Below is a list of various weapons available within the Niche D20 system. See the Weapon Creation Rules for more information on creating different weapons.

Melee Weapons

Simple Weapons

Light Weapons

One-Handed

Two-Handed

Martial Weapons

Light Weapons

One-Handed Weapons

Two-Handed Weapons

Exotic Weapons

Light Weapons

One-Handed

Two-Handed

Ranged Weapons

Simple

Martial

Exotic

Ammunition

Weapon Rules

The weapons presented here should be relatively easy to find and purchase in most towns and cities, although GMs might wish to restrict the availability of some of the more expensive and exotic items.

All weapons deal hit point damage. This damage is subtracted from the current hit points of any creature struck by the weapon. When the result of the die roll to make an attack is a natural 20 (that is, the die actually shows a 20), this is known as a critical threat (although some weapons can score a critical threat on a roll of less than 20). If a critical threat is scored, another attack roll is made, using the same modifiers as the original attack roll. If this second attack roll exceeds the target’s AC, the hit becomes a critical hit, dealing additional damage.

Weapons are grouped into several interlocking sets of categories. These categories pertain to what training is needed to become proficient in a weapon’s use (simple, martial, or exotic), the weapon’s usefulness either in close combat (melee) or at a distance (ranged, which includes both thrown and projectile weapons), its relative encumbrance (light, one-handed, or two-handed), and its size (Small, Medium, Large, etc…).

Simple, Martial, and Exotic Weapons

Most character classes are proficient with all simple weapons. Combat-oriented classes such as barbarians, cavaliers, and fighters are proficient with all simple and all martial weapons. Characters of other classes are proficient with an assortment of simple weapons and possibly some martial or even exotic weapons. All characters are proficient with any natural weapons they gain from their race. A character who uses a weapon with which he is not proficient takes a –2 penalty on attack rolls and provokes an attack of opportunity when attacking with that weapon from the creature they are attacking.

Melee and Ranged Weapons

Melee weapons are used for making melee attacks, though some of them can be thrown as well. Ranged weapons are thrown weapons or projectile weapons that are not effective in melee.

Reach Weapons: A reach weapon is a melee weapon that allows its wielder to strike at targets that aren’t adjacent to him.You may once per round as a free action on your turn change your grip to treat the weapon as if it lacked the reach feature but take a -2 penalty on attack rolls when wielded this way. Most reach weapons double the wielder’s natural reach, meaning that a typical Small or Medium wielder of such a weapon can attack a creature 10 feet away, but not a creature in an adjacent square. A typical Large character wielding a reach weapon of the appropriate size can attack a creature 15 or 20 feet away, but not adjacent creatures or creatures up to 10 feet away.

Double Weapons: A character can fight with both ends of a double weapon as if fighting with two weapons, but he incurs all the normal attack penalties associated with two-weapon combat, just as though the character were wielding a one-handed weapon and a light weapon. The character can also choose to use a double weapon two-handed, attacking with only one end of it. A creature wielding a double weapon in two-hands can’t use it as a double weapon—only one end of the weapon can be used in any given round. A double weapon adds 1.5x their strength modifier to damage with the main hand and 1x strength modifier with off hand attacks when used in two-weapon fighting, unlike normal one-handed weapon attacks.

Combination Weapons: A character can fight with a combination weapon by alternating between the part of the weapon he is using. This is not considered two-weapon fighting (though two combination weapons may be used to do so), this simply allows a character to freely alternate the attack or weapons provided by the combination weapon (usually ranged and melee) for attacks made by the limb holding it (as such a off-hand weapon cannot be part of the alternating attacks of the main-hand though may still make its own attacks as per the rules for fighting with two weapons).

Thrown Keyword Weapons: When making a thrown weapon attack the wielder applies his Agility to hit, but his Strength modifier to damage dealt by thrown weapons (except for splash weapons). It is possible to throw a weapon that isn’t designed to be thrown (that is, a melee weapon that doesn’t have a numeric entry in the Range column on Table: Weapons), and a character who does so takes a –2 penalty on the attack roll and provokes an attack of opportunity when throwing. Throwing a light or one-handed weapon is a standard action, while throwing a two-handed weapon is a full-round action. Regardless of the type of weapon, such an attack scores a threat only on a natural 20 and deals double damage on a critical hit. Such a weapon has a range increment of 10 feet.

Bow Keyword Weapons: Bow weapons require two hands to use. A character gets their Strength bonus on damage rolls with a bow weapon unless it’s a composite shortbow or longbow, increasing the bonus to 1.5x Strength bonus. If the character has a penalty for low Strength, apply it to damage rolls when he uses a bow.

