Choose Your Weapon (d20)
This content is compatible with the Fifth Edition of the world's best known d20-based fantasy roleplaying game.
A warrior's most trusty companion is their weapon! Is yours letting you down?
There are plenty of weapons to choose in the 5e game¸ but far fewer that most players want to choose. Some aren't attractive because of their low damage¸ especially if you're playing a martial class. Others suffer by being outclassed by another similar weapon. Choose Your Weapon presents an alternative approach which is designed to even the playing field¸ enhancing the appeal of previously neglected weapons. You can even use the system to create entirely new weapons¸ either drawing inspiration from antiquity or your favourite media¸ or perhaps plucking an idea straight from your own imagination.
Heroic Damage DiceEach character is assigned a heroic damage die¸ initially determined by their first class choice and potentially growing as they multiclass. The more martially oriented your character¸ the higher your heroic damage die. It becomes the baseline for damage your character deals with any weapon in their hands.
Weapon PropertiesEvery weapon the character wields is represented by a selection of properties. There's a trade off for particularly useful properties¸ which each reduce your damage with the weapon. Similarly¸ properties that represent drawbacks can increase your damage to compensate. The end result is some weapons still deal more damage than others¸ but the lower damage weapons are always more useful tactically.
Your character's damage with any weapon they wield is their heroic damage die adjusted by the weapon's properties¸ so a warrior will always deal more damage than a wizard would with the same weapon.
Wield any WeaponSince Choose Your Weapon makes all weapons equal¸ the concept of simple and martial weapon proficiencies becomes redundant. As a consequence¸ any character from any class can wield any weapon (they'll just do more or less damage depending on their heroic weapon die - being able to wield a weapon isn't the same as being able to wield it well). Want to be a wizard with a scimitar? Got you covered! A rogue with a greataxe? Sure thing! A cleric with a glaive? Nothing's stopping you! You can even use the rules to make up a new weapon for your character¸ perhaps even an unusual and iconic item: how about a Knowledge Cleric with an iron-bound tome¸ or a Storm Herald Barbarian who wields an anchor?
Additional Rules
Also included are clarifications about how specific class and archetype features interact with these new rules. Guidance is provided for a Monk's martial arts¸ a Warlock's pact of the blade¸ and others.
Furthermore¸ advice is offered to Guides who want to incorporate these rules into the custom statblocks they create¸ recommending a set of heroic damage dice to creatures based on their intended role in any encounter.
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