D20 Mechanic: Weapons

In addition to modifying how defenses work, T20 also seeks to modify how weapons function and put them onto a potency track. It is also the author's opinion that d20 has too many damn weapons, and as such I have sought to generalize weapons, much as we have done with armor. This means that players have significantly more leeway in determining their weapons' specific appearances. I hope to alleviate the concern of "sameness" in weapons by also introducing weapon qualities that can be attached to weapons to modify their function, leading to more customization than just relying on Force qualities.

Mechanics

This section explains how the mechanics for weapons work.

All weapons have a key stat: this is the ability score used to determine your attack roll with that weapon type, as well as your damage.

Weapons of a particular weapon group target a defense, and almost every attack made with a weapon will target that defense. Some abilities, such as maneuvers, may call for targeting a specific defense; in all cases, if another source tells you to target a defense other than the one indicated by your weapon, you use that source's targeted defense before you use the weapon's.

All weapons deal damage rated in potency. The damage output of a weapon is dependent upon its size.

Weapons come in three general sizes: light, one-handed, and two-handed. Light weapons are significantly easier to conceal, and - if a melee weapon - can be thrown with a range increment of 10 feet. One-handed weapons are weapons you can use in one hand, while two-handed weapons require two hands and preclude the use of a shield. If you are two-weapon fighting, the penalties you suffer are based on the size of the weapons in question. The size category of creature that a weapon is made for has no impact on its damage; however, the relative difference between your size and the size of the weapon you are wielding does impact the damage (so if you are Medium, and wield a Large weapon, that weapon will deal more damage), but will also result in an attack penalty.

Weapons have three damage types: bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing. Some creatures are resistant to some types of weapon damage. If a weapon has multiple types listed, you must choose which type when you purchase the weapon, or will be told the type when the weapon is found.

All weapons have a speed. When you make an attack action with a weapon, you apply the listed speed modifier to your Initiative. If you are attacking with multiple weapons, you apply the lowest speed modifier among weapons you used in that action.

Ranged weapons have a listed range, which is the range increment of the weapon. Attacks made within the first range increment suffer no penalty; every range increment after the first incurs a -5 penalty.

Some weapons have qualia; see below.

All weapons have a cost, which - on this table - is measured in kp.

Critical Hits

All weapons threaten a critical hit on a natural 20. You can spend an action point to confirm a critical hit.

If you confirm a critical hit with a weapon, you deal maximum damage.

Weapons

Every weapon falls into one of twenty-five categories.

Basic Weapons

The following is the list of weapons in Trinity. These are basic weapons; that is, they are not Force aligned, with the exception of rifles, which are always Force-aligned.

WEAPONS
			Damage (Potency)							Cost
Name	Key Stat	Defense	Light	One-Handed	Two-Handed	Damage Type	Speed	Range	Qualia	Light	One-Handed	Two-Handed
MELEE
Axe	Strength	Fortitude	1d3	1d4	1d6	Slashing	-2	---	---	8 kp	10 kp	12 kp
Claw	Strength	Reflex	---	2	---	Slashing	+0	---	---	---	6 kp	---
Club	Strength	Reflex	1	2	3	Bludgeoning	-2	---	---	1 kp	1 kp	1 kp
Flail	Strength	Fortitude	---	1	2	Bludgeoning or Piercing	+0	---	Reach	---	2 kp	4 kp
Foil	Dexterity	Reflex	1	2	---	Piercing	+2	---	Defensive	3 kp	6 kp	---
Glove	Constitution	Fortitude	---	1	---	Bludgeoning	+2	---	---	---	1 kp	---
Greatsword	Bravery	Reflex	---	---	4	Slashing	+0	---	Knockback	---	---	20 kp
Hammer	Constitution	Fortitude	2	4	6	Bludgeoning	-4	---	---	6 kp	9 kp	12 kp
Katana	Wisdom	Reflex	---	3	4	Slashing	+2	---	---	---	15 kp	20 kp
Knife	Dexterity	Reflex	1	---	---	Piercing	+4	---	---	2 kp	---	---
Knuckle	Dexterity	Fortitude	---	1	---	Piercing	+2	---	Knockback	---	3 kp	---
Mace	Wisdom	Fortitude	2	3	5	Bludgeoning	-2	---	---	8 kp	12 kp	16 kp
Pick	Strength	Reflex	1	2	3	Piercing	-2	---	High Crit	6 kp	9 kp	12 kp
Pole	Dexterity	Will	1	1	1	Bludgeoning	+0	---	Defensive	1 kp	1 kp	1 kp
Scythe	Dexterity	Reflex	2	3	5	Slashing	-2	---	High Crit	2 kp	4 kp	6 kp
Spear	Constitution	Reflex	1	2	4	Piercing or Slashing	+0	---	Reach	6 kp	10 kp	12 kp
Sword	Strength	Reflex	1	2	4	Slashing	+0	---	---	4 kp	6 kp	8 kp
Unarmed	Strength	Reflex	1	---	---	Bludgeoning	+2	---	---	---	---	---
RANGED
Blowgun	Constitution	Fortitude	---	1	2	---	-2	30 ft.	Ammo	---	1 kp	2 kp
Boomerang	Strength	Reflex	1	2	---	Bludgeoning	+0	20 ft.	Returning, Thrown	2 kp	4 kp	---
Bow	Dexterity	Reflex	---	---	3	---	+0	80 ft.	Ammo	---	---	16 kp
Crossbow	Dexterity	Fortitude	1	2	3	---	+0	50 ft.	Ammo	8 kp	10 kp	12 kp
Handbomb	Perception	Reflex	1	2	---	---	-2	20 ft.	Ammo, Area	8 kp	12 kp	---
Racket	Wisdom	Will	1	2	4	Bludgeoning	+0	20 ft.	Force	6 kp	10 kp	14 kp
Rifle	Perception	Fortitude	2	3	5	---	+0	50 ft.	Ammo, Force	20 kp	40 kp	60 kp
Thrown	Dexterity	Reflex	1	---	---	---	+2	20 ft.	Ammo, Thrown	2 kp	---	---

