# Melee Weapons
# One-handed Weapons and Shields
Generally, knights use one-handed weapons together with a shield. Occasionally a combatant will forgo the shield and use their left hand to grab their opponent. Note that without a shield a combatant may always opt to wield a one-handed weapon with two hands, but does not gain +2D6 Damage as with weapons designed to be used with a two-handed grip. However, the Gamemaster may rule that characters do not drop one-handed swords on a Fumble result if they wield them with two hands.
Each melee Weapon Skill encompasses a suite of related (though sometimes disparate) weapon types. Characters fight with equal aptitude wielding any weapon from the same Skill. For example, a character may enter combat with a battle axe, then switch to a mace midway through the combat; both use the Hafted Skill. However, if they then picked up a sword, they would proceed with the Sword Skill while wielding that weapon.
Melee weapons in this section are described according to several broad criteria.
Weapon: The common name for the weapon and a brief description.
Weapon Skill: The Weapon Skill governing the use of the weapon: Charge, Sword, Spear, Hafted, Two-Handed Hafted, or Brawling.
Mounted/Unmounted: Designates if the weapon may be used on foot, while mounted, or both.
Damage: Some weapons use the character’s Damage Statistic; others use their Brawling Damage. The bonus Damage the weapon deals (if any) and the trigger required (if any) are noted here as well.
Advantage: Some weapons are more effective against other weapons or types of armor, or otherwise provide some sort of combat advantage.
Disadvantage: Likewise, some weapons are less effective in combat against other weapon types or otherwise limit the character in some way.
Melee weapons are listed in the Melee Weapons Table.
# Melee Weapons Table
| Weapon | Weapon Skill | Mounted/Unmounted | Damage | Advantage | Disadvantage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arming Sword | Sword | Both | Character’s Damage | Parry +3; breaks hafted weapons on a tie | None |
| Battle Axe | Hafted | Both | Character’s Damage | Reduces opponent’s Shield Protection by –1D6 | Broken by a sword on a tie |
| Club | Two-Handed Hafted | Unmounted | Brawling +2D6 | None | No shield; broken by a sword on a tie |
| Cudgel | Hafted | Both | Brawling +1D6 | None | Broken by a sword on a tie |
| Francisca | Hafted | Unmounted | Brawling +2D6 | None | Contact or Close Quarters only; broken by a sword on a tie |
| Great Axe | Two-Handed Hafted | Unmounted | Character’s Damage + 2D6 | Reduces opponent’s Shield Protection by –1D6 | No shield; broken by a sword on a tie |
| Great Mace | Two-Handed Hafted | Unmounted | Character’s +2D6 Damage | Damage +3D6 vs. mail armor | No shield; broken by a sword on a tie |
| Javelin | Spear | Both | Brawling +1D6 | None | Broken by a sword on a tie |
| Lance | Charge | Mounted | Horse’s Charge Damage | Long weapon | Broken on a tie, fumble, or partial success |
| Lance, Jousting | Charge | Mounted | Horse’s Charge Damage | Long weapon | Blunted tip causes rebated damage; breaks on a successful odd-numbered Skill roll |
| Mace | Hafted | Both | Character’s Damage | Damage +1D6 vs. mail armor | Broken by a sword on a tie |
| Maul | Two-Handed Hafted | Unmounted | Character’s Damage +2D6 | None | No shield; broken by a sword on a tie |
| Quarterstaff | Two-Handed Hafted, Spear, or Sword | Unmounted | Brawling (Spear); Brawling +1D6 (Sword); Brawling +2D6 (Two-Handed Hafted) | Parry + 2 (Sword) or +4 (Two-Handed Hafted) | No shield when used with Sword or Two-Handed Hafted; broken on a fumble or by a sword on a tie |
| Spear | Spear | Both | Character Damage | Long weapon; Damage +2D6 if used two-handed | No shield when used two-handed; broken by a sword on a tie |
# Charge
This Weapon Skill only applies whenever the knight is mounted and moving at sufficient speed to execute the Mounted Charge action. The value of this Skill supersedes the relevant Weapon Skill value of whatever weapon is wielded during the Charge.
The Charge Skill may never be used for bare-handed attacks or with weapons that normally use the Brawling Skill or cause Brawling damage.
Charging with a Long weapon against an opponent without a Long weapon grants a +5 bonus to the Skill.
