Weapon Qualities

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Weapon Qualities

Adaptive Reach

A weapon which offers different grips, allowing it to be made into a reach weapon as a swift action, and returned to non-reach as another swift action. While using it as a reach weapon, it does not threaten adjacent squares and may not be used to make attacks against targets in adjacent squares, until returned to its non-reach grip. While wielded as a non-reach weapon, it may only attack adjacent squares, even if the weapon is large-sized or has more than 10 feet of reach in its reach-weapon grip.

Alchemical

This weapon may use alchemical creations, flasks, splash weapons, and bombs as ammunition.

Attached

A weapon with the Attached quality grants a +4 weapon bonus to your Maneuver Defense to prevent you being disarmed. However, donning or removing an Attached weapon is a full round action.

Audible

This weapon is extremely easy to hear. When used, an audible weapon is easily detectible (DC5) within 50 feet. If applied to ammunition for a ranged weapon, audible ammunition is perceptible at any point within 50 feet of their flight path.

Awkward

You may wield weapons in a hand already wielding an Awkward weapon, but take a –2 penalty to hit. You may also use that hand for Dex-based skill rolls while wielding the Awkward weapon, but such rolls take a –2 penalty as well.

Blocking

When fighting defensively or taking a full-defense action while wielding a Blocking weapon, you gain a +1 shield bonus to AC. Shield bonuses from multiple sources do not stack; instead, only the highest available bonus is used.

Brace

If you use a readied action to set a brace weapon against a charge, the weapon's base weapon damage dice are doubled. If the Braced attack critically hits, the critical damage is resolved as if the crit multiplier were two higher than normal for the Braced weapon (this is instead of, not in addition to, doubling the base weapon damage).

Brutal

A brutal weapon gains a +1 weapon bonus to each damage die rolled of the base weapon damage. This +1 bonus to damage cannot cause the damage die to exceed its maximum value. For example, a cruciate mace (d10 base) wielded by a level 15 character deals 3d10 base weapon damage. Because it has the brutal quality, each of the d10's rolled that has a value of 9 or less gets +1 added to it. If a die comes up a natural 10, it does not gain the +1 bonus from brutal, since that would cause it to exceed its maximum die value. Note that brutal has no effect on bonus dice, precision dice, or other non-base weapon damage dice.

If using an average for one or more brutal dice, the brutal quality adds 0.5 to the normal average for the die size. Thus a d10, normally granting a 5.5 average, becomes a 6 average with the brutal quality.

Bullets

This weapon may use bullets and other stone-like ammunition.

Charge Defense

When wielding a weapon with the Charge Defense quality, any time you Brace to receive a charge, if your readied attack hits, you receive a +2 dodge bonus to AC against that foe only, until the end of your next turn. Charge Defense weapons always have the Brace quality as well.

Concealable

A weapon with the Concealable quality is easier to hide on your person against searches for weapons. Simple weapons with this quality grant a +2 weapon bonus to the owner's Sleight of Hand skill to hide the weapon. Martial weapons grant a +4 bonus, and Exotic weapons grant a +6.

Cumbersome

This weapon requires extra space to maneuver freely. If any horizontally adjacent space is considered blocked, you receive a -4 to hit. The ground is not considered 'adjacent' for purposes of this quality, and neither is the ceiling. A space is considered blocked if there is a permanent object which takes up enough of the square that movement is not allowed into it. Typically, this is a wall or pillar, but statues or other map features may constitute a blocked space. Creatures or low terrain elements like tables or stairs (typically classed as rough terrain) do not cause a space to be treated as blocked. Impeded terrain may or may not be considered blocked, and the GM adjudicates all unusual cases.

Deadly

When you use this weapon to deliver a coup de grace, it gains a +4 weapon bonus to damage when calculating the DC of the Fortitude saving throw to see whether the target of the coup de grace dies from the attack. The weapon bonus is also added to the actual base damage of the coup de grace attack, and as base damage, is multiplied at 6th, 11th, 16th, 21st, 26th and 31st levels when used by a proficient wielder.

Deceptive

The first attack (hit or miss) made against each target in an encounter is made as though the target is flat-footed. This allows the wielder to use abilities requiring that their target be flat-footed (such as sneak attack damage) when determining the attack's outcome. Creatures which cannot be flat-footed, such as those with Uncanny Dodge, are not affected by this weapon quality. This does not cause the target to be flat-footed against anyone else's attacks, or any of your attacks after the first.

