Encyclopedia of Weaponry

[JoeGKushner]

Encyclopedia of Weaponry
Edited by Christoffer Trossen
Published by Fast Forward Entertainment
128 b & w pages
$19.99
4 Stars

The Encyclopedia of Weaponry is a book of weapons based on historical use. It’s a nice idea, one we’ve seen used by Palladium books for years and the wait for an actual d20 product is finally over.

The book starts off with the introduction of gunpowder weapons and some skills and feats to take advantage of ‘em. It’s a nice touch, but if you’ve already got a long running campaign, it’s just some nice icing on the cake that the rest of the book presents. Most GMs shouldn’t have too hard a time integrating this material either as variant rules or to help supplement their own house rules if they’re not using any official material.

After that, it’s right into the weapons, based on alphabetical order. Each weapon starts with name, appearance, historical origin, races likely to use it, magic version, history of magic version, and game stats.

Now the appearance is nice because outside of the illustration, always to the left of the description, it’s good to read about the variants with the weapon. This covers what materials went into making it, as well as common types that were in use. The fantasy races is a nice touch as it provides the GM a brief idea of how these items might wind up in their own fantasy campaigns.

The mix provides a nice range of what you’d expect like ballista,catapult, claymore, heavy spiked flail, lurerne hammer, and other standards, some of which have seen print before in one version or another in books like Bastion Press’ Arms & Armor. Then there are some more unique weapons like the Manople, a gauntlet sword, the pistol shield, tooth spear, talwar, and throwing knife. A nice mix all and all and one that’s sure to add some flavor to any campaign that they’re in.

For me, I’ll be adding some of the more exotic weapons to finally have some miniatures that have some stats to their weapons now.

The nice thing about the book is that appendix I, Tables, collects all the information into a couple of pages, broken down by weapon type (simple, martial, melee), and size with game stats listed out for easy reference.

The problem, for me at least, starts with the magic versions. We have a nice touch of very high powered weapons and some medium powered ones but that’s not the problem. The problem, for me at least, is in many cases, half the page is taken up with a single magic item. Nice if I was looking for a book of fantastic and unique magic items, but terrible if I’m looking for a comprehensive listing of weapons. Can’t speak for others, but I personally would’ve wanted either more historical information or more ideas on how to incorporate these weapons into the different races. Sure, it’s nice to know that a berdiche is used by elves most, but why? Do I really need a half a page of information for Evelyn’s Keep, a berdiche of charming that gives the user five feats and a host of other abilities? No… I might need some information on how a unit of elven guards that were laughed at for not following their brothers in the use of blade song saved the royal family once and from that one deed encouraged all noble units to wield this type of weapon. Or I could just bust out my Warhammer High Elves armies and go, “There, that’s why!”

Some of the values also seem off. While it’s nice to read the extended history of Foe Crusher, a +3 two handed hammer, I don’t see why it’s over 80K market value. Perhaps a column for real value and perceived value is needed here? I would’ve also liked to see something that provides the Caster’s Cost in experience points and gold pieces.

Less of a problem is the descriptions. Take the two-handed executioner’s sword. The description isn’t detailing an executioner’s sword, it’s providing information on a greatsword or old style two-handed sword and an executioner’s sword. Well and good but what’s the game difference?

In addition, there are some questionable attributes given to some of the weapons. For example, why is the two-handed executioner’s sword a double weapon? Is it a two handed weapon or a double weapon? The Charkram has a critical range of 17-20 and does x4 damage? I know that a certain television show made it popular but the title of the specific weapon, Gabrielle’s Revenge, a +3 Vorpal Charkram of Death with enough powers to choke a horse, should be enough of a tribute without making a standard version too powerful. Even when I agree with some of the material, like the haladie, a double-headed knife, being a double weapon, what rules govern it? It’s a one handed weapon with two-heads so is it really a double weapon? Could a person using two of these get two extra attacks?

Despite some questionable rules, there is much here to enjoy. The large amount of gunpowder weapons, siege weapons and the combination types makes the book an enjoyable read. The writing is a little unclear at times, but it’s a good book to have on the shelf if you have the extra money.

