Gear: Melee Weapons


	Gear: Melee Weapons

Pre-Industrial Melee Weapons

Rocks

Description Use Type Pen
(size +0) Wound AP Sharp Blunt
Wound Def
(size +0) Bulk
Length Mass Price Imbal WSize WLen
Small Rock swing, 1H Smash +1 RS +2½ +0 +0 +2½ +0 -3½ 0.08 0.7 2.5 +1 -1 -7½
throw, 1H Smash +1 RS +2½ +0 +0 +2½ n/a +1
Medium Rock swing, 1H Smash +1 RS +3 +0 +0 +3 +0 -3 0.1 1.2 4 +1 -½ -7
throw, 1H Smash +1 RS +3 +0 +0 +3 n/a +1
Big Rock swing, 2H Smash +2 RS +3½ +0 +0 +3½ +0 -2½ 0.12 2 6 +1 +0 -6½
Really Big Rock swing, 2H Smash +2 RS +4 +0 +0 +4 +0 -2 0.15 3.5 10 +1 +½ -6
Small Handaxe swing, 1H Smash +2 RS +2 +0 +½ +2 +0 -3½ 0.08 0.7 2.5 +1 -1 -7½
Medium Handaxe swing, 1H Smash +2 RS +2½ +0 +½ +2½ +0 -3 0.1 1.2 4 +1 -½ -7
Big Handaxe swing, 2H Smash +3 RS +3 +0 +½ +3 +0 -2½ 0.12 2 6 +1 +0 -6½

Rock: Welcome to the stone age. Being suddenly cut off from interstellar civilization must have hit your civilization pretty hard, eh? Well, somehow you and your band have managed to survive, probably by making use of our species's ability to bash things with rocks. Like this one. Rocks come in several general categories – small, medium, big, and really big, and they all can be used to bash people from the other tribes over the head.
Handaxe: Wow! Your band must be moving up in the world. You've figured out how to chip rock to have a pointy bit at one end. This lets you hit harder with it. Be sure to hold on to the rounded end and not the pointy end when smashing things.
Stone Blades: Hey! These chipped rock things can be really useful! Chert, flint, obsidian, or glass scavenged from the ruins can be made into sharp blades for flaying your enemy's flesh from his bones to bring valuable protein back to your tribe. But it can also be used to bring your enemy down in the first place. Many kinds of spear can have blades made from stone, as can the occasional dagger (or even swords, for things like the macuahuitl – or lieomano using predator's teeth instead of stone blades). Its not quite as good as metal – for thrusting and throwing attacks Sharp and the Pen RS are both reduced by ½, while for swing attacks Wound is reduced by ½. If the attack fails to penetrate hard armor, the stone blade breaks – thereafter, the weapon's Wound decreases to its Blunt Wound and its Pen RS is reduced by its Sharp.

Clubs

Description Use Type Pen
(size +0) Wound AP Sharp Blunt
Wound Def
(size +0) Bulk
Length Mass Price Imbal WSize WLen
Truncheon swing, 1H Smash +2½ RS +1 +0 +0 +1 +1 +1 0.4 0.5 0.6 +2 -1½ -3
throw, 1H Smash +2½ RS +1 +0 +0 +1 n/a +2
Rod swing, 1H Smash +3 RS +1 +0 +0 +1 +4 +4 1 1.2 1.5 +1 -½ +0
swing, 2H Smash +4 RS +1 +0 +0 +1 +4 +1
throw, 1H Smash +3 RS +1 +0 +0 +1 n/a +1
Cudgel swing, 1H Smash +3 RS +1½ +0 +0 +1½ +2 +3½ 0.8 1.2 1.5 +2 -½ -½
swing, 2H Smash +4 RS +1½ +0 +0 +1½ +2 +2
throw, 1H Smash +3 RS +1½ +0 +0 +1½ n/a +2
Stone Axe swing, 1H Smash +3½ RS +2 +0 +½ +2 +2 +4 1 2 4 +2 +0 +0
swing, 2H Smash +4½ RS +2 +0 +½ +2 +2 +2
throw, 1H Smash +3½ RS +2 +0 +½ +2 n/a +2
Light Staff swing, 2H Smash +4 RS +1 +0 +0 +1 +5 +6 2 1.2 1.5 +1 -½ +2
Staff swing, 2H Smash +4½ RS +1 +0 +0 +1 +4 +6 2 2 2.5 +1 +0 +2
Round Mace swing, 1H Smash +1½ RS +3 +0 +0 +3 +2 +3½ 0.8 1.2 3.5 +2 -½ -½
swing, 2H Smash +2½ RS +3 +0 +0 +3 +2 +2
throw, 1H Smash +1½ RS +3 +0 +0 +3 n/a +2
Maul swing, 1H Smash +2 RS +3 +0 +0 +3 +2 +4½ 1.2 2 6 +2 +0 +½
swing, 2H Smash +3 RS +3 +0 +0 +3 +2 +2
Flanged Mace swing, 1H Smash +4 RS +1 -½ +½ +1 +2 +3½ 0.8 1.2 3.5 +2 -½ -½
swing, 2H Smash +5 RS +1 -½ +½ +1 +2 +2
throw, 1H Smash +4 RS +1 -½ +½ +1 n/a +2
War Club swing, 1H Smash +4½ RS +1 -½ +½ +1 +2 +4½ 1.2 2 6 +2 +0 +½
swing, 2H Smash +5½ RS +1 -½ +½ +1 +2 +2

