Ammunition

You can use a weapon that has the Ammunition property 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 (you need a free hand to load a one-handed weapon). At the end of the battle, you can recover half your expended ammunition by taking a minute to search the battlefield.

Bypass

These flexible weapons wrap around shields and other personal defenses. They ignore the AC bonus granted by shields and parrying features.

Cavalry

These weapons are well-suited to combat on the move. If you damage a creature with a cavalry weapon after moving at least 30 feet straight toward a target while mounted, the you deal an extra 1d6 damage.

Ensnaring

These weapons feature chain, hooks, or other parts that entangle. When you hit with an ensnaring weapon, you can use your bonus action to attempt to shove the target prone, disarm them, or pull them into a space within 5 feet of you. To succeed on the attempt, you make an opposed check against the target's Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check, adding your weapon attack bonus to the roll.

Finesse

The weapon lends itself to dexterous combat due to features that make precisely aiming the weapon easier. When attacking 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.

Finisher

Finisher weapons are well-suited to executing enemies at your mercy. When you damage a prone creature with a finisher weapon, you roll an additional weapon damage die.

Gunpowder

These weapons utilize volatile powder as a propellant to fire projectiles or explode. They cannot be used underwater. When you make an attack, a gunpowder weapon flashes, expels smoke, and creates a bang that can be heard within 300 feet. Each time you attack with a gunpowder weapon, you expend one pinch of powder and one piece of ammunition. It takes an action to load a gunpowder weapon.

Carrying too much powder is risky. Every time a creature wearing or carrying items with the Gunpowder property takes at least 20 fire damage, one of those items explodes and is destroyed. The blast deals 2d6 fire damage and 2d6 thunder damage to all creatures and objects within 20 ft.

Heavy

These weapons are unwieldier than most. Small creatures make attacks with heavy weapons at disadvantage. You cannot attack more than once per turn with a heavy weapon unless you have a Strength score of 13 or higher.

When you attack with a heavy weapon that you are proficient in, you can forego adding your proficiency bonus to the attack roll. If the attack hits, you add that proficiency bonus to the damage roll. You must decide to do this before making the attack roll. This ability can be used in conjunction with the Great Weapon Master feat.

Light

A light weapon is small and easy to handle. When you take the Attack action and attack with a light weapon that you’re holding in one hand, you can use a bonus action to attack with a different light weapon that you’re holding in the other hand. You don’t add your ability modifier to the damage of the bonus attack, unless that modifier is negative.

Loading

Because of the time required to load this weapon, you can fire only one piece of ammunition from it when you fire it, regardless of the number of attacks you can normally make.

Nonlethal

The weapon is designed to incapacitate or is otherwise capable of delivering a hit that does not kill the target. When you choose to knock a creature out instead of killing them, nonlethal weapons deal their normal damage. Other weapons can be used to deal nonlethal strikes, but deal bludgeoning damage equal to your Strength modifier + 2 instead of their typical damage.

Parry

When you are wielding a parrying weapon with which you are proficient and another creature hits you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to add half your proficiency bonus to your AC for that attack, potentially causing the attack to miss you.

Prone Fighting

When you are prone and make a weapon attack with this weapon, you do not suffer disadvantage for being prone.

You cannot add your proficiency bonus to any die roll more than once. That rule has has one exception: a weapon that inflicts status: slashing and the bonus to damage from heavy adds your proficiency bonus to that attack's damage twice.

Arming Sword

The techniques of an arming sword are fairly basic, easy to learn, and highly defensive. As a result, you worry less for your own safety and can inflict more effective blows. Whenever you inflict status with an arming sword you inflict the status effects of both piercing and slashing status, regardless of the damage type you dealt.

Boomerang

When you miss with this weapon, it returns to your hand.

Blowgun Needle

These minute needles are especially potent when paired with a poison coating. When you apply a poison to it, a dose can cover 10 pieces of ammunition instead of the usual 3.

