tordirycgoyust
2022-07-10, 12:14 AM
I've got a weapon system revamp here.
Quite simply, the weapons system in 5e sucks. The weapons aren't iconic enough, and there are just too many of them to justify the complexity of the system as it exists. Plus, there are some historical accuracy issues that are pretty annoying, even as someone of the general opinion that 5e isn't fantastical enough, though there are others I can't be bothered to fix.
The first step is to reduce everything to features. There will always be plenty of cultural variants on weapons that will have different names and perhaps look distinct, but which will perform close enough to the same way that they just don't need different rules. Kinda like we see with katanas just being longswords, and like should be the case with halberds and glaives. Most will be pretty straightforward, but sometimes a weapon does something interesting enough to deserve a unique or nearly unique feature.
The second step is to create something of a matrix of features, because while some features can co-occur, others simply can't. This allows all weapons to be understood in relation to each other, and allows easy homebrewing. With this in mind, the weapons listed below are merely examples and are not intended to be even slightly exhaustive.
ProficienciesWeightsMelee/ThrownRanged (Ammunition)
SimpleConcealableDaggers, saps, darts, chakrams, brass knuckles, etcBlowguns, slings
SimpleSidearm1h swords, clubs, maces, axes, hammers, flails, etc, as well as some other things like hooked netsHand crossbows, pistols, atlatl
MartialFieldVersatile weapons, basically, plus a few other thingsLight crossbows, composite bows, carbines
MartialHeavyGreatswords, greataxes, most polearms, etcHeavy crossbows, longbows, muskets, staff slings
For simplicity and compatibility, I'm keeping the simple/martial proficiency distinction. I'm not the biggest fan of doing things this way, but it's not worth the effort of rewriting all the class proficiencies. Simple and Martial as features only affect proficiency.
All Melee weapons effectively have the standard Thrown (20/80) property, though Heavy weapons are thrown with disadvantage. All Ranged weapons have the standard Ammunition and Ranged properties, and all weapons without the Ammunition property can be used in melee. There will be a new Thrown feature below for those weapons specialized for thrown use, as well as some changes to the Loading property.
Weight is where a lot of interesting stuff comes in. The vast majority of it, in fact.
WeightDescription
ConcealableThese small weapons can be hidden on one's person, giving advantage on Sleight of Hand checks to keep them out of sight. They also grant advantage on melee attacks made while grappling. All Concealable weapons have a 1d4 damage die and the standard Finesse and Light properties. Concealable weapons can be drawn or sheathed two at a time as a free action. Usually Concealable weapons weigh about a pound.
SidearmThese weapons can be comfortably worn as sidearms and do 1d6 damage, and melee Sidearms have the standard Finesse property. Melee Sidearms are one handed, as are Ranged Sidearms with the Loading property. Ranged Sidearms without the Loading property are two handed. Usually Sidearms weigh 1.5-3 pounds.
FieldThese weapons do 1d8 damage. Melee Field weapons are one handed with the Versatile property (doing 1d10 if used in two hands, and Ranged Field weapons are two handed. These weapons grant a -2 penalty to stealth checks due to their bulk. Field weapons usually weigh between 2-4 pounds.
HeavyThese weapons do 1d12 damage and have the standard Heavy property. Melee Heavy weapons also have the standard Reach property and grant advantage when using a Shove attack (which does not require a free hand when using a Heavy weapon). However, they grant disadvantage on stealth checks due to their bulk, and count as one size category larger than their bearer when moving through spaces (keep in mind the squeezing rules (since this applies to the weapon and not the bearer, the creature wielding a Heavy weapon does not suffer the penalty to Dex saves nor the advantage against them a squeezing creature experiences)). Heavy weapons usually weigh 5-8 pounds.
