House Rules - New Martial Weapons

New Martial Weapons

This is a list of martial weapons that do not appear in the Player's Handbook, but that I use in my campaigns. As martial weapons get added to my ongoing campaigns, I will add more to this listing. Some of these weapons have been adapted from Dragon 274, Dragon 281, Dragon 283, Dragon 298, Dragon 301, Dragon 303, and Dragon 304.

This list uses several abbreviations to show what sourcebook the entries were drawn from. For guidance as to what sourcebooks these abbreviations reference, see my key to Sourcebook Abbreviations.

All of the material contained on this page and other pages of this blog is presented in accordance with the terms of the Open Game License.

Martial Weapons
Tiny	Source	Cost	Damage	Critical	Range Increment	Weight	Type
Knife, Wrist	N:AA	12 shillings	1d4	x2	-	1 lbs.	Slashing
Main-Gauche 1, 2	-	4 shillings	1d4	19-20/x2	-	2 lbs.	Piercing
Small	Source	Cost	Damage	Critical	Range Increment	Weight	Type
Angle-Knife	QF	10 shillings	1d4	18-20/x2	10 feet	3 lbs.	Piercing
Blade, Throwing	N:AA	14 shillings	1d6	x3	15 feet	3 lbs.	Slashing
Cutlass	FRCS	15 shillings	1d6	19-20/x2	-	3 lbs.	Piercing and Slashing
Flametongue	QF	8 shillings	1d4	18-20/x2	10 feet	2 lbs.	Piercing
Lance, Light	PHB	6 shillings	1d6	x3	-	5 lbs.	Piercing
Smallsword 3	-	16 shillings, 5 pennies	1d4	18-20/x2	-	2 lbs.	Piercing
Spider Throwing Knife	QF	10 shillings	1d4	19-20/x3	20 feet	2 lbs.	Piercing
Thornblade	PotS	10 shillings	1d6	19-20/x2	-	2 lbs.	Piercing
Medium	Source	Cost	Damage	Critical	Range Increment	Weight	Type
Aclis	QF	1 shillings	1d6	x2	10 feet	3 lbs.	Bludgeoning
Ankus	QF	2 shillings	1d4	x2	-	3 lbs.	Piercing
Billong	Malice of the Medusa	6 shillings	1d6	x3	-	15 lbs.	Slashing
Clay Ball Thrower	T:BE	3 shillings	1d6	x3	30 feet	1 lb.	Bludgeoning
Karvar	QF	5 shillings	1d6	x3	-	4 lbs.	Slashing
Lance, Heavy	PHB	10 shillings	1d8	x3	-	10 lbs.	Piercing
Leaf Spear	N:AA	30 shillings	1d10	x2	10 feet	9 lbs.	Piercing and Slashing
Nagamaki	OA	8 shillings	2d4	x3	-	10 lbs.	Slashing
Orc bow blade	FitW	10 shillings	1d4	x2	-	+½ lbs.	Slashing
Orc shield blade	FitW	10 shillings	1d6	x2	-	+½ lbs.	Slashing
Pilum	ER	2 shillings	1d6	x2	30 feet	2 lbs.	Piercing
Saber	FRCS	20 shillings	1d8	19-20/x2	-	4 lbs.	Piercing and Slashing
Spear, Barbed	N:AA	8 shillings	1d6	x4	20 feet	4 lbs.	Piercing
Spear, Throwing	N:AA	4 shillings	1d8	x3	30 feet	3 lbs.	Piercing
Sword Cane7	QF	35 shillings	1d6	18-20/x2	10 feet	3 lbs.	Piercing
Sword Gauntlet	QF	45 shillings	1d8	18-20/x2	-	5 lbs.	Piercing
Sword, Sickle 4	N:AA	40 shillings	1d8	19-20/x2	-	5 lbs.	Slashing
Tulwar	QF	5 shillings	1d8	18-20/x2	-	4 lbs.	Slashing
Large	Source	Cost	Damage	Critical	Range Increment	Weight	Type
Bec-de-Corbin	QF	30 shillings	2d4	x4	-	15 lbs.	Bludgeoning or Piercing
Flamberge	QF	125 shillings	2d6	18-20/x2	-	16 lbs.	Slashing
Flax	QF	8 shillings	2d4	19-20/x2	-	10 lbs.	Slashing
Half-Moon Longspear	QF	10 shillings	2d4	19-20/x2	-	15 lbs.	Slashing
Hammer, Great	N:AA	48 shillings	1d10	x3	-	16 lbs.	Bludgeoning
Longspear 5	PHB	2 shillings	1d8	x3	-	9 lbs.	Piercing
Maul	FRCS	15 shillings	1d10	x3	-	20 lbs.	Bludgeoning
Naginata	OA	10 shillings	1d10	x3	-	15 lbs.	Slashing
Pike5	QF	10 shillings	1d10	x3	-	17 lbs.	Piercing
Spear, Heavy 5	N:AA	14 shillings	1d10	x3	-	8 lbs.	Piercing
Staff Sling	QF	3 shillings	1d6	x2	100 feet	5 lbs.	Bludgeoning
Sword-Pike	QF	35 shillings	1d10	19-20/x2	-	18 lbs.	Piercing and Slashing
War-Rake6	QF	5 shillings	1d8	x3	-	12 lbs.	Piercing
1 This weapon provides a bonus to disarm attempts.
2 This weapon provides a bonus to parry attempts.
3 A Small or larger creature may use Weapon Finesse with this weapon.
4 This weapon provides a bonus to disarm attempts
5 This weapon may be set against a charge as a readied action. If set, the weapon deals double damage against a charging foe.
6 This weapon may be used to trip an opponent. If you are tripped during your own trip attempt, you may drop the weapon to avoid being tripped.
7 A medium or larger creature may use Weapon Finesse with this weapon.

