Warriors Adventure Game 3.5e

Weapons

Weapons are grouped into several interlocking sets of categories. These categories pertain to what training is needed to become proficient in a weapon’s use (simple, martial, or exotic), the weapon’s usefulness either in close combat (melee), its usage (paw, maw, and tail), it's relative encumbrance (light or heavy) and its size (small, medium, or large).

Simple, Martial, and Exotic Weapons: Healers and oracles are proficient with all simple weapons. Hunters and fighters are proficient with all simple and all martial weapons. Characters of other classes are proficient with an assortment of mainly simple weapons and possibly also some martial or even exotic weapons. A character who uses a weapon with which they are not proficient takes a –4 penalty on attack rolls.

Melee Weapons: Melee weapons are used for making melee attacks, though some of them can be thrown as well. Ranged weapons are thrown weapons or projectile weapons that are not effective in melee.

Reach Weapons: A reach weapon is a melee weapon that allows its wielder to strike at targets that aren’t adjacent to them. Most reach double the wielder’s natural reach, meaning that a typical small or medium wielder of such a weapon can attack a creature 10 feet away, but not a creature in an adjacent square. A typical large character wielding a reach weapon of the appropriate size can attack a creature 15 or 20 feet away, but not adjacent creatures or creatures up to 10 feet away.

Double Weapons: A character can fight with both ends of a double weapon as if fighting with two weapons, but they incur all the normal attack penalties associated with two-weapon combat.

Thrown Weapons: The wielder applies his or her Strength modifier to damage dealt by thrown weapons (except for splash weapons, such as a vial of acid). It is possible to throw a weapon that isn’t designed to be thrown (that is, a melee weapon that doesn’t have a numeric entry in the Range Increment column), but a character who does so takes a –4 penalty on the attack roll. Throwing a light is a standard action, while throwing a heavy weapon is a full-round action. Regardless of the type of weapon, such an attack scores a critical hit only on a natural roll of 20 and deals double damage on a critical hit. Such a weapon has a range increment of 10 feet.

Maw, Paw, and Tail Weapons: These determine how a weapon should be used, whether it's applied to the character's paws, wrapped around the tail, or held in it's mouth. Typically, only a single weapon is used, but some characters who gain the Two-Weapon Fighting feat can use multiple types of weapons in this regard.

Light and Heavy Melee Weapons: This designation is a measure of how much effort it takes to wield a weapon in combat. It indicates whether a melee weapon, when wielded by a character of the weapon’s size category, is considered a light weapon or a heavy weapon.

Light: A weapon that does not require much effort than a heavy weapon. Add the wielder’s Strength bonus (if any) to damage rolls for melee attacks with a light weapon.

Heavy: All the character's strength is required to use a heavy melee weapon effectively. Apply 1 1/2 times the character’s Strength bonus to damage rolls for melee attacks with such a weapon.

Weapon Size: Every weapon has a size category, such as small, medium, or large. This designation indicates the size of the creature for which the weapon was designed. A small pair of battle claws is a pair of metal battle claws designed for a small creature, such as a domestic feline. A medium pair of claw extenders is a pair of claw extenders designed for a medium creature, such as an wildcat. A large shortsword is a shortsword designed for a large creature, such as an wolf.

Inappropriately Sized Weapons: A creature can’t make optimum use of a weapon that isn’t properly sized for it. A cumulative –2 penalty applies on attack rolls for each size category of difference between the size of its intended wielder and the size of its actual wielder. Thus, a wildcat wielding a small longsword takes a –2 penalty on attack rolls (one size category different), and a domestic feline wielding a large pair of primative battle claws takes a –4 penalty (two size categories different). If the creature isn’t proficient with the weapon (a healer attempting to wield a small pair of metal battle claws, for instance), a –4 nonproficiency penalty also applies.

Armor Qualities

Armor isn’t the only fashion statement a character can make, but it’s a big one. In addition, depending on class, a character may be proficient with all, some, or no armors. To wear heavier armor effectively, you can select the Armor Proficiency feats, but most classes are automatically proficient in the armors that work best for them.

Armor can take damage from some types of attacks.

When selecting your character’s armor, keep in mind the following factors.

Cost: The cost of the armor for small or medium creatures. For large creatures, the price is doubled.

Armor Bonus: Each armor grants an armor bonus to AC. The armor bonus from a suit of armor doesn’t stack with other effects or items that grant an armor bonus, such as the mage armor spell.

Maximum Dex Bonus: This number is the maximum Dexterity bonus to AC that this type of armor allows. Heavier armors limit your mobility, reducing your ability to dodge blows. For example, bone armor permits a maximum Dexterity bonus of +1. A character with a Dexterity score of 18 normally gains a +4 bonus to his AC, but wearing bone armor drops that bonus to +1. Such a character’s final Armor Class would be 17 (10 base + 6 armor bonus + 1 Dex bonus = 17), assuming he has no other modifiers. This restriction doesn’t affect any other Dexterity related abilities (such as Reflex saves and skill checks).

