D&D 5E (2014) Asian Monk Weapon Equivalents

[ColinChapman]

It sounds like you may be referring to the Japanese tetsubo (which will use Maul rules). The Chan Zhang (Monk's cudgel) is this:

 

[ColinChapman]

I'll be designing new weapons in THIS THREAD.

 

[transtemporal]

It sounds like you may be referring to the Japanese tetsubo (which will use Maul rules). The Chan Zhang (Monk's cudgel) is this:
View attachment 64391

Ah, thats right the tetsubo! That one is pretty sweet too though...

 

[Andor]

Here's an example of one of the new Martial Weapons not really covered by equivalencies:

Meteor Hammer 5 gp 1d6 bludgeoning or piercing 4 lb. Finesse, reach, two-handed
The meteor hammer (liu xing chui) is a length of slender chain around 3-4 yards in length, weighted at one or both ends with a metal sphere the size of a large egg. The flying weight (shuang tao fei chui) is similar but has a conical metal bludgeoning head instead. Almost identical is the rope dart (sen biao) except that it replaces the bludgeoning heads with a heavy metal dart instead, causing it to do piercing rather than bludgeoning damage. It cannot be used with the Great Weapon Fighter style.

I think if you're going to make it finnese and reach I'd simply call it a whip that does bludgeoning damage.

 

[ColinChapman]

I feel it does more damage than a whip (as well as doing different damage and weighing and costing more).

 

[ColinChapman]

And now the Martial Weapons. Note, I included the Mancatcher, Military Flail, and Repeating Crossbow of my own creation in there. If you don't like 'em, just remove those entries when you cut and paste.

Martial Melee Weapons
Flail
- / Chijiriki

Glaive
Chan (Monk’s Spade), Kwan Dao (General Kwan’s Halberd), Pu Dao, San Jian Liang Ren Dao (Three-Point Double-Blade Sword), Ying Tao Dao (Eagle Head Sword), Zhan Ma Dao (Horse Chopping Sword) / Nagamaki, Naginata, Tsuki Nari Yari

Greataxe
Yue (Long Stick Axe) / Ono

Greatsword
Bagua Dao (Eight Symbol Broadsword), Shuang Shou Jian (Two-Handed Straight Sword) / Nodachi

Halberd
Ji (Double Halberd) / Bishamon Yari

Longsword
Bagua Jian (Eight Symbol Straight Sword), Da Dao (Big Sword), Jiu Gou Dao (Nine Hook Broadsword), Jiu Huan Dao (Nine Ring Broadsword) / Katana

Mancatcher
- / Sasumata

Maul
Lan Ya Ban (Wolf Teeth Club)* / Otsuchi, Tetsubo
Notes: The Lan Ya Ban does piercing damage, not bludgeoning

Military Flail
Shao Zi Gun (Lashing Staff) / -

Pike
Chang Qiang / Nagae Yari

Rapier
Jian (Straight Sword)*, Jian Ci (Straight Sword Piercer) / -
Notes: The normal Jian does slashing damage, not piercing

Scimitar
Dao (Broadsword), Hu Gou (Tiger Hook), Jiu Zi Gou (Nine Teeth Hook), Yan Zi Dao (Swallow Tail Broadsword) / -

Trident
Hu Cha (Tiger Fork), Lan Ya Dang (Wolf Teeth Spiked Trident) / Jumonji Yari

Martial Ranged Weapons
Blowgun
Chuiguan / Fukiya

Crossbow, Repeating
Chu Ko Nu / -

Longbow
Da Shao Gong (Big Siyah Bow) / Daikyu

 

[ColinChapman]

And here's the Mancatcher (based on the Kuo-Toa Pincer Staff in the MM), Military Flail, and Repeating Crossbow:

Martial Melee Weapons
Man Catcher 20 gp 1d6 piercing 6 lb. Heavy, reach, special, two-handed
On a successful attack, a Medium or smaller creature is grappled (escape DC 14). Until this grapple ends, the wielder can't use the mancatcher on another target.

Military Flail 20 gp 1d10 bludgeoning or piercing 6 lb. Heavy, reach, two-handed
A modified version of the long, heavy agricultural flail, the military flail’s striking head is reinforced with either heavy studs (bludgeoning damage) or spikes (piercing damage). A given military flail only does one type of damage, not both.

Martial Ranged Weapons
Crossbow, repeating 150 gp 1d8 piercing 7 lb. Ammunition (range 60/240), special, two-handed
The repeating crossbow houses 10 bolts in a top-mounted hopper and so does not need loading between shots until the hopper is empty. It takes one action to load each bolt into the hopper.

 

[ColinChapman]

Added the Flail entry to the Martial Weapons above, thanks to the chijiriki. Also folded the Hook Swords into the Scimitar section following a lot of digging (the original hook swords were sharp, apparently) and modified the name of the Monk's Spade in the Simple Weapons.

Have created first draft entries for Whip Chains, Fighting Fans (the sharpened, folding gunsen and tie shan), and Tekagi-Shuko (ninja climbing claws) in the other thread. Along with the Meteor Hammer posted before, those weapons cover most of the few Chinese and Japanese weapons I feel don't really fit with other equivalents.

Would folks be interested in a pdf of the final Equivalents and New Weapons document when it's finished shortly?

 

[ColinChapman]

Okay, made the final change, revising the name of the Dai Tsuchi (apparently a term made up for L5R) to the more accurate Otsuchi. And with that, the Asian Weapon Equivalencies are finished. Over 100 weapon equivalencies and only a handful of new weapons needed to really round things out.

May do Asian Armour Equivalencies next, or possibly a list of equivalencies for other medieval and Renaissance European weapons, e.g. accounting for weapons such as the Estoc being a Longsword that does piercing rather than slashing damage, categorizing the various polearms, arming swords, daggers, weapons like the cinquedea and katzbalger (shortswords), greatswords such as the claymore and zweihander, and so on.

 

[Gargoyle]

Would folks be interested in a pdf of the final Equivalents and New Weapons document when it's finished shortly?

I would. Thanks for the work, that's a good list.