Martial Weapon Descriptions

Aclis:  The aclis is simply a club attached to a lightweight cord. Mainly used in melee combat, it may also be thrown, with the cord being used to drag the aclis back to be used again. Not an ideal weapon in normal combat, it may give an opponent a nasty surprise and if used by several individuals at once, can even stall a determined charge. The aclis has a maximum range of 30 feet, as this is the length of the cord attached to it. Dragging the club back after it has been thrown is a move-equivalent action.

Angle-Knife: A curved, double-edged dagger, some examples are so extreme in their curvature that the point extends at a right angle away from the hilt. The angle-knife can be a vicious weapon in the right hands, dealing serious wounds to even a well-armored enemy.

Ankus: Used primarily as a goad for large beasts, the ankus has a short haft sharpened to a point with a curved side hook with which to prod an animal. The ankus grants a +2 circumstance bonus to any Handle Animal checks made with creatures of Large size or greater.

Bec-de-Corbin: This weapon takes the form of a small polearm with a combined hammer and pick on its head. Swung with great force, the wielder is able to concentrate all the energy of the blows into the sharp pick end of the weapon, enabling him to cause a great deal of damage against heavily armored enemies. The bec-de-corbin may be used as a piercing weapon with its pick head or a bludgeoning weapon with its hammer; however, the pick and hammer may not both be used within the same combat round.

Billong: The billong is an ancient tool of war and a favored weapon among savage humanoid tribes. It features a square iron blade fitted onto a large wooden handle. The handle is typically carved into the likeness of a fierce animal to infect its victims with terror. The total length of the weapon is 21 inches.

Blade, Throwing: This weapon is part throwing knife, part throwing axe. They are powerful but ungainly weapons capable of inflicting a great deal of damage. Throwing blades are commonly found in the hands of euroz warriors.

Clay Ball Thrower: Essentially a large sling, this weapon allows the wielder to hurl heavy clay balls at a foe. This weapon is most commonly used by slytheen and lizardfolk warriors.

Cutlass: The cutlass is a short, heavy, slightly curved blade useful for both stabbing and slashing. It is popular with many sailors. Its heavy basket hilt gives the wielder a +2 circumstance bonus on any checks to resist being disarmed.

Flamberge: The flamberge is an enormous sword. Forged with a waved blade, the design greatly increases the surface area available for swings, allowing the wielder to cut through his opponent's defensed with ease and cause crippling damage. It is difficult to craft, and as a result very expensive.

Flametongue: The flametongue has a similar blade design to the flamberge, being extremely wavy in design. This confers many of the advantages of the larger sword to this dagger, allowing it to cause crippling damage to an enemy.

Flax: This wholly unsophisticated weapon consists of a slightly curved blade mounted atop a two foot shaft. It is a heavy sword and while it does not require much skill to use, the wounds it deals are usually severe.

Half-Moon Longspear: An adaptation of the longspear, the half-moon shaped blade of this weapon makes it ideal for dismounting attackers. Any rider hit by a half-moon longspear must make a Ride check with a DC of 10 + the base attack bonus of the attacker or be dismounted. A half-moon longspear has reach. You can use it attack foes 10 feet away, but cannot attack creatures in an adjacent space.

Hammer, Great: A great hammer is a massive warhammer with a solid iron head. They are especially popular among dwarves.

Karvar: The karvar is a huge and heavy cleaver mounted on the end of a two foot shaft. It is an unwieldy and primitive weapon, but is capable of causing a great deal of damage with a successful strike.

