Most weapons have special properties. Note that some options are only available through the masterwork armament rules.
Alternate (bludgeoning/piercing/slashing). Alternate weapons have multiple effective striking surfaces. This
weapon can, with no loss of efficiency, employ a damage type other than
its default.
Under normal circumstances, you automatically apply the
available type that is most advantageous for harming your foe; you do
not need to declare which damage type you are using ahead of each
attack. But the DM can rule that the alternate type does not
automatically apply in some situations. For example, while fighting
skeletons that have been disguised using illusion magic, your fighter
would not know to use the Alternate (bludgeoning) damage property and so would not
automatically gain the benefit of using bludgeoning damage against
them.
Ammunition. You can use a weapon that has the ammunition
properly to make a ranged attack only if you have ammunition to fire
from the weapon. Each time you attack with the weapon, you expend one
piece of ammunition. Drawing the ammunition from a quiver, case, or
other container is part of the attack. At the end of the battle, you can
recover half your expended ammunition by taking a minute to search the
battlefield.
Weapons with this property have two ranges shown in
parentheses. The first is the normal range in feet, and the second
indicates the weapon’s maximum range. When attacking a target beyond
normal range, you have disadvantage on the attack roll. You can’t attack
a target beyond the weapon’s long range.
If you use a weapon that
has the ammunition property to make a melee attack, treat the weapon as
an improvised weapon (see “Improvised Weapons” later in this part). A
sling must be loaded to deal any damage when used in this way.
Deadly. Deadly weapons often have high-quality blades that hold keen, razor-sharp edges. With any successful attack, you can reroll up to one of the weapon’s damage dice if it rolls a 1. You cannot reroll any die that has already been rerolled with another effect (such as the Great Weapon Fighting class feature or the savage attacker feat) and vice versa.
Defensive. Defensive weapons are typified by prominent parrying surfaces or protrusions that prevent an enemy’s weapon from sliding down onto the wielder’s hand during a clash. If you are wielding a weapon with this property and another creature hits you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to add a +1 bonus to your Armor Class for that attack only, potentially causing the attack to miss you. If you are wielding two weapons with this property the bonus is instead +2. This bonus to Armor Class is not compatible with the bonus from a shield nor does it stack with the benefits of the defensive duelist feat.
Disarming. A disarming weapon has one or more
entangling sections or small hooked protrusions designed to snag a
weapon and pull it from the enemy’s grasp. The wielder of a weapon with
this property gains a +1 bonus on her opposed attack roll to disarm.
Increase this bonus to +2 if the weapon is two-handed or is versatile
and used in two hands, or if the user is wielding two single-handed
weapons that each have this property. (These benefits do not apply to a
Disarming Attack maneuver, which uses unrelated techniques to both
disarm and inflict damage with the same strike.)
Even without this
weapon property, a creature can use a weapon attack to knock a weapon or
another item from a target’s grasp. The attacker makes an attack roll
contested by the target’s Strength (Athletics) check or Dexterity
(Acrobatics) check. The attacker has disadvantage on its attack roll if
the target is holding the item with two or more hands. The target has
advantage on its ability check if it is larger than the attacking
creature, or disadvantage if it is smaller. If the attacker wins the
contest, the attack causes no damage or other ill effect, but the
defender drops the item. (This system is presented as an optional rule
in the Dungeon Master’s Guide, page 271.)
Finesse. Finesse weapons are lightweight, designed for fast, precise attacks. When making an attack with a finesse weapon, you use your choice of your Strength or Dexterity modifier for the attack and damage rolls. You must use the same modifier for both rolls.
Heavy. Small creatures have disadvantage on attack rolls with heavy weapons.
High-Critical. These weapons are the type that make deep wounds; the injuries inflicted are more likely to reach vital organs. If the d20 roll for an attack with this weapon is a 20, your critical hit inflicts significant damage. Any damage dice rolled for the attack that come up as 1s are instead treated as 2s. This benefit does not apply to critical hits scored on d20 rolls other than 20, such as might occur with the Improved Critical class feature or similar effects.
Light. A light weapon is both lightweight and short, suitable for use in the off-hand. When you take the Attack action and attack with a light melee weapon that you’re holding in one hand, you can use a bonus action to attack with a different light melee weapon that you’re holding in your other hand. You don’t add your ability modifier to the damage of the bonus attack, unless it is negative. If either weapon has the thrown property, you can throw the weapon instead of making a melee attack with it.
Loading. You can fire only one piece of ammunition from this weapon when you use an action, bonus action, or reaction to fire it, regardless of the number of attacks you can normally make.
Misfire. If the d20 for your attack roll produces a 1, the weapon’s barrel is fouled; in addition to the attack automatically missing, the barrel is rendered inoperable and the powder and load (or cartridge) is destroyed. A fouled barrel must be cleaned and recharged before it can be used again. This cleaning takes 10 minutes (or 1 minute with a gun repair kit). A loaded firearm is also fouled if submerged, even if it does not have this property.
Reach. This weapon adds 5 feet to your reach when you attack with it. Some weapons add more distance, as provided in their individual descriptions.
Special. A weapon with the special property has unusual rules governing its use. Those rules are detailed in the item’s individual description.
Thrown.
If a weapon has the thrown property, you can throw the weapon to make a
ranged attack. If the weapon is a melee weapon, you use the same
ability modifier for that attack roll and damage roll that you would use
for a melee attack with the weapon.
Weapons with this property have
two ranges in parentheses. The first is the weapon’s normal range in
feet, and the second indicates the weapon’s maximum range. When
attacking a target beyond normal range, you have disadvantage on the
attack roll. You can’t attack a target beyond the weapon’s long range.
Tripping. This weapon is well suited to hook or wrap around your target’s supporting limbs, causing it to fall. While wielding this weapon, you gain a +1 bonus on your Strength (Athletics) checks for shoving a creature (Player’s Handbook page 195) if you are attempting to knock it prone. Increase this bonus to +2 if the weapon is two-handed or is versatile and used in two hands, or if the user is wielding two single-handed weapons that each have this property. (These benefits do not apply to a Trip Attack maneuver, which uses unrelated techniques to both trip and inflict damage with the same strike.)
Two-Handed. This weapon requires two hands to use.
Unarmed
(bludgeoning/piercing/slashing). A device with this property affixes to the knuckles,
fingers, or the back of the hand. It often takes the form of a glove.
Sometimes it is a set of finger rings (connected or unconnected) that
are quite heavy or bear sharp protrusions. Unarmed devices can be made
magical as weapons can, or can be silvered or otherwise constructed of
exotic materials, increasing the efficacy and versatility of the user’s
unarmed strikes.
This device modifies the wearer’s unarmed attacks.
If this weapon property is noted (P) or (S), unarmed strikes using the
device may inflict piercing or slashing damage instead of bludgeoning
damage. (Unarmed attacks can be made with various body parts, so the
wielder is not restricted to attacking with this device.)
Devices
with the unarmed property are not gripped in the hand so do not prevent
the wearer from holding something else or otherwise using the affected
hand. A device with this property requires an action to put on or
remove, a task that requires both hands. It cannot be disarmed.
Versatile. Versatile weapons have longer handles than needed, or extra handles positioned at critical points on the weapon. A versatile weapon can be used with one or two hands. The damage value in parentheses that appears with the property is the damage when the weapon is used with two hands to make a melee attack.