 

[Messageboard Golem]

Drawn from the pages of history, this book contains all kinds of weapons and armor used throughout the ages. From glaives to flintlocks, you'll find it listed here!

 

[Psion]

Encyclopedia of Weaponry

The Encyclopedia of Weaponry is a sourcebook that details a variety of weapons for the d20 System, as well as providing a magical example of each and background information behind it.

A First Look

The Encyclopedia of Weaponry is a 128 page perfect-bound softcover book priced at $19.99.

The cover of the book uses the same grainy red background that most FFE books use. The cover picture is an image of drawing of many of the weapons in the book scattered across a desktop along with a few weapons. One of the most visible weapons on the cover - a katar - does not actually appear in the book, which leads me to wonder if the katar was cut from the book when the authors realized that the katar is in the core rules (as the punching dagger.)

The interior art is black and white. The interior illustrations are by Dave Zenz. The pictures are all basic illustrations of the weapons, presented in a block that appears as if it were penned on a scrap of parchment.

The interior text is reasonably dense, with a conservative font size and line spacing.

A Deeper Look

The bulk of this book is weapon descriptions. Each weapon has a page devoted to it. Each weapon has a basic description, historical information, and game statistics, as well as a single magical version of the weapon and a snippet of background/story text about the magic weapon, much in the same vein as Fast Forward's Items of Power series of books. The background of the magic item is the largest section of the page.

There are 110 different weapons in all. Most of the weapons are primitive melee and missile weapons of the sort that might be wielded by typical fantasy RPG characters, but there are also siege weapons like arbalests and catapults and gunpowder weapons like pistol shields, breach loaders, and even cannons.

In most cases the statistics seem reasonable. In a few cases, they are confusing. For example, the haladie, a double-ended dagger, has a split damage statistic, but no explanation of what it is supposed to mean.

The magic weapons are also reasonable and interesting. Unlike the items of power series, these aren't artifact level items and all are fairly well designed using d20 System terminology. That said, most are pretty powerful, generally limiting them to high level characters.

In addition to the weapons, the book presents a short section of alternate rules, including combat rules for gunpowder weapons, a new skill and several new feats dealing with siege weapons and gunpowder weapons. The rules are straightforward and sensible; my only nitpick is that I would have made artillerist a profession skill to prevent compatibility problems.

Conclusion

The Encyclopedia of Weaponry does present a number of interesting and unique weapons for use in the campaign, and the d20 statistics are generally solid, as are the additional rules and feats.

Many of the weapons are of the sort that could arguably be represented as core weapon of some sort, like jambiya and claymore, are arguably variants of core weapons - daggers and greatswords respectively. Further, many of the weapons provide minor benefits over existing weapons that would otherwise require an exotic weapon proficiency under the core rules. DMs who are sensitive to the power of basic weapons in the campaign may want to consider excluding some of the weapons, modifying their statistics, or requiring the exotic weapon proficiency.

-Alan D. Kohler

 

[jeffh]

"In most cases the statistics seem reasonable. In a few cases, they are confusing. For example, the haladie, a double-ended dagger, has a split damage statistic, but no explanation of what it is supposed to mean."

Hmm, double-ended weapon, split damage stat... couldn't popssibly mean it's a double weapon, could it? Honestly, that just seems like reasonable use of the standard rules to me.

 

[Psion]

That might be a reasonable leap, but the weapon is a small 1-handed weapon... so I don't think it's safe to assume that it should be treated as a double weapon.

 

[Grompi]

Tanks again Psion. What do ye think about yer counterpart's point on d20 Weekly (Robson, or some such, was the lad's name) that the magic item history was too much space?

 

[Psion]

Well, I'm not a big fan of "flavor" text. Occasionally background text is useful. This product has a much smaller proportion than the Items of Power books, but I also found the flavor text that much less interesting. So yeah, I guess I fundamentally agree.

