By Tim Hartin

I've revamped and changed the old Weapons Table as previously found in the Pulp Heroes mini-game. I've broken it down by Weapon Proficiency and expanded both the Melee and the Firearms sections. The stats for the various guns are only generalizations and are not meant to represent accurate representations of the actual weapons. I went for the more abstract route for ease of play. For those who want more details for their firearms, both the d20 Modern or d20 Call of Cthulhu games are recommended. All information on this page is Open Game Content.

A NOTE ABOUT FIREARMS:
Rate of Fire: Some ranged weapons have a rate of fire of 1, which simply means they can be employed once per round and then must be reloaded or replaced. Firearms, which operate through many different forms of internal mechanisms, have varying rates of fire. The three possible rates of fire for pistols, rifles, and 'big guns' are single shot, semiautomatic, and automatic.
Single Shot: A weapon with the single shot rate of fire requires the user to manually operate the action (the mechanism that feeds and cocks the weapons) between each shot. Pump shotguns and bolt-action rifles are examples of firearms with single shot rates of fire. A weapon with the single shot rate of fire can fire only one shot per attack, even if the user has a feat or other abilities that normally allow more than one shot per attack.
Semiautomatic: Most firearms have the semiautomatic rate of fire. These firearms feed and cock themselves with each shot. A semiautomatic weapon fires one shot per attack (effectively acting as a single shot weapon), but some feats allow characters armed with semiautomatic weapons to fire shots in rapid successions, getting in more than one shot per attack.
Automatic: Automatic weapons fire a burst or stream of shots with a single squeeze of the trigger. Only weapons with the automatic rate of fire can be set on autofire or be used with feats that take advantage of automatic fire.
Reloading Firearms: Reloading a firearm with an already filled box magazine or speed loader is a move action. Refilling a box magazine or a speed loader, or reloading a revolver without a speed loader or any weapon with an internal magazine, is a full-round action. Loading a belt of linked ammunition is a full-round action. Linking two belts together is a move action.

African Throwing Irons: Strangely shaped throwing knives from Central Africa. The knives have many extremely sharp projections which were balanced for throwing. You can use it in melee, but not very well. Since it is not designed for melee, all characters are treated as being not proficient with it and suffer a -4 on their melee attack rolls.

Axe/Woodaxe: Primitive axes will have stone or iron heads attached to a wooden handle. A more modern version will have a tempered steel head attached, via a socket, to a wooden handle.

Boomerang: Wooden throwing sticks used by many aboringinal cultures. These boomerangs were incapable of returning to the thrower when thrown.

Halfspear: The halfspear is small enough for a Small character to use it.

Handaxe/Hatchet: This light axe is a chopping tool that deals slashing damage when employed as a weapon.

Javelin: A light flexible spear intended for throwing. You can use it in melee, but not very well. Since it is not designed for melee, all characters are treated as being not proficient with it and suffer a -4 on their melee attack rolls.

Knife, Stone: A small stone with one side chipped away to form an extremely sharp edge. These primitive knives were used for slashing.

Longbow: A character needs at least two hands to use a bow, regardless of the size of the bow. This bow is too big to use while mounted.

Longspear: A longspear has reach of 10 feet. The weapon cannot be used against an adjacent foe.

Quarterstaff: A quarterstaff is a double weapon. A creature using a double weapon in one hand, such as a Large creature using a quarterstaff, can't use it as a double weapon.

Shortbow: A character must use two hands to use a bow, regardless of the size of the bow. A character who is Medium-size or larger can use this bow while mounted.

Shortspear: Because a shortspear is not as long as a longspear, it can be thrown.

Sling: The sling hurls lead bullets. It's not as easy to use as the crossbow nor as powerful as a bow, but it's cheap, and easy to improvise from common materials. A character can hurl ordinary stones with a sling, but stones are not as dense or as round as bullets, so they deal only 1d3 points of damage and suffer a -1 penalty on attack rolls.

Trident: This three-tined piercing weapon can be thrown just as a halfspear or shortspear can be, but its range increment is shorter because it's not as aerodynamic as those other weapons.

Baseball Bat/Cricket Bat: Sports equipment that can easily be used as effective clubs.

Bayonet: The statistics given describe a bayonet fixed at the end of a longarm with an appropriate mount. With the bayonet fixed, the longarm becomes a double weapon-clublike at one end and spearlike at the other. A character can fight with it as if fighting with two weapons, but if the character does so, he or she incurs all the normal attack penalties associated with fighting with two weapons, as if using a one-handed weapon and a light weapon. If the bayonet is not fixed, treat as a Combat Knife.