Defensive

A defensive weapon grants a +1 weapon bonus to the wielder's AC and Reflex saves at all times while being wielded by a proficient user. This bonus does not increase from any magical enhancements the weapon may have, nor may it be stacked with any other weapon bonuses to AC or Reflex.

Disarm

When you use a disarm weapon, you get a +2 weapon bonus to Sleight of Hand skill checks when performing the Disarm combat maneuver. If your Disarm combat maneuver is successful, add +2 to the damage inflicted by the combat maneuver.

Disarm Blades

Disarm Blades (Quality)

Dismounting

Each time a Dismounting weapon successfully strikes a mounted enemy, that enemy must immediately make a Ride check with a -4 penalty to stay mounted.

Distracting

You gain a +2 weapon bonus on Bluff skill checks to Feint in combat while wielding this weapon.

Double

You can use a double weapon to fight as if fighting with two weapons, but if you do, you incur all the normal attack penalties associated with fighting with two weapons, just as if you were using a one-handed weapon and a light weapon. The light weapon end is thus usable with 'Weapon Finesse' and similar feats. You can choose to wield one end of a double weapon two-handed, but it cannot be used as a double weapon when wielded in this way-only one end of the weapon can be used in any given round. If a double weapon is sundered, the creature inflicting the sunder chooses the end that they are sundering, but only one end of the weapon actually suffers the durability damage of the maneuver. To completely break a double weapon, both ends must be Sundered until the weapon's durability is exceeded, effectively doubling the durability of the weapon.

Double Charge Damage

While on a mount and wielding a weapon with the Double Charge Damage quality, the weapon's base damage dice are doubled, and any damage adders due to high strength, feats, and weapon enhancement bonuses are also doubled. If the charge attack critically hits, the critical hit is treated as if the crit multiplier were two higher than normal for the weapon (this is instead of, not in addition to, the doubling of the weapon's base weapon damage).

Entangling

An Entangling weapon has the ability to inflict the Entangled status condition when the requirements listed in the weapon's description are met. This can be anything from requiring a critical hit to simply inflicting damage past a creature's DR. See the weapon's description for details.

Expendable

Applied to thrown and ranged weapons, this quality means that thrown weapons are treated as ammunition for the purposes of drawing them and what happens to them after they are thrown or fired (ammunition cannot be recovered once it is used).

Finesse

A weapon with the finesse quality qualifies as a light weapon for anyone who wields it while using the Weapon Finesse feat.

Forced Bleed

A weapon with the Forced Bleed quality inflicts a bleed condition when the requirements listed in the weapon's description are met. The severity of the bleed is also listed in the weapon's description. What makes Forced Bleed unique is that the Bleed cannot be stopped until the weapon is removed from the victim's body. The process for removing the weapon is also in the weapon's description.

Fragile

Weapons and armor with the fragile quality cannot take the beating that sturdier weapons can. A fragile weapon gains the Broken condition if the wielder rolls a natural 1 on an attack roll with the weapon. If a fragile weapon is already broken, the roll of a natural 1 does no further damage to the weapon. Fragile weapons and armor which have been crafted with a dweomermetal, lose the fragile quality unless otherwise noted in the item description or the special material description.

If a weapon gains the broken condition by rolling a natural 1, it remains broken until repaired. The Broken condition can be removed with Field Repair feat, Mending spell or Make Whole spell, as detailed on the Broken condition page.

Grapple

When wielding a weapon with the Grapple quality, if you successfully fulfill the requirements listed in the weapon description, you can initiate a grapple against your target. When you use a Grapple weapon, you get a +2 weapon bonus on Might Skill checks when attempting to grapple an opponent. In addition, if your grapple combat maneuver is successful, add +2 to the damage inflicted by the combat maneuver.

The creature you are grappling must remain within the reach of the Grapple weapon in order to maintain the grapple. You are considered to be in a grapple, regardless of whether you are adjacent to the creature you are grappling. If you move far enough away to be out of the weapon's reach, you end the grapple with that action.

Handy

A Handy weapon is carried in the hand, rather than carried attached to the body. As such, it may be drawn as a swift action, or part of a move action. It may be drawn as a free action if the wielder has the Quick Draw feat.

Hard-Hitting

This weapon hits unusually hard for its size. Applied to a light weapon, it allows the wielder to wield the light weapon with both hands, gaining STR x1.5 bonus to damage instead of the standard STR x1. (It is not normally possible to wield a light weapon in 2 hands. All 1-handed weapons can be wielded in 2 hands for this same effect, except for those which have the "One-Handed Only" quality.