Although many weapons may be used to execute a Mounted Charge action, jousting weapons are designed for this specific purpose. Lances are specifically described here to distinguish them from other spears, because they are never used except as a Mounted Charge action.
# Jousting Lance
Jousting lances are made of inferior wood and thus break more easily than those made for use in deadly combat: the lance breaks if an odd number, and a success, is rolled for the Charge Skill.
# Lance
Designed for use in combat, the lance is made of a sturdy wood such as ash or beech and thus breaks less frequently than the jousting lance, only shattering on a Charge result of a tie, partial success, or fumble. All rules concerning spears in mounted combat apply also to lances.
# Sword
# Parry Protection
Swords and some two-handed weapons offer some measure of Armor Protection when wielded without a shield. This is noted in the weapon description as “Parry + x”, with the value for x ranging from 2 to 4.
This Parry Protection value functions exactly the same as with a shield: a Partial Success triggers the bonus to Armor Protection. The character cannot apply both Shield Protection and Parry Protection against the same attack.
Characters may wield a secondary weapon in the off-hand instead of a shield. This secondary weapon grants +2 Parry Protection points, or +1 if the character is wielding a sword in their main hand, in addition to any Parry Protection offered by the main weapon. The secondary weapon may not be used offensively.
The Sword Skill covers any long-bladed weapon, wielded either with one or two hands. Possessing neither notable strengths nor weaknesses, swords are the most generally effective weapon type in combat and a symbol of knighthood.
# Arming Sword
The arming sword is the archetypal sword; it is also called a “war sword,” or just “sword.” It is the knightly weapon par excellence. It is a tempered length of steel averaging around 30 inches long, sharpened on two edges to slash forwards and backwards. It has a crossguard, and a one-handed grip with a pommel. It is used to cut, hack, and thrust.
# Spear
Applies to all long-hafted stabbing weapons intended for use in close combat, wielded with one or two hands in melee. Spears are quite versatile, but also more fragile than swords—all spears break on a fumble, or on a tied result against a sword-wielding opponent. Javelins and spears balanced for throwing may be used for ranged attacks as well, using the Thrown Weapon Skill (below).
# Javelin
A javelin is a short spear, between three and five feet long, that is normally thrown but may also be used in melee combat.
# Hafted
Used whenever a knight wields most hafted weapons (axes, maces, hammers) with one hand. Hafted weapons provide a variety of different advantages depending on their specific type. As with other non-sword weapons, they break on a tied roll against a sword-wielding opponent, and on a fumble as well.
# Battle Axe
A battle axe is a one-handed, single-bladed weapon, about two to three feet in length, larger and heavier than a woodsman’s hatchet. It is used for chopping, and has a bonus to damage when facing opponents armed with shields to reflect its ability to smash through such protection.
# Cudgel
A one-handed club is called a cudgel.
# Francisca
The francisca is a small one-handed axe used exclusively by the Saxons and the Franks as a missile weapon or, in an emergency, as an inferior chopping melee weapon.
# Mace
A mace is a three-foot-long, one-handed, iron-headed club used to bludgeon, and often has narrowed flanges around the head. The crushing damage caused by the mace is particularly effective against opponents wearing mail armor. A spiked mace may be called a morning star.
# Quarterstaff
This peasant weapon is a long sturdy staff balanced for combat with many versatile applications. Squires often use quarterstaves for weapon practice, as it can simulate a two-handed weapon, a sword wielded with two hands, or a spear wielded with a shield. The amount of damage it deals depends on which Skill is used to wield it (see Melee Weapons Table for details).
# Two-Handed Hafted
This Weapon Skill applies to all hafted weapon types that are normally wielded with two hands: two-handed axes, hammers, and maces, as well as polearms. As with their smaller cousins, the advantages between different two-handed hafted weapon types differ, but in addition to their chance of breaking on a fumble or tie, the knight with a two-handed hafted weapon may not use a shield for defense.
# Club
A large two-handed wooden weapon used to bash. This can be any large chunk of wood, whether a tree branch or a table leg. It is up to seven feet long.
# Great Axe
A great axe is a two-handed weapon used for delivering mighty chops. It cannot be used with a shield. It may be single- or double-edged, and measures about five feet in length.
# Great Mace
A great mace is a big ugly iron club about five feet long with flanges on its head, requiring a two-handed grip.
# Maul
A maul is a two-handed weapon that looks much like a modern sledgehammer, but with a wooden head. It is most commonly used by peasants and is about five feet long.