 

[Messageboard Golem]

By Steven Creech, Exec. Chairman d20 Magazine Rack

Sizing Up the Target
The Encyclopedia of Weaponry is a 128-page perfect bound book dedicated to presenting over 100 historic weapons with d20 statistics. It was written by a fairly large team of authors that includes such names as B.D. Flory (of the Spycraft/Shadowforce Archer books) and James M. Ward. William W. Conners provided the cover art while Dave Zenz was responsible for the interior art. Published by Fast Forward Entertainment, it carries a retail price of $19.99.

First Blood
Each weapon entry is divided into five distinct sections. The first section is an overview of the actual historical weapon, covering its design, how it is used and so forth. The second section is the non-fiction historical origin of the weapon. The third section lists the fantasy races most likely to use it. The fourth section is a fictional account of a magical version of that weapon complete with all relevant d20 statistics. The final section is a table listing all relevant game information about the weapon.

Three new weapon categories are introduced: cannon, gunpowder and siege engines. These were created out of necessity because of the nature of several weapons in the book that do not fit the existing categories. One new skill and five new feats relevant to the new weapon categories are also presented.

Since current rules do not cover issues such as artillery and gunpowder, new combat rules on attacking with artillery are included. The rules primarily cover sighting (or aiming) artillery, but they also address “drift” issues associated with primitive artillery such as cannons.

When it comes to the weapons themselves, they are alphabetically listed starting with adaga, a parrying weapon sometimes used in place of a shield that has Arabian origins. From there the selection and diversity is amazing. Many weapons will be recognizable while others will be brand new (unless you are a history major). The final entry is a whip pistol, developed in China but seen mostly in India as late as the 1890’s.

The appendix wraps up everything into convenient tables for quick reference. The weapons table is broken down into simple, martial, exotic (both melee and ranged), gunpowder, and siege weapons.

Critical Hits
The diversity of weapons is staggering and should provide new options for both players and GMs. The section on the magical weapon provides a rich and flavorful history, giving it a unique feel that is missing from a lot of magical items today. For example, the hunga munga, a weapon that originated in Africa, is called “Blood Hungry” rather than a +3 Hung Munga of Wounding.

Critical Misses
The are some weapons that also may double as a type of shield, yet there is no statistic bonus for armor class assigned to it. It is logical that most would offer a +1 bonus to AC, but this is something that was left out. Some of the weapons are, argulably, variations of existing core weapons (such as the clymore and two-handed hammer), but this is a minor argument.

The flavor text regarding the magical version of the weapon, while a nice touch, tends to go overboard in that it often consumes nearly the entire page. I would have rather seen more focus on the first two sections, especially historical origins. Another minor issue with the magical weapons id the “artifact” level of power that is exhibited in many of the entries. Henri’s Bayonet of Suffering is a good example where “on a successful strike, the weapon may slay living as per the spell (DC 15).”

Coup de Grace
The Encyclopedia of Weaponry is one of Fast Forwards better offerings as of late. It opens up the choices of weaponry and gives players something other than longswords, maces and daggers. Many of the weapons will require using an Exotic Weapon Proficiency feat, but if a gamer wants his character to use a weapon from a particular cultural background, he will deem it worth the cost. The open content is a bit restrictive in that essentially only the game mechanic statistics and the names of the general weapons (since they are actual existing historical weapons) are open for use. The descriptive flavor text is all closed content and off limits for use elsewhere. Overall, it is a decent book that isn’t for everyone but those who can make use of it will find the $19.99 price reasonable.

To see the graded evaluation of this product and to leave comments that the reviewer will respond to, go to The Critic's Corner at www.d20zines.com.

 

[Simon Collins]

The Encyclopedia Of Weaponry details over 100 weapons from world history.

Encyclopedia Of Weaponry is a 128-page mono softcover product from Fast Forward Entertainment costing $19.99. Font and margins are fairly standard size, and though there is a small amount of white space on most pages, it does mean each weapon has a page of its own. The illustrations, whilst basic line drawings, clearly depict the weapons portrayed, and every weapon has an illustration. The writing style is elegant and informative - e.g. "Naginata are pole-arms, roughly analogous with halberds and consisting of a steel blade atop a long shaft." Editing is good, with just the occasional minor mistake (e.g. snuggly rather than snugly, voluge rather than voulge).

