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New Weapons
"I'am Theros Ironfeld," the man called
out in a deep voice. "And for the last
month I have been forging I these!" He
shook the weapon in his hand.... "With
the silver arm given me by the gods, I have
forged the weapon as legend
foretold. And this I bring to
you - to all the people of
Krynn - that we may join
together and defeat the great
evil that threatens to engulf us
in darkness forever.
"I bring you - the Dragonlance!"
The honor of wielding an ancestral sword, the ethnic pride of using a racial weapon with skill - even whimsically improvising with a skillet in a tavern brawl - can add a lot to the style of a combat scene. Players and Narrators should never overlook the value of a unique weapon in battle. This chapter contains information on new weapons that can add variety to FIFTH AGE games. Different sections focus on a short range weapons (personal and melee), missile range weapons (thrown and missile), mounted weapons, and improvised weapons. Even shields have their place in this chapter, as warriors can use them offensively also. Each section includes a chart of vital weapon statistics arranged by weapon class - from very light to very heavy - so players can find one suited to their heroes' Strength or Dexterity codes. Unless stated otherwise, the weapons can be used only at the range their section title indicates. (These weapon charts appear together in Appendix Four, with notations indicating favored weapons of the hero races.) Following each chart appear brief, alphabetized weapon descriptions, including special properties and racial affiliations. The descriptions illustrate how a hero would use the weapon as well as how he would defend himself from it. The personal and melee range weapons below can supplement those offered in the Appendix Two of the Book of the Fifth Age.
Italic type indicates a weapon described in the "Missile Range" section.
+ The weapon requires only one hand to use.
Bear Claws A personal range weapon, bear claws consist of a pair of heavy leather gauntlets studded with iron spikes on the palms. They add a +1 bonus to all Agility and Strength actions involving climbing surfaces such as ice, wood, and packed dirt. Belaying Pin Most ships use short, thick wooden pegs called belaying pins for tying off lines from the rigging. They make handy (and inconspicuous) clubs. Caff The three-foot-long caff, a dwarven tool or weapon, combines the functions of a short pick and a gaff hook. Its head features a half-pick while the other end has a leather thong, making it useful not only for probing and prying but also in melee combat - typical of dwarves' ingenuity. Crook Blade A machete-like melee weapon, the crook blade doubles as a chopping and digging tool. The crook in the blade gives the wielder extra leverage for prying and cutting. When used as a tool (not a weapon), a crook blade grants a +2 Strength action bonus. Death's Tooth Kala A death's tooth kala resembles a dagger with a short, wooden handle and a thin, flexible blade. This melee weapon doubles as a trowel or hoe and is easily concealed - hiding it under a loose garment, such as a desert robe, makes it next to invisible. Fang A fang is a pointed iron rod with a hook set below the point. It resembles a gaff, a tool used to retrieve objects from the water. The wielder can use a fang as a normal melee weapon, or he can attempt to trip his opponent with it instead. To trip an enemy, a hero must make a successful average Strength (Agility) action. To avoid being tripped requires an average Agility (Strength) action. The hook also adds a +1 bonus to Agility actions for a hero climbing a ship's rigging or other area with abundant handholds, such as vines or small branches. Frostreaver Ice barbarian mystics fashion heavy melee weapons called frostreavers from dense ice carved from the hearts of polar glaciers. These big, enchanted axes offer the wielder a +4 action bonus in combat. However, if exposed to warm weather, frostreavers begin melting, losing 1 point of combat bonus each hour. Due to their rarity, even among the Ice Folk, frostreavers are not normally sold or traded. Garrote A personal range weapon, the garrote is merely a thin, strong length of cord or wire, or a strip of knotted cloth. However, this simple weapon can prove deadly under the right circumstances. If an attacker positioned behind his opponent has gained surprise, a successful attack lets him loop the garrote over his foe's neck. Once he has it in place, he can hold on, inflicting damage