Weapons can make you more powerful, but they require more commitment than punching and kicking. Be careful, though, a sharp blade may work against an Opponent on your level but stronger Opponents may be able to break them.
Weapon Signatures. You cannot use a Signature Technique with the bonuses of a weapon unless it has the ‘Weapon Assisted’ Advantage.
Hardness Value. Weapons have a Hardness Value of 3 by default. The Hardness Value of Weapons is not added to the Wound Roll, it exists solely for the sake of throwing the Weapon (see — Actions & Combat).
Weapon Penalty. While wielding any type of Weapon, reduce your Strike Rolls by 2(T). To remove the Weapon Penalty, gain the Weapon Specialist Talent.
Dual Wielding. You can only wield two Weapons at any one time. When making an Attacking Maneuver, you must choose which Weapon (if any) you are using for that Attacking Maneuver.
Weapon Attack. When making any type of Attacking Maneuver, it falls into one of two categories: Unarmed or Armed. The simple definition is that if you are using a Weapon to make this Attacking Maneuver, in which case it is benefiting from that Weapon’s effects and Qualities, it is an Armed Attack. An Unarmed attack is any Attacking Maneuver that does not involve a Weapon.
Damaging Weapons. Weapons can break, making them lose effectiveness. Each Weapon starts with 32 Life Points and gains 8 Life Points each Power Level. Additionally, Weapons have Damage Reduction of 6(bT). An Opponent can use a Called Shot to target a Weapon with an Attacking Maneuver, reducing its Life Points if it hits. If the Weapon’s Life Points are reduced to 0, it is broken and cannot be used for any Attacking Maneuvers.
Weapons scale with your Power Level under the assumption that you take regular care of them. If this is not the case, your ARC can limit their increase in Life Points.
Repairing Weapons. While you have an hour outside of Combat Encounters, you can use that hour to make a Qualified Weapon Craft Skill Check. If you succeed, you restore the Weapon even if it was destroyed. If the Weapon has any Special Weapon Qualities, increase the Craft Skill Check’s Difficulty Category to Master.
Creating Weapons
Crafting Weapons. Weapons have a Craft DC of Apprentice. For each Weapon Quality added, increase the Craft DC by 1 Difficulty Category.
Step-by-Step Weapon Creation: Follow the below steps to create a Weapon.
- 1) Choose a Weapon Type.
- 2) Choose a Weapon Size.
- 3) Choose a Weapon Category.
- 4) Choose up to 3 Weapon Qualities (or none at all).
- 5) Follow the rules for Crafting to try and make this Weapon or pay the relevant Equipment Points if you’re using a Gear Kit.
Weapon Type. When you create a Weapon, you must select an Attack Type (Physical/Energy/Magic).
Weapon Size. Weapons come in three Sizes:
- Small: All Armed Attacks made with this Weapon have their Strike Rolls increased by 1(T) and their Wound Rolls decreased by 2(T).
- Standard: This Weapon has no influence on your Combat Rolls from its Weapon Size.
- Big: All Armed Attacks made with this Weapon have their Strike Rolls decreased by 1(T) and their Wound Rolls increased by 2(T).
Weapon Categories
Now that you know the type of Weapon and what size it is, you must choose a category to decide what kind of Weapon it is. The Weapon Categories available are decided based on the Weapon Type chosen.
Category Limit. No Attacking Maneuver can benefit from more than one Weapon Category at a time, unless specifically stated by an effect. If you have multiple effects, or are applying any number of them to an Armed Attack, that would apply a Weapon Category to an Attacking Maneuver, you must choose which Weapon Category’s effects are applied at Attack Declaration.
Physical Weapons
These are fundamentally melee Weapons that can only be used for Physical Attacks. The Physical Weapon Categories available (and their effects) are listed below:
Bludgeoning: This Weapon is a blunt, dull object used for bashing enemies.
-[Passive]: Ignore your Opponent’s Damage Reduction for any Attacking Maneuver made with this Weapon.
-[Triggered, 1/Round]: If one of your Triggered effects with a Might Clash occurs due to an Attacking Maneuver made with this Weapon, increase your Dice Score by 1(T).
Slashing: A sharp blade on this Weapon is meant for cutting open enemy flesh and leaving large wounds.
