non-metal weapons?

[0-hr]

Are there rules anywhere for makeing swords and such out of bone, wood, or stone? I'm not talking about FR munchkin wood or magical crystal swords; just primative, non-magical weapons.

I would think a flint spear or bone dagger wouldn't be all that much worse than a steel version, but a bone sword isn't going to last very long (or be particularily sharp). Anyway, before I write up my own house rules, I thought that I would see if someone has already done the work for me...

 

[Vaxalon]

I haven't seen any formal rules.

You can't really make a sword out of anything but metal, except for those Mayan (Aztec?) weapons which had bits of obsidian mounted in a wooden shaft. If someone were stupid enough to make a sword out of something like bone, I'd say that it snaps off if they roll a 1 or 2 to hit.

You can, however, make a dandy axe with a sharpened shoulder blade, or a stone chopper. Axes are mass weapons and don't depend on a sharp edge.

I would simply adjust the hardness and hit points based on the construction materials and go on.

 

[Rill]

The DMG p. 162 has a paragraph on Low-Tech Weapons. Essentially, it states that weapons made of inferior materials, such as bone or stone, have a -2 penalty to attack and damage rolls.

-Rill

 

[Stalker0]

Doesn't wood give like a -1 to Attack and Dmg? I thought I read that somewhere.

 

[kreynolds]

Sugar: Sugar is a fine-grain substance, shiny white and extraordinarily sweet. When brought into contact with water, however, weapons and armor made of sugar immediately begin to disolve. Though items made with sugar are weak, they are immune to rust monster and rust dragon attacks, which obviously makes up for the horrible quality. Perhaps these weapon's most amazing function is that they can sweeten any food or drink as a free action, simply by shaving off a tiny portion of the weapon.
&nbsp&nbsp&nbspArmor made from Sugar is 20% lighter than armor of the normal type. It also has the terrible drawback of not actually even providing any AC bonus, as it is so fragile and worthless that it doesn't offer any protection at all. When you sweat while wearing sugar armor, you get all sticky.
&nbsp&nbsp&nbspSugar weighs the same as leather, has hardness 0, and has 2 hit points.
&nbsp&nbsp&nbspMarket Price Modifier: Armor +10 gp, weapon +7 gp.

 

[Wolf72]

Blimmin' heck, kreynolds just turned up. There goes the thread. -- H

just thought this needed to be said again!

that was just wrong ~SKR

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Sugar: Sugar is a fine-grain substance, shiny white and extraordinarily sweet. When brought into contact with water, however, weapons and armor made of sugar immediately begin to disolve. Though items made with sugar are weak, they are immune to rust monster and rust dragon attacks, which obviously makes up for the horrible quality. Perhaps these weapon's most amazing function is that they can sweeten any food or drink as a free action, simply by shaving off a tiny portion of the weapon.
&nbsp&nbsp&nbspArmor made from Sugar is 20% lighter than armor of the normal type. It also has the terrible drawback of not actually even providing any AC bonus, as it is so fragile and worthless that it doesn't offer any protection at all. When you sweat while wearing sugar armor, you get all sticky.
&nbsp&nbsp&nbspSugar weighs the same as leather, has hardness 0, and has 2 hit points.
&nbsp&nbsp&nbspMarket Price Modifier: Armor +10 gp, weapon +7 gp.

Not bad. Not bad at all!


The Ravenloft Campaign Setting uses those rules (as there are Domains where they have not reached the "high-tech" state of your average D&D world) and they also have a sidebar ("Death by Pitchfork" I think) for makeshift weapons.

 

[Chun-tzu]

Sugar: Sugar is a fine-grain substance, shiny white and extraordinarily sweet. When brought into contact with water, however, weapons and armor made of sugar immediately begin to disolve. Though items made with sugar are weak, they are immune to rust monster and rust dragon attacks, which obviously makes up for the horrible quality. Perhaps these weapon's most amazing function is that they can sweeten any food or drink as a free action, simply by shaving off a tiny portion of the weapon.
&nbsp&nbsp&nbspArmor made from Sugar is 20% lighter than armor of the normal type. It also has the terrible drawback of not actually even providing any AC bonus, as it is so fragile and worthless that it doesn't offer any protection at all. When you sweat while wearing sugar armor, you get all sticky.
&nbsp&nbsp&nbspSugar weighs the same as leather, has hardness 0, and has 2 hit points.
&nbsp&nbsp&nbspMarket Price Modifier: Armor +10 gp, weapon +7 gp.

Ah, Gnome inventing at its finest! How can we overcome an iron sword's vulnerability to rust monsters? We'll make it out of sugar! Of course, now instead of worrying about rust monsters eating your sword, you have to worry about ANY OTHER MONSTER eating it, but you can't let little things like that bother you.

 

[Pielorinho]

"Gimme some sugar, baby."

"Okay!" Hackhackhackhackhack

Daniel

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Ah, Gnome inventing at its finest! How can we overcome an iron sword's vulnerability to rust monsters? We'll make it out of sugar! Of course, now instead of worrying about rust monsters eating your sword, you have to worry about ANY OTHER MONSTER eating it, but you can't let little things like that bother you.

Well, now you have one weapon for rust monsters and one for everyone else.

You could even specialize in killing rust monsters, and make a fortune!