 

Weapon Qualia

Weapons have qualia, which are modifiers to a weapon's mechanics.

Ammo 

This weapon requires ammo to be fired. See the section on ammunition, below.

Area 

This weapon affects a 10-foot radius. Rather than attacking a creature, you must attack a grid intersection, which has an effective Defense of 5 + 2 per 5 feet you are from it. If you miss, the weapon scatters (the GM will roll for your targeted intersection randomly). Your attack roll made to hit the intersection is used against the Defense of creatures within the affected area.

Defensive 

You can use this weapon as though it were a shield.

Double 

This weapon is double-ended, and is effectively two different weapons. Enhancements to one "head" of the weapon do not affect the other "head." You can attack with this weapon as though you were wielding two weapons, treating the heads as separate weapons; if you do, you are treated as wielding a one-handed weapon and a light weapon for purposes of two-weapon fighting penalties.

Force 

This weapon is Force-aligned.

High Crit 

This weapon threatens a critical hit on a natural result of 19 or higher on your attack roll.

Knockback 

When you successfully hit a creature and deal at least 1 point of damage, you can push the target of your attack 1 square.

Reach 

Your threatened reach is doubled while wielding this weapon.

Returning 

When you throw this weapon, it returns to you after your attack.

Thrown 

When you use this weapon, it is thrown at your target.

Ammunition

AMMUNITION
Weapon	Ammunition	Ammo Die	Basic Ammo	Damage Type
Blowgun	Dart	d8	Onion Dart	Piercing
Bow	Arrow	d10	Onion Arrow	Piercing
Crossbow	Bolt	d8	Onion Bolt	Piercing
Handbomb	Bomb	d4	Onion Bomb	Slashing
Rifle	Shot	d6	Onion Shot	Piercing
Thrown (Bludgeoning)	Stone	d8	Onion Stone	Bludgeoning
Thrown (Piercing)	Dart	d8	Onion Dart	Piercing
Thrown (Slashing)	Shuriken	d8	Onion Shuriken	Slashing

Ammunition comes in several varieties.

When you purchase a weapon with the ammo qualia, you are assumed to always be carrying "enough" of the basic ammunition for that weapon: that is, you effectively never run out of the basic ammunition, except in circumstances in which you lose access to your gear; if you find loot that includes a ranged weapon that requires ammunition, you also find "enough" ammo to go with it. This basic ammunition has no effect on any of the weapon's mechanical statistics.

More advanced ammunition follows different rules. When you make an attack with a ranged weapon that requires ammunition, and you are using ammunition other than the basic ammunition, you must also roll an ammo die, dependent upon the weapon you are using. If you roll a 1 on the ammo die, your ammunition of that type is depleted and you no longer have access to it. You can have multiple copies of a given type of ammunition, which represents multiple quivers or bags of that ammunition: if you do, when you roll a 1 on the ammo die, only one of your copies of that ammunition is depleted.