Improvised Ammo

Improvised Ammo (Quality)

Inclusive Reach

An inclusive reach weapon has the reach quality but can also attack and threaten adjacent squares.

Intimidating

The wielder of an Intimidating weapon gains a +2 weapon bonus to Intimidate checks made to Demoralize an enemy during combat or to Bluff checks to Feint an enemy during combat. Nobody wants to get hit with this nasty thing, that's for sure!

Massive

A weapon with the massive quality requires a minimum Strength score of 18 to wield with proficiency. It may not be concealed through mundane means, and cannot be sheathed without a full-round action to stow in a suitably-sized pack or roll. If it is stowed in such a way, it requires another full-round action to fish it back out.

Massive weapons cannot be drawn from storage as part of a move action, nor do they benefit from the quick draw feat. Magic packs, such as the Handy Haversack still require a full-round action for retrieval, not because the pack fails to offer up the weapon but because a great deal of care must be taken to prevent the weapon from gratuitously removing the wielder's limbs when retrieving it.

For these reasons, massive weapons are nearly always carried in hand, balanced on a shoulder, which is when they normally gain the Handy quality. This makes it much easier to get a Massive weapon into action in a fight, at the considerable cost of leaving the wielder with only one free hand outside of combat.

Massive weapons may never be wielded one-handed in combat, even if the weapon is one size smaller, or the wielder possesses a feat which would normally allow such a thing.

Melee Capable

Applied to a ranged weapon, allows the weapon to serve as a melee weapon when wielded by someone with proficiency with the weapon. When so wielded, it inflicts the same damage as it would when thrown. As a melee weapon, the weapon threatens, may grant flanks, and serves for attacks of opportunity. Even better, any enchantment placed on a melee capable weapon counts for both the ranged weapon function and the melee weapon function. (Magical weapon properties may be chosen which are useful for melee or ranged only, but if you do so, they only work when the weapon is being used in the permitted fashion.)

Mighty

Applied to a ranged weapon, allows STR bonuses to be applied to damage rolls if an extra cost is paid per STR damage plus added, as detailed in the weapon's description.

Monk

Monk (Quality)

Non-Lethal

Non-Lethal (Quality)

Non-Melee

Weapons with this quality cannot be used as melee weapons, do not threaten squares, and thus cannot be used to make attacks of opportunity. Additionally, wielders of such weapons cannot assist with flanks.

Non-Threatening

Non-Threatening (Quality)

One-Handed Only

Weapons with the One-Handed Only quality may not be used with both hands to gain an improved Strength modifier bonus.

Pinning

When used as described in the weapon's description, this weapon inflicts the Pinned status condition upon the target.

Ponderous

Applied to ranged or thrown weapons, ponderous weapons are treated as giant-hurled boulders as regards to spell effects, feats, class abilities, etc. For example, ponderous thrown weapons are unaffected by a wind wall spell and ignore the Deflect Arrows feat.

Poor Melee

These weapons are intended to be thrown, not used in melee. While they are capable of threatening squares and providing flanks, they are not great melee weapons. As a result, using such weapons in melee combat suffers a –2 penalty to attack rolls.

Powerful

Applied to ranged or thrown weapons, this quality allows the Power Attack feat (and similar innate abilities) to be used for attacks with this weapon. Note that the Power Attack and Deadly Aim feats never stack.

Primitive Availability

These weapons may be constructed from scavenged materials at no cost, but doing so causes them to gain the Fragile quality. Note that it requires a few minutes to several hours of work to 'make' a weapon with Primitive Availability. Simply snatching up a chair leg during a fight still counts as an improvised weapon.

Protective

Protective weapons provide a shield bonus to AC if you do not attack with the hand wielding them. When you attack with the protective weapon, the shield bonus is lost until the start of your next turn. The amount of shield bonus granted by a protective weapon is normally 1, but can be greater (see weapon's description for details). Note that protective weapons CAN be used to perform a Shield Bash combat maneuver without losing their AC bonus or any shield enhancements and properties, but they do not add anything to-hit or damage for that combat maneuver. Protective weapons can also be enchanted with both melee weapon enhancements and properties, as well as shield enhancements and properties. Which property applies in a round depends upon the usage of the object (attack or defense.)

