How to attack with a weapon, how much it hurts, and every weapon a character can start with. Every trait and group in the tables links to its rule below.
Attack Rolls
To attack with a weapon, you make a Strike , which is an attack roll against the target's Deflection.
d20 + your proficiency with the weapon + an attribute
A melee Strike uses Strength, and a ranged Strike uses Dexterity. A melee weapon with the finesse trait lets you use Dexterity instead. Your proficiency depends on the weapon's category, as your class describes, and it follows the ranks in Game Basics.
Each attack after the first on your turn is harder. Your second attack roll takes a −5 penalty, and every attack after that takes −10. A weapon with the agile trait lowers these to −4 and −8. This is the multiple attack penalty, and it resets at the start of your turn.
Damage
When you hit, you roll the weapon's damage dice. The number of dice comes from your proficiency with the weapon, and the size of each die comes from the weapon.
| Your proficiency with the weapon | Damage dice |
|---|---|
| Untrained | 1 |
| Trained | 1 |
| Expert | 2 |
| Master | 3 |
| Paragon | 4 |
| Legendary | 5 |
| Ascendant | 5 |
To the dice you add the attribute you attacked with. A melee Strike adds all of it. A ranged Strike adds half, rounded down, unless the weapon is thrown, which adds all of it. A longsword in the hands of an Expert with Strength +4 deals 2d8 + 4.
Critical hits deal double damage. Roll the damage and double the total. Some traits add more on a critical hit, such as deadly and fatal.
Weapon Categories
Weapons are sorted by how much training they demand. Unarmed attacks are the body itself. Simple weapons are easy to learn, martial weapons reward training, and advanced weapons are specialized tools that few learn. Your class says which categories you are trained in.
Ranged Weapons
A ranged weapon lists a range increment. You can attack a target within that distance normally. Beyond it, you take a −2 penalty for each additional increment, up to six increments away.
Reload is how many Interact actions it takes to load the weapon after firing it. A reload of 0 means you can draw and fire in the same action. Ammunition is bought in groups: 10 arrows or 10 bolts cost 1 sp, 10 sling bullets cost 1 cp, and 10 blowgun darts cost 5 cp. Each group of 10 has a Bulk of L.
Improvised Weapons
A chair, a bottle or a torch can be swung as a weapon. You are untrained with it and take a −2 penalty to the attack roll. The GM decides its damage die, usually a d4, d6 or d8, and its damage type.
Weapon Statistics
Price and Bulk work as for other items, as described in Equipment. Damage lists the size of the weapon's die and its type: B is bludgeoning, P piercing, S slashing. Hands is how many hands you need to wield it; 1+ means you hold it in one hand but need the other to fire. Group sorts weapons by how they are used, and the groups are listed below. Traits change how the weapon works, and they are listed below too.
