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by Colin Chapman
Alchemical Projector, Sindaran
A variation of the Rod of Alchemy so commonly used in Sindar, the Alchemical Projector was invented to provide a chemical launcher with improved range, and greater accuracy. Similar in many regards to the Rod of Alchemy, the Alchemical Projector is also a hollow rod, with a pump-mechanism, and internal magazine of alchemical vials. It differs in that it is twice as long (six feet), has a padded butt that is held to the shoulder when firing, an internal magazine of ten vials, and uses a Kasmiran spring mechanism to fire the vials themselves, rather than spraying their contents. A vial can be fired up to 75', and explodes on impact. Attempts to use the Alchemical Projector as a staff will most likely damage it in some way.
Bastard Sword
Also known as a "hand-and-a-half" sword, the bastard sword resembles a long sword, but has a slightly longer, heavier blade, and notably longer hilt, allowing it to be easily gripped and used either one- (DR 8) or two-handed (DR 9).
Battle Axe
A heavy, broad-bladed axe wielded in one hand. The other side of the head opposite the blade is usually fitted with a spike, or another axe blade.
Battle Axe, giant-sized
Huge, seven feet long, one-handed Kharakhan battle axe.
Battle Fan, Zandir
Attributed to the famed Phaedran beauty and duelist Naemarra, the battle fan remains a rare weapon, save for its use among a handful of courtesans, "Vermilion Thorn" assassins, and female duelists. While these weapons appear to be ornate, attractive, folding ribbed fans, they are also useful weapons for both parrying (+1 bonus when fully fanned out) and attacking. The ribs of the fan are inevitably constructed of black iron or a superior metal, and the "fabric" of the fan itself, originally of thin leather, is now commonly made of spangalor, albeit heavily decorated. Additionally, the tip of each rib is sharpened, allowing it to be used as a slashing weapon. Duelists may use a battle fan as one of their Swordsmanship weapons.
Blowgun
A slim hollow tube of between 3'-6' in length, blown down to project a small dart at the target. Damage from the dart is very minor, but such darts are usually coated with a single dose of a given toxin. Blowguns are favored by some primitive tribes, and assassins.
Butterfly Pin, Zandir
These attractive pins are typically around 4"-5" long, formed from iron, and topped with a heavy decorative knob, usually formed like a beautiful butterfly with colored lacquer wings. In addition to being worn decoratively in the hair, especially to keep elaborate coiffures in place, they can be used as stabbing or throwing knives. The courtesan-assassins of Zandu's "Vermilion Thorns" are said to be especially proficient with these "weapons".
Club, Enim
Gargantuan two-handed clubs used by the giant Enim, typically around 10 feet in length, with a handle of thick timber, and a great stone head carved to resemble the mien of an intimidating bestial or diabolical entity.
Club, giant-sized
Any crude timber or metal bludgeon wielded in one hand by individuals such as Kharakhan giants. Small trees are quite common.
Crimson Moon, Kang
This unusual weapon is traditional among certain more esoteric practitioners of Kanquan. Consisting of a flat, sharpened iron ring, 12" in diameter, the crimson moon has a curved handle which follows the curve of the ring and is attached to it at two points. Each end of the handle terminates in a curved knife blade, also following the curve of the ring. The crimson moon makes an effective melee weapon, and in skilled hands is extremely useful for trapping and disarming weapons.
Crystaldagger, Gnomekin
The crystaldagger follows the same basic principles of construction as the crystalblade, albeit much smaller, but with the same diamond-hard cutting edge (treat hide, non-magical metal armor, exoskeletal plates and scales as only having half their usual protection values).
Crystalmace, Gnomekin
Widely used before the crystalblade was perfected, crystalmaces are simple, club-like weapons, consisting of little more than a large, rough chunk of crystal affixed to a stout handle wrapped in mossweave. Although the crystalblade has long displaced the crystalmace as the weapon of choice among Gnomekin, crystalmaces are still crafted and used on account of their ease of construction. Unlike crystalblades, crystalmaces have no armor penetrating benefits.