The Encyclopedia Of Weaponry covers gunpowder weapons and siege engines as well as the more 'standard' fantasy weapon types, and new weapon categories are introduced to cover these new areas - cannon, gunpowder, and siege engines. This section details any general rules that apply (such as minimum ranges for some siege engines). A new skill - Artillerist - is also offered in this section, allowing a character to use and create an artillery weapon (though the rules section of the skill focuses entirely on the construction of a siege engine) - the book hints at an optional skill of Profession (Siege Engineer) instead of 'Artillerist' in the combat section, which could easily replace the Artillerist skill for the purposes it is used for with some extrapolation. A section on new feats gives weapon proficiencies and advanced weapon proficiencies (allowing faster reloading) for the new weapon types. A further section on combat related to these weapon types gives a walkthrough discussion with examples of a rule-set for using artillery fire - the attack is modified by Intelligence, and such influences as ranks in the Artillerist skill, and the size and distance of the target.

The majority of the book is of course taken up with the historical weapons. Each weapon uses a basic template to cover the information provided:
* A brief physical description
* Historical origins
* A brief listing of the D&D races who are likely to use it (with occasional extrapolation for some weapons)
* An illustration
* A magical example of the weapon (typically taking up about 2/3 of the text), including caster level, prerequisites, market price, and weight.
* The weapon statistics including size, cost, damage, critical, range increment, weight, and type.

The weapons vary greatly, from small simple weapons such as the knuckle duster to large exotic weapons such as the heavy trident on to a range of gunpowder weapons (e.g. wheel-lock pistol) and siege engines (e.g. heavy trebuchet). They also come from a wide variety of historical backgrounds from Ancient Greece to Victorian India, with other weapons from Japan, Africa, North America and of course mediæval Europe.

Appendix 1 tabularises the stats from the weapons all in one place, split into appropriate sections - i.e. simple weapons - melee, martial- weapons - ranged, etc.

The High Points
I was impressed by the variety of weapons in this tome - in terms of size and type, and in historical timeframe and location. The notes on historical origin should help most GMs use the weapons in the most appropriate culture in her campaign and this aspect is aided by the listing given for the fantasy races that would most likely use the weapon (the historical notes and descriptions also made for interesting reading). The 'one page per weapon' presentation keeps things clear and makes for easy reference. The background stories of the magical items also make for interesting reading. Most of the weapons' stats seem to fit their descriptions, using the d20 rules without error (though see below).

The Low Points
The amount of space used to describe the magical versions of the weapon dwarfed the basic information about the weapon. I would have liked to see more information on the historical origins and an explanation of the linking of the weapon to certain races, rather than just a listing - this is done to good effect on a few of the weapons such as the ulas, a throwing club from Fiji. I would have found this more general information useful for suitable campaign placement, and found the magical items somewhat setting-specific (e.g. "Shadow Hand is closely associated with the legend of Kwai Sin Ko, a traveling monk of the Sainted Dragon temple. Throughout his life, he traveled the land of Jadai...") and fairly powerful (many having a +3 designator, or a special ability if of lesser magical bonus) - seeming more suitable for a high-level or magic-rich campaign.

Some of the weapons mirrored existing similar weapons exactly in terms of stats (e.g. the Cinquedea, a medieval Italian dagger, has exactly the same stats as a standard dagger), and a few of the rules seem incorrect (e.g. Two-handed Executioner's Sword should not be a double weapon as it only has one blade) or need further rules clarification (such as the small one-handed double weapon, the Haladie, an Indian two-bladed dagger, which would have benefited from some further detail on how to handle its unique properties - for example, if wielding one in each hand).

Conclusion
The focus on specific magical examples of the weapons to the exclusion of the more useful information on cultural/campaign placement disappointed me. The weapons where this focus was reversed shone out compared to the others, even though the magical item histories made interesting reading. The variety of weaponry was impressive, and the inclusion of cannon and gunpowder weapons may appeal to those who are intending to run campaigns using this type of weaponry.