automatically each combat minute. To hold on, an attacking hero must make a successful average Strength or Agility (Strength) action. Freeing oneself from a garrote requires an average Strength (Strength or Agility) action. In either case, the attacker chooses whether to focus on Strength or Agility during each combat exchange. Gnome Pick A gnome pick looks much like a normal hammer, with a curved fluke used to pierce armor and topped with a spike. Many tinker gnomes add attachments to their picks, such as long chains or spring-loaded pincers. These additions often have disastrous results - Narrators should treat any failure in an attack with them as a mishap. Hookshaft A hookshaft is a wooden pole, six feet long, with a three-pronged rake set at the end. Heroes can use it in melee combat, to trip their foes, or as a climbing tool. (See the fang description for details.) Hoopak A traditional kender weapon, the hoopak is a five-foot ironwood staff with a spiked tip. A laced fork at the other end functions as a sling. Mallet Kagonesti mallets - short-handled hammers with stone or metal heads - weigh less than a pound. They can be used in melee or thrown Sabre A short, curved sword, the sabre proves handy for melee combat at sea. Soris The soris, an elven weapon, is a two-part jointed staff frequently used by scouts. The weapon's lower half is five feet long and features a metallic spiked tip. The upper portion is one and a half feet long and ends in a loop of rope and four collapsible hooks. A hinged lock-joint connects the two portions and can fix the upper portion of the staff at any angle. Elves can use this staff to aid them in climbing (a +2 action bonus) or fold it in half to use as a hooked club. Teeth Chain A teeth chain is a length of barbed chain with a handle. When the attacker flails at his opponent, the barbs rend the target's flesh. After striking a foe with a teeth chain, a hero can attempt an average Strength (Endurance) action. Success means that the pain from the attack hampers the opponent, imposing a -2 action penalty for two combat minutes. Heroes struck by teeth chains can avoid this disability by making successful average Endurance (Strength) actions. Tessto A minotaur melee weapon, the tessto is a mean-looking six-foot spiked club. The wielder can use the loop of rope at its hilt to snag an opponent's head, hands, or feet, as with the bolas (next page). War Club A Kagonesti melee weapon, the carved wooden war club is weighted with stones and carefully shaped to deliver maximum impact when striking an opponent. Kagonesti elves often decorate them with shells or feathers. War Pipe The war pipe, an iron melee weapon, doubles as a smoking pipe. Mountain barbarians use it to smoke blackroot, a mild intoxicant that outsiders find altogether vile. Mountain barbarians usually wing this weapon like a club, but they also use it as a short range blowpipe. The pipe can propel a thorn coated with blackroot juice at melee range; in addition to the projectile's damage rating of +1, the blackroot juice requires a hero victim to make a challenging Endurance action. Should the action fail, the hero must succeed in a challenging Agility action or become disoriented, unable to change range or attack. A mishap at either action causes the hero to pass out. Both effects last one hour. Heroes who hit an opponent with a thorn attempt an easy Reason (Endurance) action to determine whether the dangerous juice affected the target as above. If the hero achieved an action score at least 4 points higher than the minimum needed for success, his foe passes out for an hour instead. Only mountain barbarians can use the war pipe to fire thorns. Weighted Sash An unusual melee weapon, this sash is a band of silk with metal weights concealed inside. Wearing it as a sash makes it indistinguishable from a normal garment. The wielder can use it as a normal melee weapon or attempt to tangle it in the opponent's neck, arms, or legs (incurring the -5 action penalty and the chance for entanglement described under "Bolas"). Whippik Kender frequently make use of the whippik, a thin wand of iron-wood with a short length of catgut at the end. A loop at the end of this whip allows for many other functions, such as snaring game or forming a "whip bow" that can fire small darts. Unless stated otherwise, all the entries in the chart below are thrown or missile weapons that can be used at either near or far missile range.
Italic type indicates a weapon described in the "Short Range" section.
+ The weapon requires only one hand to use.