Chain Whip

A length of chain is unbalanced and difficult to use, but can be a far-reaching weapon. When held in both hands, this weapon gains the reach property.

Cestus

The weapon is not held in the hand, instead wrapped around the wrist, held in the fingers, or covering the knuckles. Wielding this weapon does not prevent you from grappling or shoving an enemy, using an item, or climbing, but you cannot wield other weapons or shields in that hand, nor can it perform somatic components. Because they are often strapped to or wrapped around the hand and wrist, you draw or stow a cestus as an action.

Dueling Shield

These large shields bear a large triangular boss and a set of hooks and blades built into their surface. They act like normal shields that add a +2 to AC when wielded in one hand. When you wield one in both hands, it acts as a melee weapon that deals 1d8 piercing damage, and has the ensnaring, heavy, and parry properties. When held in both hands, a dueling shield still grants +2 AC.

Elemental Ammunition

Elemental ammunition includes enchanted bullets, quarrels, needles, or arrows charged with magic. You cannot buy elemental ammunition, but you can craft it if you have proficiency in the appropriate tools to make that ammunition and the Arcana skill, and can cast a spell at-will that deals acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder damage. When you finish a piece of elemental ammunition, it deals that damage instead of its normal damage type.

Elemental ammunition is an uncommon piece of magical ammunition.

Garotte Wire

Garrote Wire cannot be used on any creature greater than 1 size larger than you, and you can only attack with a garotte if you have advantage. On a hit, the target is automatically grappled and restrained. Until the grapple ends, the target cannot breath and chokes.

Creatures that do not need to breath are immune to a garotte wire's choke at the discretion of the DM. Choking creatures die after an uninterrupted number of rounds equal to their Constitution modifier (minimum 1).

Gauntlet-Sword

This specialized sword is built into a stiff gauntlet. When using this weapon you cannot be disarmed of it or drop it. It takes an action to don or doff a gauntlet sword.

Grapeshot

Instead of a single bullet, a large number of tiny projectiles fill a canister of grapeshot ammunition. Upon firing, the projectiles fly in a line 5 foot wide and as long as the gun's normal range. You can target a number of creatures in that line equal to your proficiency bonus, making new attack rolls for each creature.

Greataxe

The blows of a greataxe, though crude, stagger and daze opponents. When you inflict status with a greataxe you inflict the effects of both slashing and bludgeoning status on the target, even though you only deal slashing damage.

Greatbow

An enormous bow with a massive draw weight, this bow uses Strength instead of Dexterity for attack and damage rolls.

Lance

You have disadvantage when you use a lance to attack a target within 5 feet of you. A lance requires two hands to wield when you aren't mounted.

Lantern Shield

An apparatus combining a small shield, a lantern, a gauntlet, and several blades. When wielded it adds +2 to your Armor Class, can be used to make a melee weapon attack that deals 1d4 piercing damage, and can store a lit bullseye lantern, which you wield while holding this shield. You cannot be disarmed of the lantern, and cannot drop it.

Morningstar

A morningstar is a heavy bludgeon covered in sharpened spikes. When you inflict status with a morningstar you inflict the status effects of both piercing and bludgeoning status, regardless of the damage type you dealt.

Net

A Large or smaller creature hit by a net is restrained until it is freed. A net has no effect on creatures that are formless, or are Huge or larger. A creature can free itself or others by using its action and succeeding a DC 10 Strength check. Dealing 5 slashing damage to the net (AC 10) also frees the creature without harming it, and destroys the net.

Silver Bullet

This bullet is deals no special damage against most creatures, but any attack with a silver bullet that hits a creature with a special vulnerability to silver, like some fiends and some shapechangers, is an automatic critical hit.

Starting Armor

Use the list below to determine which armor a character owns at the beginning of the game when using this rework.