Trigger Keyword Weapons: Most trigger weapons require two hands to fire or reload, but may be fired with one hand at a -2 penalty to the attack roll; some trigger weapons are designed to be one-handed and negate this penalty. A character gets no Strength bonus on damage rolls with a trigger weapon.

Crossbow & Firearm Keyword Weapons: Crossbow and Firearm weapons ignore half the armor bonus granted by any armor a creature wears (other bonuses such as natural armor, shield, or other bonuses to AC are unaffected by this), when firing within the first range increment. A crossbow or firearm may be stored loaded with ammunition, allowing it to be drawn and fired without requiring an action to load it on draw.

Ammunition: Projectile weapons use ammunition: arrows (for bows), bolts (for crossbows), or sling bullets (for slings). When using one of these weapons each one requires an action for reloading the specific weapon (as noted in their descriptions), drawing and performing the reload as part of the specific action (A bow would be a free action to both draw and reload, while a heavy crossbow requires a single full-round action to draw and reload the weapon). Reloading a weapon, even a bow as a free action, provokes an attack of opportunity unless specifically noted otherwise. If a weapon allows for reloading as a reaction, the creature must still perform this reload on their own turn.

Light, One-Handed, and Two-Handed Melee Weapons

This designates how much effort it takes to wield a weapon in combat as well as versatility.  A melee weapon, when wielded by a character of the weapon’s size category, is considered a light weapon, a one-handed weapon, or a two-handed weapon.

• Light: A light weapon is wielded in one hand, can be used while grappling (see Combat Maneuvers). The wielder adds their strength modifier to damage rolls as normal for melee attacks with a light weapon. Light weapons gain no benefit when wielded in two hands, but their size reduces penalties when fighting with two weapons and allows them to be used with the weapon finesse minor perk. An unarmed strike or natural weapon is always considered a light weapon.
• One-Handed: A one-handed can be held in either the primary or off hand, dealing damage using the wielders Strength modifier as normal. A one-handed weapon may be wielded in two hands adding 1-½ times the character’s Strength bonus to damage rolls for melee attacks similar to a Two-Handed weapon.
• Two-Handed: A Two-Handed weapon must always be wielded using Two-Hands unless a feat or ability would allow to do so otherwise. You may let go of a two-handed weapon to use your other hand, but cannot attack with the two-handed weapon until you are grasping the weapon with both hands. A two-handed weapon applies 1-½ times Strength bonus to damage rolls for melee attacks with the weapon.

If an ability would allow you to substitute strength with another stat such Agility for damage rolls, you still add it to the the modifier to the damage as a normal weapon (ie a weapon with Agility modifier in place of strength would deal 1.5x Agility modifier damage when wielded in two hands).

Weapon Size

Every weapon has a size category. This designation indicates the size of the creature for which the weapon was designed.

Weapons are usually listed for a creature of medium size for size, weight, and cost. For each size category above medium the weight of a weapon is doubled, while the cost is increased by 50%. For each size category below medium the weight is reduced by half, and the cost is reduced by 50%.

A weapon’s size category isn’t the same as its size as an object. Instead, a weapon’s size category is keyed to the size of the intended wielder. In general, a light weapon is an object two size categories smaller than the wielder, a one-handed weapon is an object one size category smaller than the wielder, and a two-handed weapon is an object of the same size category as the wielder. Having additional hands/limbs does not allow a character to wield a two-handed weapon a size category above them. This is important as some abilities may refer to object size when interacting with such objects, while most interactions a character has with a weapon are dependent upon its size category for creatures.

Inappropriately Sized Weapons: A creature is usually at a disadvantage using a weapon that is not sized for them, be it big or small. A stacking -2 penalty applies to attack rolls for each size category difference between the creature and the size the weapon was intended for. This penalty stacks with the standard nonproficiency penalty as well.

The category of light, one-handed, and two-handed is altered by one step for each size category of difference between the wielder and the size the weapon was designed for. For example a small creature may treat a medium light weapon as a one-handed weapon and a one-handed weapon as a two-handed weapon, but would be incapable of wielding a two-handed weapon sized for a medium creature. Some feats such as Giant’s Grip may allow a creature to bypass this limitation, though usually at the cost of additional penalty to attack rolls.

Improvised Weapons

Many objects are not designed for use as a weapon, but may be used in combat. A creature that uses such a weapon in combat is considered to not be proficient, taking a -2 penalty on attack rolls, and provoking when making attacks with the object. To determine size category and appropriate damage when using an improvised weapon, compare its object size and damage potential to to find a reasonable match. An improvised weapon scores a threat on a natural roll of 20 and deals x2 damage on a critical hit. An improvised thrown weapon has a range increment of 10 feet.  The following table is the rough damage an improvised weapon should have. A GM may determine a weapon to have higher damage, or even special abilities depending on the object used. In addition the weapon may receive the Hammer or Blade keyword depending on the type of damage it deals (Hammer usually does bludgeoning and Blade can be Piercing or Slashing).