-[Triggered]: If you hit an Opponent with an Attacking Maneuver using this Weapon, reduce their Soak Value by 1(T) until the end of your turn.
-[Triggered, 1/Round]: If you knock an Opponent through a Health Threshold, reduce the Dice Score for their Steadfast Check by 1 for that Health Threshold.
Piercing: Intended for penetrating a target’s vital points and damaging organs, this Weapon is sharp and lethal.
-[Triggered]: If you hit an Opponent with this Attacking Maneuver, you can reduce your Wound Roll by up to 1/4. Reduce that Opponent’s Life Points by an equal amount.
-[Triggered, 1/Round]: If you knock an Opponent through a Health Threshold with an Attacking Maneuver made using this Weapon, they gain 2 stacks of DOT for the next 3 Combat Rounds.
Shield: This Weapon is intended for defense, rather than offense.
-[Passive]: Increase the Life Points of this Weapon by x for each of your Power Levels. X is 1 for Small Weapons, 2 for Standard Weapons, and 3 for Large Weapons.
-[Triggered, 1/Round]: When you would be hit by an Attacking Maneuver, you can make a Strike Clash against the Dice Score of that Opponent’s Strike Roll (any increases or reductions to your Armed Attack’s Strike Rolls also apply to this Clash). If you succeed, your Opponent rolls Wound as normal but this Weapon becomes the target instead of you.
Energy Weapons
These are fundamentally ranged Weapons that can only be used for Energy Attacks. The Energy Categories available (and their effects) are listed below:
Pinpoint: This Weapon has precision accuracy intended for lethal damage dealt from far away.
-[Passive]: Increase your Wound Rolls when using a Called Shot by 2(T).
-[Triggered, 1/Round]: If you knock an Opponent through a Health Threshold with an Attacking Maneuver made using this Weapon, they gain the Broken Combat Condition until the start of your next turn.
High Power: This Weapon funnels energy into massive blasts of pure destruction.
-[Passive]: If an Attacking Maneuver made using this Weapon has a Ki Wager that is higher than 1/4 of your Max Capacity, increase the Wound Roll by 1d6(T).
-[Triggered, 1/Round]: If you knock an Opponent through a Health Threshold with an Attacking Maneuver made using this Weapon, they are knocked Prone.
Magic Weapons
These are fundamentally ranged Weapons that can only be used for Magic Attacks. The Magic Categories available (and their effects) are listed below:
Magic Staff: This Weapon is a mystical staff which empowers magical attacks.
-[Passive]: Reduce the Ki Point Cost for any Attacking Maneuvers of the Magic Attack Type by 2(T).
-[Triggered, 1/Round]: If an Ally knocks an Opponent through a Health Threshold, you may make a Basic Attack Maneuver using this Weapon as an Out-of-Sequence Maneuver against that Opponent. If you do, ignore the Passive effect of this Weapon Category for that Attacking Maneuver.
Elemental Tool: This Weapon possesses the mystical means to influence the natural world, and may not look like a Weapon at all.
-[Passive]: Upon creating this Weapon, select a Profile with ‘Elemental’ in the name. When using this Weapon, you can use your chosen Profile even if you do not meet the Magic Score requirement, and when rolling the Wound Roll, you may use your Force Modifier instead.
-[Passive]: Upon creating this Weapon, select an Advantage with a TP Cost of 10 or lower that qualifies for your chosen Profile. When making an Armed Attack with this Weapon of your chosen Profile, apply that Advantage to that instance of the Attacking Maneuver.
-[Passive]: If this Weapon is Integrated, apply the Advantage chosen for the second effect of Elemental Tool to any Unarmed Attacks of your chosen Profile.
Weapon Qualities
Each Weapon can have up to 3 Weapon Qualities. Not every Weapon Quality can apply to each Weapon Type and as such, each Weapon Quality has a listed Weapon Type that it can apply to or N/A to represent it being available to any Weapon Type.
Artisan: Crafted by a master craftsman, this Weapon is a superior example of its kind.
–Weapon Type: N/A
–Effects: Increase your Wound Rolls by 2(T).
Boomerang: This Weapon is designed to slice through the air in such a way as to turn it back the way it came.
