Melee Weapon

See also: Weapon, List of melee weapon examples.

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Simple Weapons

Simple melee weapons are either tools from common trades, like woodworking, smithing or cooking, or weapons crafted for hunting, like spears. Additionally, tools repurposed as weapons also fall under the simple category, like warscythes or swordstaffs.

Martial Weapons

Martial Weapons are weapons explicitly made for warfare. These are more specialized, granting the proficient wielder more damage and maneuvers for use in combat.

However, certain martial weapons may impose hardships while trying to socialize if the martial weapons are visible. This depends on the region, but some people may not appreciate a halberd in their face.

• Martial weapons gain the maneuvers and properties of their simple counterpart.
• Light martial weapons can be made as thrown weapons. This reduces their damage to the simple damage category, but allows it to be thrown more effectively.

Weapon Damage

→ Weapon Damage
The damage a melee-weapon can do is dependent on several factors.

• Which kind of attack you make with the weapon, each corresponding to the five types of physical damage; Slashing, Cleaving, Piercing, Splitting, Bludgeoning. Cleaving and Splitting are combinations of the other damage types.
• Your modifier for Dexterity or Strength, depending on which kind of attack you make.
• The quality of the weapon; Simple, Martial or Exotic.
• Any enchantments on the weapon.

High

Quality Type	Great	Two-Handed	One-Handed	Light
Simple	D10	D10	D6	D4
Martial	D12	D12	D8	D6
Exotic	Exotic weapons are rare and all have specific stats

Medium

Quality Type	Great	Two-Handed	One-Handed	Light
Simple	D8	D8	D4	D2
Martial	D10	D10	D6	D4
Exotic	Exotic weapons are rare and all have specific stats

Low

Quality Type	Great	Two-Handed	One-Handed	Light
Simple	D6	D6	D2	1
Martial	D8	D8	D4	D2
Exotic	Exotic weapons are rare and all have specific stats

Armor Penetration

The five different physical damage types have a varying degree of effectiveness against armor, each having an armor penetration value from 0 to 3. Slashing is the least effective against armor but great against flesh, like a sabre wielded against lightly armored or unarmored foes is almost useless against heavily armored ones. Bludgeoning however is the most effective against armor, like a warhammer wielded against a plated knight. It will however be less useful against an unarmored foe.

Damage Type	Armor Penetration
Slashing	0
Cleaving	1
Piercing	1
Splitting	2
Bludgeoning	3

Armor Penetration Calculations

Armor penetration ignores the AL calculated from your AL bonus from armor.

For example, if a creature has an Armor Level (AL) of 15, with a Dexterity modifier equal to 3 and an AL bonus from armor equal to 2, a bludgeoning weapon, which has an armor penetration of 3, will reduce the effective Armor Level down to 13 when determining a hit from an attack.

Noting ALs On Your Sheet

An easy way to keep track of your ALs during combat is to write down your base AL, your AL with the added Dexterity modifier and your AL with Dexterity and armor.

With the example described above, it could look something like this:

• Base AL: 10
• Base + Dexterity AL: 13
• Base + Dexterity + Armor AL: 15

Weapon Categories

Axes

Simple Axes are axes primarily used for woodworking, felling trees and butchery. Examples include Handaxes, Felling Axes, Broad Axes, Hatchets.

Martial Axes are either made to cleave through limbs and light armor, or split through, bend and bash armor. Examples include Battleaxes, Tomahawks, Long Axes.

Damage Types	Simple Martial Cleaving or Splitting Slashing Cleaving Piercing
Range	Melee
Maneuvers	Simple Martial Goading Attack Menacing Attack Tripping Attack Disarming Attack Positioning Strike Restraining Attack Arresting Strike
2h Maneuvers	Simple Martial Power Attack Pushing Attack Commander's Strike Sweeping Attack Seize and Conquer

Blades

Simple Blades are blades primarily used for farming, skinning and cooking. Examples include Scythes, Sickles, Knives, Machetes

Martial Blades include all kinds of swords and special daggers. Blades can be double-edged or single edged, curved or straight, straight and thin, or short and heavy.

Martial Variations

Curved

→ Curved Blade
Curved Blades are swords with a back-bending blade. These are heavily favored for lightly armored combat and often in the hands of cavalry. They favor slicing, cutting and slashing. Examples are Scimitars, Falchions and Sabres.