Provocative

Provocative (Quality)

Range

Range (Quality)

Ranged Attack of Opportunity

When readied in the hand, this thrown or ranged weapon is extremely fast to react. Once per round, any foe who moves with thirty feet of the wielder is subject to an Attack of Opportunity as if the moving creature had just left a threatened square of the wielder. Five foot steps and forced movement do not trigger this ranged attack of opportunity unless other abilities grant that trigger. Note that a weapon with the Ranged Attack of Opportunity quality does not grant flanks or actually threaten any differently than any other weapon, the only benefit is the ability to make an Attack of Opportunity.

Reach

Reach weapons are used to strike opponents 10, 15 or even 20 feet away, depending on the weapon (see the weapon's description), but cannot be used against an adjacent foe, nor does it threaten adjacent squares.

Restrictive

All attacks made with a Restrictive weapon are made at –1 to hit, because the weapon hinders the flexibility or movement of the wielder.

Retrieving

A weapon with the Retrieving quality has the ability to draw a struck victim closer to the wielder. This is generally done by an attached rope. Retrieving works similarly to the Reposition combat maneuver, requiring a Sleight of Hand check versus the victim's Maneuver Defense. If successful, the wielder may pull a struck foe only into squares closer to them than the square the foe started in (the number of squares pulled is determined by how successful the Sleight of Hand roll was). While affected by a retrieving weapon, a struck foe may not move away from the wielder using any movement type (except teleport), although they may move closer to the wielder or into any other legal square which is not further away from the wielder. If the creature is already adjacent to the wielder's space, the wielder may use the retrieving quality to keep the struck foe adjacent to you, although they may still move around you as they wish to any legal space.

Ricochet

Once per round, after you successfully strike a target, select a different foe within 10 feet of your first target and make a second attack. Resolve this second attack using the same attack bonuses and penalties as the first attack. On larger creatures you may choose the square you struck before determining the path to the second creature, though you must have line of effect to all squares in the path. Only roll damage once, but each target that was struck takes the full damage. Any precision or bonus damage included in the attack is only applied to the first target, but any other damage bonuses, such as from Strength, weapon enhancement bonuses, etc., are applied to both targets. Ricochet may never be used more than once per round, regardless of how many attacks the attacking character has, how many different ricocheting weapons they wield or how many different creatures they are targeting.

Silent

This weapon is unusually quiet when used. If you use a silent weapon while stealthed, the sniping penalty (–10) is reduced when you make a follow-up Stealth check. The reduction for a simple weapon is 2, for a martial it is 4, and for an exotic it is 6.

Size Limited

A wielder must be Medium-size or larger to use the weapon effectively (or take an additional -3 penalty on attack rolls in addition to the standard -4 non-proficiency penalty).

Size-Specific

A Size-Specific weapon is only usable against a creature of the same size as the weapon. Thus, a size medium weapon may only be used against a size-medium creature. Attempting to use the weapon against an opponent who is incorrectly sized inflicts a –4 penalty to all rolls pertaining to the weapon's attacks and abilities. Creatures two or more size categories different than the weapon cannot be affected by the weapon at all.

Slow Crank

Slow Crank (Quality)

Slow Draw

This weapon always takes at least a move action to ready for use. This action time may not be reduced by feats, abilities, weapon qualities, or any other effect which allows a weapon to be prepared with greater than normal speed.

Special

A weapon with the Special quality has unique qualities that it shares with no other weapon. Read the description carefully.

Stealthy

Weapons with the Stealthy quality are designed to appear as something other than a weapon (e.g. the sword cane). Anyone examining the Stealthy weapon must make a Perception check to realize that it is, in fact, a weapon. The DC for this check is the wielder's Sleight of Hand check result with a +2 weapon bonus if the weapon is a simple weapon, +4 if the weapon is a martial weapon, and +6 if the weapon is an exotic weapon. The observer gets a circumstance bonus to their perception of +4 if they are able to pick up and handle the Stealthy weapon.

Stout

Weapons with the Stout quality grant a +2 weapon bonus to the wielder's Maneuver Defense when resisting Sunder attempts.

Strength-Based

Applied to ranged or thrown weapons, this quality means that STR modifiers are used instead of DEX modifiers, both for to-hit and damage purposes.

Sunder

When you use a sunder weapon, you get a +2 weapon bonus on Might checks when attempting the Sunder combat maneuver. In addition, if your sunder combat maneuver is successful, add +2 to the damage inflicted by the combat maneuver. Sunder weapons can be used to make sunder attempts against unattended objects, structures and fortifications, including those made from metal or stone.

