Monday, November 12, 2012

Variant Weapon Table for Swords & Wizardry


Weapon Table: Ranges are in feet, Cost is in gp.

Weapon
Type
Damage
Cost
Notes
Axe, battle 1, 2
Noble
1d8
10
+1 damage vs. Shield
Axe, hand 3
Peasant
1d6
3
Range 5
Bow, long 4, 5
Yeoman
1d8
25
13+ Str, Range 50
Bow, short 4, 5
Peasant
1d6
5
Range 40
Club
Peasant
1d6
0
Crossbow, Heavy 4, 5
Yeoman
1d10+1
30
Range 50 Fire once every 3 rounds.
Crossbow, Light 4, 5
Yeoman
1d8+1
15
Range 40 Fire once every 2 rounds.
Dagger 3
Peasant
1d4
2
Range 5
Flail
Noble
1d8
10
+1 Attack vs. Shield
Javelin 4
Yeoman
1d6
2
Range 20
Lance
Noble
1d10
5
Inflicts double damage with successful mounted charge.
Mace
Noble
1d8
10
+1 Attack vs. Chain & Plate
Polearm 5
Yeoman
1d10
10
2nd rank, Set vs. Charge
Sling 4
Peasant
1d6
0.2
Range 40, 1d4 damage for stones
Spear 1, 2, 3
Yeoman
1d8
3
Range 10, 1d6 damage thrown, 2nd rank, Set vs. Charge
Staff 5
Peasant
1d6
0
Sword, bastard 1, 2
Noble
1d8
25
Sword, long
Noble
1d8
20
Sword, short
Yeoman
1d6
10
Sword, two-handed 5
Noble
1d10
30
Requires 10’ to use.
Improvised Weapon, Small
Peasant
1d4
0
Improvised Weapon, Medium 5
Peasant
1d6
0
1 Weapon can be used either one or two-handed
2 When wielded two-handed, gain +1 damage bonus
3 Can be used as both a melee and a missile weapon
4 Missile Weapon only
5 Requires two hands

Other Notes
Range refers to the maximum range in feet that the weapon may be used to attack without penalty. For every multiple of base distance after that, a -2 penalty is assessed. There is no maximum total range.

Type refers to those social castes that may bear the arms with impunity. If you travel to a city or village, and you do appear as the requisite social class, you may be arrested and tried for crime, which may result in prison or corporal punishment, or beaten and have your weapons or armor confiscated.

Set Vs Charge means that the weapon can be set to receive a charge, by declaring it before initiative is rolled. If the weapon hits successfully, it inflicts double the damage dice.

Superior Weapons Weapons may be purchased that have modifiers to attack or damage bonus. In general, these are the product of expert craftsmen, and so are both rare and expensive.

A superior craftsman is capable of producing weapons that are finely balanced (+1 Attack) or weapons with a keen edge (+1 Damage) but not both. These weapons cost 20 - 30 times the normal amount. There are craftsmen like this in a largest cities, and occasionally in smaller cities. Only one village in ten will have such a craftsman. 

An expert craftsman is capable of producing weapons that are incredibly balanced (+2 Attack) or weapons with a very keen edge (+2 Damage) or weapons which are +1 to both attack and damage. These weapons cost 30 - 50 times the normal amount. There are occasionally craftsmen like this in a largest cities.

An legendary craftsman is capable of producing weapons that are impossibly balanced (+3 Attack) or weapons with a diamond-keen edge (+3 Damage) or weapons which are +2 to both attack and damage. These weapons cost 100 times the normal amount, if they are available for sale at all. There are occasionally craftsmen like once in a generation, in the very greatest of cities.

OK, so why this variant?

The table is the result of several influences, but let me begin by stating why I wanted to change weapon stats in the first place. Generally speaking, the charts as they exist tend to encourage a relatively narrow range of choices, based on the fact that the damage is best for swords, and for maces and staves depending on your class. I wanted to raise the damage for non-sword weapons, and then give them minor modifiers that would accent their historical purpose (the idea for this, BTW, comes from the Pendragon RPG). So all the one handed noble weapons deal 1d8 of damage, two handed weapons deal 1d10, and all single handed weapons wielded with two hands inflict +1 damage, etc. Crossbows deal slightly better damage, but are much slower.

My general aim was to encourage a more divergent use of weapons among the party, and reinforce caste ideas, which I’ll talk more about next time. 

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