Weapon Classes

Weapons in Dead State fall into two main categories - **Melee** and **Ranged** (Thrown ones count as Items, not Weapons) - and several different classes. Weapon classes are distinct from one another in their effective ranges, special attacks, and combat advantages. Size and distance can vary within a weapon class, and each weapon has a Strength requirement for its use.

Note: this is not a list of weapons, but an assessment of weapon types. For a comprehensive list of weapons, see the Weapons list.

## Basic Stats

### Melee Weapon Stats

Every Melee Weapon has the following stats (Damage is also shown per attack used):

* **Name** – Weapon name.
* **Hands** – Hands needed to wield the weapon.
* **Range** – The range of the weapon. One-handed weapons can only attack adjacent squares, two-handed weapons can also attack diagonally, and reach weapons can also attack two squares out.
* **Damage** – Base damage cause in weapon's standard attack.
* **Type** – The weapon's damage type(s) - Slashing, Piercing, or Bludgeoning.
* **Noise** – How much Noise is caused per attack/hit.
* **Strength** – The Strength required to wield the weapon accurately.
* **Critical Hit Chance** – The base chance for the weapon to make a Critical Hit against an enemy.
* **Critical Multiplier** – Amount of damage a Critical Hit produces.
* **Weight** – The Weight of the weapon.

### Ranged Weapon Stats

While Ranged weapons can be either one-handed or two-handed, it doesn't necessarily impact their potential range.

Every Ranged Weapon has the following stats:

* **Name** – Weapon name.
* **Hands** – Hands needed to wield the weapon.
* **Ammo** – Default amount of ammo the weapon carries.
* **Range** – The range that the weapon can be shot accurately (in squares).
* **Damage** – Damage range of the weapon.
* **Noise** – How much Noise is caused per attack/hit.
* **Critical Hit Chance** – The base chance for the weapon to make a Critical Hit against an enemy.
* **Critical Multiplier** – Amount of damage a Critical Hit produces.
* **Weight** – The Weight of the weapon.

## Class Types

### Melee Weapon Classes

#### Knives

Knives are a class of weapons ideally suited to be quicker and lighter, gaining bonuses in status effects against humans in exchange for reduced efficiency against the undead and lower damage and criticals. They can potentially Counterattack and cause the Bleeding status effect. Knives are one-handed weapons only.

#### Clubs

Clubs are implements of a medium size that require either one or two hands to use, and have a relatively uniform shape They are more suited to direct, quick strikes than the wider swing of a bat, and thus have slightly higher criticals. Clubs can be one or two-handed.

#### Axes

A bladed weapon that focuses a smaller cutting area with the force of a handle behind it, they are an excellent weapon against both humans and the undead. Axes are more efficient at causing permanent limb damage to foes than any other, prioritizing it over their Bleeding status effect. The one exception to their rule is the hatchet, which exchanges damage and the Leg Sprain ability for swiftness and a smaller size. Axes can be one or two-handed.

#### Hammers

Heavy, slow, and sturdy, these weapons are ideally suited for tossing around enemies rather than damaging any specific part. Though high on the Strength requirements, low on the critical, and not as good as causing Dizzy as bats, hammers can cause a great deal of damage in every hit. All hammers are two-handed, with the exception of the claw hammer.

#### Bats

Bats are an excellent middle-ground weapon: mid-ranged AP cost, good chance for knockback and dizzy, and a suitable chance for Leg Sprain. They require low-to-midrange Strength scores, and return solid amounts of damage. All bats are two-handed.

#### Blades

Exceptionally rare and potentially prone to breaking, bladed weapons are handy to have around due to their medium AP cost, high critical chance and multiplier, and highest rate of Bleeding chance of any weapon. Both have higher strength requirements, and are far less useful against the undead than humans. Bladed weapons are always two-handed.

#### Polearms

The only Reach weapon, polearms are far more uncommon (the two best being very rare), but have the highest critical multipliers. Loosely divided into slashing and piercing weapons, both carry the same properties but have differing attacks. All polearms, being Reach weapons, are two-handed.

#### Implements

Implements are more common tools than can be used as weapons, than dedicated damage-dealing items, but can still be utilized to cause decent damage to enemies. They are the only weapons to possess the Counterattack ability other than Knives, and are as good as the best knife at doing so. Implements can be one or two-handed.

### Ranged Weapon Classes

#### Pistols

Pistols are one of the most common weapons and can be considered the workhorse of the ranged classes. There are three different types, but all are 1-handed and none are automatics. All pistols do Ballistic damage.

#### Shotguns

Shotguns are loud and fairly short-range weapons, but their power more than makes up for their other short-comings. They are always 2-handed (except the Sawed-Off), but the higher end model is semi-automatic. A close range hit from a shotgun is almost always fatal, while a long-range hit by buckshot will barely faze most targets. Shotgun damage ranges greatly – due to its pellet scatter being random, shots over two squares away can do a lot or a little damage, that is to say. Shotguns tend to critical more, but at anything but close range, their damage can be inconsistent. All shotguns do Ballistic damage.

#### Submachine Guns

Also known as an SMG, the submachine gun is in-between the stock pistol and rifles, with some of the benefits of the other types, but with its own drawbacks. Submachine guns are traditionally used for sweeping confined spaces, but are less than ideal for ranged combat. While the submachine gun’s capacity is high, its accuracy and damage are relatively low, especially against the undead. However, there is no dismissing its wide sweep capability, which can sometimes produce spectacular results against groups of human enemies. Submachine guns are the only guns with the “Sweep” ability. All SMGs do Ballistic damage.

#### Rifles

Rifles are powerful guns suited to medium and long-range attack, but are only as good as the marksman wielding them. From assault rifles to hunting rifles, this diverse class of weapons excels at bringing down targets at a range that other weapons do not come close to. While not usually suited to close quarters fighting, the rifle’s power and accuracy more than makes up for its unwieldiness in tight quarters. There are several types of rifles, and not all of them function exactly the same. All rifles do Ballistic damage.

#### Bows

Bows are a ranged weapon, but unlike guns, they require a degree of strength to use effectively as the Strength score dictates the range of the weapon. Unlike guns, however, they are extremely quiet, and lightning-fast to reload, both of which would make them the perfect weapon if not for the high-degree of skill required to wield them as you need 3 stats rather than 2 (Strength to use the weapon at an effective range, Agility to fire often and Perception to hit the target), and their design favoring live targets over the undead. However, with the proper skills, a bow can be fairly deadly against humans and undead. All bows do Piercing damage.

#### Crossbows

Like bows, crossbows are a ranged weapon, but sacrifice the bow’s Strength requirement for a reduced range and a higher rarity. As with bows, they’re a great deal quieter than guns are, but have a very long reload time that potentially dwarfs both weapon types. However, as crossbows were classically designed for short-range/high-damage applications, this weapon has a vicious critical chance that might make that one shot very much worth it. All crossbows do Piercing damage. The Crossbow is the most cost effective solution to killing the undead in a single blow from a distance.

### Shields

Shields are more of an armor class rather than a weapon class, but as they take up a weapon slot, the connection makes sense – and their utility should not be overlooked. Not only do shields provide a significant AC bonus, but very single shield has the Bash attack, which focuses on knocking enemies back and sometimes prone.