Note: Weapons made from special materials often have bonuses or penalties to Sunder checks. These material bonuses and penalties stack with the weapon bonus to Might checks granted by a sunder weapon.

Sunder Blades

Sunder Blades (Quality)

Sunder Haft

Sunder Haft (Quality)

Touch

When used as described in the weapon's description, attacks with this weapon are resolved as touch attacks. If the weapon is used to perform a melee touch attack, it does not include the user's Strength ability modifier in any damage calculations. Character classes that specifically state that they use a different ability score in place of Strength for purposes of calculating melee damage, may not include that ability modifier either. In cases where the wielder has a strength score less than 10, this may be beneficial, since the penalty their strength would normally apply to damage is also ignored. The wielder's to-hit calculations are unchanged, regardless of whether they make a melee touch attack or a standard melee attack with the weapon, except for the bonuses normally granted to melee touch attacks (namely +4 to hit, and automatically hitting on a natural 17 or better on the die (but still only threatening a critical hit as per the weapon's critical range)). When used as described in the weapons description, attacks with this weapon are resolved against the target's touch AC.

Trip

When you use a Trip weapon, you get a +2 weapon bonus on Sleight of Hand checks when attempting a Trip or Reposition combat maneuver, or the same bonus to Might checks when performing a Drag combat maneuver. In addition, if your trip, drag, or reposition combat maneuver is successful, add +2 to the damage inflicted by the combat maneuver. You can use a trip weapon to make trip, drag, and reposition attempts. In addition, you may add the weapon's enhancement bonus for to-hit and damage to your CMB for resolving the trip, drag, or reposition attempt. If you are tripped during your own trip attempt, you can drop the weapon to avoid being tripped.

Two-Handed

These weapons require two hands to use, and are treated as two-handed melee weapons as regards STR bonuses to damage (if any are allowed) and the effects of any feats which may be used with the weapons. These weapons require two hands to use, and are treated as two-handed melee weapons as regards STR bonuses to damage (if any are allowed) and the effects of any feats which may be used with the weapons.

Unaware

A weapon with the "unaware" quality may only be used against an opponent who is either helpless or who has no knowledge of your location before you attack. Only a stealth check greater than the opponent's perception check can grant the unaware status. Note that even invisibility doesn't make you silent, and foes get a perception check to notice you (albeit at –2 to the roll, per the standard invisibility rules). See the Stealth skill page for more information. A weapon with the 'unaware' quality may only be used against an opponent who is either helpless or who has no knowledge of your location before you attack. Only a stealth check greater than the opponent's perception check can grant the unaware status. Note that even invisibility doesn't make you silent, and foes get a perception check to notice you (albeit at -20 to the roll, per the standard invisibility rules). See Stealth for more information.

Uncomfortable

These weapons have a quality similar to armor, in that they are uncomfortable to sleep in while wearing them. Anyone sleeping with an Uncomfortable weapon attached gains the Fatigued condition upon waking. The fatigued condition persists until the character rests with the uncomfortable weapon removed, or until it is cured by some spell or ability which can remove fatigue (e.g. Lesser Restoration, Lay on Hands, etc.). Characters with the Endurance feat may ignore this quality. These weapons have a quality similar to armor, in that they are uncomfortable to sleep in while wearing them. Anyone sleeping with an Uncomfortable weapon attached gains the Fatigued condition upon waking. This condition cannot be removed without resting with the weapon removed. Characters with the Endurance feat may ignore this quality.

Unwieldy

An unwieldy weapon requires a great deal of space to properly use. If any adjacent square is considered blocked you cannot use the weapon, and if any square within ten feet of the wielder is considered blocked you have –4 to hit. A space is considered blocked if there is a permanent object which takes up enough of the square that movement is not allowed into it. Typically this is a wall or pillar, but statues or other map features may constitute a blocked space. Creatures or low terrain elements like tables or stairs do not cause a space to be treated as blocked. An unwieldy weapon requires a great deal of space to properly use. If any adjacent square is considered blocked you cannot use the weapon, and if any square within ten feet of the wielder is considered blocked you have -4 to hit. A space is considered blocked if there is a permanent object which takes up enough of the square that movement is not allowed into it. Typically this is a wall or pillar, but statues or other map features may constitute a blocked space. Creatures or low terrain elements like tables or stairs do not cause a space to be treated as blocked.