Truncheon: An eternal favorite - hitting things with a stout, sturdy stick. A truncheon, as described here, is a relatively short club.
Rod: Hitting things with sticks never goes out of style. As described here, a rod is an unornamented and evenly balanced club.
Cudgel: You can hit things even harder if you have a significant weight at the end of your club. This gives what is described here as a cudgel.
Stone Axe: Innovation! You've figured out how to combine a club with a handaxe. Good for you. It hits harder and can be used for things like chopping down trees as well as bashing skulls.
Staff: A good, stout stick has always been a popular weapon for seeing off ruffians. It's cheap, can be used as a walking stick or pole, doesn't look all that suspicious, and gives good defensive capabilities.
Round Mace: Metal armor is very hard to penetrate, so why bother trying to bust through it? Just batter the other guy to pieces inside his armor. Get a big, heavy chunk of metal and put in on the end of a stick.
Maul: If you want something for bashing through armor with a bit more oomph than your basic mace, you can use a heavier head and a longer pole to really lay down the hurt.
Flanged Mace: But wait! If we start with a mace and add pointy flanges to the chunk of metal, it concentrates the impact even more, meaning you actually have a better chance of punching through that dang armor. Many other weapons can be treated as flanged maces, such as morning stars and spiked clubs.
War Club: A war club is a larger version of the flanged mace – a big stick with a metal head that has spikey pokey bits sticking out of it.

Blades

Description Use Type Pen
(size +0) Wound AP Sharp Blunt
Wound Def
(size +0) Bulk
Length Mass Price Imbal WSize WLen
Dagger thrust, 1H Pierce +4½ RS +1½ +0 +2 +½ +1 +0 0.3 0.35 5 +0 -1¾ -4
swing, 1H Slash +2½ RS +4½ +0 +0 +½ +1 +1
throw, 1H Pierce +3 RS +1½ +0 +2 +½ n/a +0
Rondel thrust, 1H Pierce +4½ RS +½ -½ +2 +½ +1 +0 0.3 0.35 5 +0 -1¾ -4
Short Sword thrust, 1H Pierce +4 RS +2 +0 +2 +1 +2 +2 0.5 0.7 12 +0 -1 -2
swing, 1H Slash +2½ RS +5 +0 +0 +1 +2 +1
Sword thrust, 1H Pierce +4½ RS +2 +0 +2 +1 +3 +3 0.7 1.2 18 +0 -½ -1
swing, 1H Slash +3 RS +5 +0 +0 +1 +3 +1
Scimitar thrust, 1H Pierce +4 RS +2 +0 +1½ +1 +3 +3 0.7 1.2 18 +0 -½ -1
swing, 1H Slash +3 RS +5½ +0 +0 +1 +3 +1
Falchion swing, 1H Hack +4 RS +4 +0 +½ +1 +2 +3 0.7 1.2 18 +2 -½ -1
Long Sword thrust, 1H Pierce +4½ RS +2 +0 +2 +1 +3 +4 1 1.5 25 +0 -¼ +0
swing, 1H Slash +3 RS +5 +0 +0 +1 +3 +1
thrust, 2H Pierce +5½ RS +2 +0 +2 +1 +3 +0
swing, 2H Slash +4 RS +5 +0 +0 +1 +3 +1
Great Sword thrust, 2H Pierce +6 RS +2 +0 +2 +1 +3 +4½ 1.2 2 30 +0 +0 +½
swing, 2H Slash +4½ RS +5 +0 +0 +1 +3 +1