DMs are strongly encouraged to consider the legality of walking around with weapons, especially Martial weapons, and most especially Heavy weapons, in cities and towns. Especially since most Heavy weapons and many Field weapons can't effectively be sheathed and worn
In addition to proficiencies, weight, and melee vs ranged, the other feature every weapon has is its damage type(s), which are of course Slashing, Piercing, and Bludgeoning. Each damage type has some special qualities beyond its interactions with damage resistances/immunities to help make different weapons and their use more iconic, namely the benefits of the respective Slasher, Piercer, or Crusher feat (minus the ability score bonus). If a weapon can deal more than one damage type, the intended damage type must be declared before making the attack roll. Generally speaking, Simple melee weapons and all Ranged weapons can deal one damage type, Field melee weapons can deal two, and Heavy melee weapons can deal all three, though DMs are encouraged to rule based on what makes sense for the particular weapon (there's probably no such thing as a standard model, so there's a lot of room for variation and creativity). A melee weapon can deal a damage type it's not designed to if the player can provide a reasonable justification for it and they take disadvantage on the attack. Creatures can also always take a penalty on their attack rolls of up to -5 so as to gain twice that number as a bonus to damage if said attack hits.
There are some other key features that don't apply in a predictable, systematic manner like the above, notably the Thrown and Loading features which are different to the versions in the PHB, but also other familiar properties like Silvered or Improvised, and brand new features like Bayonet or Flexible.
Thrown weapons have a range 50% greater than weapons not specifically designed for throwing (30/120 instead of 20/80), but do 1 less damage than normal for their weight category due to this optimization.
Loading weapons require a bonus action (or, if the wielder has extra attacks, one of those attacks) and a free hand to load the weapon with a new piece of ammunition. However, due to loading and attacking being separate actions, the user of a Loading weapon benefits from steady aim, gaining advantage on ranged attacks with a loaded weapon.
The Bayonet is a weapon attachment for ranged weapons of Sidearm weight or heavier that allows them to use their ranged weapon as a melee weapon to deal Piercing damage with their normal proficiency, rather than having to draw a dedicated melee weapon or use their ranged weapon as an Improvised weapon.
Flexible weapons are melee weapons with rope or chain connecting segments. They ignore AC from shields and grant advantage on Disarm actions due to their ability to wrap around them, but impose a -1 penalty to AC unless used with a shield due to the increased difficulty parrying.
I may include another few changes that step on the toes of some feats so as to ensure basically everyone has access to a bonus action attack as I do more testing, but for the time being I'm pretty happy with what I've got here, especially since I slammed it out in about 2 hours.
Quite simply, the weapons system in 5e sucks. The weapons aren't iconic enough, and there are just too many of them to justify the complexity of the system as it exists. Plus, there are some historical accuracy issues that are pretty annoying, even as someone of the general opinion that 5e isn't fantastical enough, though there are others I can't be bothered to fix.
The first step is to reduce everything to features. There will always be plenty of cultural variants on weapons that will have different names and perhaps look distinct, but which will perform close enough to the same way that they just don't need different rules. Kinda like we see with katanas just being longswords, and like should be the case with halberds and glaives. Most will be pretty straightforward, but sometimes a weapon does something interesting enough to deserve a unique or nearly unique feature.
The second step is to create something of a matrix of features, because while some features can co-occur, others simply can't. This allows all weapons to be understood in relation to each other, and allows easy homebrewing. With this in mind, the weapons listed below are merely examples and are not intended to be even slightly exhaustive.
ProficienciesWeightsMelee/ThrownRanged (Ammunition)
SimpleConcealableDaggers, saps, darts, chakrams, brass knuckles, etcBlowguns, slings
SimpleSidearm1h swords, clubs, maces, axes, hammers, flails, etc, as well as some other things like hooked netsHand crossbows, pistols, atlatl
MartialFieldVersatile weapons, basically, plus a few other thingsLight crossbows, composite bows, carbines
MartialHeavyGreatswords, greataxes, most polearms, etcHeavy crossbows, longbows, muskets, staff slings
For simplicity and compatibility, I'm keeping the simple/martial proficiency distinction. I'm not the biggest fan of doing things this way, but it's not worth the effort of rewriting all the class proficiencies. Simple and Martial as features only affect proficiency.
All Melee weapons effectively have the standard Thrown (20/80) property, though Heavy weapons are thrown with disadvantage. All Ranged weapons have the standard Ammunition and Ranged properties, and all weapons without the Ammunition property can be used in melee. There will be a new Thrown feature below for those weapons specialized for thrown use, as well as some changes to the Loading property.