Bolas Bolas are made from three leather-covered stones attached to a stone ring with short leather thongs. The wielder can flail opponents with the stones in melee combat or hurl the weapon as a missile by swinging it several times overhead and releasing it. Throwing the bolas is a normal missile attack. Attempting to strike at a foe's head, arms, legs, or other specific area imposes a -5 Agility penalty to the attack (or a +5 bonus to a hero's defense against it). Successful bolas combat actions inflict normal damage and can entangle the victim; a hero must make a challenging Agility (Strength) action to avoid entanglement. To entangle a foe with the bolas, a hero must succeed in an average Strength (Agility) action. Entangling the neck strangles a target as in a garrote attack (see garrote description). Heroes with entangled arms cannot attack, and those with entangled legs cannot move or maneuver; they also cannot attempt missile attacks, and they suffer a -5 modifier to melee attacks. The penalties remain until the victim gets free. To free themselves, heroes must succeed in challenging Strength actions; a hero's successful easy Strength (Strength) action prevents a character from getting free. A victim attempting to free himself cannot do anything else during that combat minute. Bolas cannot entangle opponents when used as melee weapons. Ice Crossbow The ice crossbow, a missile weapon actually made of wood and bone, can hurl both icicles and ice bullets. In addition to inflicting normal missile damage against the target, the icy missile shatters on impact, sending up a spray of shards onto everyone within melee range of the point of impact. A target that is hit by the missile directly suffers normal damage. Anyone within melee range of this target also must defend against a missile attack with a +4 damage rating due to the shards; armor and shield defense ratings reduce the damage. This weapon's icy missiles melt in warm climes. To increase its usefulness, the crossbow also can hurl pebbles or clay pellets, which affect only one opponent at a time. Ice Flask A character or hero can fill an ice flask - a missile weapon of hollow bone - with ash, salt water, and oil. When struck with the flask, a hero must make an average Agility (Agility) action or suffer a blow to the face, which blinds him for three combat minutes. After striking an opponent with an ice flask, a hero should attempt a challenging Agility (Agility) action. If successful, he has blinded his opponent as above. In very cold weather, the liquid from the ice flask soaks into the target's clothing and chills him, inflicting 2 damage points every minute until he dons warm, dry clothes. Creatures adapted to cold and damp, such as ice bears, suffer no chilling damage. Once the oil in the flask has soaked in, the attacker can set it alight with a torch or other suitable source of flame. The oil burns for four minutes, inflicting 4 damage points each minute. Armor and shield defense ratings do not block this damage. Ice Grenade A metal sphere filled with water, the ice grenade is useless in anything but a subzero environment. When exposed to extreme cold for one minute, the sphere bursts, showering everyone within melee range with shards of ice and metal. If hurled, the sphere bursts on impact. Every creature in the shower becomes subjected to a normal missile attack. Spheres simply left to burst on their own oppose heroes' defense actions with a score of 10. Armor and shield defense ratings reduce the damage. Lasso A lasso is a simple length of rope with a slip knotted loop at one end. In a successful attack with this weapon, the loop settles around the target's body. In the next combat minute, the attacking hero can attempt to pull the target off his feet with an easy Strength (Strength) action. Heroes can avoid this maneuver with a challenging Strength (Strength) action. An assailant can attempt a normal missile attack to lasso a target or he can try lo attack the target's head, arms, or legs (incurring the -5 action penalty and the chance for entanglement described under "Bolas"). A mounted attacker can use his mount's Physique score instead of his own Strength to pull the target off his feet. A lassoed target suffers 5 damage points when pulled off a mount or moving vehicle. In addition, he receives another 5 damage points for each minute he is dragged from the end of a lasso over most types of terrain. (Soft, smooth, or yielding terrain, such as a beach or snow-field, inflicts less damage, while particularly rugged terrain inflicts more, at the Narrator's discretion.) Armor and shield defense ratings do not reduce this damage. Oil Flask A glass or ceramic container filled with flammable oil and fitted with a wick can prove a dangerous weapon. When lit and thrown, an oil flask breaks and douses one