Dagger: Daggers are common backup weapons when something goes very badly wrong with your primary weapon, and are favorites of lowlifes and thugs everywhere. Not to mention that you can use them to cut your lunch, prepare dinner, skin game, trim lines, or whittle shapes from wood. If you've reached this point, you've probably figured out how to smelt metal (or at least scavenge steel from the ruins), but some daggers are made from chipped flint for -½ to Pen RS and Sharp if used to thrust or throw, or -½ to Wound if used to swing.
Rondel: A dagger with a stiff pointed spike rather than a proper blade. It is useful for punching through armor.
Short Sword: Make a knife long enough, and you get a sword. This short sword is about the maximum length of a blade that you can make with bronze before it starts bending too much when you hit with it, but can also be used for intermediate-length steel blades.
Sword: A basic sword is a versitile weapon, capable of penetrating thrusts and wicked slashes, long enough to keep miscreants at a distance, and agile enough for a spirited defense. While never quite as capable as more dedicated battlefield weapons, it is a lot more convenient to carry around - just try going to the king's feast with a glaive at your side! This description can apply to European-style swords such as arming swords and spathas or straight cut-and-thrust Asian swords such as the jian.
Scimitar: The traditional scimitar is a slashing sword with a single edged curved blade, favored by cavalry. The same description can be used for any sword that favors cuts over thrusts, including talwars, liuyedaos, piandaos, and shamshirs. Some cutting-centric swords that fit into this category can be used two-handed, with +1 to Pen, such as katanas.
Falchion: A falchion is a heavy, chopping blade for powerful hewing strokes. It is capable of hacking up unarmored foes and battering armored adversaries even through their mail. Other heavy chopping swords such as Viking swords, khandas, and niuweidaos can be treated as falchions as far as game stats go.
Long Sword: When your basic sword doesn't give you enough hewing power, you make it bigger. A long sword can be wielded one handed like a normal sword, or two handed for that much extra oomph.
Great Sword: A large two-handed sword for dealing powerful blows.

Axes

Description Use Type Pen
(size +0) Wound AP Sharp Blunt
Wound Def
(size +0) Bulk
Length Mass Price Imbal WSize WLen
Throwing Axe swing, 1H Hack +3½ RS +4 +0 +½ +1 +1 +1½ 0.45 0.7 7 +2 -1 -2½
throw, 1H Hack +3½ RS +4 +0 +½ +1 n/a +2
Fighting Axe swing, 1H Hack +4 RS +4 +0 +½ +1 +2 +3½ 0.8 1.2 12 +2 -½ -½
swing, 2H Hack +5 RS +4 +0 +½ +1 +2 +2
throw, 1H Hack +4 RS +4 +0 +½ +1 n/a +2
War Axe swing, 1H Hack +4½ RS +4 +0 +½ +1 +2 +4½ 1.2 2 12 +2 +0 +½
swing, 2H Hack +5½ RS +4 +0 +½ +1 +2 +2
Battleaxe swing, 1H Hack +4½ RS +4 +0 +½ +1 +2 +4½ 1.2 2 12 +2 +0 +½
swing, 1H Pierce +6 RS +1 -½ +2 +1 +2 +2
thrust, 1H Pierce +5 RS +2 +0 +2 +1 +2 +0
swing, 2H Hack +5½ RS +4 +0 +½ +1 +2 +2
swing, 2H Pierce +7 RS +1 -½ +2 +1 +2 +2
thrust, 2H Pierce +6 RS +2 +0 +2 +1 +2 +0
Horseman's Axe swing, 1H Hack +4 RS +4 +0 +½ +1 +2 +3½ 0.8 1.2 12 +2 -½ -½
swing, 1H Pierce +5½ RS +1 -½ +2 +1 +2 +2
thrust, 1H Pierce +4½ RS +2 +0 +2 +1 +2 +0
throw, 1H Hack +4 RS +4 +0 +½ +1 n/a +2
swing, 2H Hack +5 RS +4 +0 +½ +1 +2 +2
swing, 2H Pierce +6½ RS +1 -½ +2 +1 +2 +2
thrust, 2H Pierce +5½ RS +2 +0 +2 +1 +2 +0
Warhammer swing, 1H Smash +4½ RS +1 -½ +½ +1 +2 +4½ 1.2 2 12 +2 +0 +½
swing, 1H Pierce +6 RS +1 -½ +2 +1 +2 +2
thrust, 1H Pierce +5 RS +2 +0 +2 +1 +2 +0
swing, 2H Smash +5½ RS +1 -½ +½ +1 +2 +2
swing, 2H Pierce +7 RS +1 -½ +2 +1 +2 +2
thrust, 2H Pierce +6 RS +2 +0 +2 +1 +2 +0

