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.