by Donald D. Miller
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Dragon 127 | - | - | - | Dragon |
Table 1
Weapon Categories by Length, Weight, and User's Race
| - | Dwarf | Elf | Gnome | Half-Elf | Hobbit | Half-orc | Human |
| Secondary | 1'4"
5 1/2 lbs. |
1'8"
3 1/2 lbs. |
1'2"
2 1/2 lbs. |
1'9""
4 lbs. |
1'
2 lbs. |
1'9"
5 lbs. |
2'
5 lbs. |
| Primary | 2'6"
8 1/4 lbs. |
3'2"
5 1/4 lbs. |
2'2"
4 lbs. |
3'6"
6 1/4 lbs. |
2'
3 lbs. |
3'6"
7 1/2 lbs. |
3'9"
7 1/2 lbs. |
| One-handed | 2'6"
11 lbs. |
3'2"
7 lbs. |
2'2"
5 lbs. |
3'6"
8 1/2 lbs. |
2'
4 lbs. |
3'6"
10 lbs. |
3'9"
10 lbs. |
| Two-handed | 4'
27 1/2 lbs. |
5'
17 1/4 lbs. |
3'6"
12 1/2 lbs. |
5'6"
20 1/2 lbs. |
3'
10 lbs. |
5'6"
24 1/2 lbs. |
6'
25 lbs. |
| Pole arms | 8'
16 1/2 lbs. |
10'
10 1/2 lbs. |
7'
7 1/2 lbs. |
11'
12 1/2 lbs. |
6'
6 lbs. |
11'
15 lbs. |
12'
15 lbs. |
"I ready my crossbow, draw my sword,
raise my shield, and with my free hand . . ."
This statement, though not likely to
occur in an AD&D® game unless
someone
is running a Type V demon as a
player
character, illustrates some basic questions
about the game rules. A character has, at
most, two hands free with which to use
weapons -- but which weapons should he
use with two hands? Or, if he chooses to
use two weapons, which ones can he use?
A halfling trying to use a 3' long sword
with one hand would be like a human
trying to swing a two-handed sword with
one hand.
Several categories of weapons are hereby defined. A primary
weapon is one used
one-handed in the user's favored hand; a
secondary weapon is used one-handed in
the hand not favored by the user, at the
same time the user has a primary weapon.
Primary weapons may be used in either
hand, though if used in the hand not
favored, the weapon has a penalty to hit
targets of - 2. One-handed weapons are
used only in one's favored hand and not
with a secondary weapon. Two-handed
weapons can only be used with both
hands at once. Pole arms
are two-handed
weapons mounted on a haft, and are well
described in Unearthed Arcana. Thus, all
secondary weapons can be primary weapons, all primary weapons can be
one-handed weapons, and any one-handed
weapon can be used with two hands
(though it produces no bonus to do so,
except in the case of the bastard sword).
The reverse of each of the above statements, however, is not necessarily
true.
The way in which a weapon may be
used depends mainly on its length and
weight. (Who's going to lift a 200-lb. hammer?) The balance and mobility
of a weapon, reflected in its speed factor, also affect
its use. Due to the difficulty involved in
using a weapon in one's "off hand," secondary weapons are necessarily
small and
light, and have speed factors of no more
than four. Primary and one-handed weapons usually have a length between
onethird and two-thirds the user?s height,
with primary weapons being the lighter of
these weapons, having speed factors of six
or less. Larger and excessively heavy
weapons require two hands to be wielded
effectively. Weapons longer than the character is tall should be considered
as pole
arms, and their length should not exceed
twice the user's height. (No, I haven't forgotten about pikes.)
Since humans are the dominant species
in the AD&D game (my apologies to
all
dwarves and elves reading this article), the
way demi-humans use weapons is based
on human usage. A little time in the nearest library can give an interested
individual an idea of how a certain weapon was
normally used, and this information may
be extrapolated with ease.
The DMG provides a list of the average
strengths of each of the demi-human races
(page 15), so the weight a demi-human
is
able to lift can be stated as a percentage of
the weight a human can lift. After deciding appropriate length and
weight limits
for humans in each of the weapon categories, each of the demi-human
races is
allotted their percentage of the acceptable
human weight. Usable weapon lengths are
calculated in a similar manner, using the
ratio between the average heights of
humans and other races.
Since elves and half-elves are generally
smaller and lighter than humans, their
weaponry is limited to smaller and lighter
weapons. With the elvish bonuses for
using bows, long swords, and short
swords, elves are not greatly handicapped
by these limitations. Dwarves and half-orcs may lose the use of some
weapons
due to length, but they are not penalized
in respect to weapon weights. Due to their
muscular stature, dwarves are able to use
heavier weapons than normal humans
can. Gnomes and halflings, being the
smallest of the demi-human races, are
limited to using the smallest and lightest
weapons. A bonus to the weight allowed
for gnomes and halflings has been given to
put them on more competitive terms with
the other races.
Characters who are notably larger or
stronger than average may be given a
bonus in the weapons they are able to use.
A 5'-tall dwarf should be able to use the
weapon restrictions for either dwarves or
elves (whichever is better). Table 1 shows
the maximum allowable lengths and
weights of weapons that a character of
one of the various races could use in each
of the weapon categories. Remember that
1 lb. equals 10 gp weight, and refer to
pages 26-27 in Unearthed
Arcana.