Brass Knuckles: These pieces of molded metal fit over the outside of a character's fingers and allow him or her to deal wound damage on a successful Critical, instead of just vitality damage. A strike with brass knuckles is otherwise considered an unarmed attack.

Crossbow, Heavy: A heavy crossbow requires two hands to use effectively, regardless of the user's size. Loading a heavy crossbow is a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity.
      A Medium-size or larger character can shoot, but not load, a heavy crossbow with one hand at a -4 penalty. A Medium-size or larger character can shoot a heavy crossbow with each hand at a -6 penalty, plus the usual -4 penalty for the off-hand attack (-6 primary hand/-10 off hand). The Two-Weapon Fighting feat does not reduce these penalties because it represents skill with melee weapons, not ranged weapons. The Ambidexterity feat lets someone avoid the -4 off-hand penalty (-6 primary hand/-6 off hand).

Crossbow, Light: A light crossbow requires two hands to use, regardless of the user's size. Loading a light crossbow is a move-equivalent action that provokes attacks of opportunity.
      A Small or larger character can shoot, but not load, a light crossbow with one hand at a -4 penalty. A Small or larger character can shoot a light crossbow with each hand as noted for heavy crossbows, above.

Crowbar/Tire Iron: Everyday tools that can be used as useful metal clubs.

Dynamite: Perhaps one of the most common and straightforward explosives, dynamite is very stable under normal conditions. A stick of dynamite requires a fuse or detonator to set it off. Additional sticks can be set off at the same time if they are within the burst radius (listed in parentheses under Range) of the first stick, increasing the damage and burst radius of the explosion. Each additional stick increases the damage by +1d6 (maximum 10d6) and the burst radius by 5 feet (maximum 20 feet).
      It's possible to wire together several sticks of dynamite for even greater explosive effect. Doing so requires a Craft (explosives) check (DC 10 + 1 per stick). If the character succeeds on the check, the damage or the burst radius of the explosion increases by 50% (the character's choice). To set off dynamite using a fuse, the fuse must first be lit, requiring a move action (and a lighter or other source of flame). The amount of time until the dynamite explodes depends on the length of the fuse-a fuse can be cut short enough for the dynamite to detonate in the same round (allowing it to be used much like a grenade), or long enough to take several minutes to detonate. Cutting the fuse to the appropriate length requires a move action.

Knife, Butcher: Extremely sharp kitchen knives can be snatched up for use as weapons in homes and restaurants. A character can select the Weapon Finesse feat to apply his or her Dexterity modifier instead of Strength modifier to attack rolls with a knife.

Knife, Combat: This category of weapon includes military knives, butterfly or "balisong" knives, switchblades, and bayonets (when not attached to rifles). A character can select the Weapon Finesse feat to apply his or her Dexterity modifier instead of Strength modifier to attack rolls with a knife.

Knife, Hunting: A character can select the Weapon Finesse feat to apply his or her Dexterity modifier instead of Strength modifier to attack rolls with a knife.

Knife, Steak: This knife is small and has a serrated edge for cutting. A character can select the Weapon Finesse feat to apply his or her Dexterity modifier instead of Strength modifier to attack rolls with a knife.

Mace: A heavy metal club.

Machete: This long-bladed tool looks much like a short, lightweight sword.

Molotov Cocktail: A Molotov cocktail is a flask containing a flammable liquid, plugged with a rag. A Molotov cocktail is easily made by hand (Craft [explosives] check DC 10 or Intelligence check DC 15). To use it, the rag must first be lit, requiring a move action (and a lighter or other source of flame). The cocktail detonates in 2 rounds or on impact with a solid object, whichever comes first. A target that takes a direct hit is dealt an additional 1d6 points of fire damage in the following round and risks catching on fire. All targets within 5 feet of the impact take 1d3 splash damage.

Nightstick/Billy Club: Wooden nightsticks sometimes carried by police forces.

Pistol Butt: Using a pistol as a melee weapon can deal greater damage than attacking unarmed. No cost or weight is given for this weapon, since both vary depending on the pistol used.

Rifle Butt: The butt of a rifle can be used as an impromptu club. No cost or weight is given for this weapon, since both vary depending on the rifle used.

Sap: This weapon, essentially a smaller version of a club, deals nonlethal (vitality) damage instead of lethal (wounds) damage. On a successful critical hit, the sap deals double vitality damage.

Butterfly Sword: A shortsword with a broad blade.

Cavalry Sword: A shortsword with a broad blade.