• Bard: Leather
• Cleric: Brigandine or leather, hauberk if proficient
• Druid: Leather
• Fighter: Leather or hauberk
• Paladin: Hauberk
• Ranger: Brigandine or leather
• Rogue: Leather

Converting Armor

If you've already begun a game when you implement this supplement, convert each piece of armor to the armor that gives the same AC value, even if the old armor's name appears on the table in a different place. For example, convert scale mail to brigandine, and ring mail to the new scale.

Armor Table

Cauldron Contents

You can fill a cauldron with more than boiling water. The table below lists several alternate options, as well as water. A cauldron is assumed to contain 20 gallons of liquid, or the volume 160 standard flasks.

Trebuchet Ammunition

Trebuchets fire boulders, but can be loaded with a variety of other projectiles with different damage and areas of effect.

Proficiency Changes

Some classes or racial features grant proficiency in additional or alternate weapons:

• Bard: Arming sword, estoc, parrying dagger, buckler
• Druid: Boar spear, cestus, harpoon, spear, blowgun
• Monk. Spear
• Ranger. Herbalism kit or Woodcarver's tools
• Rogue: Arming sword, bastard sword, estoc, longsword, parrying dagger, sabre, garotte wire, buckler
• Elf Weapon Training: Recurve bow proficiency replaces longbow proficiency
• Dwarven Combat Training: Greataxe, maul

Classes with proficiency in "all simple weapons" or "all martial weapons" gain access to every weapon on those respective lists, as normal. Characters that gain proficiency in shields do not gain proficiency in exotic shields. Barbarians, fighters, paladins, and rangers gain proficiency in one exotic weapon or shield of their choice during character creation.

During downtime, you can train to gain proficiency in a tool, a language, a skill, a weapon, or to gain a feat. This training requires a specific, gifted teacher and 10 workweeks, with the number of required weeks reduced by a number equal to your Intelligence modifier.

The crafting rules detailed later in this book can be used for training on the road when accompanied by a tutor. Money paid to the teacher replaces money spent on materials. The 10 workweeks are represented in this system by 560 hours of training, and reduced accordingly.

Feat Changes

With the addition of new weapons, many feats expand. Most of these feats originate from Unearthed Arcana and have not been published. Additionally, several rework weapon rules like this document does, and are likely to be redundant or overpowered if used in tandem with these changes. Such feats are marked with *.

• Blade Mastery:* estoc, arming sword, bastard sword, greatsword, longsword, rapier, scimitar, shortsword, hooksword
• Fell Handed:* club, cestus, goedendag, greatclub, handaxe, light hammer, mace, battleaxe, greataxe, maul, pollaxe
• Flail mastery:* chain whip
• Polearm Master: boar spear, quarterstaff, shortspear, spear, glaive, guisarme, halberd, lucerne, pike, ranseur
• Shield Master: shield, tower shield, lantern shield
• Spear Mastery:* boar spear, shortspear, harpoon, pike, spear

Bonus Proficiency—Cleric

At 1st level, you can choose to take the Bonus Proficiency feature. If you do so, you gain proficiency in heavy armor and martial weapons and the Divine Strike feature at level 8. If you do not, your armor class when not wearing armor equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Wisdom modifier, and you gain the Potent Spellcasting feature at level 8.

Fighting Style

You adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can't take the same Fighting Style option more than once, even if you get to choose again. You choose from the list below regardless of your class:
Archery: You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.
Defense: While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.
Dueling: When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.
Flexibility: While you are wielding a versatile weapon and no other weapons or shields, you can add your Dexterity modifier (maximum of +1 while one-handed, maximum of +2 while two-handed) to your attack rolls with that weapon.
Great Weapon Fighting: When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.
Protection: When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield.
Two-Weapon Fighting: When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

Flurry of Blows

Immediately after you take the Attack action on your turn, you can spend 1 ki point to make two swift unarmed strikes or attacks with a monk weapon as a bonus action. These strikes use your Martial Arts die for damage.