| Weapon | Price | Damage | Bulk | Hands | Group | Traits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clan dagger | 2 gp | d4 P | L | 1 | Knife | agile, dwarf, parry, versatile B |
| Club | — | d6 B | 1 | 1 | Club | thrown 10 ft. |
| Dagger | 2 sp | d4 P | L | 1 | Knife | agile, finesse, thrown 10 ft., versatile S |
| Gauntlet | 2 sp | d4 B | L | 1 | Brawling | agile, free-hand |
| Katar | 3 sp | d4 P | L | 1 | Knife | agile, deadly d6, monk |
| Light mace | 4 sp | d4 B | L | 1 | Club | agile, finesse, shove |
| Longspear | 5 sp | d8 P | 2 | 2 | Spear | reach |
| Mace | 1 gp | d6 B | 1 | 1 | Club | shove |
| Morningstar | 1 gp | d6 B | 1 | 1 | Club | versatile P |
| Sickle | 2 sp | d4 S | L | 1 | Knife | agile, finesse, trip |
| Spear | 1 sp | d6 P | 1 | 1 | Spear | monk, thrown 20 ft. |
| Spiked gauntlet | 3 sp | d4 P | L | 1 | Brawling | agile, free-hand |
| Staff | — | d4 B | 1 | 1 | Club | monk, two-hand d8 |
| Weapon | Price | Damage | Bulk | Hands | Group | Traits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dwarven waraxe | 3 gp | d8 S | 2 | 1 | Axe | dwarf, sweep, two-hand d12 |
| Gnome flickmace | 3 gp | d6 B | 1 | 1 | Flail | gnome, reach, sweep |
| Orc necksplitter | 2 gp | d8 S | 1 | 1 | Axe | forceful, orc, sweep |
| Sawtooth saber | 5 gp | d6 S | L | 1 | Sword | agile, finesse, twin |
| Weapon | Price | Damage | Range | Reload | Bulk | Hands | Group | Traits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blowgun | 1 sp | 1 P | 20 ft. | 1 | L | 1 | Dart | agile, nonlethal |
| Crossbow | 3 gp | d8 P | 120 ft. | 1 | 1 | 2 | Crossbow | — |
| Dart | 1 cp | d4 P | 20 ft. | — | L | 1 | Dart | agile, thrown |
| Hand crossbow | 3 gp | d6 P | 60 ft. | 1 | L | 1 | Crossbow | — |
| Heavy crossbow | 4 gp | d10 P | 120 ft. | 2 | 2 | 2 | Crossbow | — |
| Javelin | 1 sp | d6 P | 30 ft. | — | L | 1 | Dart | thrown |
| Sling | — | d6 B | 50 ft. | 1 | L | 1 | Sling | — |
| Weapon | Price | Damage | Range | Reload | Bulk | Hands | Group | Traits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arbalest | 12 gp | d10 P | 110 ft. | 1 | 2 | 2 | Crossbow | backstabber |
| Bola | 5 sp | d6 B | 20 ft. | — | L | 1 | Sling | nonlethal, ranged trip, thrown |
| Halfling sling staff | 5 gp | d10 B | 80 ft. | 1 | 1 | 2 | Sling | halfling |
| Longbow | 6 gp | d8 P | 100 ft. | 0 | 2 | 1+ | Bow | deadly d10, volley 30 ft. |
| Shortbow | 3 gp | d6 P | 60 ft. | 0 | 1 | 1+ | Bow | deadly d10 |
| Shuriken | 1 cp | d4 P | 20 ft. | 0 | — | 1 | Dart | agile, monk, thrown |
Alchemical bombs are thrown like ranged weapons, and they are listed with the other alchemical items in Consumables.
Weapon Traits
Agile
Your multiple attack penalty with this weapon is −4 on the second attack and −8 on later ones, instead of −5 and −10.
Attached
The weapon is fixed to another item, named in the trait, and you can only attack with it while you wield or wear that item. Attaching or removing it takes 10 minutes.
Backstabber
When you hit an off-guard creature, the weapon deals 1 extra precision damage.
Backswing
When you miss with this weapon on your turn, your next attack with it before the end of that turn gains a +1 circumstance bonus.
Concealable
The weapon is easy to hide. You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to Stealth checks to conceal it.
Deadly
On a critical hit, after doubling the damage, add extra dice of the size listed in the trait: one die fewer than the weapon's damage dice, and never fewer than one. A Trained rapier adds 1d8 on a critical hit; a Legendary one adds 4d8.
Disarm
You can Disarm with this weapon instead of a free hand, using the weapon's reach. If you critically fail, you can drop the weapon instead of suffering the normal effect.
Fatal
On a critical hit, every damage die of the weapon becomes the size listed in the trait, and you add one more die of that size.
Finesse
You can use Dexterity instead of Strength for attack rolls with this melee weapon. Damage uses the same attribute you attacked with.
Forceful
The weapon gains momentum. Your second attack with it on a turn gains a circumstance bonus to damage equal to its number of damage dice, and every attack after that gains twice as much.