Some feats and class features may improved improvised weapons as well as reduce the penalties for using such awkward objects.

Weapon Health

Weapon like any other object has a pool of hit points. While not always common, events can cause a weapon to be subject to damage and thus be at risk of becoming broken or destroyed.

Weapons have the following health and hardness values.

All weapons gain +2 hardness and +10 hit points for each point of enhancement bonus they have.

Damaged Weapons

Weapons that lose over half their hit points gain the broken condition; attacks made with a weapon with the broken condition suffer a –2 penalty on attack and damage rolls. Such weapons only score a critical hit on a natural 20 and only deal ×2 damage on a critical hit.

Weapon Qualities

Here is the format for weapon entries (given as column headings on Table: Weapons).

Price: This value is the weapon’s price in gold pieces (gp) or silver pieces (sp). The price includes miscellaneous gear that goes with the weapon, such as a scabbard or quiver. This price is the same for a Small or Medium version of the weapon. A Large version costs twice the listed price.

Dmg: These columns give the damage dealt by the weapon on a successful hit. The column labeled “Dmg (S)” is for Small weapons. The column labeled “Dmg (M)” is for Medium weapons. If two damage ranges are given, then the weapon is a double weapon. Use the second damage figure given for the double weapon’s extra attack.

Critical: The entry in this column notes how the weapon is used with the rules for critical hits. When your character scores a critical hit, roll the damage two, three, or four times, as indicated by its critical multiplier (using all applicable modifiers on each roll), and add all the results together.

Extra damage over and above a weapon’s normal damage is not multiplied when you score a critical hit.

20 / ×2: The weapon deals double damage on a critical hit.

20 / ×3: The weapon deals triple damage on a critical hit.

20 / ×4: The weapon deals quadruple damage on a critical hit.

19–20 / ×2: The weapon scores a critical on a natural roll of 19 or 20 (instead of just 20) and deals double damage on a critical hit.

18–20 / ×2: The weapon scores a critical on a natural roll of 18, 19, or 20 (instead of just 20) and deals double damage on a critical hit.

19–20 / ×3: The weapon scores a critical on a natural roll of 19 or 20 (instead of just 20) and deals triple damage on a critical hit.

Range: Any attack at more than this distance is penalized for range. Beyond this range, the attack takes a cumulative –2 penalty for each full range increment (or fraction thereof) of distance to the target. For example, a dagger (with a range of 10 feet) thrown at a target that is 25 feet away would incur a –4 penalty. A thrown weapon has a maximum range of five range increments. A projectile weapon can shoot to 10 range increments.

Weight: This column gives the weight of a Medium version of the weapon. Halve this number for Small weapons and double it for Large weapons. Some weapons have a special weight. See the weapon’s description for details.

Type: Weapons are classified according to the type of damage they deal: B for bludgeoning, P for piercing, or S for slashing. Some monsters may be resistant or immune to attacks from certain types of weapons. Some weapons deal damage of multiple types. If a weapon causes two types of damage, the type it deals is not half one type and half another; all damage caused is of both types. Therefore, a creature would have to be immune to both types of damage to ignore any of the damage caused by such a weapon. In other cases, a weapon can deal either of two types of damage. In a situation where the damage type is significant, the wielder can choose which type of damage to deal with such a weapon.

Treated as: If a weapon’s description says it is “treated as” another weapon, a character lacking the appropriate exotic weapon proficiency, can still use it as if it were the other kind of weapon and feats still apply, as do abilities requiring a certain weapon.

Damage Dice Increases

Weapon damage should increase or decrease on the following scales, moving up or down on the list depending on if adjusting for a larger or smaller creature.

Damage dice increase as follows: 1d2, 1d3, 1d4, 1d6, 1d8, 1d10, 2d6, 3d6, 4d6, 6d6, 8d6, 12d6, 16d6.

A weapon or attack that deals 2d4 should be treated as a weapon dealing 1d8 for the purposes of damage scaling on the above chart, while a weapon that deals 1d12 should be treated as a weapon dealing 2d6 for the above chart.

Special Weapon Features

Keywords

You must choose which keyword that belongs to the weapon to determine the group the weapon belongs. A weapon may have multiple keywords and each should try to correctly represent the fighting style of the weapon, for example Heavy indicates its likely not a finessable or light weapon, while Blade indicates the damage type and general qualities of the weapon, while Axe might be similar these weapons tend to have a different shape and focus on disarms over the higher crit ranges of a blade.