Improved Pact Weapon

Prerequisites: 5th level, Pact of the Blade
You can use a pact weapon as a focus for your warlock spells. It gains a +1 bonus to its attack and damage rolls, unless it is a magic weapon that already has a bonus to those rolls. Finally, the weapon you conjure can be any weapon of your choice. You summon ranged weapons loaded with a single piece of ammunition.

Martial Arts

Your martial artistry involves combat styles that use the body and monk weapons, which are any melee weapons you are proficient in that lack the two-handed or heavy properties. You gain the following benefits while you are unarmed or wielding only monk weapons and aren't wearing armor or wielding a shield:

• You gain proficiency in unarmed strikes and two other exotic weapons of your choice. Those exotic weapons are considered monk weapons for you. Your unarmed strikes have the light and finesse properties.
• You can roll a d4 in place of the normal damage of your unarmed strikes or monk weapons. This die changes as you gain monk levels, as shown in the Martial Arts column of the Monk table.
• When you use the Attack action with an unarmed strike or a monk weapon on your turn, you can make one unarmed strike or attack with a monk weapon as a bonus action. This bonus action attack uses your martial arts die instead of the normal weapon damage die.
• Before you make an unarmed strike, you can apply one of the following properties to that attack: bypass, ensnaring, finisher, heavy, prone fighting, status, sundering, sweeping.

Pact of the Blade

You gain proficiency in medium armor, shields, and martial weapons, and can use a bonus action to create a pact weapon in your empty hand. You choose the form this weapon takes each time you create it (see part 2 for weapon options). You cannot create exotic or ranged weapons. This weapon counts as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistances and immunities, and it uses your spellcasting ability modifier for its attack and damage rolls.

Your pact weapon disappears if it is more than 5 feet away from you for 1 minute or more. It also disappears if you use this feature again, if you dismiss the weapon (no action required), or if you die.

You can transform a magic weapon into your pact weapon by performing a special ritual while you hold it. You perform the ritual over the course of 1 hour, which can be done during a short rest. You can then dismiss the weapon, shunting it into an extradimensional space, and it appears whenever you create your pact weapon thereafter. You can't affect an artifact or a sentient weapon in this way.

Sneak Attack

Beginning at 1st level, you know how to strike subtly and exploit a foe's distraction. Once per turn, you can deal an extra 1d6 damage to one creature you hit with an attack if you have advantage on the attack roll. The attack must use a finesse, light, or ranged weapon, or use an arming sword, bastard sword, or longsword. You don't need advantage on the attack roll if another enemy of the target is within 5 feet of it, that enemy isn't incapacitated, and you don't have disadvantage on the attack roll. The amount of the extra damage increases as you gain levels in this class, as shown in the Sneak Attack column of the Rogue table.

Weapon Customization

Materials, extras, and other customizations for weapons diversify them even further. While not the numerical bonuses from masterwork items of older editions, these alterations allow you to customize your weapons further. These changes may be made to magical as well as mundane weapons.

Materials

The composition of a weapon can be just as important as the skill of its wielder. While the system defaults to iron, different substances provide circumstantial benefits in certain situations. The material of a weapon may not be changed after its creation. All the materials listed here can be used to make weapons, armor, and ammunition, though not all have an effect in each form.

Adamantine

An ultra-hard jet-black metal with a multicolored sheen taken from meteorite ore, weapons made from adamantine devastate other objects. Whenever an adamantine weapon or piece of ammunition hits an object, the hit is a critical hit. All adamantine melee weapons have the sundering property, against all armor instead of those listed in the sundering property. When wearing armor made from adamantine, any critical hit against you becomes a normal hit.

Adamantite

A rare material created when deposits of adamantine are corrupted in underdark. Used extensively by drow, this material has all properties of adamantine, but temporarily absorbs poison into itself. When you apply an injury poison to an adamantite weapon, the poison isn't removed after the first injury but is applied every time you deal piercing or slashing damage to a creature for the next minute. When exposed to sunlight, adamantite weapons disintegrate.

