Miscellaneous Equipment (CFH)

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The following pieces of equipment are of some use to warriors and other characters.
==Atl-Atl==
Atl-Atl: This is a stick with a broad, shallow groove along its length and a knot at the end; it is a few feet long.
The character places a javelin (not a spear, long spear, harpoon, or trident) in it so that the javelin butt rests against the knot and the javelin lies along the groove; the warrior holds it at the other end. Thereafter, when he flings his javelin, he uses the atl-atl as a lever and is able to throw it much farther than before.
When used with an atl-atl, the javelin acquires the following characteristics:
Javelin/Atl-Atl: ROF 2/3, S 3, M 6, L 9.
The atl-atl costs 1 silver piece to make, but can be carved out of a stick by anyone with the Weaponsmith proficiency. It weighs one pound.
==Spring-Out Spike==
Spike, Spring-Out: This is a nasty weapon used mostly by rogues and chaotic warriors, though any sneaky player-character could acquire one.
It consists of a blade identical in characteristics to the knife, housed in an innocuous rod or handle. When the secret catch is pressed, the blade snaps out instantly and the character is armed.
Usually, the spring-out spike is built into items the character will be carrying a lot... and when he doesn't wish it to be known he's armed. Common objects with built-in spikes include royal sceptres, the ends of quarterstaves (this converts a staff into a spear), and sometimes the hilts of swords and daggers. Assassins often carry a dagger with an ordinary blade... and a poison-coated spring-out spike.
The spring-out spike weighs one pound and costs 40 gp. When built into an ordinary object, it adds one pound and 40 gp to that object's cost. It cannot customarily be built into an existing weapon; it must be built into the weapon when it is first created.
The spring-out spike is illegal in most civilizations. If the authorities catch a character using one, they'll jail him on assumption of assassination motives.
==Secret Spring Sheath==
Sheath, Secret Spring: This is another item considered useful by rogues, street-fighters, assassins, and characters wishing to appear unarmed.
It consists of a sheath for one of the following weapons: Dagger, Knife, or Stiletto. A sheath for one of these three weapons will not hold either of the other two. It cannot be built for a weapon other than these three. It is not just a sheath, but is also a mechanical device, and is worn on the character's arm just below the elbow.
Whenever the character straightens his arm out and flexes it in a certain way, the blade in the sheath pops into his hand. The character must make a Dexterity ability check to catch it; he gets a +3 bonus because it's not difficult, but a natural 20 always fails. If he fails to catch it, it pops straight out and drops to the floor. It cannot be "shot out" as an attack like a thrown knife; it will not hurt whomever it hits, and always hits hilt-first when fumbled in this fashion.
This is another way, and a non-magical one, for the unarmed character to be suddenly armed when the need arises. In the combat sequence, he must announce before initiative is rolled that he is going to pop out his blade; when his action comes up for that round, if he is still able to straighten out his arm, his blade pops into his hand and is instantly ready. The character may still attack this round; the action of arming himself doesn't use up an attack.
The Secret Spring Sheath weighs only half a pound and costs 35 gp. It requires someone with both the Set Snares and Weaponsmithing proficiencies to create. Like the Spring-Out Spike, it is illegal in most places, but is a lesser crime, punishable by a fine (10d6 gold pieces) and a few days (1d6) in jail.
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That's the end of The Complete Fighter's Handbook.
Now that you've read it, the thing to remember is this: Use whatever appeals to you, as the DM, and nothing more. If any rule or recommendation worries you, if you feel that it will unbalance your campaign or skew your players toward bad habits, then don't allow it in your campaign. As for all the other rules, recommendations, and guidelines: Try them. You may like them.