target with flaming oil. Players should treat the toss as a normal missile attack. When the flask hits, the target suffers 8 damage points every combat minute for three minutes. Armor or shield defense ratings do not reduce this damage. In the event of a mishap during a combat action involving an oil flask, the flask lands near the defender, but does not break. The defender then has a free attack to toss the oil flask back at the attacker, or he can use another missile weapon. Pellet Bow A mountain barbarian pellet bow looks like a standard self bow: a short length of seasoned wood fitted with a string. The string has a pouch for holding small stones. This bow cannot fire arrows. Singing Bow A large recurved bow, the singing bow is as beautiful to look at as it is powerful. Its ornately carved wood appeals to the centaur fondness for the aesthetic. The bow's string and arms thrum melodiously with the release of an arrow or in time to the centaur's gallop while he wears the bow slung across his back. Throwing Blades Three hinged blades fold up to form a missile weapon about the size of an axe blade. When thrown, the blades open into a sleek shape that can sail quite a distance (across far missile range). A hero attacking with throwing blades can use either his Strength or his Dexterity score to resolve the attack. The defender still opposes with his Agility score. Characters attacking with throwing blades oppose a hero's Agility defense action with either their Strength or Dexterity scores, at the Narrator's option. Throwing Stick Some barbarians know how to carefully twist curved, flat throwing sticks to help the weapons soar long distances. A plains barbarian who misses in an attack with this weapon can attempt an average Agility action to determine whether the stick returns to his hand, in boomerang fashion. Some throwing sticks can collapse for use in melee or personal combat. Throwing Stone Ice barbarians can hurl specially shaped bits of stone a considerable distance (across far missile range). These folk use throwing stones as cores for hardened snowballs that can knock out their opponents. An ice barbarian hero who strikes someone with a snow missile should then attempt an average Strength (Endurance) action. If he succeeds, the target's Strength and Agility scores both drop by 1 point until the end of the following combat minute. If a hero succeeds with an action score 4 or more points higher than the minimum needed for success, the attack knocks out the target for ten minutes. On the other hand, a hero struck by a snow missile can avoid these special effects with a successful average Endurance (Strength) action. Should he fail, he incurs temporary ability score reductions as noted above. If he suffers a mishap, he is knocked out for ten minutes. Only ice barbarians can use the throwing stones' special snow missile ability, and then in freezing weather only. Knights, cavaliers, and other cavalry warriors make use of certain mounted weapons not available to infantry.
+ The weapon requires only one hand to use. A lance - which resembles a long, heavy spear - is fully effective only as a mounted weapon. Any type of lance listed here, when wielded by a footman, functions as the lance listed in Appendix Two of the Book of the Fifth Age (damage rating of +6). Even when mounted, the lance wielder gets full benefit from the weapon only if his mount is strong enough to handle it:
If the mount's Physique proves insufficient, the weapon functions as the next weaker lance type. For example, a heavy lance used from the back of a steed with a Physique of 10 would function as a light lance. Any lance wielded from the back of a steed with a Physique of less than 10 functions as though wielded by a footman (see above). When a mounted character or hero charges with a lance, he can use his steed's Physique score instead of his Strength score when calculating combat action scores and damage. When heroes feel the need to grab whatever implements are handy and use them in a combat scene, Narrators should refer to the items listed on the improvised weapons chart on this page. Though this table lists specific objects, such as chairs and torches, each entry actually represents a general class of similar items, allowing Narrators to extrapolate values for almost anything the heroes happen to grab. Unless otherwise noted, the items come into play in melee combat only. As the items on this chart were never intended to be used as weapons, they usually break upon striking an opponent - the item itself suffers as much damage as it inflicts. For the purpose of determining damage to an item, the table contains a Physique score for each item. (Damage points are applied to an item's Physique score until it reaches zero and is considered destroyed.)
+ The weapon requires only one hand to use.
