The World of Athas

 
 

Weapons which are made without metal, or can be made with alternative materials without losing their effectiveness, are sold at 1% of the cost listed in the Player's Handbook, just like any other equipment. Such weapons include: bows, clubs, crossbows, darts, javelins, lances, nets, nunchakus, quarterstaffs, saps, slings, spears, and whips.


All other weapons in the Player's Handbook are normally made of metal and cost the full price listed in the Player's Handbook. These weapons can be made from alternative materials, such as obsidian, wood, or bone, but suffer a -2 penalty to hit and damage (as per the DMG page 162). All weapons still have a minimum damage of 1. Such weapons are also easier to break in combat (PHB page 137). Treat them as having hardness and hit points that are half normal, rounded down but not less than 1.


There are also weapons unique to the world of Athas. These weapons were designed to be made without metal and as such suffer no penalties for being non-metal.

 

Weapons

Descriptions


Alhulak: This weapon consists of a 5-foot length of rope with a 4-bladed bone grappling hook on one end and a 2-foot long handle on the other end. With an alhulak, you get a +2 bonus on your opposed attack roll when attempting to disarm an enemy (including the roll to avoid being disarmed if you fail to disarm your enemy). You can also use this weapon to make trip attacks. If you are tripped during your own trip attempt, you can drop the alhulak to avoid being tripped.


Bard's Friend: Popularized by the bards of Balic, this weapon sports several obsidian blades and wooden prongs fastened to a wooden handle. The spikes jut out from between the fingers of the wielder providing an excellent grip. Attempts to disarm someone using this weapon are at a -2 penalty.










Cahulak: A Cahulak is a double alhulak. This weapon consists of a 12-foot length of rope with a 4-bladed bone grappling hook on each end. It can be employed in melee or as a thrown weapon. When used in melee, it can be used as if fighting with 2 weapons, suffering the penalties associated with attacking with a light weapon (PHB page 124). Those not wishing to suffer the penaties use it as one large weapon. It can also be used as a garrot, adding 4 to grapple damage and making all grapple damage normal instead of subdual. When thrown, it acts as a bola, tripping any character hit by it. A target hit must make a grapple check opposing the role that hit it or be grappled.







Carrikal: By lashing a mekillot bone to the jawbone of any sharp-toothed creature, a kind of battle axe is created. Sharp ridges of teeth run down half the length of the bone handle, and the hinges of the jaw are sharpened to a keen edge. This gives the weapon 2 deadly axe heads oriented in the same direction. A leather thong connected to the bottom of the bone shaft ensures it remains with the wielder.



Chatkcha: This thri-kreen throwing weapon is common among the steppes tribes. It's a crystal wedge that, due to it's spin and effect upon the air, returns to to the thrower if it misses the target. To catch it, the character must make an attack roll against AC 10. Failure indicates the weapon falls to the ground 10 feet in a random direction from the thrower. A non-proficieant user who fails the attempt to catch the returning catkcha suffers 1d4 damage from the weapon's sharp edges. Catching a returning chatkcha is a reaction and does not require the character to use up an attack for the catch.


Crusher: A spiked stone (or rarely, metal) ball at the end of a 15 foot long flexible pole makes up this unique melee weapon. A crusher has 10 reach but you cannot be used against an adjacent foe. The user plants the end of the pole in the ground, then whips the weighted end back and forth until it nearly strikes the ground in frint and behind. This weapon is difficult to use in individual combat, but is quite formidable in troop combat. You need a 15-foot ceiling to use the weapon, but it can reach over cover.


Dagger, obsidian: The dagger is one of the few weapons that can be crafted from non-metal materials without suffering too much. It is crafted from a single foot-long shard of obsidian and fastened to a handle of wood or bone.




Datchi Club: This specialized arena weapon can inflict horrible wounds. It has 10 foot reach but cannot be used against an adjacent foe. A 4 to 5-foot-long head made out of either dried insect hive or dried roots is attached to a 3-foot-long wood or bone handle. Teath, claws, and obsidian shards are embedded into the head, which is then swung with lightning-quick strokes.