Bronze

A gold-colored alloy of copper and tin. Though replaced by iron and steel, bronze weapons are known for their magical affinity. When you create a magical weapon, armor, or piece of ammunition using bronze, it takes half the typical time and price to create. Most bronze weapons are antiques, making them valuable to collectors. Bronze weapons cost 50% more than their iron counterparts, but are produced and sold by few smiths. They must be cast, rather than forged, and such a process is often forgotten.

Cold Iron

They may rust and deform more quickly than steel, but iron weapons hold a key advantage besides their low cost and ubiquity: they are anathema to fey. Iron weapons ignore fey creatures' resistances to nonmagical weapons, and prolonged contact with iron deals 1 fire damage per round to fey. Weapons are assumed to be made from cold iron by default. Fey are not pleased by this development.

Decorated

The process of decorating a weapon or suit of armor with gemstones or gold, costing 100 gp in addition to material costs. It confers no benefits on the battlefield, but may grant advantage on Persuasion checks while you wear it by creating an aura of wealth and prestige. It may also include etching or paint, and can be created with with painter's supplies or jeweler's kits.

Flametouched Iron

Native to the material planes of Eberron, this dark gray metal takes on a reddish sheen when refined. A weapon created with this material ignores the resistances to nonmagical damage of all evil creatures, and likewise cannot be wielded by a creature of any evil alignment. Weapons and armor made from flametouched iron cost 1,000 more gp than their mundane counterparts thanks to the rarity of the metal. If used to create a cleric's holy symbol, flametouched iron increases the CR that a cleric can destroy with destroy undead by 1.

Fur

Armor lined or reinforced with animal hides and furs for warmth. When wearing furred armor, you make saving throws against extremely cold environments and weather with advantage. Adding fur requires the services of a craftsman familiar with both fur-taloring and armor, and costs 50 gp and adds 5 lbs to a piece of armor. Hide Armor is always furred. This modification can be added with leatherworker's tools.

Mithral

A light, flexible material, mithral armor removes Strength requirements and disadvantage on Stealth checks inflicted by wearing certain armor.

Weapons made from mithral are similarly light, weighing half as much as their iron counterparts. Mithral weapons with the Heavy property can be used to make extra attacks regardless of the user's strength and can be wielded normally by small creatures.

Obsidian

A rare volcanic glass, weapons made with this delicate material are incredibly sharp. In addition to their typical properties, weapons made with obsidian have the status: slashing property so long as the weapon deals slashing damage. Requiring expert crafstmen, obsidian weapons cost quadruple the price of the equivalent iron weapon.

Silver

Specific monsters, such as werewolves, have special weaknesses to silvered weapons, which can overcome their resistances to nonmagical damage. Silvering a weapon costs 100 gp and a skilled smith beyond standard smithing proficiencies, but such a process retains the weapon's effectiveness while supplementing it with inferior material.

Steel

The best mundane metal. It has no magical properties, but its nature allows allow smiths to select for sharpness, flexibility, hardness, and durability. Its relative resistance to wear and ease of maintenance has made it a material of choice across the world. Steel weapons cannot be damaged by monster features such as a black pudding's corrosive form and cost 50% more than their iron counterparts.

Stone

Rarely-used, all weapons made from stone deal bludgeoning damage, even if they would normally deal another type. All weapons and armor made with stone have the heavy property, lose finesse and light if they have it, weigh 4 times as much as usual, and cost twice as much. A character proficient with mason's tools can make weapons and armor from stone.

True Ice

Exceptional magical material, True Ice comes from the core of polar caps and mountain peaks, and never melts. Elementals aligned with fire or water are vulnerable to damage from true ice weapons. Armor made from True Ice grants resistance to fire damage and immunity to atmospheric hazards in hot environments, but halves the time required to make saves against cold.

Weapon Mods

Weapon Modifications

Bayonet

Applied to: light crossbow, heavy crossbow, arquebus
When you wield a weapon with a bayonet attached, you can wield it as a melee weapon to make an attack that deals 1d6 piercing damage with a reach of 5 feet, in addition to its normal use.