Dagger, giant-sized
Giant-sized dagger, larger than the shortsword used by smaller humanoids. Used by Kharakhans as daggers are used by other races.
Dart
Darts are typically around 1' in length, with a feathered wooden shaft, and pointed metal head. They are thrown like short spears, make effective hunting weapons against small prey, and are used by some of the continent's more primitive tribal cultures, including some Jaka. When held, they can be used as makeshift daggers, but suffer a -1 hit penalty.
Executioner's Axe, Shadinn
The ornate ritual axe used by the Shadinn Executioners of Rajanistan. Wielded with two hands, and topped with a heavy, curved, chopping blade, these weapons are often inlaid with precious stones and metals, and decorated with morbid designs, such as skulls, bones, screaming souls, and so on.
Flail
A stout handle to which a length, or several lengths, of chain is attached, weighted with such bludgeoning devices as an iron ball of variable size, spiked or otherwise. Untrained users must make a DEX roll to avoid striking themselves.
Fork Dagger, Zandir
Created in 611n.a. by the esteemed Kasmiran trapsmage Ussir al Hadan, at the behest of Zandir Palaestra instructor Orini, the fork dagger has since become an uncommon, but recognizable weapon within Zandu's dueling culture. On cursory inspection it appears to be an ordinary long-bladed dagger, such as those commonly used in the off-hand of most duelists. However, when a small button is pressed, the blade seems to separate at the middle, each half springing out to form an V-shaped fork. The fork-like array makes the blade less effective for attacking (DR in brackets), but increases its parrying potential substantially (+1 to parry), especially against the light Zandir blades.
Greatsword, giant-sized
Monstrous two-handed sword at least 12 feet in length, used by some Kharakhans.
Hatraj, Rajan
Copied from an ancient Torquaran design, the Hatraj (Rajanin for "Three Deaths") is a new weapon in the Rajan arsenal. This weapon is aptly named, for it is a three-bladed war axe, each blade being spaced at 120o intervals around the head of the weapon.
Improved Rod of Alchemy, Sindaran
The Improved Rod of Alchemy was created to largely replace the existing Rod of Alchemy. This followed many complaints that the wide cone-shaped dispersal of the original weapon's agents, while useful for crowd-control and the attack of closely-grouped targets, could also be entirely too indiscriminate, and lacking in range. To address this issue, the Improved Rod of Alchemy was fitted with a sphinctering aperture, at the end of the barrel, that may be twisted to increase or decrease the spread of the cone as desired. Spread may be set from Nil (a narrow stream), up to 5', or any increment of 1' between the two limits. Reduced spreads also have the benefit of increased Range due to the greater pressure of being forced through a smaller aperture. At Nil setting Range becomes 25', at 1' spread it becomes 20', and any greater spread reduces the range to the normal 15'. Apart from the twisting ring at the end of the barrel, the Improved Rod of Alchemy is otherwise indistinguishable from the standard weapon.
Mace/Hammer, giant-sized
Crude mace or hammer of size appropriate for use by a Kharakhan.
Mailed Fist
Mailed fists include any weapon that reinforces a punch and protects the fist, including heavy rings, iron gauntlets, and studded gloves. Such weapons use the character's Brawling skill, and allow the character to do DR2 + STR damage with a punch.
Maul
A large, heavy, two-handed warhammer with great crushing power. Two-handed war maces have the same statistics.
Morphius Blossom, Aeriad
Created for use by the Aeriad sentinels stationed in Vashay, morphius blossoms are the shells of pebble-sized goa nuts, filled with a dram of morphius powder, and bonded shut. The resulting "grenade" is thrown, dropped on, or slung at intruders, breaking open with any substantial impact and spreading the powder in the surrounding air. Any creature breathing the powder must make a CON roll, with success indicating grogginess (-1 on all die rolls for 2D10 minutes), and failure resulting in the creature falling asleep for 2D10 minutes.