Kama: A kama is a wooden shaft with a scythe blade extending at a right angle out from the shaft. Kama are traditional weapons in various styles of karate.

Katana: The katana is the traditional Japanese samurai sword. When used with the Exotic Melee Weapon Proficiency feat, it can be used with one hand. For a wielder without the feat, the katana must be used with two hands, and the standard -4 nonproficiency penalty applies.

Knife, Throwing: Especially balanced knives crafted for throwing. Since it is not designed for melee, all characters are treated as being not proficient with it and suffer a -4 on their melee attack rolls.

Longsword: This classic, straight blade is the weapon of knighthood and valor.

Naginata: A long spear-like weapon once favored by the Samurai. It can strike at foes 10 feet away, but you can't use it against adjacent targets.

Nunchaku: A popular martial arts weapon, the nunchaku is made of two wooden shafts connected by a short length of rope or chain.

Rapier: The rapier is a lightweight sword with a thin blade. A character can select the Weapon Finesse feat to apply his or her Dexterity modifier instead of Strength modifier to attack rolls with a rapier.

Sai/Jitte: Blunted forked daggers designed for catching and disarming opponents' weapons. The two prongs on the Sai give you a +4 bonus on the opposed attack roll to disarm your opponent. The Jitte has only one prong and as such, grants only a +2 bonus to disarm.

Shuriken: Up to three shuriken can be thrown per attack (all at the same target). Do not apply the Strength modifier to damage with shuriken. They are too small to carry the extra force that a strong character can usually impart to a thrown weapon.

Sword Cane: This is a lightweight, concealed sword that hides its blade in the shaft of a walking stick or umbrella. Because of this special construction, a sword cane is always considered to be concealed; it is noticed only with a Spot check (DC 18). (The walking stick or umbrella is not concealed, only the blade within.)

Tonfa: This is the melee weapon carried by most police forces, used to subdue and restrain criminals. A character can deal nonlethal damage (i.e. cannot cause a critical hit) with a tonfa without taking the usual -4 penalty. Otherwise, the Tonfa has a x2 Critical Modifier when dealing lethal damage.

Whip: The whip deals nonlethal (vitality) damage only. On a successful critical hit, the whip deals double vitality damage. It deals no damage to any creature with even a +1 damage reduction bonus or at least a +3 natural armor bonus. Although the whip is kept in hand, treat it as a projectile weapon with a maximum range of 15 feet and no range penalties.
      Because the whip can wrap around an enemy's leg or other limb, trip attacks can be made with it. If a character is tripped during the trip attempt, the whip can be dropped to avoid being tripped.
      When using a whip, add a +2 bonus on the opposed attack roll when attempting to disarm an opponent (including the roll to keep from being disarmed if the character fails to disarm the opponent).

A Note about Pistols:
      A pistol is a personal firearm that can be used one-handed without penalty. All pistols require the Weapon Proficiency (Pistols) feat. Using a handgun without this feat imposes a -4 penalty on attack rolls. Pistols can be broken down into two smaller groups: autoloaders and revolvers.
      Autoloaders (sometimes called "automatics") feature removable box magazines, and some models hold quite a lot of ammunition. They work by using the energy of a shot fired to throw back a slide, eject the shot's shell casing, and scoop the next round into the chamber. They are more complex than revolvers, but nevertheless have become increasingly popular in the modern age.
      Revolvers are relatively simple firearms that store several rounds (usually six) in a revolving cylinder. As the trigger is pulled, the cylinder revolves to bring the next bullet in line with the barrel.

A Note about Rifles:
      Rifles are firearms that require two hands to be fired without penalty. This group includes hunting and sniping rifles, assault rifles, shotguns, and most submachine guns. Most rifles are autoloaders, and they function internally in a manner very similar to autoloader pistols. Some models are operated manually, however, with the user having to work a bolt or lever between each shot. Rifles are not well suited to close combat. A character takes a -4 penalty on the attack roll when firing at an adjacent target.
      Shotguns are large-bore weapons that primarily fire shells full of small projectiles. They tend to be powerful, but only at short range. Reduce shotgun damage by 1 point for every range increment of the attack.
      Submachine guns are relatively compact longarms that generally fire pistol ammunition. They can fire on automatic.

A Note about the "Big Guns":
      The "Big Guns" require two hands to be fired without penalty. This group includes assault rifles and machine guns. These weapons are designed for military use and feature automatic as well as semiautomatic fire. They are not well suited to close combat. A character takes a -4 penalty on the attack roll when firing at an adjacent target.