Blunted

Applied to: any melee weapon or piece of ammunition that deals piercing or slashing damage
A blunted weapon can only deal bludgeoning damage, and gains the nonlethal property. When you roll the highest number on a damage die, you must reroll the die and take the second roll.

Butt Spike

Applied to: boar spear, javelin, shortspear, glaive, greataxe, guisarme, halberd, harpoon, pike, pollaxe, ranseur, spear
When you come within 5 feet of a prone creature on your turn, you can use your bonus action to make a melee weapon attack against that creature. This attack deals 1d6 piercing damage. None of the weapon's properties apply to that attack, unless the weapon is two-handed.

Consecrated

Applied to: any weapon or piece of ammunition
Consecrated weapons are considered magical for the purposes of overcoming resistance and immunities to nonmagical damage against fiends and undead. AA cleric, can create a consecrated weapon by performing an 8-hour ritual where they submerge the weapon in 200 gp of holy water and stand vigil. This consumes the holy water.

Guige

Applied to: buckler, shield, tower shield, dueling shield
When you drop or are disarmed of a shield with a guige, it remains on your person instead of falling to the ground. It provides no bonus to armor class and you are not wielding it.

Guisarme Hook

Applied to: glaive, pike
A hook added to the back of the head adds the ensnaring property to the weapon.

Enhanced Guard

Applied to: arming sword, bastard sword, estoc, greatsword, longsword, rapier
A sword with this guard, often a basket hilt, grants you advantage on checks to avoid being disarmed of it.

Flaming

Applied to: all melee weapons, all ammunition except bullets
For 1 minute, half the damage you deal with this weapon or piece of ammunition deals fire damage. To light a weapon, you use an action to spread oil and light oil on 3 pieces of ammunition or a melee weapon.

Penebscot Arms

Applied to: shortbow, greatbow, longbow, recurve bow
This set of forward-facing secondary arms make it easier to draw a bow. When you roll a 1 on a damage die for an attack you make with a bow with this modification, you can reroll the die. You must use the new roll.

Poison Rerservoir

Applied to: any melee weapon that deals piercing or slashing damage
A weapon with this modification stores up to 5 doses of one type of injury poison at one time. When you deal piercing or slashing damage to a creature, you can choose to deliver the poison. Poison in the reservoir never dries.

Repeater

Applied to: light crossbow, hand crossbow, heavy crossbow
This device attached to a crossbow allows you to fire it 5 times before reloading. You can load 5 pieces of ammunition.

Scope

Applied to: light crossbow, shortbow, greatbow, heavy crossbow, longbow, recurve bow, arquebus
A weapon with a scope attached doesn't have disadvantage on attack rolls made beyond its standard range.

Second Barrel

Applied to: arquebus, handgonne
This additional barrel multiplies the weight of the gun by 1.5 and allows you to attack twice, instead of once, before reloading the gun. You can load both barrels as an action.

Serrated

Applied to: any melee weapon or piece of ammunition that can deal piercing or slashing damage
When you land a critical hit or exceed a target's AC by 5 or more and deal piercing or slashing damage, you deal additional damage equal to half your proficiency bonus.

Alternative armors, fortunately, are a simple matter of scale. A prehistoric game would feature primarily leather and bone—"plate armor" could be as simple as bone overlay on the chest. A heavy babylonian breastplate, made from bronze, can be considered plate armor in game mechanics. Ultimately, aesthetic and mechanic can co-exist without strict adherence to exact description depending on setting.

This phenomenon also applies to armor in the "standard" setting, as well. A "gambeson" could be heavily padded clothing supplemented by a helm, bracers, and almain collar, and leather armor can exist as armored noblewear rather than full gear. Ultimately, the willingness of player and Dungeon Master to stretch plausibility for aesthetics varies in every group. This document leans simulationist, which limits reflavor work, but this page in particular gives great leeway in just that.