Dragon's Paw: This weapon, made popular in the arenas of Tyr and Urik, has 2 blades. one attached to each end of a 5 to 6-foot-long wood shaft. The blades can be fashioned from any suitable material. A centrally located curved bar or basket protects the wielder's hand and features a protruding blade that juts perpendicularly to the shaft.


A dragon's paw is a double weapon. You may fight as if fighting with 2 weapons (PHB page 124). The bar or basket grants a +2 bonus on all attempts to defend against being disarmed.







Forearm Axe: Worn on the forearm like a buckler, this weapon consist of a large, double-bladed axe on either side of the bracer with a spike protruding perpendicularly from the upper sheath.








Gouge: The shoulder-strapped gouge was developed by the army of Nibenay for use by its infantry. A wide bone, obsidian, or chiton blade is mounted on a 3-foot-long wood shaft. The weapon requires a 2-handed grip; a small handle bar that protrudes from the shaft, just behind the blade, and a grip at the rear end of the shaft.












Gythka: A gythka is a double weapon. This thri-kreen polearm has wicked blades at either end. (I only have this picture of a single bladed gythka.)






Impaler: An impaler is a weapon designed for arena combat. It has a single shaft about 4 feet long with a pair of long pointed blades mounted to the end to form a deadly "T". The impaler can be swung horizontally or vertically with great force.













Lotulis: Crescent blades with barbed spikes near the points and mounted at either end of a long shaft make this a particularly nasty double weapon.





Master's Whip: Used by task masters and arena guards, the masters whip has a bone or ivory handle inlaid with decorative elements apppropriate to the rank of the wielder. The whip is usually constructed from braided giant hair or leather, and has barbs of chitin or bone braided into the end of the whip. Unlike normal whips, the master’s whip deals damage normally. In all other respects, it is treated as a normal whip.










Puchik: A punching dagger.











Quabone: Four jawbones are fastened around a central rod at right angles to one another. Designed for use in the arenas, the quabone inflicts wounds that look more impressive than they really are, opening many small cuts that bleed freely – for a brief time.










Singing Sticks: Singing sticks are a carefully crafted and polished pair of clubs. They draw their name from the characteristic whistling sound they make when used. A character proficient with singing sticks may use a pair of singing sticks as if he had the Ambidexterity and Two Weapon Fighting feats. The off-hand singing stick is considered to be a light weapon (See Attacking with Two Weapons, PHB page 124). In the hands of a non-proficient character, singing sticks are nothing more than clubs.





Tortoise Blade: The tortoise blade is essentially a foot-long dagger mounted to a buckler, which grants the wielder a +1 bonus to Armor Class. You may attack with a tortoise blade and still retain the +1 bonus to your Armor Class.









Trikal: This small polearm is a 6 foot long, mostly wood shaft. The uppermost 12 inches consist of 3 blades projecting from the central shaft. Beneath the plades is a series of very sharp serrations. The other end of the of the shaft is weighted to increase the momentum of the weapon.










Weighted Pike: This weapon combines the effectiveness of a pike with the impact damage of a mace. The 8 foot long shaft has a blade of bone or fang at one end and a weighted, spiked ball at the other, usually made of baked ceramic. A weighted pike is a double weapon.












Widow's Knife: Named for a similar looking harvesting tool used in the verdant belts, this weapon has a wide blade on one end of a handle made of wood or ivory. Hidden within the handle are 2 spring loaded prongs. On a successful hit, you may trigger the prongs by releasing a latch on the handle. The prongs do an additional 1d3 points of damage when sprung, and take a standard action to reload. The widow's knife can also be thrown as a missile weapon.





Wrist Razor: Wrist razors consist of a trio of blades that protrude from a heavy arm band. The razors protrude out over the back of the hand, are extremely sharp, and can be up to 6 inches long. Wrist razors can be worn on one or both arms. Wrist razors are hard to disarm, granting you a +2 bonus when defending against a disarm attempt.