Bench Any fairly large and bulky piece of furniture can be treated as a bench. This category includes extra-large tables, heavy armchairs, crates, and stepladders. Before attempting his attack with a bench, the wielder must succeed at an average Strength action to pick it up and swing it. While human-sized creatures can swing a bench at a foe, they lack the strength to actually throw it. Bookcase The bookcase category includes any large, immobile object that one can drop or push over onto an opponent. The attacker must make an average Strength action to move or topple the case, after which he may attempt a standard missile attack to determine his aim. If this attack succeeds, the opponent suffers 15 damage points. Armor and shield bonuses do not reduce this damage. Bottle Any fairly small containers, including vases and flowerpots, can be treated as bottles (although a full bottle should be considered a tankard/jug). A broken bottle remains useful as a cutting weapon, as long as it has a neck the wielder can hold. A bottle's neck usually proves sturdy enough to last through an entire combat. Bucket/Keg Any large, sturdy container made from lightweight metal or seasoned wood may be treated as a bucket or keg. When full, Narrators should consider them small strongboxes. If the contents are hot, the weapon's damage rating gains a +2 bonus. An empty bucket or keg usually can withstand two or three hits before falling apart, while a single hit breaks a full bucket or keg apart. Chair Any large but lightweight piece of furniture qualifies for the chair category: Examples include kitchen chairs, tall stools, hat racks, and so on. Chandelier While a chandelier technically consists of a metal or wood frame suspended from a rope or chain, other large hanging objects - such as planters - can belong to this category as well. To make an attack with a chandelier, a hero first must cut the rope or chain, which requires a successful average Strength action. Afterward, he attempts a normal missile attack action against everyone under the chandelier. Chandeliers holding oil lamps also douse everyone they strike with flaming oil (as an oil flask, described on page 77). Cup/Mug Cups or mugs include any small, open-topped containers made from glass, tin, clay, or wood. If filled with a hot beverage, the damage rating of this improvised weapon increases to +2. If thrown, the contents spills out but inflicts no extra damage. Lantern Any small item made of glass and metal, such as a hand mirror, fits into the category of lantern. If lit and filled with oil, a lantern becomes the equivalent of an oil flask. Platter/Tray A platter or tray can be any fairly light-weight, flat object, such as a plank or large book. An attacker can wield this object repeatedly, but it breaks if he suffers a mishap in any attack with it. (The attacker also has to defend against a free counterattack due to the mishap.) Poker/Candlestick Any short, heavy metal rod or bar falls into the category of poker or candlestick. Soft items, such as gold or silver candlesticks, get bent and useless after a few hits, while hard metal objects - such as fireplace pokers - sustain no damage at all when used against an unarmored opponent. Skillet A skillet (Tika Majere's favorite weapon) is a cast-iron frying pan about seven to nine inches across. If heated or filled with something hot, a skillet gains a bonus of +2 to its damage rating. Skillets suffer no damage when used against unarmored opponents. Any similar metal item, from a helmet to a kettle, belongs in this category.
![]() Small Strongbox Any sturdy, portable container fits into the category of small strongbox. A strongbox can stand quite a bit of punishment, but it breaks if the attacker suffers a mishap (in which case he must also defend against a free counterattack.) Narrators should treat a full or large strongbox as a bookcase. Stool A stool can be any footstool or other light, compact wooden item, such as a box or night table. Table Any piece of furniture between about three and five feet square is considered a table. Narrators should treat smaller items as chairs and larger items as benches. Table Leg Any short, thick piece of wood can be likened to a table leg: heavy chunks of firewood, bed posts, and tool handles all apply to this category. Tankard/Jug The tankard or jug entry includes any fairly large, sturdy container made from glass, tin, clay, or wood. If full, a tankard or jug should be treated as a bucket/keg. If filled with a hot beverage, the damage rating increases by an extra +2. When thrown, the contents usually spills out but inflicts no extra damage. A corked jug will not lose its contents when thrown but will shatter on impact with armored opponents. Torch A torch is a lightweight chunk of resinous wood. Any heavy stick or small piece of firewood falls into this category. A hero can wield a lit torch like a club or use the flame to inflict 4 damage points. Assaults with a flame ignore the attacker's Strength rating, but also ignore shields and armor. If a mishap occurs during an attack with a lit torch, the attacker not only suffers a free counterattack from his foe, but the torch goes out as well. This section refers to the shields listed in the Book of the Fifth Age. As noted in Chapter Three, an attacker using a shield as a weapon adds the shield's defense rating to his action score when determining the success of his attack action. Such attacks are permitted at melee range only, unless otherwise noted. The shield table below translates that value into a damage rating. The number in the last column on the shield table below indicates the attack bonus for each type of shield. Note that a shield provides no defensive bonus when used as a weapon. Otherwise, shields work like any other weapon, though their damage ratings are significantly lower than other weapons in their classes. While an individual's Agility score determines how large a shield he can carry, it is his Strength rating that determines how large a shield he can employ as a weapon. If a hero or character has an Agility score higher than his Strength score, he might carry a shield too large for him to use as a weapon.
+ The shield requires only one hand to use.
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