• As a Bonus Action, while mounted, when you attack with a Curved Blade, you may make an extra attack with the same weapon.

Straight

→ Straight Blade
Straight blades are the weapons of choice for those who require versatility. They give like most swords a good balance of offense and defense, but their double-edged blade yields the possibility of either hacking and cleaving, finding gaps and piercing the opponent, but also half-swording to split and swapping the grip to bash with the pommel. Examples are Daggers, Shortswords (Arming Swords), Longswords, Bastard Longswords, Greatswords (Zweihanders).

Thrusting

→ Thrusting Blade

Thrusting Swords are either made for civilian life and personal protection, which are weapons designed to pierce lightly armored opponents, or made for warfare with heavier blades made to pierce and split thick armor. Examples are Rapiers, Estocs and Stilettos.

Statistics Table

Damage Types	Simple Martial Slashing Cleaving Piercing Curved Blade Slashing Cleaving Straight Blade Slashing Cleaving Piercing Splitting Bludgeoning Thrusting Blade Slashing Piercing Splitting
Range	Melee
Maneuvers	Simple Martial Distracting Strike Precise Attack Feinting Attack Curved Blade Commander's Strike Parry Riposte Sweeping Attack Straight Blade Parry Patient Defense Riposte Thrusting Blade Disarming Attack Lunging Attack Parry Riposte
2h Maneuvers	Simple Martial Tripping Attack Sweeping Attack Menacing Attack Power Attack Positioning Strike

Bludgeons

Simple Bludgeons are tools usually used for carpentry, masonry and hunting. Examples include Hammers, Sledgehammers, Clubs. Also includes equipment for mining or climbing, like Pickaxes and Ice-picks.

Martial Bludgeons are weapons specially made for enemies with strong armor. Either with a splitting edge or a lump of steel, bludgeons can cause concussions, broken ribs and a whole variety of bodily harm. Bludgeons however, are not as effective against unarmored opponents.

Damage Types	Simple Martial Bludgeoning or Splitting Bludgeoning and/or Splitting
Range	Melee
Maneuvers	Simple Martial Goading Attack Menacing Attack Power Attack Avert Blow Bait and Switch Brace Maneuvering Attack
2h Maneuvers	Simple Martial Tripping Attack Pushing Attack Arresting Strike Commander's Strike Seize and Conquer

Spears

Simple Spears includes farming tools and fishing tools, or simple weapons for hunting. Examples include Tridents and Hunting Spears.

• Simple spears can only be of the versatile size or smaller. Two-Handed or great sizes spears must instead be polearms.

Martial Spears are spears made for warfare rather than hunting. These range from javelins to longspears and pikes, and are generally the weapon of choice for large cohorts and armies. Even in one on one are they favored if the terrain is open and allows for longer weaponry.

Damage Types	Simple Martial Piercing or Splitting Piercing and/or Splitting
Range	Melee, Thrown
Maneuvers	Simple Martial Distracting Strike Feinting Attack Lunging Attack Arresting Strike Impale Precise Attack Riposte
2h Maneuvers	Simple Martial Maneuvering Attack Tripping Attack Parry Patient Defense Vigilance

Polearms

Simple Polearm examples includes most improvisational weaponry made from farming tools, or simple weapons like longer spears. Examples include Warscythes, Pitchforks, Quarterstaffs and Swordstaffs.

Martial Polearms are a combination of several weapons put on a stick. Often times seen as a pure battlefield weapon and made for large scale combat. Examples include Halberds, Poleaxes, Pikes.

• Polearms must always be great sized weapons.
• Martial polearms can choose to forego one of the chosen weapon categories for a hook. This grants the wielder advantage on checks when trying to unmount a mounted creature.

Damage Types	Simple Martial Bludgeoning plus the Damage Types from one simple melee weapon category of your choice. Bludgeoning plus the Damage Types of two martial melee weapon categories of your choice.
Range	Melee
2h Maneuvers	Simple Martial Pushing Attack Brace plus the maneuvers of the chosen weapon category. Menacing Attack Lunging Attack plus the maneuvers of one of your chosen weapon categories.

Melee Weapon Examples

Show Examples TableShow Examples Table

→ Melee Weapon Examples

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Melee Weapon/Examples