Damage
For muscle-powered melee and missile weapons, such as swords and bows, damage is ST-based and expressed as a modifier to the wielder’s basic thrusting (thr) or swinging (sw) damage, as calculated by your character sheet. For example, a spear does “thr+2,” so if you have ST 11, which gives a basic thrusting damage of 1d-1, you inflict 1d+1 damage with a spear. Note that swung weapons act as a lever, and so do more damage.Armor Divisors: A parenthetical number after damage – e.g., (2) – is an armor divisor. Divide the target’s DR from armor or other sources by this number before subtracting it from your damage (or adding it to the target’s HT roll to resist an affliction). For instance, an attack with a divisor of (2) would halve DR. A fractional divisor increases DR: (0.5) multiplies DR by 2; (0.2) multiplies it by 5; and (0.1) multiplies it by 10.
Damage Type
An abbreviation indicating the type of injury or effect the
attack causes.
aff = affliction
burn = burning
cor = corrosion
cr = crushing
cut = cutting
fat = fatigue
imp = impaling
pi- = small piercing
pi = piercing
pi+ = large piercing
pi++ = huge piercing
spec. = special – see weapon notes
tox = toxic
A victim loses HP equal to the damage that penetrates his DR.
- Halve this for small piercing attacks; increase it by 50% for cutting and large piercing attacks
- double it for impaling and huge piercing attacks.
- Subtract fatigue damage from FP instead of HP.
- Afflictions cause no injury, but impose a particular affliction on a failed HT
roll, as specified in the weapon’s notes. See Damage and Injury (p. 377) for
additional rules. Some special weapons don’t list dice of damage. Instead, they give a HT modifier; e.g., “HT-3.” Anyone who is hit must attempt a HT roll at the listed penalty to avoid the effects of the affliction (e.g., unconsciousness).
Reach (melee only)
This is the distance in yards at which a human-sized or smaller wielder can strike with the weapon. For example, reach “2” means the weapon can only strike a foe two yards away – not a closer or more distant one.
“C” indicates you can use the weapon in close combat; see Close Combat (p. 391).
Some weapons have a continuum of reaches; e.g., a spear with reach “1, 2” can strike targets either one or two yards away. An asterisk (*) next to reach means the weapon is awkward enough that it requires a Ready maneuver to change reach (e.g., between 1 and 2). Otherwise, you can strike at foes that are at any distance within the weapon’s reach.
Parry (melee only)
A number, such as “+2” or “-1,” indicates the bonus or penalty to your Parry defense when using that weapon (see Parrying, p. 376). For most weapons, this is “0,” meaning “no modifier.” “F” means the weapon is a fencing weapon (see p. 404).
“U” means the weapon is unbalanced: you cannot use it to parry if you have already used it to attack this turn (or vice versa). “No” means the weapon cannot parry at all.
Acc (Accuracy; ranged only)
Ranged weapons only. Add Accuracy to your skill if you took an Aim maneuver on the turn prior to your attack. If the weapon has a builtin scope, the bonus for this appears as a separate modifier after the weapon’s base Acc; e.g., “7+2.”
Range
Ranged weapons only. If a weapon has only one range number, this is the Maximum Range (Max) in yards at which it can attack a target. If two numbers appear, separated by a slash, the first is Half-Damage Range (1/2D) and the second is Max.
Muscle-powered weapons usually list 1/2D and Max as multiples of the wielder’s ST, not as a fixed range. For example, “x10/x15” means 1/2D is 10xST and Max is 15xST, so someone with ST 10 would have 1/2D 100 and Max 150. For bows, crossbows and mechanical artillery, use the weapon’s ST in these formulas.
A few weapons have a minimum range, given in their Notes. The weapon cannot attack a target closer than this range – usually because it fires in a high arc, or has safety, fusing, or guidance limitations.
RoF (Rate of Fire; ranged only)
Ranged weapons only. The maximum number of shots an ordinary shooter can fire in a one-second turn. A weapon can normally fire fewer shots (to a minimum of 1), if you wish, but some special notes may apply.Shots (ranged only)
Ranged weapons only. The number of shots the weapon can fire before you must reload or recharge it. “T” means the weapon is thrown. To “reload,” pick it up or ready a new weapon!The parenthetical number following Shots indicates the number of one-second Ready maneuvers needed to reload all of the weapon’s shots (e.g., by changing magazines) – or, for a thrown weapon, the time needed to ready another weapon. An “i” next to this means you must load shots individually: the time listed is per shot rather than for all shots.
A crossbow or prodd takes the indicated time to ready (4 turns) only if its ST is no greater than yours (see Crossbows and ST, below). Double this if the bow’s ST is 1 or 2 greater. If its ST is 3 or 4 greater, you need a “goat’s foot” device to cock it; this takes 20 turns, and requires you to stand. If its ST is 5 or more above yours, you cannot reload it at all.
Cost
If the cost of a weapon is listed as 'weapon,' that means that you get one for free from that weapon group the first time you put at least one point into that skill. Some thrown weapons can be acquired in this way in packs of 1, 3, or 5. As long as your Wealth level is 4 or better, you can acquire basic ammunition for free. You can also roll to spend 1 Wealth on an additional weapon from each category you have points in. For swords and knives, this includes a sheath or a scabbard.
Weight
The weight of the weapon, in pounds; “neg.” means “negligible.” For missile weapons with Shots 2+, this is loaded weight. The weight of one full reload appears after a slash.ST (Strength)
The minimum Strength required to use the weapon properly. If you try to use a weapon that requires more ST than you have, you will be at -1 to weapon skill per point of ST you lack and lose one extra FP at the end of any fight that lasts long enough to fatigue you.For a melee weapon, your effective ST for damage purposes cannot exceed triple the weapon’s minimum ST. For instance, a large knife has minimum ST 6, so its “maximum ST” is 18; if your ST were 19+, you would compute your damage as if you had ST 18.
Natural weapons (e.g., a punch or kick) have neither minimum nor maximum ST.
For two-handed weapons, if you have at least 1.5 times the listed ST (round up), you can use a weapon like this in one hand, but it becomes unready after you attack with it. If you have at least twice the listed ST, you can wield it one-handed with no readiness penalty. But if it requires one hand to hold it and another to operate a moving part, like a bow or a pump shotgun, it always requires two hands, regardless of ST.
2h u means the weapon requires two hands and becomes unready after you attack with it, unless you have at least 1.5 times the listed ST (round up). To use it in one hand without it becoming unready, you need at least three times the listed ST.
Crossbows and ST: Bows, crossbows, and prodds have their own ST value. Use this instead of your ST to determine range and damage. You must specify the ST of such a weapon when you buy it. You can always use a weapon that is weaker than you. You can use a stronger crossbow or prodd; it does more damage but take longer to cock (see Shots, above). You cannot use a stronger bow.
Bulk (ranged only)
A measure of the weapon’s size and handiness. Bulk modifies your weapon skill when you take a Move and Attack maneuver (see Move and Attack, p. 365). It also serves as a penalty to Holdout skill when you attempt to conceal the weapon.