Free-Hand
The weapon is built into what you wear and doesn't occupy your hand, which stays free for other things. You can't attack with it while that hand holds something else, and it can't be disarmed.
Jousting
While you are mounted, if you moved at least 10 feet on the action before your attack, you gain a circumstance bonus to damage equal to the weapon's number of damage dice. The trait also lists a die: while mounted, you can wield the weapon in one hand and its damage dice become that size.
Monk
The weapon is used mostly by monks, and monk abilities that work with monk weapons work with it.
Nonlethal
Attacks with this weapon knock creatures out instead of killing them. You can make a lethal attack with it at a −2 circumstance penalty.
Parry
You can spend an action to hold the weapon defensively, gaining a +1 circumstance bonus to your Deflection until the start of your next turn. You must be trained with the weapon.
Ranged Trip
You can Trip with this weapon at a target within its first range increment, with a −2 circumstance penalty to the check.
Reach
You can attack with this weapon at enemies up to 10 feet away instead of only adjacent ones.
Shove
You can Shove with this weapon instead of a free hand, using the weapon's reach. If you critically fail, you can drop the weapon instead of suffering the normal effect.
Sweep
When you attack with this weapon, you gain a +1 circumstance bonus to the attack roll if you already attacked a different target this turn with it.
Thrown
You can throw this weapon as a ranged attack, using the range listed in the trait. A thrown weapon adds your full attribute to damage, as a melee weapon does.
Trip
You can Trip with this weapon instead of a free hand, using the weapon's reach. If you critically fail, you can drop the weapon instead of suffering the normal effect.
Twin
These weapons are made in pairs. When you attack with one after attacking with a different weapon of the same kind on the same turn, you gain a circumstance bonus to damage equal to its number of damage dice.
Two-Hand
You can wield the weapon in two hands, and while you do, its damage dice become the size listed in the trait.
Unarmed
The attack uses your body instead of a weapon. It doesn't take up a hand and can't be disarmed, though it still has a group and can have traits.
Versatile
You can deal the damage type listed in the trait instead of the weapon's normal type. You choose each time you attack.
Volley
The weapon is clumsy at close range. Your attacks against targets closer than the distance in the trait take a −2 penalty.
Ancestry Weapons
A trait that names a people, such as dwarf, elf, gnome, goblin, halfling or orc, marks a weapon that people made and uses. It does nothing by itself, but ancestry feats often point to weapons with the trait of your ancestry.
Weapon Groups
Every weapon belongs to a group. Once your proficiency with a weapon reaches Expert, you gain its group's critical specialization effect: an extra effect when you critically hit with it, as described in What Each Rank Unlocks. You can always choose not to apply it. When an effect calls for a defense check, it is made against your class threshold.
Axe
Choose a second creature adjacent to your target and within your reach. If its Deflection is lower than the result of your attack roll, it takes damage equal to your weapon's number of damage dice.
Bow
If the target is next to a surface, your arrow pins it there. It is immobilized until it spends an Interact action to pull free, which requires a successful Athletics check against your class threshold.
Brawling
The target must succeed at a Resilience defense check or be slowed 1 until the end of your next turn.
Club
You knock the target up to 10 feet away from you. This is forced movement.
Crossbow
The target takes 1d8 persistent bleed damage.
Dart
The target takes 1d6 persistent bleed damage.
Flail
The target must succeed at an Evasion defense check or be knocked prone.
Hammer
The target must succeed at a Resilience defense check or be knocked prone.
Knife
The target takes 1d6 persistent bleed damage.
Pick
The target takes 2 extra damage for each of the weapon's damage dice.
Polearm
You move the target 5 feet in a direction of your choice. This is forced movement.
Shield
You push the target 5 feet away from you. This is forced movement.
Sling
The target must succeed at a Resilience defense check or be stunned 1.
Spear
The target is clumsy 1 until the start of your next turn.
Sword
The target is off-guard until the start of your next turn.