Make a weapon not light

[keeper2161]

Is there any way to make a weapon not light? Like the matierals gold and platinum but not super expensive. I need to add power attack bonus to a light thrown weapon.

[Kaleph]

I imagine that, if you are medium-sized and the weapons are, say, sized for large giants, they should count as one-handed for you (and you receive, IIRC, a -2 penalty when using them). But I'm AFB at the moment, and therefore I'd advise you to double-check it.

[Rebel7284]

As mentioned before, the easiest way is to use an inappropriately sized weapon. If you use a weapon one size too big, a light weapon would count as one-handed and if two size categories, it would count as two-handed. Of course there is a penalty for doing this, but it's not the worst.

I believe there was a heavy gold or heavy metal exotic weapons in one of the settings books that could do that as well, but not 100% sure.

What exactly are you looking to do and why?

[Jay R]

A throwing weapon can be thrown because it is light. If you change its properties, then you, well, you change its properties.

For example, a throwing axe is a light weapon -- a 2-pound axe. Can you make it "not light"? Certainly. Make it six pounds instead. But now it's a battleaxe, not balanced for throwing.

A two-pound hammer can be thrown. A six-pound warhammer can't be.

Ask your DM. Based on what weapon you wanted to do this to, I would either say "no", or require you to hire a well-experienced weaponsmith to design a new weapon, for which you would probably need a new proficiency.

[Lilapop]

A throwing weapon can be thrown because it is light. If you change its properties, then you, well, you change its properties.

No. The deciding factor for a weapon taking the -4 penalty for "not being designed to be thrown" is not having a range increment listed in the table. The humble spear for instance is a twohanded weapon with a 20 ft range increment.


A two-pound hammer can be thrown. A six-pound warhammer can't be.

If you wanna go by realism, a 3 kg hammer couldn't even be swung as an effective onehanded melee weapon. Upper limit for that is about 1.5 kg. Three is, I'd say, even over the sweet spot for non-reach twohanded weapon.

[Gruftzwerg]

Is there any way to make a weapon not light? Like the matierals gold and platinum but not super expensive. I need to add power attack bonus to a light thrown weapon.

If you want to power attack with thrown weapons you should look into Bloodstorm Blade (prc) from ToB. It gives you the ability to use any weapon as thrown weapon. Further, it lets you treat your thrown attacks as melee attack again. This enables the use of Power Attack and any kind of charge/pounce cheese.


If you should be interested into this kind of builds, have a look at some of my signature builds.

ShurikeNado, Whirlwind your shurikens and hit all enemies up to 50ft reach.

Or if you like Dwarfs, have a look at Hammer of Moradin build. Ranged pounce with warhammer, can cause enemies in a cone to become prone with "Quake" and most importantly, "Drink like a Demon" all day!^^

[Thurbane]

So what OP is looking for is basically a reversed Feycraft template (DMG2 p.274).


I believe there was a heavy gold or heavy metal exotic weapons in one of the settings books that could do that as well, but not 100% sure.

That was my thought as well: Gold weapons (MoF p.179) and Platinum weapons (MoF p.180) gains the "Heavy Weapon" quality. You need to take EWP to avoid an attack penalty, but you can two-hand the weapon to avoid the -4 penalty. One of the examples says "a human swinging a light mace made of gold with both hands" avoids the penalty without requiring EWP. It also says Heavy Weapons cannot be used with Weapon Finesse.

As to whether they technically stop being a light weapon, that's a little less clear by RAW.


What exactly are you looking to do and why?

I'm assuming OP may want to be able to Power Attack with a specific light weapon type?

[Vaern]

Is there any way to make a weapon not light? Like the matierals gold and platinum but not super expensive. I need to add power attack bonus to a light thrown weapon.

What exactly is it that you're trying to do? Power attack specifies that you may subtract a number from all melee attack rolls and add that number to all melee damage rolls. If you can change a dagger's weapon category from light to one-handed then you can surely power attack while stabbing someone, but throwing it would still be a ranged attack and wouldn't benefit from power attack. If your goal is to gain damage to your thrown attack damage you're going to have to either take power throw or roll with Gruftzwerg's suggestion of Bloodstorm Blade to treat your thrown attacks as melee attacks.
At any rate, sizing a weapon for a creature larger than you does in fact increase the weapon from light to one-handed to two-handed to unwieldable. It's a -2 attack penalty, but it's cheap and easy.


As to whether they technically stop being a light weapon, that's a little less clear by RAW.
Judging by what I can find online, it looks like a heavy light mace is still a light weapon. Being made of gold or platinum seems to just make it an exotic light weapon whose nonproficiency penalty can be circumvented by using it two-handed, like a bastard sword.

[Darg]

Power Throw feat anyone?