Melee Weapons
Name
Melee Weapons
Skill Attribute & Difficulty
Dex - Variable
Defaults
6+Dex (Easy), 5+Dex (Average), 4+Dex (Hard)
Prerequisites
None
Description
Melee Weapons covers a broad collection of skills, one per class of melee weapons that are close in relation. Melee weapon skills are based on Dexterity, and they default to their specified skill difficulties.
You may also parry using the melee weapon skills you've invested into as long as the weapon is capable of parrying.
Since these weapons are placed in broad categories depending on their function. If a rule refers to one of these categories, it applies to all weapons of that category and similarly all Melee Weapons skills used to wield them. (E.G. Pole Weapons refers to any weapon within the Polearms, Spears, and Staves specializations.)
Specializations
Fencing Weapons
Light, One-handed weapons, usually with hilted blades and optimized for parrying. If you parry with a fencing weapon, committing to a follow-up attack ignores the (-1) modifier.
Skills in this category default to one another at -3. Additionaly, they default to the relevant swordskills as noted below.
Main Gauche
Difficulty: Dex - Average
Defaults: Jitte/Sai-4, Knife-4
Also known as a parry-dagger.
Any weapon normally wielded with the Knife or Jitte/Sai skills. It's wielded in the offhand for parrying.
Rapier
Difficulty: Dex - Average
Defaults: Broadsword-4
Any light long thrusting sword.
Saber
Difficulty: Dex - Average
Defaults: Broadsword-4, Shortsword-4
Any light sword for cutting and thrusting. Note that cavalry sabers are quite heavy and use the Broadsword skill intead.
Smallsword
Difficulty: Dex - Average
Defaults: Shortsword-4
Any short, light thrusting sword or one-handed short staff (Such as sticks used in martial arts).
Flails
Any flexible, unbalanced weapon with the mass concentrated in the head. Flails are incapable of parrying if you've attacked, as the flail-head tends to wrap around a target's shield or weapon.
Attempts at blocking flails is at -2, and attempts at parrying them are at -4.
Fencing weapons and knives are incapable of parrying flails. Unarmed fighting styles may parry flails at -4 in addition to any additional penalties.
Skills in this category default to one another at -3.
Flail
Difficulty: Dex - Hard
Defaults: Axe/Mace-4
Any one-handed flail, such as a morningstar or nunchaku
Two-Handed Flail
Difficulty: Dex - Hard
Defaults: Kusari-4, Two-handed Axe/Mace-4
Any two-handed flail.
Impact Weaponry
An impact weapon is any rigid, unbalanced weapon with the majority of the mass concentrated in the head.
These weapons cannot parry if your last action taken was to attack.
Skills in this category default to one another at -3
Axe/Mace
Difficulty: Dex - Average
Defaults: Flail-4
Any one-handed impact weapon of short to medium length. Such as axes, hatchets, clubs, or picks.
Two-Handed Axe/Mace
Difficulty: Dex - Average
Defaults: Polearm-4, Two-Handed Flail-4
Any two-handed impact weapon of long length. Such as baseball bats, battleaxes, mauls, warhammers, etc.
Pole Weapons
Pole weapons are long shafts, often adorned with striking heads. All pole weapons are considered as two-handed.
Polearm
Difficulty: Dex - Average
Defaults: Spear-4, Staff-4, Two-Handed Axe/Mace-4
Any unbalanced pole weapon of a very long length with a heavy striking head. These include Glaives, Halberds, Poleaxes, etc.
Spear
Difficulty: Dex - Average
Defaults: Polearm-4, Staff-2
Any balanced pole weapon of long length with a thrusting point. This includes spears, javelins, tridents, etc. (This includes bayonets)
Staff
Difficulty: Dex - Average
Defaults: Polearm-4, Spear-2
Any balanced pole with no striking head of long length. Staves get a +2 to Parrying.
Swords
Rigid, hilted blades with a thrusting point, cutting edge, or both.
Broadsword
Difficulty: Dex - Average
Defaults: Energy Sword-4, Rapier-4, Saber-4, Shortsword-2, Two-Handed Sword-4
Any balanced, one handed, 2-4 foot blade. Broadswords, Cavalry Sabers, Scimitars, etc.
This skill also covers and stick or club of similar size and balance. As well as Bastard swords, Katanas, and Longswords when wielded one-handed.
Energy Sword
Difficulty: Dex - Average
Defaults: Any sword skill at -3
Any sword where the blade is made of energy rather than regular matter. This refers to weapons that project energy from a powered hilt. Be it via technology, magic, etc.
Jitte/Sai
Difficulty: Dex - Average
Defaults: Energy Sword-4, Main-Gauche-4, Shortsword-3
Any tined, one-handed sword that's designed to catch rigid weapons. Jitte/Sai weapons are designed for disarming and give a +2 bonus when attempting to disarm an opponent.
Jitte/Sai skill offers an alternative to the Parry action, in which you may choose to disarm rather than take a follow-up attack.
Knife
Difficulty: Dex - Easy
Defaults: Energy Sword-3
Any rigid, hilted blade of short length. From pocketknives to bowie knives.
Knives get a -1 penalty to parrying due to their small surface for parrying.
Shortsword
Difficulty: Dex - Average
Defaults: Broadsword-4, Energy Sword-4, Jitte/Sai-3, Knife-4, Saber-4, Smallsword-4, Tonfa-3
Any balanced one handed weapon that is 1-2 feet in length. This includes the shortsword and any club of comparable size and balance. (E.G. Police batons.)
Two-Handed Sword
Difficulty: Dex - Average
Defaults: Broadsword-4, Energy Sword-4
Any balanced two-handed blacde that is over 4 feet in length. Greatswords, Zweihanders, Claymores, etc.
This skill also covers quarterstaffs wielded like swords. As well as bastard swords, katanas, and longswords when used as a two-handed weapon.
Whips
Whips are flexible weapons that are made from a length of chain, leather, wire, etc. Whips can be up to seven yards long, though any whip longer than two yards cannot strike within one the distance of one yard or closer.
Whips usually cost additional action points to use and cannot parry. But they are great for winding around targets and disarming or entangling weapons.
Skills in this category default to one another at -3
Energy Whip
Difficulty: Dex - Average
Defaults: None
Any whip made of energy instead of matter. The energy is usually projected from a powered hilt, but magical or psionic variants are an option as well. Most energy whips can lash targets but not ensnare.
Kusari
Difficulty: Dex - Hard
Defaults: Two-Handed Flail-4
A weighted chain that is wielded with both hands.
Monowire Whip
Difficulty: Dex - Hard
Defaults: None
A whip made of a weighted length of monomolecular wire attached to a handle.
Whip
Difficulty: Dex - Average
Defaults: None
Any ordinary whip.
Other Weapons
Some hand weapons are too difficult to classify.
Tonfa
Difficulty: Dex - Average
Defaults: Shortsword-3
A baton with a brotruding handle on one side. It can function as a baton, but you may also grasp it by the handle and hold it against the forearm in close combat. The grip lets you jab and parry close-combat attacks. Parry roll is (Skill/2)+3 rounded down.
You can roll the skill to change grips on the fly, on a success- it costs no action points. On a fail, you must spend an action point to change grips. Failing by 10 or more causes you to drop your weapon.
Modifiers
None