The AD&D® game volume UA contains two sets of rules for
improving the combat abilities of certain
character classes: weapon specialization
for fighters and rangers, and weapons of
choice for cavaliers and paladins. By employing
the rules for weapon specialization
and double specialization, any fighter or
ranger character can now have a personal
say in determining just how good he is
with the weapon in which he specializes.
A character?s choice, rather than the luck
of the dice, now has an important impact
upon his combat skills. In much the same
way, a cavalier or paladin can now determine
a major degree of his skill in three
different weapons of choice.
While reflecting upon the merits of
these two systems, it occurred to me that
a similar system might be useful for the
cleric class. Such a system would help
illustrate the different combat capabilities
of the clerics of the various cults and
religions, and even those following different
gods within the same pantheon. In
turn, this might add more diversity to
clerics in combat who, restricted to only a
few blunt weapons, tend to look and perform
much alike in battle.

The first question was which of the two
systems would be used for clerics. After
some thought on the subject, a straightforward
system of weapon specialization was
ruled out because, with the demands upon
their time for prayer and meditation,
clerics have far fewer opportunities than
fighters to practice their weapon skills.
This meant that a system using weapons
of choice would have to be used. Arriving
at this conclusion brought up another
problem, producing a rationale to explain
why clerics have weapons of choice. Why
would certain clerics possess superior
combat skills than other clerics?
Several explanations could be presented
in response to this question, and many
factors -- race, mythos, geography, politics,
and even personal preference ? play
a part in these answers. Demi-human and
half-orc clerics are more likely to pay
greater attention to combat skills than
most human clerics because of their intense
racial hatreds and constant warfare
with humanoids (for demi-humans) and
demi-humans (for half-orcs). It would also
be logical to assume that clerics of those
deities who have province over war or
battle would be more likely to place some
additional emphasis on combat skills than
clerics of other deities. Clerics belonging
to temples located in wilderness regions,
or in areas threatened by war or civil
disorder, might also spend more time
practicing combat skills, for reasons of
self-preservation and the protection of
their temples, than clerics in settled,
peaceful lands. Finally, some clerics may
make the choice for themselves to improve
their combat skills. Friar Tuck is an excellent
example of such a cleric.

Once the basic rationale for the system
had been justified, two more questions
arose. What would determine the weapon
of choice for each cleric? And which
weapons could be chosen as a weapon
choice? If clerics were to be restricted to
the eight basic clerical weapons, there
wouldn?t be a lot of choice in the system.
On the other hand, allowing clerics to use
edged or pointed weapons would violate
one of the basic tenets of the game. Was
this to be allowed? Fortunately, the answer
to the first question also provided the
answer to the second one.
A cleric?s weapon of choice is determined
by the weapon(s) that cleric?s deity
uses in combat. Nothing could be more
natural than for a cleric to emulate his or
her god (the cleric?s ultimate role model) in
combat. Also, it is the divine favor of the
cleric?s god which grants him the superior
combat ability with his weapon of choice,
no matter what weapon that might be.
Gary Gygax himself has set several precedents
for this, by easing the restrictions
against clerics using edged or pointed
weapons in his series of articles on the
gods of Greyhawk (DRAGON® Magazine
issues 67-71). Two examples of this change
in attitude are the clerics of Trithereon
and Nerull. The 4th-level clerics of Trithereon
may wield spears, and those of 8th
level may use broad swords; the clerics of
Nerull are allowed to use a sickle in combat
at 1st level and the hook-fauchard at
5th level. What was produced for this
article was a simple, universal system for
permitting some clerics to use edged or
pointed weapons.
It could be argued that the gods of Greyhawk
are an exception, and that most of
the gods of the multiverse would not
permit their clerics to break what might
be considered one of the basic laws of
nature by allowing their clerics to use
edged or pointed weapons. Being gods,
they are above these ?laws? ? Athena, for
instance, may use a spear in combat and
still demand that her clerics use only blunt
weapons. This is a powerful argument
and, if you agree with it, you needn?t read
any further. However, if you feel that it is
equally possible for the immortal gods to
bend these laws for the benefit of their

faithful servants, then read on.
Basically, there are two reasons why a
deity would allow clerics to use edged or
pointed weapons. Many deities derive
their power, in some incomprehensible
manner, from their worshipers. Anything
that increases the power of these worshipers
also increases the power of the
worshiped deities, and allowing clerics to
use edged or pointed weapons makes
them more powerful. Also, most gods have
a vanity in proportion to their immense
powers and abilities. Even the goddess
Athena, the most lawful-good deity in the
Greek pantheon, once turned a lady
named Arachne into a spider for daring to
boast that she could weave as well as the
goddess. It appeals to these gods? vanity
when their clerics attempt to emulate
them in combat. Employing the same
weapon in battle that one?s deity uses is
flattery of the highest order (as long as
one doesn?t get carried away and begin to
compare their prowess to that of the deity),
and all the gods love to be flattered.
The weapon of choice of any cleric, and
the benefits derived from employing that
weapon in combat, depend upon the deity
the cleric worships. Unlike cavaliers and
paladins, clerics may know only one
weapon of choice; if the deity in question
uses more than one weapon, the DM may
either allow any players with cleric characters
to select their weapon of choice, or
he may restrict them to a weapon of
choice of his choosing. For example, the
American Indian war spirit Tobadzistsini
employs a short bow and spear for his
weapons; a DM could allow clerics of
Tobadzistsini to select either weapon as
their weapon of choice, or he could restrict
them to either the short bow or the
spear.

