About Weapons

D&D has a long history of having long, lovingly-detailed lists of weapons. It has an equally long history of players proceeding to ignore 90% of these weapons in favour of a handful of old standbys - which tend to be the best weapons in any case.

Naturally, that's rather a waste of time and energy for all concerned.

With 3e, the designers went to some considerable time and trouble to develop and use a complex set of formulae to determine weapon capabilities. Unfortunately, they appear not to have ever written these down - even as early as the very first 3e supplement, WotC introduced a bunch of new weapons that were clearly superior to the rest. (And, actually, even in the PHB there were some 'errors' - the dagger, for example, is actually more powerful than it should be.)

3e also had the problem of introducing the Exotic weapons, which caused a great deal of controversy - things like the Spiked Chain and Double-bladed Sword fell foul of purists who noted that such weapons were clearly absurd. (Although, that said, see "Kill Bill" for an example of the spiked chain in use. WotC's picture is absurd, but the weapon isn't entirely stupid.)

For Nutshell, a lot of the complexity associated with 3e weapons automatically ceases to apply. Given that critical hits only occur on a nat-20, one means of differentiating weapons is removed. Likewise, weapon damage types no longer exist. And since ranged weapons now always add the character's Dex mod, one of the key differences between the crossbow and the sling no longer applies.

And so, Nutshell will have relatively few weapons with relatively similar statistics - the difference between a swordsman and an axeman will lie in the other powers they choose to take. (That said, it is also my intent to limit certain magic item properties to specific weapon groups, so it won't be an entirely meaningless choice.)

Simple, Martial, and Custom Weapons

Simple weapons will be those which are simple in both construction and use. This category will include most converted farm implements, primitive weaponry, improvised weapons, and shield bashes. All characters can use simple weapons without penalty; conversely, you cannot apply the Weapon Focus or Specialisation feats to simple weapons, nor can they be enchanted as magic weapons. Simple weapons are also marked out by the fact that they cause damage, and nothing else - the various special effects available to other weapon types generally don't apply to simple weapons.

Martial weapons are, of course, those constructed specifically for war. Swords, spears, axes, maces and flails, lances, bows, and the multitude of polearms are all martial weapons. Basically, if you think of it as a weapon, then it's probably martial. Weapon Proficiency, Focus, and Specialisation all apply to martial weapons, martial weapons can be enchanted to become magical weapons, and martial weapons may include all manner of special effects in addition to pure damage.

Custom weapons are those that are constructed for use by a specific character, or those weird and wonderful martial arts weapons used by dedicated practitioners. Custom weapons require their own category of Proficiency, Focus, and Specialisation, and are typically constructed to make use of several of the special effects available to weapon users. Magical custom weapons are seldom found, and so the user of such a weapon should consider taking some of the Signature Item talents to enhance his chosen weapon or weapons.

(Note: Custom weapons represent an evolution in my thinking on weapon types. For now, think of them as replacing Exotic weapons in the game. However, the key feature of custom weapons over exotic weapons is that typically the player will define his own custom weapon, rather than choosing one from a list.)

Weapon Base Damage

Weapons cause base damage based on their size, as follows:
Light: 1d4
Medium: 1d6
Heavy: 1d8

Weapons are then adjusted by selecting weapon traits, which can either be benefits or drawbacks. A weapon with a drawback can have an additional benefit. Simple weapons gain no free benefits (and can select from only a very small list), Martial weapons gain 2 free benefits, and Custom weapons gain 4 free benefits.

Traits that can be applied to Simple weapons are marked "Simple" below. Traits that can only be applied to Custom weapons are marked "Custom" below.

The weapon traits are as follows:

Limited Ammo (Drawback): Weapons of this type require custom-built ammunition (arrows, bolts, etc) that can be purchased in any town (or indeed constructed by the character), but which cannot be easily scavenged. Once used, the ammunition is expended. If the character runs out of ammo, the weapon becomes useless.

Slow Reload (Drawback): Once fired, this weapon must be reloaded before it can be used again. This drawback can be applied up to three times: once for a Move action to reload, once for a Standard action to reload, and once for two Standard actions to reload.

