SM COMSYS Personal Weapons

## **HTH Weapons**

Weapons are classed in several factors:

* **Damage base, average**. This varies based on weapon size and shape. Sometimes widely, even within the same class.
* **Damage type**. Blunt, Piercing, Cutting.
* **Damage special**. Damage may vary depending whether it's wielded with one hand or two, whether the batteries are in it, etc.
* **Size Average**. Can vary considerably even within a size class.
* **Size Class**. The averages are [Small: 1-12" / Medium: 12-30" / Large: 31"+], but this varies depending on the typical use. Small weapons are generally limited to 1-hand, Medium is most often 1-hand, but can be 2, while some Large weapons can be wielded with one hand, but that limits their damage.

Combat techniques, such as feints, parries, ripostes and footwork particulars are the purview of the character and are expressed in the normal course of comparison. If a player specifies they are adopting a defensive posture, that opens the door to more specific, situationally-dependent tactics.

The following chart is based on the averages of common weapon categories, including those found in the modern era. This includes police nightsticks, telescoping asps, martial arts weapons such as nunchaku (usually repurposed tools from other functions), daggers, machetes and similar. There are also common, real-life weapons of the medieval-era warfare.

This includes improvised, weaponized tools, such as ice picks, broken bottles, turkey carving knives, ball peen hammers, baseball bats, chainsaws and so on.

Fantasy and Science Fiction campaigns may have additional categories of weapons, as well as weapon enhancements of various sorts, whether that's batteries or magical enchantments.

Weapon Notes

* (\*1) War hammers are designed primarily to produce focused blunt-force trauma, but the design of the head may include *some* point-based penetration. Likewise, the backside of the hammer may be a pick.
* (\*2) The pick is predominantly a penetration weapon, though the spike may protrude from a flat base that gives some blunt trauma on a sufficient penetration. Likewise, the back side of a pick is often a hammer.
* (\*3) Flails' key point is a swiveling joint, possibly even a chain, where the point it to wrap a delivery around a corner (usually and specifically a shield). This includes "morning stars," as well as cylindrical flails (often spiked). Often very effective, they could also become stuck or entangled.
* Specific swords may vary in damage based on their classification. In some cases, maximizing damage effects may come at the expense of being able to maximize overall damage. This may also be the case for swords and other weapons designed to produce a psychological effect.
* Knives have a variety of shapes, sizes and functionalities, from folding to fighting.
* Clubs have a variety of lengths and materials, though most are wood.

While there's very little historical evidence for two-weapon fighting in Florence, dual-wielding melee weapons does have some historical precedent.

Multi-grip weapons are historically rare, they're usually designed to be used with either one hand or two. Often designed to be used one handed but can be used with two, decreasing the chance to hit by 25%, but increasing the damage by 35%. Similarly, some two handed weapons may used with one hand, decreasing offense and defense by 25%.

• *HTH: One person has a projectile weapon:* Probably a short fight. Weapon holder fires at PB range (either 1 or 2 yards), but has 25 point evasion penalty to hit. If open hand combatant is not using evasion, it is not a fight, it is an execution. Open hand combatant may attack but will probably want to engage for possession. To grab the arm of the armed: use catch defensive skill +10 as an offensive grab.

• *HTH: Weapon possession:* If neither combatant has the weapon, the higher CM +D10 can get it first (unless there is some obvious reason why not, like a combatants legs are broken). If somebody has possession and wants to use it versus somebody who has a hold and wants to avoid being hit: Both use offense (Holds skill), PS mod may used without penalty on both sides. If one in possession wins, it is a point blank shot (roll for weapon damage and add success amount of possession combat), if defense wins, the weapon is pointed away. If holder loses by 15+, there is mutual possession (and a loss next round could get the former holder very hurt). If the holder loses by 30+, they have lost possession to the other combatatant.

## Right of Way

* Check **Ranged Combat guidelines**
* Return to **Personal (HTH) Combat**
* Return to **Combat System overview**
* Return to **System Mechanics**