Throwing Axe: Like you probably guessed from the name, this is an axe, and can be thrown. Franciscas, tomahawks, and nzappa zaps commonly fall under this category (although the larger varieties of any of these might rate as a fighting axe instead).
Fighting Axe: An axe lets you put in powerful blows for chopping to pieces anyone not in armor, or bashing armored people to a pulp. The inner edge of the axe blade can be used to hook an opponent, allowing a grappling attack with your weapon.
War Axe: Sometimes those crazy primitives decide a normal axe isn't big enough, so they make one of these shoulder-high variants with a great big chopping blade. Historically, they were variously called Dane axes, sparth axes, long axes, Bardiches, and Lochaber axes.
Battleaxe: This is an axe that seemed to take a bit of everything else and add it on. It has a heavy axe blade that can chop and batter a foe even inside his armor, a back spike that can punch through armor, and a spear point for thrusting and defensive use. The axe blade and the pick can be used to grapple, and are designed to allow hooking a horseman and dragging him to the ground.
Horseman's Axe: This is a cavalryman's axe, a more compact version of the battleaxe for use from horseback.
Warhammer: A warhammer has a flat head for delivering impacts through armor, and a back spike for punching holes in armor.

Polearms

Description Use Type Pen
(size +0) Wound AP Sharp Blunt
Wound Def
(size +0) Bulk
Length Mass Price Imbal WSize WLen
Spear thrust, 1H Pierce +4½ RS +2 +0 +2 +1 +4 +6 2 1.2 5 +0 -½ +2
thrust, 2H Pierce +5½ RS +2 +0 +2 +1 +5 +0
throw, 1H Pierce +4½ RS +2 +0 +2 +1 n/a +0
Javelin thrust, 1H Pierce +4 RS +2 +0 +2 +1 +4 +6 2 0.7 4.5 +0 -1 +2
throw, 1H Pierce +4 RS +2 +0 +2 +1 n/a +0
Long Spear thrust, 2H Pierce +6 RS +2 +0 +2 +1 +4 +7 3 2 6 +0 +0 +3
Hewing Spear swing, 2H Slash +4½ RS +5 +0 +0 +1 +4 +6 2 2 12 +1 +0 +2
thrust, 2H Pierce +6 RS +2 +0 +2 +1 +4 +0
Glaive swing, 2H Slash +4½ RS +5½ +0 +0 +1 +4 +6 2 2 12 +1 +0 +2
thrust, 2H Pierce +5½ RS +2 +0 +1½ +1 +4 +0
Voulge swing, 2H Hack +5½ RS +4 +0 +½ +1 +3 +6 2 2 12 +2 +0 +2
thrust, 2H Pierce +5½ RS +2 +0 +1½ +1 +3 +0

Spear: If you put a knife on a stick, you get a spear. Spears have always been the dominant weapon of the pre-firearm battlefield, and this is still true in regressed worlds of the Verge. Spears let you strike at an enemy while he is still some distance away, and keep him far enough away that he may not be able to hit you. They allow powerful piercing blows that can skewer a man or beast, and can be thrown to strike a foe at range. If you don't have metal available, spear points can be made from chipped stone for -½ to Pen RS and Sharp; and risk of breaking when used against armor.
Javelin: A light spear designed for throwing. If you don't have metal available, javelin points can be made from chipped stone for -½ to Pen RS and Sharp; and risk of breaking when used against armor.
Long Spear: Sometimes a normal spear just isn't long enough. Then you make your spears longer, so that you can skewer people with normal spears before they get to you. Like normal spears, long spears can be equipped with stone points if you don't have anything better, for -½ to Pen RS and Sharp; and risk of breaking when used against armor.
Hewing Spear: If a spear is a knife-on-a-stick, then a hewing spear is a sword-on-a-stick. All manner of cultures fiddled around with making their spear heads larger and more devastating, resulting in a variety of variants on the spear or polearm that could slash as well as stab. In addition to the classic hewing spear, this basic design can also be used to represent partisans, spontoons, swordstaffs, half-pikes, and ox-tongue spears.
The basic stats for a hewing spear without the swung slashing attack can also be used for a heavy spear – the sort of thing you might use to go hunting mammoth. Points for a heavy spear can be made from chipped stone for -½ to Pen RS and Sharp; and risk of breaking when used against armor.
Glaive: Now we get to a saber-on-a-stick. The glaive had a curved, slashing blade mounted on the end of a pole. Many other pole weapons, such as sovnyas, fauchards, naginatas, jeddart staves, war scythes, and thin-bladed guandaos are functionally the same and can use the same stats to describe them.
Voulge: Now that we have put every other kind of blade on a stick, we might as well get a cleaver-on-a-stick. A voulge has a heavy chopping blade mounted on a pole, almost like a very long axe. Various other heavy chopping pole weapons are functionally the same, such as the larger bills, thick-bladed guandaos, and true axes on long poles.

Grappling Melee Weapons