Repeating Crossbow, Aeriad
A recent Aeriad innovation, this unusual light crossbow features a hopper of 10 bolts atop it, and uses a wooden lever mechanism to rapidly recock and load the weapon between shots. As a result, the repeating crossbow can be fired up to twice a round, but suffers from reduced range and power because its action requires a weaker pull. Reloading the hopper take 1 round per 2 bolts.
Rope Dart
The rope dart is a peculiar weapon, featuring a 6" long iron blade attached to the end of a 10'-12' length of cord. When wielded by a skilled user, the rope dart can be spun on a short length and used as a weak flail. It can also be whipped out to entangle an opponent, limb, or weapon, or used to attack like a thrown knife at short range (while continuing to hold the cord itself, allowing for easy and rapid retrieval). In emergencies, it can even be used as a short makeshift rope and grapple. Due to its versatile nature, and ease of concealment, the rope dart is popular with some assassins.
Shield Studs
Numerous heavy metal studs can be added to any variety of shield or buckler, thereby increasing both their Max. DR, and the DR they inflict when used to bash an opponent. To simulate this, use +10 g.l., and +5 WT as the base additional cost and weight for black iron studs on any normal shield. For bucklers, the base additional cost and weight for black iron studs is +5 g.l., and +2 WT. This treatment increases the Max. DR of a normal shield by 10 (20 for adamant studs), or by 3 for bucklers (6 for adamant). Shield bash DR for each weapon is increased by 1, making a studded shield bash inflict DR 4 + STR, and a studded buckler bash inflict DR 3 + STR. A shield or buckler cannot have both studs and spikes.
Shield Spikes
An alternative to studding a shield or buckler, is to affix iron spikes to it, greatly increasing its shield bash DR, but improving its Max. DR rating by a lesser amount. To simulate this, use +20 g.l., and +5 WT as the base additional cost and weight for black iron spikes on any normal shield. For bucklers, the base additional cost and weight for black iron spikes is +10 g.l., and +2 WT. This treatment increases the Max. DR of a normal shield by 5 (10 for adamant spikes), or by 2 for bucklers (4 for adamant). Shield bash DR for each weapon is increased by 3, making a spiked shield bash inflict DR 6 + STR, and a spiked buckler bash inflict DR 5 + STR. A shield or buckler cannot have both spikes and studs.
Spear, giant-sized
15' long Kharakhan spear.
Spear, short
A smaller, lighter spear (up to four to five feet long) that can be used in one hand.
Spiked Glove
A popular gladiatorial weapon, the spiked glove is crude and vicious; a leather glove or gauntlet studded with iron spikes, each several inches long. This weapon uses the character's Brawling skill.
Staff, short
A short staff, usually around three-four feet long that is commonly used as a walking stick, but may also be used to club an opponent. Mandalan Mystic Warriors use short staffs as parrying weapons, or to trip or sweep opponents.
Sword Staff
A relatively uncommon weapon, the typical sword staff consists of a stout 3'-4' wooden staff, with a 2'-3' sword blade attached to one end. The staff helps to counterbalance the weight of the blade, while also providing more leverage for strikes. Some varieties feature a slightly smaller sword blade at each end of the staff.
Talons, Aeriad
Another recent Aeriad innovation, Talons (for they are always sold in pairs) are very much what their name implies, and consist of a series of connected leather straps that securely attach a single dagger-sized, curved, red iron blade to each of the Aeriad's bird-like toes. This turns the Aeriad's kick into a lethal slash, and has proved very effective during close-in aerial combat, and swooping attacks. Unfortunately, Talons interfere with ground-based movement (-1 to all actions requiring movement, while on the ground), and make walking quietly impossible.
Telescopic Staff, Kasmiran
Resembling nothing more than a 12" long iron tube when retracted, the Kasmiran telescopic staff is a popular innovation, and is often disguised as a scroll tube. With the touch of a button, it instantly telescopes out at both ends to form a 6' staff of tubular iron. Pressing the button again causes the internal spring mechanism to retract the staff.