Unlike fighters, rangers, cavaliers, and
paladins, clerics do not gain any initial
benefits from their weapons of choice.
Instead, the cleric must sacrifice and then
prove himself worthy to receive the benefit
of a weapon of choice. In order for a
cleric to select a weapon of choice, he
must sacrifice one weapon proficiency
slot; that is, the cleric may choose only one
weapon to count for the character?s initial
allotment of two proficient weapons. This
one weapon must still be a standard clerical
weapon ? a club, flail, hammer, lasso,
mace, sap, staff, or staff sling ? even if the
cleric selects an edged or pointed weapon
as his weapon of choice. Once the cleric
has made this sacrifice, he must then
prove his worthiness to use the weapon of
choice by attaining the 5th level of experience,
at which time the cleric receives the

weapon of choice in place of a third
weapon of proficiency.

If the weapon of choice is a standard
clerical weapon, the cleric receives a +1
bonus ?to hit? when using that weapon in
combat. This bonus does not apply to
damage, nor does it allow the cleric to hit
a creature that can only be hit by magical
weapons. If the weapon of choice is an
edged or pointed weapon, then the cleric
merely earns the right to use that weapon
with no nonproficiency penalty.

Further sacrifice and proof of worthiness
increases the benefits of a weapon of
choice at each level that the cleric can
learn a new weapon. If a cleric sacrifices
his next weapon proficiency slot at 9th
level, he gains a +2 ?to hit? bonus with a
standard clerical weapon of choice, or +1
?to hit? bonus with an edged or pointed
weapon of choice. At 13th level, these
bonuses rise to +3 and +2, respectively,
and this progression continues at higher
levels. Such progression must be continuous;
a cleric of Anu could not select a staff
as his initial weapon and the mace as his
weapon of choice, become +1 ?to hit?
with the mace at 5th level, select the flail
as a third weapon of proficiency at 9th
level, then become +2 ?to hit? with the
mace at 13th level, instead of learning a
fourth weapon of proficiency.

The following is a list of all the deities
presented in all the mythologies worshipped
by humans, demi-humans, and
half-orcs, from Legends & Lore and Unearthed
Arcana, and the weapons they
employ in combat. In those cases where
little hard information was given as to the
exact weapon type a deity uses, the decision
was based upon the description of
that deity and the historical weapons used
by the worshipers of that deity. A few
weapons were arbitrarily selected to add a
bit of variety to some of the pantheons.
Where a deity uses a weapon not covered
in the AD&D game, the closest equivalent
weapon was listed, with the actual weapon
following in parenthesis.
A deity that does not employ a weapon
that could be used by a mortal in combat,
such as Ishtar?s blue crystal rod or Surya?s
shaft of light, has no weapon of choice,
and its listing is followed by NA (not applicable).
Clerics of such deities may never
have a weapon of choice. While this may
seem unfair to players with such clerical
characters, there is nothing that can be
done about it, as even the immortal gods
can bend the rules only so far.

This use of weapons of choice is nothing
more than another special ability possessed
by certain clerics. It is not so far
removed from the directional bonus for
spellcasting received by all Central American
clerics, or the special powers against
snakes possessed by clerics of Bast, or the
rapport with hellhounds that the clerics of
Hecate have, and so forth. The ability to
have a weapon of choice is just another
way in which the clerics of different deities
and different pantheons are shown to
be exactly that: different.

American Indian mythos
Raven ? NA
Coyote ? NA
Hastseltsi ? hand axe, throwing knife
Hastsezint ? short bow, hand axe, lance
Heng ? short bow, lance
Hotoru ? NA
Shakak ? spear
Snake-man ? NA
Tobadzistsini ? short bow, spear
Babylonian mythos
Anu ? mace
Anshar ? NA
Druaga ? mace
Girru ? mace, battle axe
Ishtar ? NA
Marduk ? NA
Nergal ? NA
Ramman ? hammer (mallet)