Ammunition, like weapons, can be enhanced as a Force item. If both your weapon and your ammunition are so enhanced, your attacks benefit from the qualities of both; note that the same effect does not stack with itself, and the attunement bonus to attack and damage rolls granted by Force items does not stack. Ammunition cannot be improved with materia, but ammunition can be turned into materia.

Note that some ranged weapons share ammo types; in those cases, the ammunition is interchangeable between the weapons.

Weapon Customization

You can customize weapons by adding properties to them. If you would add a property to a weapon that already has a property, first multiply its cost by the number of properties it would have once the new property is added.

Example: Serge wants to make his swallow - a defensive double one-handed sword - masterwork, so he can add magical properties to it. Swords have a base cost of 6 kp, so defensive made that 7 kp 1 yp (6 x 1.2 x 1), and double made it 36 kp (7.2 x 2.5 x 2). The cost of his weapon after adding masterwork will be 108 gp (36 x 3, converted to the gold economy). If he wants to also make it a reach weapon at the same time, the cost of the weapon would be 648 gp (108 x 1.5 x 4).

 

AGILE
Cost: ×1.8
Requirements: None
This weapon's key stat is Dexterity.

 

COMBINATION
Cost: (Cost of both weapons) ×2
Requirements: Weapons must have the same handedness
This weapon is a combination weapon; similar to a double weapon (see below), but instead of both heads being identical, they are different weapons. Enhancements to one head of the weapon do not affect the other head. You can attack with this weapon as though you were wielding two weapons, treating the heads as separate weapons; if you do, you are treated as wielding a one-handed weapon and a light weapon for purposes of two-weapon fighting penalties.
When you make multiple attacks as a single action while wielding this weapon, you can use the heads in any combination you choose.
Each head of a combination weapon keeps its own qualia and properties (for example, it is possible to have a combination weapon with one head with reach, and the other with ammo).
A combination weapon's handedness is the handedness of its constituent weapons.

 

DEFENSIVE
Cost: ×1.2
Requirements: None
You can use this weapon as though it were a shield.

 

DOUBLE
Cost: ×2.5
Requirements: Melee only, Light or One-handed only
This weapon is a double weapon, which means that it has a head on each end of the weapon. Enhancements to one head of the weapon do not affect the other head. You can attack with this weapon as though you were wielding two weapons, treating the heads as separate weapons; if you do, you are treated as wielding a one-handed weapon and a light weapon for purposes of two-weapon fighting penalties.
When you make multiple attacks as a single action while wielding this weapon, you can use the heads in any combination you choose.
A double weapon is always a two-handed weapon.

 

MASTERWORK
Cost: Convert this weapon's cost from kp to gp
Requirements: None
This weapon can be further enhanced with Force properties.

 

REACH
Cost: ×1.5
Requirements: Melee only
This weapon is a reach weapon, which means that you double your threatening reach while wielding it.
A reach weapon increases the base weapon's handedness by one category, to a maximum of two-handed.

 

ZEN
Cost: ×1.8
Requirements: None
This weapon's key stat is Wisdom.

 

Weapons Enhancements

Descriptions of weapon enhancements. This section is divided into a separate section for each weapon type, as well as a generic category that can be applied to any weapon.

You can temporarily disable a weapon's property as a free action; reactivating a property is a standard action.

Greatswords

DAGRIOHM
Longtime wielders of this sword would be hard-pressed to say whether they broke it in, or it broke them.
Weapon - Greatsword
Rarity: Common
PROPERTY
You can use this weapon as though it were one hand lighter; this effect does not stack with monkey grip.

 

DEFENDER
Frills are for dresses, not swords. A practical sword for practical swordsmen.
Weapon - Greatsword
Rarity: Common
PROPERTY
When you make a basic attack with this weapon, if you hit, you gain a +2 item bonus to all your Defenses until the start of your next turn.

 

HARDEDGE
This straight-bladed sword looks like a bar of solid iron and is about as subtle.
Weapon - Greatsword
Rarity: Uncommon
PROPERTY
You gain innate immunity (doom).

 

VAJRA
"I drew this sword and heard chanting; a prayer in a tongue I do not care to hear again."
Weapon - Greatsword
Rarity: Uncommon
PROPERTY
You gain innate immunity (lightning).
Physical attacks made with this weapon deal half their damage as lightning damage.

 

Knives

SCRAMASAX
This impressive knife is so large, it's often mistaken for a shortsword.
Weapon - Knife
Rarity: Uncommon
PROPERTY
When you make a basic attack with this weapon, if your attack with a -5 penalty also hits the target's Will, the target is confused on its next turn.

 

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