Soulforge Adventures

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Weapons & Armor

Weapons and armor in Soulforge Adventures is a bit more diverse and meaningful than your average setting. This is not an attempt to increase the power of weapons or martial characters that use them. Instead, it attempts to emulate the variety of options and effects found in their cantrip counterparts, and make martial combat less boring and weapon choice more significant.

Ultimately, this gives martial players tactical options and nuance that characters without magic or superiority dice sorely lacked.

Properties

These weapons can be used to make a ranged attack, provided you have ammunition to fire from the weapon. Each time you attack, you expend one piece of ammunition. Drawing the ammunition from a quiver, case, or other container is part of the attack you make with this weapon (you need a free hand to load a one-handed weapon). At the end of a battle, you can recover half your expended ammunition by taking 1 minute to search the battlefield (non-firearm ammunition)
This weapon’s ammunition explodes when it hits a target and may hit nearby creatures standing as well. Each other creature within a number of feet equal to the AOE range (noted in parentheses) must make a Firearm saving throw with a DC of 8 + the attacker’s proficiency bonus + the attackers Dexterity modifier. On a failed save, the creature takes half of the damage taken by the target.
You must use Strength instead of Dexterity for the Firearm DC and the attack and damage rolls of this weapon. Such a weapon can be fired once before it must be reloaded with an action.
The deflagration from firing this weapon makes a stupendous booming sound. The sound can be heard from up to 500 feet away. Firing this weapon makes it impossible to go undetected; you automatically fail Stealth checks to hide until the start of your next turn. In addition, if a creature is within the area of the sound blast, it automatically succeeds on Perception checks against you.
These flexible weapons wrap around shields and other personal defenses. When you attack with a bypass weapon, you ignore the AC bonus granted by shields and features that parry or deflect attacks.
These weapons are well-suited to combat on the move. If you damage a creature with a cavalry weapon immediately after moving 15 feet straight toward it while mounted, you roll two additional damage dice and add them to the total.
When you score a critical hit with a cleft weapon, add your proficiency bonus to the extra damage of the critical hit.
These weapons bludgeon as much as they pierce. When determining a creature’s resistance or immunity to damage from this weapon, use the weaker of the target’s resistance or immunity to piercing or to bludgeoning damage. For instance, if a creature is immune to piercing damage and has no resistance or immunity to bludgeoning damage, it would take full damage from a concussive weapon. Resistance to all physical damage applies as normal.
If this weapon is ever submerged in water or doused with a significant quantity of water, it jams. A jammed firearm can’t be used to make an attack until a creature uses its action to clear the weapon malfunction.
These weapons feature chains, hooks, and other entangling components. When you hit with an ensnaring weapon, you can use your bonus action to attempt to shove the target prone, pull or shove it into a space within 5 feet of you, or disarm it (DMG page 271). If your roll requires you to use your Strength (Athletics) bonus, you can add your weapon’s attack bonus instead.

When you attempt to disarm a creature using a weapon with the ensnaring property, you do not have disadvantage on the roll if the target is larger than you.
These precise weapons lend themselves to dextrous combat. When you attack with a finesse weapon, you use your choice of your Strength or Dexterity modifier for the attack and damage rolls. You must use the same modifier for both rolls.
These brutal weapons are well-suited to executing enemies at your mercy. When you damage a prone creature with a weapon with the finisher property, you roll the weapon’s damage dice, as listed on the table, an additional time.
These weapons utilize volatile powder as a propellant to fire projectiles or explode. They cannot be used underwater, and ammunition from these weapons cannot be reused. When you attack, the weapon flashes, expels smoke, and creates a bang that can be heard up to 300 feet away.

Some firearm and ammunition properties require your target to make a saving throw to avoid the effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Firearm save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Dexterity modifier

These weapons are unwieldier than most. Unless a creature has a Strength score of 13 or higher, it has disadvantage on attacks made with heavy weapons. A Small or smaller creature always suffers this disadvantage. A creature with a Strength score lower than 13 cannot use a shield with the heavy property to increase its AC, and has disadvantage on attack rolls made to bash with it.

Before you make an attack with a heavy weapon that you are proficient with, you can forego adding your proficiency bonus to the attack roll. If the attack hits, you add your proficiency bonus to the damage roll. This ability can be used in conjunction with the Great Weapon Master or Sharpshooter feats.
These weapons are small and easy to handle, making them ideal for use in an off-hand or fighting with two weapons.
These weapons take extra time to load with ammunition and fire. As a result, you can make only one attack with them when you attack as an action, bonus action, or reaction, regardless of the number of attacks you can normally make.
If you do not clean your firearm, you run the risk of it jamming if you roll a 1 on a d20 for an attack roll with the weapon. While the firearm is jammed, you are unable to use it until you spend time to maintain and clean it.