Certain weapons require a little special
consideration. Spear-type weapons (javelins, lances, pikes, etc.),
due to their easier
balance and ample handle space, should
be considered as being half their actual
length. Flexible weapons (flails, whips,
etc.) should not be allowed for use with
another weapon because of their difficulty
to control. Since the bastard sword was
designed to be used with either one or two
hands, its user should be given a bonus in
its use with two hands; the actual bonus is
left to the DM's discretion. Remember that
swords should not be used as pole arms.
All of the weapons in Unearthed Arcana
are listed in Table 2, along with how they
may be used by a demi-human, semihuman, or human character. The weapons
are listed as primary (P), secondary (S), onehanded (1), or two-handed
(2). Pole arms
are listed as two-handed weapons for easier
reference. Please remember that the listings in Table 2 are minimum
figures, and
that a weapon listed as being secondary
could always be used as a primary, one-, or
two-handed weapon. Consequently, the
next time a dwarf swings his battle axe, he
had better use both hands. Depending
upon the campaign, the classification for
some weapons may vary (e.g., some half-orcs might use two-handed swords,
some
halflings might use hand axes one-handed
or spiked bucklers as secondary weapons,
some elves might use halberds, etc.). Nonetheless, a careful look at
weapon sizes and
weights is encouraged.
[A variation on the use of two weapons
at once appeared in DRAGON® issue #68,
page 7 (“Be a two-fisted fighter”),
reprinted
in the Best of DRAGON Magazine Anthology vol. 4, page 45. Variant
height and
weight tables for humans and demihumans appeared in DRAGON issue
#91,
page 10 (“Realistic vital statistics”).]
Table 2
Required Numbers of Hands for Weapons
| Weapon Type | Dwarf | Elf | Gnome | Half-Elf | Halfling | Half-Orc | Human |
| Aklys | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Atlatl and javelin | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | - | 1 | 1 |
| Axe, battle | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | 2 | 2 |
| Axe, hand | P | P | 1 | P | 2 | S | S |
| Bardiche | 2 | 2 | - | 2 | - | 2 | 2 |
| Bec de corbin | 2 | 2 | - | 2 | - | 2 | 2 |
| Bill-guisarme | 2 | - | - | - | - | 2 | 2 |
| Blowgun | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Bo stick | - | 2 | - | 2 | - | 2 | 2 |
| Bow, composite, long | - | 2 | - | 2 | - | 2 | 2 |
| Bow, composite, short | 2 | 2 | - | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Bow, long | - | 2 | - | 2 | - | 2 | 2 |
| Bow, short | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Caltrop | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Club | 2 | P | 2 | P | 2 | P | P |
| Crossbow, hand | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Crossbow, heavy | 2 | - | - | 2 | - | 2 | 2 |
| Crossbow, light | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | 2 | 2 |
| Dagger | S | S | P | S | P | S | S |
| Dart | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Fauchard | 2 | 2 | - | 2 | - | 2 | 2 |
| Fauchard-fork | 2 | 2 | - | 2 | - | 2 | 2 |
| Flail, footman's | 2 | 2 | - | 2 | - | 2 | 2 |
| Fork, military | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | 2 | 2 |
| Garrot | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Glaive | 2 | 2 | - | 2 | - | 2 | 2 |
| Glaive-guisarme | 2 | 2 | - | 2 | - | 2 | 2 |
| Guisarme | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | 2 | 2 |
| Guisarme-voulge | 2 | - | - | - | - | 2 | 2 |
| Halberd | <-> | - | - | 2 | - | 2 | 2 |
| Hammer | P | P | 1 | P | 2 | S | S |
| Hammer, lucern | 2 | 2 | - | 2 | - | 2 | 2 |
| Harpoon | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Hook fauchard | 2 | 2 | - | 2 | - | 2 | 2 |
| Javelin | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Jo stick | 2 | P | 2 | P | 2 | P | P |
| Knife | S | S | S | S | S | S | S |
| Lance, heavy | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | 2 |
| Lance, light | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Lance, medium | 2 | 2 | - | 2 | - | 2 | 2 |
| Lasso | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Mace, footman's | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Mace, horseman's | P | P | 1 | P | 2 | S | S |
| Man catcher | 2 | 2 | - | 2 | - | 2 | 2 |
| Morning star<1> | 2 | 2 | <-> | 2 | - | 2 | 2 |
| Pick, footman's, military | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Pick, horseman's, military | P | P | P | P | 1 | P | P |
| Pike | - | 2 | - | 2 | - | 2 | 2 |
| Ranseur | 2 | 2 | - | 2 | - | 2 | 2 |
| Sap | S | S | S | S | S | S | S |
| Scimitar | 2 | P | 2 | P | 2 | P | P |
| Sling | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Spear | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Spetum | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | 2 | 2 |
| Spiked Buckler | S | S | S | S | - | S | S |
| Staff, quarter | <-> | - | - | - | - | 2 | 2 |
| Staff sling | - | 2 | - | 2 | - | 2 | 2 |
| Sword, bastard | - | 2 | - | 2 | <-> | 2 | 1 |
| Sword, broad | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | P | P |
| Sword, falchion | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | P | P |
| Sword, khopesh | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | 1 | 1 |
| Sword, long | 2 | 2 | 2 | P | - | P | P |
| Sword, short | P | P | P | P | 1 | P | S |
| Sword, two-handed | <-> | - | - | - | - | - | 2 |
| Trident | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Voulge | 2 | - | - | 2 | - | 2 | 2 |
| Whip | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
<1> According to the MM, gobs can use morning stars.
<Thanks to Steven Hill for noting a mistake on the table, and his thoughtful
post regading this article!>