–Weapon Type: Physical
–Effects: If you use the Throw Maneuver to throw this Weapon at an Opponent, you can automatically equip it as an Out-of-Sequence Maneuver at the start of your next turn without having to pick it up.
Breaker: This Weapon is designed to deal extra damage to inanimate objects.
–Weapon Type: N/A
–Effects: If you use a Called Shot to target a piece of Apparel, double the loss of Break Value. If you targeted a Weapon instead, increase the Damage dealt to that weapon by 1/4 (rounded up).
Burst Fire: This Weapon can gather massive amounts of energy and release them all at once.
–Weapon Type: Energy/Magic
–Effects: When making an Attacking Maneuver using this Weapon, you can choose to make that Attacking Maneuver a Burst Shot by spending 5(bT) Ki Points. You cannot make any further Attacking Maneuvers using this Weapon until the end of your next turn but for every remaining Action in your turn, this Attacking Maneuver gains an Energy Charge.
Close Quarters Combat: Your weapon is, through modifications, a bayonet, or sheer weight, able to be used in melee.
–Weapon Type: Energy/Magic
–Effects: Select a Physical Weapon Category. When making a Physical Attack, you can make it with this Weapon as if it was a Physical Weapon of that Category. If you do, it has the same Weapon Size as this Weapon but does not benefit from any Qualities.
Duelist: This Weapon is equally effective at offense and defense.
–Weapon Type: Physical
–Effects: Increase your Strike Rolls when using the Parry effect of the Defend Maneuver by 1(T).
Durable: Sturdy and unyielding, this Weapon is harder to break than most.
–Weapon Type: N/A
–Effects: Increase this Weapon’s Life Points by 2 for each of your Power Levels.
Extending: This Weapon can grow in length, allowing you to attack at a distance.
–Weapon Type: Physical
–Effects: Increase your Melee Range by 3 for the duration of any Attacking Maneuvers made with this Weapon.
Far Sight: Be it a high-tech scope or a mystical crystal ball, this Weapon has a way to keep the wielder’s attacks on target.
–Weapon Type: Energy/Magic
–Effects: Increase the number of Squares before an opponent is at Long Range by 4.
Hidden: This Weapon is sleek, designed to be kept out of sight until the moment you strike!
–Weapon Type: N/A
–Effects: The target(s) of the first Attacking Maneuver made with this Weapon during each Combat Encounter have the Guard Down Combat Condition for the duration of that Attacking Maneuver. This effect can only be avoided if the target already knows about this Weapon, at which point to apply this effect you must (at Attack Declaration) make a Skill Clash (Stealth vs Perception) against the target(s) that are aware. If you win, continue using this effect as normal. If you lose, they do not suffer the Guard Down Combat Condition.
High-Tech: You substitute your lack of raw power with your genius.
–Weapon Type: Any
–Effects: Increase your Wound Rolls by 1/4 (rounded up) of your Scholarship Modifier. When using a Signature Technique, instead use 1/2 of your Scholarship Modifier.
Lasting Wounds: This Weapon leaves wounds that are hard for the body to heal, resulting in damage that remains for a longer period.
–Weapon Type: N/A
–Effects: If you deal Damage with an Attacking Maneuver that uses this Weapon, inflict one stack of DOT on an Opponent until the start of your next turn.
Long Range Weapon: This Weapon is exceedingly accurate, lessening the penalties of attacking distant targets.
–Weapon Type: Energy/Magic
–Effects: Increase your Strike Rolls by 1(T) against Opponents that are 9+ Squares away from you.
Quick Draw: This Weapon is easy to ready, allowing you to attack with greater ease.
–Weapon Type: N/A
–Effects: When you Unsheathe this Weapon, if your next Maneuver is an Attacking Maneuver, increase the Strike Roll of that Attacking Maneuver by 1(T). If you would Sheathe this Weapon, increase the Wound Roll of the next Attacking Maneuver you would make with this Weapon by 2(T) – this effect does not stack.
Targeting System: This Weapon has a built-in device to improve your accuracy.
–Weapon Type: N/A
–Effects: Increase the Natural Result of any Strike Roll made as part of an Attacking Maneuver with this Weapon by 1.