This cleaning (see gunsmithing tools) can be done over the course of a Long or Short Rest, cleaning more than one martial firearm takes too long to gain the benefits of a Long Rest.
These weapons are designed to incapacitate, or are otherwise capable of delivering a hit that does not kill the target. When you choose to knock a creature out instead of killing it, nonlethal weapons deal their normal damage.
When you are hit by a melee attack you can see while wielding a weapon with the parry property that you are proficient with, you can use your reaction to add half your proficiency bonus to your AC for that attack, potentially causing it to miss. If you do so while wielding two parrying weapons, you add your entire proficiency bonus instead.
When you are prone and make a weapon attack with this weapon, you do not suffer disadvantage for being prone.
These weapons attack at a distance, making ranged attacks instead of melee. Their range is listed in parentheses after the ammunition or thrown property, and lists two numbers. The first is the weapon’s normal range in feet, and the second indicates the weapon’s long range. When attacking a target beyond normal range, you have disadvantage on the attack roll. You can’t attack a target beyond the weapon’s long range. Some ranged weapons have a Strength requirement listed. You cannot make ranged attack rolls with that ranged weapon if your Strength is lower than that value.
These weapons’ extended length adds 5 feet to your reach when you attack with them, as well as when determining your reach for opportunity attacks. Reach weapons cannot be used for two-weapon fighting, regardless of your strength or feats.
This weapon can be used to make a number of attacks before it must be reloaded. If you are proficient with the weapon, reloading takes a bonus action; otherwise, reloading it takes an action. Some weapons require an action or longer to reload, even if you have proficiency, which is specified in the Reload property. If reloading a weapon requires longer than one action, the weapon can’t be used to make attacks until reloading is finished.
While in the hands of a blood witch, a sacral blade is a magic weapon.
If you make an attack against a target that is within half this weapon’s normal range, you deal the value listed in parentheses instead of the weapon’s normal damage dice.
These precise weapons reward focused attacks and punch holes in enemy defenses. When an attack roll with a skewering weapon exceeds the target’s AC by 5 or more (or lands a critical hit), the next attack roll made against the target gains a bonus equal to your proficiency bonus.
These wicked weapons cut gaping wounds into the flesh, causing profuse bleeding. When an attack roll with a slicing weapon exceeds the target’s AC by 5 or more (or lands a critical hit), the target takes additional necrotic damage equal to your proficiency bonus. Constructs, elementals, most undead, and other targets that do not bleed may be immune to this damage at the discretion of your GM.
Special weapons have entirely unique attributes, detailed after the weapon charts.
These hard-hitting weapons daze on impact. When an attack roll with a staggering weapon exceeds the target’s AC by 5 or more (or lands a critical hit), it has disadvantage on the next ability check or Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution saving throw it makes before the end of its next turn.
These weapons crush, break, or penetrate armor. When you attack an object, or a target wearing any medium or heavy armor (other than hide) with a sundering weapon, you gain a +2 bonus to the attack roll. You also gain this bonus against creatures with thick shells, metallic hides, and other creatures at the discretion of your DM. Sundering weapons also ignore damage reduction granted by armor.
These weapons strike in broad arcs. When you miss an attack with a sweeping weapon, you can make an attack against another target within 5 feet of the original, so long as the new target is also within the weapon’s reach or range. The damage this attack deals is halved. Additionally, when you reduce a target to 0 hit points with a sweeping weapon, you can deal any remaining damage to another target within 5 feet of the first, so long as the original attack roll would also hit that target and the target is within the weapon’s reach or range. If that creature is likewise reduced to 0 hit points, repeat this process until no valid targets remain or a target survives the damage.
These weapons can be thrown out of your hand to make a ranged attack. If the weapon is a melee weapon, you use the same ability modifier for attack and damage rolls that you would use for a melee attack with it. The normal and long ranges of a weapon with the thrown property increase by a number of feet equal to 5 times your Strength modifier, unless your Strength modifier is negative.
These cumbersome weapons must be wielded in two hands to make attacks. If one of your hands is occupied by performing somatic components, grappling, etc, you cannot attack with this weapon until you return your hand to the weapon. This property is relevant only when you attack with the weapon, not when you simply hold it.
These weapons can deal multiple damage types, and inflict different effects as a result. When you attack with a variable weapon, it gains the corresponding property for that attack: Bludgeoning attacks gain the staggering property, piercing attacks gain skewering, and slashing attacks gain slicing.
These weapons can be wielded in one or both hands. When you wield a versatile weapon in two hands, it gains an additional property and uses different damage dice, both listed in parentheses behind the versatile property on the weapons table.
These weapons can be devastating when prepared for the right moment. In place of a weapon attack, you can wind up your weapon or brace it against the ground, depending on the weapon’s design. The next time you hit with the wound-up weapon before the start of your next turn, you can roll two additional damage dice. After the attack, the weapon is no longer wound-up. When a creature enters the wound-up weapon’s reach (if melee) or moves within its range (if ranged), you can use your reaction to make an opportunity attack against it with the wound-up weapon.
These weapons prevent targets from approaching and can catch weapons. You can use a bonus action to attempt to disarm a creature within reach using a winged weapon. After you damage a creature you could grapple with a winged weapon, the target cannot move straight toward you and the area within your reach is difficult terrain for it until it leaves your reach or you attack with the weapon again. While holding a creature in this way, you can use a bonus action to attempt to shove it. The hold ends if you shove the target outside the weapon’s reach. If one of the above rolls uses your Strength (Athletics) bonus, you can add the weapon’s attack bonus instead.

Weapons

Armor & Shields

When worn, half-plate and heavy armor provide Damage Reduction. When you take nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing or slashing damage, the damage you take is reduced by an amount equal to half your proficiency bonus, rounded down. Full plate reduces the damage by an amount equal to your proficiency bonus instead. This reduction applies before you apply resistances or vulnerabilities.

Handle

Handles are a wood or metal handlebar on the inside of a shield. These shields can be doffed or donned with the item interaction you receive as part of your turn and can be dropped freely, but enemies have advantage on checks made to disarm you of them.

Strap

Straps attach the shield to the arms, reinforcing the handle with a series of cloth or leather straps. These shields take an action to don or doff, and enemies have disadvantage on checks made to disarm you of the shield.