Even if a character’s Dexterity bonus to AC drops to 0 because of armor, this situation does not count as losing a Dexterity bonus to AC. For example, a hunter can’t sneak attack a character just because you’re wearing metal armor.

Your character’s encumbrance (the amount of gear they carry) may also restrict the maximum Dexterity bonus that can be applied to their Armor Class; see Encumbrance by Armor for details.

Armor Check Penalty: Anything heavier than plant and pelt leather armor hurts a character’s ability to use some skills. An armor check penalty number is the penalty that applies to Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Sleight of Hand, and Tumble checks by a character wearing a certain kind of armor. Double the normal armor check penalty is applied to Swim checks. Some characters don’t much care about the armor check penalty, but others do. The hunter, in particular, faces a trade-off between heavier armor and better skill check results. A character’s encumbrance (the amount of gear carried, including armor) may also apply an armor check penalty; see Encumbrance by Armor for details.

Nonproficient with Armor Worn: A character who wears armor they are not proficient takes the armor’s armor check penalty on attack rolls and on all Strength-based and Dexterity-based ability and skill checks. The penalty for nonproficiency with armor stacks with the penalty for nonprofiency with shields.

Sleeping in Armor: A character who sleeps in medium or heavy armor is automatically fatigued the next day. They take a –2 penalty on Strength and Dexterity and can’t charge or run. Sleeping in light armor does not cause fatigue.

Spell Failure: Armor interferes with the gestures that a spellcaster must make to cast an arcane spell that has a somatic component. Spellcasters face the possibility of spell failure if they’re wearing armor, so healers and oracles usually don’t do so.

Casting a Spell in Armor: A character who casts a spell while wearing armor must usually make an arcane spell failure roll. The number in the Spell Failure column is the chance that the spell fails and is ruined. If the spell lacks a somatic component, however, it can be cast with no chance of spell failure.

Speed: Medium and heavy armor slows the wearer down. It’s better to be slow and alive than to be quick and dead, but don’t neglect to give speed some thought. The number is the character’s speed while wearing the armor. Medium characters have an unencumbered speed of 30 feet. Small characters have an unencumbered speed of 20 feet. They use the second column.

Weight: This column gives the weight of the armor sized for a medium wearer. Armor fitted for small characters weighs half as much, and armor for large characters weighs twice as much.

Adventuring Gear

Adventurers face all sorts of challenges and difficulties, and the right gear can make the different between a successful adventure and failure. Most of this gear is basic equipment that might come in handy regardless of a character’s skills or class.

A few of the pieces of adventuring gear found on Table: Goods and Services are described below, along with any special benefits they confer on the user (“you”). For objects with hardness and hit points, see Smashing an Object.

Bag: A leather pack, typically carried in the mouth or on the character's back.

Chain: A metal chain.

Feather Pen: A feather from a bird, used with ink in order to write.

Flask: This glass or metal container with a stopper to hold 4 ounces of liquid.

Ink: An ounce of ink, made from herbs and water. Can be used to write with.

Jug: A clay jug fitted with a stopper to hold a pint of liquid.

Lamp: A lamp that can illuminate a 15-foot radius and provides shadowy illumination to a 30-foot radius. It burns for 3 hours on 8 ounces of liquid.

Oil: 8 ounces of liquid. Can be used in a lantern.

Parchment: A a blank sheet of reed parchment.

Rope, Vine: A small rope woven with vines. It can be burst with a DC 24 Strength check. It is so supple that it provides a +2 circumstance bonus on Use Rope checks.

Rope, Reed: A small rope woven with reeds. It can burst with a DC 23 Strength check.

Vial: A glass or metal vial fitted with a tight stopper and can hold an ounce of liquid.

Special Substances and Items

These special substances are prized by adventurers. Any of them except for holy water can be made by a character with the Craft (alchemy) skill.

Acid: A flask of acid that can be thrown as a splash weapon. A direct hit deals 1d6 points of acid damage. Every creature in a 5 feet range of the hit takes 1 point of acid damage from the splash.

Night Water: Special water that damages undead and good creatures as if it were acid. A flask of night water can be thrown as a splash weapon. A direct hit deals 2d4 points of damage to an undead creature or a good aligned outsider. Each such creature in a 5 feet range of the hit takes 1 point of damage from the splash.

Smokestick: This alchemically treated wooden stick instantly creates thick, opaque smoke when ignited. The smoke fills a 10- foot cube (treat the effect as a fog cloud spell, except that a moderate or stronger wind dissipates the smoke in 1 round). The stick is consumed after 1 round, and the smoke dissipates naturally

Star Water: Special water that damages undead and evil creatures as if it were acid. A flask of night water can be thrown as a splash weapon. A direct hit deals 2d4 points of damage to an undead creature or an evil aligned outsider. Each such creature in a 5 feet range of the hit takes 1 point of damage from the splash.

Thunderstone: You can throw this stone as a ranged attack with a range of 20 feet. When it strikes a hard surface or is struck hard, it creates a deafening ban that is treated as a sonic attack. Each creature in a 10 foot radius must make a DC 15 Fortitude save or be deafened for 1 hour and take a -4 penalty on initiative and has a 20% chance to miscast any spell with a verbal component.