Knife, Wrist: The wrist knife has an oval blade made from a flat piece of iron. It is worn around the wrist like a bracelet. The outside edge of the weapon is sharpened, while the inside is protected with leather to avoid harming the wearer. In addition, a wrist knife usually has a semi-circular sheath that fits around the exterior edge to avoid accidentally harming the wearer. The wrist knife is both a useful tool and a weapon for grappling combat. Wrist knives are common weapons in Calder and Roholukraz, and see fairly common use in Karst as well.

A wrist knife never needs to be drawn, which makes it an excellent weapon for use in grappling combat. In addition, it can be worn while holding and item or wielding a weapon without penalty. It cannot be used in the same hand as a shield. A character wearing a wrist knife is entitled to make Attacks of Opportunity against unarmed attacks as if she were armed. Unfortunately, the weapon is not well-suited for standard attacks. When attacking with a wrist knife, the user is considered unarmed and is subject to Attacks of Opportunity.

Lance, Heavy: A lance deals double damage when used from the back of a charging mount. A heavy lance has reach. You can strike opponents 10 feet away with it, but you can't use it against an adjacent foe. A heavy lance used while dismounted is treated as a longspear.

Lance, Light: A lance deals double damage when sed from the back of a charging mount. Light lances are primarily for Small riders. A light lance used while dismounted is treated as a halfspear.

Leaf Spear: A leaf spear is a short stabbing weapon with a wide, leaf-like blade. In the hands of a capable warrior, a leaf spear is capable of inflicting more damage than a sword. This weapon is favored by lizardfolk warriors.

Longspear: A longspear has reach. You can strike opponents 10 feet away with it, but you can't use it against an adjacent foe. A longspear used while mounted is treated as a heavy lance.

Main-Gauche: The main-gauche is simply a dagger with a large, ornate basket hilt and crossguard attached to it. It grants a +2 on all disarm and parry attempts, but the main-gauche cannot be thrown like a normal dagger.

Maul: A tool used for driving stakes converted to use as a weapon, a maul is also a two-handed hammer of enormous size. It is less expensive than a great hammer, but heavier, because its head is made from wood instead of iron, requiring comparatively more material.

Nagamaki: The nagamaki is a polearm similar to the naginata, but somewhat shorter. It is commonly used by mounted hobgoblin and bugbear warriors.

Naginata: Most often found in the hands of khezotek temple guards, a naginata has reach. You can strike opponents 10 feet away with it, but you can't use it against an adjacent foe.

Orc Bow Blade: This is a short sword blade made to be affixed to a shortbow, along the upper curve, turning the bow into a primitive slashing weapon as well as a missile weapon.

Orc Shield Blade: This is a short blade affixed to the edge of a shield - usually an orcish battle shield - allowing its wielder to use the shield to make slashing attacks in addition to bashing attacks, with the wilder making the choice of which damage he wishes to inflict prior to each attack with the shield. A shield may be equipped with both shield spikes and a shield blade, and the wielder must decide if he wants to inflict piercing or slashing damage before each attack with the shield.

Pike: Almost twice as long as a longspear, the pike is a favored weapon among infantry that must face cavalry. You can strike enemies 15 and 20 feet away with a pike, but cannot attack anyone within 10 feet. Due to its great length, a pike is almost useless as a weapon to an individual warrior, and is almost exclusively used in formations. Like a longspear, a pike may be set against a charge.

Pilum: The pilum is a throwing spear commonly used by goblinoids. Its broad point and long, thin metal neck are designed so that even if the pilum doesn't harm the target, the point would lodge in an enemy's shield and then the neck will bend, making the spear difficult to remove and the shield awkward to use, forcing the shield's user to throw away his shield or fight encumbered by the heavy spear shaft.

If a pilum attack misses its target but would have hit if not for the opponent's shield bonus, roll damage for the pilum; if the damage exceeds the hardness of the shield (typically 5 for a wooden shield, 10 for a metal one), the pilum is lodged in it, and the shield's user takes a -2 penalty to attack rolls and loses any Dexterity bonus to armor Class until the shield it thrown away or the pilum is removed. Removing a pilum from a shield is a full-round action, and provokes attacks of opportunity.

Lead weights are often added to pila in order to increase their penetrating power - a goblinoid warrior will often carry one weighted pilum and one unweighted pilum. A weighted pilum receives a +1 bonus to its damage rolls, but its range increment is reduced to 20 feet.

Saber: A weapon commonly found among the nomads of the At'viras Steppes, the saber is a long, heavy sword specialized for the long cuts used in mounted combat. You gain a +1 circumstance bonus to attack rolls when using a saber while mounted.

