Arms & Armor
Humanoids make use of whatever equipment, arms, and armor they can get their hands on. Many of the races are natural scavengers, picking up anything they can carry and wield. Humanoid characters are subject to class restrictions on weapons.
Armor Restrictions
Normal armor is often hard to fit upon humanoids. While man-sized (M) humanoids can wear human-made armor, those of other sizes or peculiar body shapes, like centaurs, must wear specially-fitted armor or armor of their own race's construction. While human or demihuman armorers can build custom-fitted armor for a humanoid, time is doubled and costs are tripled.
Optional Weapon Breakage
| Weapon Size | Roll |
|---|---|
| S | 10 |
| M | 5 |
| L | 2 |
Weapon Breakage (Optional)
Humanoids wielding weapons of their own make need not check for breakage. When large-sized humanoids use human or demihuman weapons, the weapon may break under their greater strength and force. This chance is read directly from the attack roll. Use the Weapon Breakage table to determine if the weapon breaks. Weapon Size refers to the weapon's size classification. Roll is the number or less on the 1d20 attack roll that will break the weapon (excluding strength adjustments). A broken weapon becomes useless immediately upon breaking. A magical weapon receives a saving throw vs. crushing blow to avoid breaking.
Weapon Size Restrictions
Humanoids of large (L) size generally use weapons which also fit into this category. They cannot use tiny weapons (T), at all. They may have trouble wielding small and medium weapons (the DM can assess a -1 to -4 penalty to hit and damage rolls). Some humanoids have bonuses when using weapons of their own make.
Likewise, humanoids falling under the tiny (T) size classifications cannot use large weapons (L). They can wield melee weapons of medium size (M) in both hands.
Close-quarter Weapons
Close-quarter weapons are used by those who specialize in close-quarter fighting or who regularly operate in small, enclosed areas, such as underground tunnels. While, in fact, all underground-dwelling humanoids can use these weapons, they are preferred by members of the mine rowdy and tunnel rat kits. Other humanoids with the close-quarter fighting proficiency can also select from these weapons (as long as the weapon in question does not violate the restrictions of a class regarding weapon choice). Humanoids who are not subterranean-dwelling cannot choose these weapons initially, but may gain proficiency with them over the course of a campaign. To use a specific close- quarter weapon, the humanoid must announce its use at the beginning of a combat round. Some of these weapons are also passive, inflicting injury if an opponent gets too close. When used aggressively, Strength bonuses apply.
Body spikes: These are short blades fitted to a humanoid's armor. An opponent who grabs, grapples, or wrestles with a humanoid wearing body spikes from the spikes each round. Body spikes can be used aggressively if the wearer runs at his opponent. The damage inflicted by body spikes depends on the size of the wearer: T/S = 1d2, M =1d3, L = 1d4. The spikes are permanently fitted to the armor and cannot be retracted. Spiked armor costs 150% of the normal armor cost.
Kick-slashers: These are crude blades attached to boots or other footwear. The kick-slasher slices into opponents when the user lashes out with his feet. They are not retractable.
Punch-cutter: This is a crude blade attached to open-finger leather gloves. The blade rests on top of the hand, protruding above the knuckles when the fist is closed. When the wearer throws a punch, the punch-cutter slices into his opponent.
Special Humanoid Weapons
Most weapons made or used by humanoids can be found in the Player's Handbook. For example, a goblin-made short sword is still a short sword. What follows are rare and unusual weapons rarely found outside of humanoid cultures:
Club, great: This may be a long cudgel lovingly carved from a finely-worked length of oak, or a crudely fashioned bludgeon. Its effects are identical to those of a morning star, though it may be blunt or spiked. Races using these include bugbears, centaurs, and advanced lizard men.
Dart, Lizard Man: This is a crude, heavy throwing dart that is both fletched and barbed. Measuring two to three feet long, it is used by advanced lizard men. It has a range of 30 yards, and is invariably hurled just before a charge.
Flindbar: A flindbar is a pair of chain-linked iron bars. In combat, the bars are spun around at great speed, striking up to twice in a round. In addition, flindbars can be used to disarm opponents. Each successful hit requires the victim to save vs. wands. If the saving throw is failed, the victim's weapon becomes entangled in the chain and is torn from his grasp. Flindbars are made and used by flinds.
Goblin Stick: A goblin stick is a forked and hooked pole arm, used first by bugbears trying to catch the smaller goblins. The goblin stick is a wooden staff, six to nine feet long, gripped in the middle. Each end is tipped with three wicked blades. One hooked blade is used to extract hiding creatures. The other blades are pointed, sharp, and set at slightly different angles to poke into the hardest to reach locations. Goblin sticks are made and used by hobgoblins, bugbears, and ogres.
Lance, flight: This lance has a 10-foot long shaft of tough wood with a sharp stone head, and fletched ends. It is used by flying humanoids as a shock or impact weapon. The flight lance is hurled at the end of a swooping attack and can impale the target.
Giant-kin weapons: Giant-kin weapons, crafted by giant-kin, match their great size and strength. The most common are clubs, daggers, halberds, maces, two-handed swords, and voadkyn long bows.
When using weapons of their own make, giant-kin and other large humanoids suffer none of the penalties associated with the smaller human weapons. Most giant-sized weapons cause more damage than their human-made counterparts. Voadkyn long bows have ranges 50% greater than human-sized long bows.
Oriental Weapons: Used principally by Ogre Magi and some Hobgoblin tribes, most of these can be treated as the western counterpart. Unusual weapons of note include:
Daikyu: A great long composite bow, about seven feet long. The grip is closer to the low end of the bow, allowing it to be more easily fired from horseback or when kneeling.
Katana: An oriental long sword. If worn with the Wakizashi (short sword), it marks the wearer as one of high social standing. It's a serious insult for an unprivileged character to wear both blades together.
Naginata: An oriental pole arm much like a glaive, preferred by female warriors. It has a six to eight foot shaft and swordlike blade.
Tetsubo: A wooden rod about four feet long, the upper half bound with studded iron strips. It is often carried by travelers and can serve as a walking stick. It is typically wielded in two hands.
Pixie weapons: These are weapons that have been scaled down to match pixie and smaller-sized wielders. Unless otherwise noted, their maximum damage is usually in the 1d2 to 1d4 range.
Pixie bow: Resembling tiny short bows of elven design, they have half the range of short bows. Pixies using these have a +4 bonus to their attack rolls. Pixie arrows come in three varieties. War arrows inflict damage. Sleep arrows render subjects comatose for 1d6 hours if they fail their saving throw vs. spell. Forget arrows cause subjects who fail a saving throw vs. spells to suffer a complete loss of memory. Only a clerical Heal spell or Limited Wish / Wish can restore the subject's memory.
Pixie sword: Resembling tiny elven long swords, these are of excellent workmanship. They otherwise perform like daggers.
Saurial Weapons: Saurial weapons perform much as human-made equivalents. Weapons of note include the bladeback mace, the bladeback flail, and the hornhead staff. All saurial weapons are designed for the saurial physiology, having shorter grips, unusual protrusions, and barb-like tips.
Non-saurials trying to use saurial weapons suffer a -1 attack penalty. Likewise, saurials suffer a similar -1 penalty when using non-saurial weapons.
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