Uwan, Moorg-Wan
A 12"-16" thorn cut from the thornwood plant, the Uwan is a primitive Moorg-Wan dagger.
War Claw
A popular gladiatorial weapon, a war claw consists of a tough leather glove, reinforced with bands of iron, to which two-to-four 12" iron blades are attached, projecting 9" beyond the wearer's knuckles. These savage weapons are used to claw, slash, and stab, creating the numerous wounds that bloodthirsty crowds are especially fond of.
| Type |
DR | WT | STR | Cost | Effective Range |
| Alchem. Projector # | * | 6 | -1 | 100 g.l. | 75' |
| Bastard Sword (#) | 8 (9) | 5 | +1 | 20 g.l. | - |
| Battle Axe | 8 | 7 | +1 | 6 g.l. | - |
| Battle Axe, giant | 12 | 30+ | +6 | 50 g.l. | - |
| Battle Fan | 3 | 1 | - | 15 g.l. | - |
| Blowgun # | 1 | 2 | - | 5 s.p. | 50' |
| Blowgun dart | - | - | - | 5 c.p. | - |
| Butterfly Pin | 3 | .25 | - | 5 g.l. | thrown |
| Club, Enim # | 16 | 100+ | +8 | 100 g.l. | - |
| Club, giant-sized | 9 | 20+ | +4 | 5 s.p. | - |
| Crimson Moon | 6 | 3 | -1 | 6 g.l. | - |
| Crystaldagger | 4 | 1 | - | 12 g.l. | thrown |
| Crystalmace | 6 | 4 | -3 | 12 g.l. | - |
| Dagger, giant | 7 | 6+ | +1 | 8 g.l. | thrown |
| Dart | 4 | 1 | - | 2 g.l. | thrown |
| Execution axe, Shadinn # | 10 | 12 | +2 | 40 g.l. | - |
| Flail | 8 | 6 | 0 | 5 g.l. | - |
| Fork Dagger | 4 (2) | 1 | - | 30 g.l. | thrown |
| Greatsword, giant # | 16 | 80+ | +8 | 150 g.l. | - |
| Hatraj # | 10 | 14 | +2 | 12 g.l. | - |
| Imp. Rod Alchemy # | * | 3 | - | 100 g.l. | * |
| Mace/Hammer, giant | 11 | 20+ | +5 | 20 g.l. | - |
| Mailed Fist | 2 | .5 | - | 2 s.p. | - |
| Maul # | 10 | 13 | +2 | 6 g.l. | - |
| Morphius Blossom | special | - | - | 10 g.l. | thrown or sling |
| Repeat. Crossbow # | 4 | 6 | -3 | 75 g.l. | 100' |
| Rope Dart # | 4 | 2 | - | 2 g.l. | thrown (max. 12') |
| Shield Studs | +1 | +5 | - | +10 g.l. | - |
| Shld Studs (buckler) | +1 | +2 | - | +5 g.l. | - |
| Shield Spikes | +3 | +5 | - | +20 g.l. | - |
| Shld Spikes (buckler) | +3 | +2 | - | +10 g.l. | - |
| Spear, giant # | 13 | 20+ | +5 | 10 g.l. | thrown |
| Spear, short | 6 | 3 | -2 | 5 s.p. | thrown |
| Spiked Glove | 4 | 1 | - | 2 g.l. | - |
| Staff, short | 5 | 2 | -3 | 5 s.p. | - |
| Sword Staff # | 9 | 6 | 0 | 15 g.l. | - |
| Talons (per pair) | 6 | 3 | - | 16 g.l. | - |
| Telescopic Staff # | 6 | 3 | -3 | 50 g.l. | - |
| Uwan | 4 | 1 | - | 1 c.p. | - |
| War Claw | 6 | 3 | -1 | 4 g.l. | - |
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