Smallsword: This is a small sized rapier that is most often used by halflings and gnomes as a human or alvari would use a rapier, and by Medium creatures as an off-hand weapon. A Small creature may use the Weapon Finesse feat (see the Player's Handbook) to apply their Dexterity modifier instead of their Strength modifier to attack rolls with a smallsword. You cannot wield a smallsword in two hands to apply 1½ times your Strength bonus to damage.

Spear, Barbed: Barbed spears are throwing spears with cruelly sharpened barbs that tend to stick in a target, aggravating the wound. Gnolls favor barbed spears as ranged weapons. When struck by a barbed spear, the target must make a DC 15 Fortitude save or suffer an additional 1 point of damage from blood loss every round for the next 1d4 rounds, after which time the spear works itself loose. Undead and other creatures immune to critical hits do not take this additional damage. A barbed spear is poorly suited for use as a melee weapon, and any attempt to do so suffers a -4 penalty to attack rolls.

Spear, Heavy: The heavy spear is approximately six feet in total length, with the spear tip measuring between one and two feet in length. The edges of the spear are sharpened into a sword-like blade that makes the weapon more lethal in combat. The heavy spear was a favored weapon for warriors from Yle before that nation was destroyed. It is rarely seen now.

Spear, Throwing: Throwing spears are a more lethal type of javelin. Unlike most ranged weapons, throwing spears are available in sharpened and blunted forms. A sharpened throwing spear inflicts normal damage. A blunted throwing spear inflicts nonlethal damage, but causes the the thrower to suffer a -4 attack penalty. Blunted throwing spears inflict normal damage on a critical hit, regardless of the intentions of the thrower. A throwing spear is poorly suited for use as a melee weapon, and any attempt to do so suffers a -4 penalty to attack rolls (this stacks with the -4 penalty imposed when trying to inflict nonlethal damage with a blunted throwing spear).

Spider Throwing Knife: A wickedly sharp multi-bladed dagger, this weapon is well-balanced for throwing, where its multiple blades can cause serious wounds to any target.

Staff Sling: A simple adaptation of a sling attached to the end of a five to six foot long pole, this weapon greatly advances the use of sling bullets. By using the pole's own length to greatly increase the momentum of the bullets launched, the projectiles can leave the weapon at frightening speeds, causing great damage upon impact. The staff sling uses normal sling bullets.

Sword Cane: A cunning weapon favored by nobles and gentlemen, the sword cane has a thin pointed blade much like a rapier. It is usually concealed within an ornate walking cane, leaving enemies completely unaware that the target is indeed armed with a lethal weapon. A character may use the Weapon Finesse feat to apply his Dexterity modifier instead of Strength to all attack rolls with the sword cane.

Sword Gauntlet: Usually seen within gladiatorial arenas, this weapon is a simple combination of a metal gauntlet onto which is attached a carefully honed longsword blade. Many gladiators gain a strong following among the crowds they entertain by wearing one on each arm. The sword-gauntlet feels extremely natural in use, though it severely restricts the use of the hand it is strapped to - all Dexterity-based checks requiring the use of the hand suffer a -4 circumstance penalty. The strong fixture of the weapon results in the wielder being completely immune to any attempts to disarm him.

Sword-Pike: Often incorrectly identified as an elaborate spear, the sword-pike is a polearm with a longsword blade mounted as its head. Used to both thrust and slash at enemies, it is capable of causing a lot of damage, although it does not have the reach of the larger polearms.

Sword, Sickle: These weapons are often used by kell. A sickle sword appears to be a long bladed sickle with a shallow curve and a rudimentary cross guard. The hooked shape of a sickle sword provides the wielder with a +2 bonus on opposed attack rolls when attempting to disarm an opponent (including the roll to keep the user from being disarmed if he fails to disarm his opponent).

Thornblade: This weapon is favored by the denizens of the Llwyd Uchel Forest, since they can easily manufacture them from the material provided by the forest itself. The thornblade consists of a rose thorn, plucked from a rose that has been subject to multiple plant growth spells in a carefully guarded ritual. The weapon is useful as a short sword or long dagger, but the lifeforce that remains interwoven in the thorn has an effect on extraplanar creatures of an evil bent - any evil outsider struck by a thornblade takes an extra point of damage.

Tulwar: As a heavy-ended saber, the tulwar is a simple weapon to use and extremely functional. The down-turned blade, intended to catch opponents off guard with a variety of different slash and thrust angles, is mostly theoretic in principle, and brings no real advantage to combat.

War Rake: Often little more than a commoner's tool beaten into a weapon of war, the war-rake is sometimes favored by fighters looking for a more esoteric image. Though few such weapons are actually forged by weaponsmiths, most are simply the sharpened rakes of peasants, mounted with a sharp spike or pick. The war-rake may be used to trip an opponent. If you are tripped during your own trip attempt, you may drop the war-rake to avoid being tripped.

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