Telekinetic: You can control this Weapon with your mind.
–Weapon Type: N/A
–Effects: Wielding this Weapon does not count towards your maximum number of Weapons you’re able to wield. If this Weapon is a Physical Weapon, increase your Melee Range by 1 for the duration of any Attacking Maneuvers made with this Weapon.
Throwing Weapon: This Weapon is perfectly balanced for throwing, allowing it to fly further and straighter.
–Weapon Type: Physical
–Effects: Instead of following the rules for Collision, if this Weapon hits an Opponent with the use of the Throw Maneuver, treat it as if they were hit by a Simple Profile Attacking Maneuver using this Weapon. Additionally, increase the Wound Roll by the reduction to Life Points they would have suffered from Collision with this Weapon. You cannot increase this result with a Ki Wager.
Variable: This Weapon’s size is larger than most, but smaller than some, allowing it to be wielded as if it were of either size.
–Weapon Type: N/A
–Effects: During your turn, you can use the No Effort Maneuver to change this Weapon’s Weapon Size by to another Weapon Size selected upon gaining this Quality or back to its original Weapon Size.
Special Weapon Qualities
Certain qualities are more special than others, allowing for your Weapon to gain unique effects. These cannot typically be gained through Crafting Weapons or through a Gear Kit, and are typically gained through your ARC granting you unique Weapons. Special Weapon Qualities are very powerful and your ARC should be wary of giving any Weapon more than one Special Weapon Quality.
Dimension Blade: This Weapon can cut through the very fabric of reality.
–Weapon Type: Physical
–Effects: Increase the Damage Category of all Attacking Maneuvers made with this Weapon by 1. Each Attacking Maneuver made with this Weapon reduces the Life Points of this Weapon by 1/10.
Elemental Blade: This Weapon is charged with elemental energy.
–Weapon Type: Physical
–Effects: Upon creating this Weapon, select a Profile with ‘Elemental’ in the name. Once per Combat Round, when making an Attacking Maneuver using this Weapon, you can spend the Ki Point Cost for that Profile to apply the effect of that Profile to this Attacking Maneuver.
Elongation: This Weapon is capable of extending to unfathomable distances.
–Weapon Type: Physical
–Effects: When making an Attacking Maneuver with this Weapon, the entire Battlefield is your Melee Range. If you would use the Sweeping Profile, instead only increase your Melee Range by 6. You cannot use this effect along with the Extending Weapon Quality.
Karmic Edge: This Weapon is dedicated to destroying targets of a particular alignment.
–Weapon Type: N/A
–Effects: When this Weapon is created, select either Good/Pure Good or Evil/Pure Evil. Increase your Wound Rolls for Attacking Maneuvers using this Weapon against the Opponents whose Alignment matches the chosen Alignment by 1d6(T).
Pondering Orb: This Weapon offers benefits to magic-users who wield it.
–Weapon Type: Any
–Effects: This Weapon also serves as a Crystal Ball.
Sealing: This Weapon is designed to hold a powerful entity trapped within!
–Weapon Type: N/A
–Effects: This Weapon can be used for the Mafuba Unique Ability. You do not require a Sealing Talisman, if a character is placed into this Weapon, they are automatically sealed.
Increase your Wound Rolls of any Attacking Maneuver using this Weapon by the Tier of Power Extra Dice (min. 1d4) of a character sealed within it.
Super Heavy: This Weapon is weighted poorly, but the weight helps build your strength.
–Weapon Type: Physical
–Effects: Reduce your Strike Rolls with this Weapon by 2(bT), but increase your Wound Rolls by 5(bT). The Hardness Value for this Weapon is 4.
While using this Weapon over time, you can become accustomed to the intense weight. Your ARC decides when this occurs, but when it does, remove the reduction to your Strike Rolls while using this Weapon.
Unbreakable: This Weapon is somehow indestructible.
–Weapon Type: N/A
–Effects: This Weapon cannot be destroyed by any means.
Warding Weapon: This Weapon protects you from harm.
–Weapon Type: N/A
–Effects: While wielding this Weapon, increase your Damage Reduction by 4(bT) and increase your Dice Score in any Clash initiated by an Opponent by 1(T).