Reduced Damage (Drawback): This weapon applies a 1-step penalty to damage rolls. It can be applied any number of times, reducing the damage to a minimum of 1d3.

Ranged (Benefit, Simple): This weapon can be used at range. This benefit can be applied up to twice: once for short-range use (a 10ft range increment, up to 5 increments), and once for long-range use (a 30ft range increment, up to 10 increments).

Hybrid (Benefit, Simple): This weapon can be used both as a melee weapon and as a thrown weapon. Weapons with this benefit must also have the ranged benefit.

Finesse (Special): Weapons with this trait may be used with the Weapon Finesse feat. This trait is neither a benefit nor a hindrance; it is freely applied to some weapons. Medium characters consider all Light weapons to have the Finesse trait. Additionally, specific Martial and Custom Medium weapons and Custom Heavy weapons may have the trait applied. For Small characters, no weapons are automatically considered Finesse weapons; however, specific Martial and Custom Light and Custom Medium weapons may have the trait applied. Applying the Finesse trait to a weapon reduces the maximum number of "Increased Damage" traits allowed by one, to a maximum of zero.

Increased Damage (Benefit): Weapons with this trait increase their damage by one step. This trait may be applied once to Martial weapons and once or twice to Custom weapons.

Tripping (Benefit): This weapon has a flexible haft, a hooked end, or is otherwise constructed for tripping. This weapon grants advantage on trip attempts.

Disarming (Benefit): On a critical hit, the weilder of this weapon can choose to forgo the additional damage and instead disarm his opponent. He may then choose whether to catch the weapon in a free hand, or send it 20ft in a random direction - see the scatter chart.

Basket Hilt (Benefit): This weapons has a basket hilt, a wrist strap, or is otherwise constructed to avoid being disarmed. This weapon imposes disadvantage on attempts to disarm the character.

Paired (Benefit): This weapon is designed for use when two-weapon fighting. When used in concert with another paired weapon, and by a character with the Two-weapon Fighting talent, attacks with this weapon do not suffer the standard penalties for two-weapon fighting.

Improved Critical (Benefit): On a critical hit, this weapon adds one die to the damage caused.

So... some example weapons

Here are just a few weapons in the game...

Knife: This represents a kitchen knife or butcher's cleaver. It is not balanced for throwing. It's a Light Simple Weapon, which does 1d4 damage.

Rock: This is a heavy stone, weighted for throwing. It is too small to use effectively in melee combat. It's a Light Simple Weapon with the Reduced Damage and Ranged (1) traits - it therefore does 1d3 damage, has a range increment of 10ft, and can be thrown up to 5 increments.

Rapier: This is a thin stabbing sword, fitted with a basket hilt, and weighted for two-weapon fighting. It is a Medium Martial Weapon with the Finesse, Paired, and Basket Hilt traits. It therefore does 1d6 damage, allows the use of the Weapon Finesse feat, imposes disadvantage on disarm attempts, and does not apply penalties to two-weapon fighting when used by a trained character along with another paired weapon.

Dagger: This is a thin blade weighted for combat. It is a Light Martial Weapon with the Hybrid and Ranged (1) traits - it therefore does 1d4 damage, has a range increment of 10 ft, and can be thrown up to 5 increments.

Sling: This is a leather strap for projecting stones over distance. Because appropriate stones are easy to scavenge, this weapon does not apply the Limited Ammo trait. Instead, it has the Ranged (2) trait, the Reduced Damage trait, and the Slow Reload (1) trait - it therefore does 1d3 damage, requires a Move action to reload, has a range increment of 50 ft, and can fire up to 10 range increments.

Spiked Chain: See "Kill Bill". Seriously. This is a Heavy Custom Weapon with the Increased Damage (1), Tripping, Disarming, Finesse, and Basket Hilt traits. As such, it does 1d12 damage, grants advantage on trip attempts, allows the weilder to disarm on a critical hit, and imposes disadvantage on attempts to disarm the weilder.