Celtic mythos
Dagda ? club
Arawn ? club
Brigit ? staff
Diancecht ? spear
Dunatis ? NA
Goibhnie ? spear
Lugh ? NA
Manannan Mac Lir ? trident, broad
sword
Morrigan ? spear
Nuada ? long sword
Oghma ? NA
Silvanus ? hammer (mallet)
Central American mythos
Quetzalcoatl ? NA
Camaxtli ? NA
Camazotz ? NA
Chalchiuhtlicue ? NA
Huhueteotl ? NA
Huitzilopochtli ? battle axe
Itzamna ? staff
Mictlantecuhtli ? NA
Tezcatlipoca ? NA
Tlaloc ? NA
Tlazolteotl ? NA
Xochipilli ? hand axe
Chinese mythos
Shang-Ti ? NA
Chao Kung Ming ? spear
Chih-Chiang Fyu-Ya ? composite short
bow, broad sword
Chih Sung-Tzu ? mace
Chung Kuel ? broad sword
Fei Lien & Feng Po ? broad sword
Huan-Ti ? halberd, broad sword
Kuan Yin ? NA
Lei Kung ? hammer
Lu Yueh ? NA
No Cha ? spear
Shang Hai Ching ? NA
Tou Mu? composite short bow, spear,
broad sword
Wen Chung ? broad sword
Yen-Wang-Yeh ? broad sword
Dwarven mythos
Moradin ? hammer
Clangeddin Silverbeard ? battle axe
Vergadain ? short sword
Dumathoin ? hammer (mattock)
Abbathor ? dagger
Berronar ? mace

Egyptian mythos
Ra ? NA
Anhur ? lance
Anubis ? NA
Apshai ? NA
Bast ? NA
Bes ? khopesh sword
Geb ? staff
Horus ? khopesh sword, lance
Isis ? NA
Nephthys ? NA
Osiris ? mace (scepter)
Ptah ? mace (scepter)
Seker ? halberd, mace

Set ? spear
Shu ? staff
Tefnut ? NA
Thoth ? NA

Elven mythos
Corellon Larethian ? short bow, long
sword
Rillifane Rallathil ? NA
Lolth ? hand-held crossbow
Skerrit ? short bow, spear
Aerdrie Faenya ? NA
Erevan Ilesere ? long sword
Solonor Thelandira ? long bow
Hanali Celanil ? NA
Labelas Enoreth ? NA

Finnish mythos
Ahto ? falchion sword (sickle)
Hiisi ? club
Ilmatar ? NA
Kiputytto ? NA
Mielikki ? NA
Loviatar ? dagger
Surma ? club
Tuonetar ? NA
Tuoni ? club
Ukko ? broad sword
Untamo ? club

Gnomish mythos
Garl Glittergold ? battle axe
Baervan Wildwanderer ? spear
Urdlen ? NA
Segojan Earthcaller ? NA
Flandal Stoneskin ? hammer

Greek mythos
Zeus ? spear
Aphrodite ? NA
Apollo ? composite short bow
Ares ? spear, long sword
Artemis ? composite short bow, dagger
Athena ? spear
Demeter ? spear
Dionysus ? staff (thrysus)
Hades ? long sword
Hecate ? NA
Hephaestus ? hammer
Hera ? NA
Heracles ? composite short bow, club
Hermes ? NA
Kronos ? falchion sword (sickle)
Nike ? NA
Pan ? NA
Poseidon ? trident
Prometheus ? NA
Tyche ? NA
Halfling mythos
Yondalla ? NA
Sheela Peryroyl ? staff (shillelagh)
Arvoreen ? short sword
Cyrrollalee ? NA
Brandobaris ? dagger

Indian mythos
Indra ? long bow, broad sword
Agni ? battle axe
Kali ? broad sword
Karttikeya ? broad sword
Lakshmi ? NA
Rudra ? long bow
Surya ? NA
Ushas ? NA
Varuna ? spear
Vishnu ? mace
Yama ? mace, garrot (noose)

Japanese mythos
Amaterasu Omikami ? NA
Ama-Tsu-Mara ? battle axe
Daikoku ? hammer (mallet
Ebisu ? staff
Hachiman ? two-handed sword, throwing
knife
Kishijoten ? NA
Oh-Kuni-Nushi ? two-handed sword
Raiden ? morning star (spiked mace)
Susanowo ? long sword
Tsukiyomi ? pike
Nehwon mythos
Death ? long sword
Gods of Lankhmar ? NA
Gods of Trouble ? NA
Hate ? NA
Issek of the Jug ? NA
Kos ? broad sword, hand axe
Nehwon Earth God ? NA
Rat God ? NA
Red God ? scimitar (saber), dagger (dirk)
Spider God ? NA
Tyaa ? long sword
Votishal ? NA

Norse mythos
Odin ? spear, composite short bow
Aegir ? club
Balder ? two-handed sword
Bragi ? broad sword
Forseti ? broad sword
Frey ? two-handed sword
Freya ? long sword
Frigga ? NA
Heimdall ? broad sword
He1 ? bastard sword
Idun ? NA
Loki ? NA
Magni ? hammer
Modi ? broad sword
Sif ? long sword
Thor ? hammer
Tyr ? broad sword
Uller ? composite long bow, twohanded
sword
Vidar ? NA

Orcish mythos
Gruumsh ? spear
Bahgtru ? NA
Shargaas ? NA
Ilneval ? NA
Yurtrus ? NA
Luthic ? NA

Sumerian mythos
Enlil ? battle axe
Enki ? mace
Inanna ? hand axe
Ki ? NA
Nanna-Sin ? battle axe
Nin-Hursag ? NA
Utu ? NA