rolls (minimum 1 damage). The cost of a bone weapon or bone armor is half the price of a normal weapon or armor of its type.

Darkwood: The wood of the magical darkwood tree is as hard as normal wood but very light. Any item that could be made of wood can be made of darkwood, and any item made of darkwood is always masterwork quality. Items that are normally made of wood have their hit points increased by 2 and have their weight decreased by half. Any wooden or mostly wooden item (such as a bow or spear) made from darkwood is considered a masterwork item and weighs only half as much as a normal wooden item of that type. Items not normally made of wood or only partially of wood (such as a battleaxe or a mace) either cannot be made from darkwood or do not gain any special benefit from being made of darkwood. . Additional cost: +750 gp (light), +1,500 gp (medium), +3,500 gp (heavy); +3 to Craft DC. Other items cost +100 gp per pound of the base item, in addition to the masterwork cost of the item and a +3 to the Craft DC of the masterwork component.

Glassteel: (3.5 Forgotten Realms version) Made by the avariel in an alchemical process requiring extensive knowledge of both metallurgy and glassblowing, glassteel combines strength beyond iron with the transparency of glass. Glassteel is stronger and lighter than iron and completely transparent, lacking the greenish tint of common glass, and it is remarkably light and agile, which allows the avariel to arm themselves while not hampering their flight. Items made of glassteel weigh only half what they otherwise would. Items not primarily made of metal cannot be made from glassteel. Due to their transparency, glassteel weapons are hard to spot from a distance (-4 to Perception checks) and harder to defend against in combat (+2 to feinting checks); Additional cost: +1000gp per pound of the weapon; +3 to Craft DC.

Greenwood: The secret of greenwood lies in its harvesting. Each length is taken, with leaves still attached, from a tree animated by a treant and cut with care to avoid the death of the tree. A dryad then speaks to and shapes the wood, coaxing the living green of the leaves into the grain of the wood itself. The resulting wood remains alive as long as it is doused with at least one gallon of water (plus 1 gallon for every 10 pounds of the item’s weight) once per week and allowed to rest for an hour in contact with fertile soil. Any wooden or mostly wooden item (such as a bow or spear) made from greenwood is considered a masterwork item. Items not normally made of wood or only partially of wood (such as a battleaxe or a mace) either cannot be made from greenwood or do not gain any special benefit from being made of greenwood. When damp and in contact with fertile soil, living greenwood heals damage to itself at a rate of 1 hit point per hour, even repairing breaks and regrowing missing pieces. If the weapon has the broken condition, it is repaired during the first hour of contact with fertile soil, restoring it to at least half its hitpoints +1. Greenwood items take only one-quarter damage from fire. Greenwood enhanced into ironwood retains its self-healing properties so long as it is properly maintained as any other greenwood item. Additional cost: 50 gp per pound

Mithral: Mithral weapons weight half their normal weight, and are treated as alchemical silver for purposes of bypassing Damage Reduction. Items not primarily of metal are not meaningfully affected by being partially made of mithral. Additional cost: +500 gp per pound of the weapon’s original weight; +3 to Craft DC.

Mithral, Celestial: Celestial mithral is a special form of mithral, forged in a crafting process that requires the intervention of a celestial being — typically an attendant of one of the deities of the Artifice or Metal domains or their subdomains, as well as requires the appropriate magical crafting process. Celestial mithral has all the properties of mithral but counts as silver and good for the purpose of overcoming Damage Reduction, affecting regeneration, and vulnerability to silver and good. Creatures with such damage resistance take half again as much damage (+50%) from a celestial mithral weapon (weapon damage dice only). Items not primarily of metal are not meaningfully affected by being crafted from this material. Celestial mithral weapons are always masterwork, and the masterwork cost is included in the material cost. Additional cost: 1,000gp per pound of the item’s orginal weight; +5 Craft DC.

Silver, Alchemical: A complex process involving metallurgy and alchemy can bond silver to a weapon made of steel so that it bypasses the damage reduction of creatures such as lycanthropes. Weapons treated with alchemical silver suffer a -1 to damage dealt (minimum 1 point); masterwork alchemical silvered weapons do not suffer this penalty. The alchemical silvering process can’t be applied to nonmetal items, nor to other rare metals or those with special forging processes such as adamantine, cold iron, and mithral.  Additional cost: +10 gp (ammo, per batch), +20 gp (light), +90 gp (one-handed), +180 gp (two-handed or double); +2 to Craft DC, 5 ranks in Craft (Alchemy).

Silversheen: Silversheen is a more advanced alchemical forging process than simply bonding alchemical silver to a weapon, by actually alloying it into the metal. Only slashing and piercing weapons can be made of silversheen. Silversheen weapons count as alchemical silver, and are less tensile than steel, but are also immune to rust, including that of rust monsters, the rusting grasp spell, and so on. Blades made of silversheen are always masterwork items; the masterwork cost is included in the additional cost. Additional cost: +750gp; +3 to Craft DC + DC 15 Craft (Alchemy).

Singing Steel: This lustrous golden metal emits beautiful bell-like tones when struck. An alloy of gold and mithral, singing steel was originally created by the elves. When wielding a singing steel weapon, shield, or item weighing at least 5 pounds, the wielder can strike the singing steel as part of beginning a bardic performance. If the wielder can normally start a bardic performance as a standard action, he can do so as a move action instead. If the wielder can normally start a bardic performance as a move action, he can do so as a swift action instead. This ability does not function in the area of a silence spell or similar effect. After using the singing steel in this fashion, the steel must be carefully brushed to remove any lingering vibrations, a process that takes 10 minutes. Singing steel items are always masterwork; this cost is included in the price. Additional cost: +6,000 gp; +5 to Craft DC.

Stone: Stone Age weapons almost always utilize stone in some way, from rocks lashed to wooden hafts to create early maces and axes, to flint knives and stone arrowheads. Light and one-handed bludgeoning weapons, spears, axes, daggers and arrowheads can all be made of stone. Weapons made of stone have half the hardness of their base weapons, and have the fragile quality. Weapons made of stone can be characters who would otherwise be prevented from using metal. Cost: 25% of base weapon; -5 to Craft DC.

Wyroot: Wyroot can be used to construct any melee weapon made entirely of wood or with a wooden haft. The root of the wyrwood tree has a peculiar quality. When a weapon constructed of wyroot confirms a critical hit, it absorbs some of the life force of the creature hit. The creature is only damaged as if the hit were a normal hit, and the wyroot weapon gains 1 life point. As a swift action, a wielder with a ki pool or an arcane pool can absorb 1 life point from the wyrwood weapon and convert it into either 1 ki point or 1 arcane pool point. The weapon can be constructed to hold up to 3 such life points at a time; life points not used by the end of the day are lost. Additional Cost: +1,000 gp, +3 to Craft DC (1 life point); +2,250 gp, +5 to Craft DC (2 life points); 4,000 gp, +7 to Craft DC (3 life points);