Weight is where a lot of interesting stuff comes in. The vast majority of it, in fact.
WeightDescription
ConcealableThese small weapons can be hidden on one's person, giving advantage on Sleight of Hand checks to keep them out of sight. They also grant advantage on melee attacks made while grappling. All Concealable weapons have a 1d4 damage die and the standard Finesse and Light properties. Concealable weapons can be drawn or sheathed two at a time as a free action. Usually Concealable weapons weigh about a pound.
SidearmThese weapons can be comfortably worn as sidearms and do 1d6 damage, and melee Sidearms have the standard Finesse property. Melee Sidearms are one handed, as are Ranged Sidearms with the Loading property. Ranged Sidearms without the Loading property are two handed. Usually Sidearms weigh 1.5-3 pounds.
FieldThese weapons do 1d8 damage. Melee Field weapons are one handed with the Versatile property (doing 1d10 if used in two hands, and Ranged Field weapons are two handed. These weapons grant a -2 penalty to stealth checks due to their bulk. Field weapons usually weigh between 2-4 pounds.
HeavyThese weapons do 1d12 damage and have the standard Heavy property. Melee Heavy weapons also have the standard Reach property and grant advantage when using a Shove attack (which does not require a free hand when using a Heavy weapon). However, they grant disadvantage on stealth checks due to their bulk, and count as one size category larger than their bearer when moving through spaces (keep in mind the squeezing rules (since this applies to the weapon and not the bearer, the creature wielding a Heavy weapon does not suffer the penalty to Dex saves nor the advantage against them a squeezing creature experiences)). Heavy weapons usually weigh 5-8 pounds.
DMs are strongly encouraged to consider the legality of walking around with weapons, especially Martial weapons, and most especially Heavy weapons, in cities and towns. Especially since most Heavy weapons and many Field weapons can't effectively be sheathed and worn
In addition to proficiencies, weight, and melee vs ranged, the other feature every weapon has is its damage type(s), which are of course Slashing, Piercing, and Bludgeoning. Each damage type has some special qualities beyond its interactions with damage resistances/immunities to help make different weapons and their use more iconic, namely the benefits of the respective Slasher, Piercer, or Crusher feat (minus the ability score bonus). If a weapon can deal more than one damage type, the intended damage type must be declared before making the attack roll. Generally speaking, Simple melee weapons and all Ranged weapons can deal one damage type, Field melee weapons can deal two, and Heavy melee weapons can deal all three, though DMs are encouraged to rule based on what makes sense for the particular weapon (there's probably no such thing as a standard model, so there's a lot of room for variation and creativity). A melee weapon can deal a damage type it's not designed to if the player can provide a reasonable justification for it and they take disadvantage on the attack. Creatures can also always take a penalty on their attack rolls of up to -5 so as to gain twice that number as a bonus to damage if said attack hits.
There are some other key features that don't apply in a predictable, systematic manner like the above, notably the Thrown and Loading features which are different to the versions in the PHB, but also other familiar properties like Silvered or Improvised, and brand new features like Bayonet or Flexible.
Thrown weapons have a range 50% greater than weapons not specifically designed for throwing (30/120 instead of 20/80), but do 1 less damage than normal for their weight category due to this optimization.
Loading weapons require a bonus action (or, if the wielder has extra attacks, one of those attacks) and a free hand to load the weapon with a new piece of ammunition. However, due to loading and attacking being separate actions, the user of a Loading weapon benefits from steady aim, gaining advantage on ranged attacks with a loaded weapon.
The Bayonet is a weapon attachment for ranged weapons of Sidearm weight or heavier that allows them to use their ranged weapon as a melee weapon to deal Piercing damage with their normal proficiency, rather than having to draw a dedicated melee weapon or use their ranged weapon as an Improvised weapon.
Flexible weapons are melee weapons with rope or chain connecting segments. They ignore AC from shields and grant advantage on Disarm actions due to their ability to wrap around them, but impose a -1 penalty to AC unless used with a shield due to the increased difficulty parrying.
I may include another few changes that step on the toes of some feats so as to ensure basically everyone has access to a bonus action attack as I do more testing, but for the time being I'm pretty happy with what I've got here, especially since I slammed it out in about 2 hours.