Melee Weapons

Melee Weapons were among the first we invented as humans, and many of our simplest concepts still remain in use today. The spear has evolved into the bayonet, the knife has become the combat knife and the club has become the baton. The core concepts are the same, and while these weapons may be written to have a fantasy twist on them, they're not fantasy weapons - they're historical weapons, primarily from Western Culture. I'll try to add more melee weapons from different cultures as I learn more about them, but there is no point in adding a weapon if I don't know enough about the weapon in question to write anything useful!

Fast Lookup Table
If you are brave you can scroll down and find the information your self. I have notes for the special thing with the weapons on Google Excel. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1QTaAQRxqfMbEcnxaujXuQ3oCMVlnjywrgFSLJstqB4Q/edit?usp=sharing

Weapon Statistics explained
The weapons found below have certain qualities listed, that may be cryptic to you.

Damage (Dmg)
Listed in different types, these are the types of dice rolled, and how many when determining how much damage the weapon deals.
 * All weapons have the ability to deal blunt-damage, but not all weapons can thrust or slash. Weapons have different damage types, because different types of damage are effective against different types of armor - or in the case of slashing damage, mostly ineffective against armor.
 * You don't have to remember all of this - if you find the rules too complex, just look up the highest damage type your weapon offers and record that, and use the weapon exclusively this way.

Reach
Unless reach is listed as +1, then the reach of the weapon is always a regular melee-weapon.
 * If using the advanced combat rules, certain weapons can strategically be used to deny an enemy certain advantages from their weapon, by using a weapon that engages at closer or longer range than the enemy is currently prepared to fight at.
 * You do not have to use these advanced combat rules, and you can largely ignore the reach of a weapon if it doesn't say +1 or higher, in which case it just tells you how many additional squares away from your character that you can attack at.

Initiative (Init)
Initiative is something that a player rolls on behalf of their character at the start of an encounter, to determine who goes first and who goes last.
 * Because almost all weapons penalize the initiative modifier by -1, and only a select few do not, or offer a -2 penalty instead, you can choose to ignore this modifier as it might not matter enough to be worth the trouble.
 * Alternatively, double all penalties to make them seem more significant.

Cost
This was originally the cost in Action Points that a weapon required to be used, but now it is the number of attack actions required to use the weapon in combat.
 * You'll notice that only the heaviest weapons require the expenditure of 2 attack actions.
 * This works in the way where, the first attack is still not penalized, but if you wish to attack twice with such a weapon, you'd need to divide your attack pool into 4 attacks instead of 2, and the second attack would receive a double-penalty of -10.

Special
Some weapons offer certain special qualities.
 * Defense (Def) - Defense is one such quality, which offers bonus to a character's parry rating.
 * Armor Piercing (AP) - Armor Piercing is subtracted from the target's relevant armor value, before that is in turn subtracted from your damage roll.
 * Chop - Chop is an effect where all soaked slashing damage is reapplied against the target's blunt armor.
 * Half-Chop - Half-chop is half of the Chop effect listed above, rounded down.
 * Versatile+ - Weapon can be used in two-hands, instead of one, and when you do, you upgrade all damage type by 1 die category.
 * Versatile- - Weapon can be used in one-hand, instead of two, but when you do, you decrease each damage type by 2 categories.
 * Precise (x) - Bonus (specified as value x) to called shots.

Finesse
The Finesse Rating of a weapon determines how many Combat Actions (parry, attack and riposte) you're limited to during a round, once you've utilized the weapon you're wielding.
 * This isn't super important for most characters, unless your weapon has a Finesse rating of less than 3, because you will probably rarely, as a player, need more than three Combat actions per round.
 * Finesse used to mean how much of your Proficiency Bonus you could apply to your attack roll, effectively limiting how good you could get with certain weapons, but it now reflects how many consecutive actions you can take with weapon that features limited applications.

Swords
Swords are excellent personal defense weapons, often referred to as "sidearms" in this time and age, where as now, it often means pistol. A sword would rarely be the go-to weapon in a conflict, but it's the weapon that people will have on them, and with them always. Swords are not horribly effective weapons when it comes to killing potential or practical application - But swords are very swift weapons with a killing potential that goes up quite a bit when properly trained with.

Swords are also very defensive weapons, as the blade can be used to parry with - Combined with being very fast and agile weapons, compared to almost any other weapon, the sword is ideally suited for protection.

Short Sword
Short Swords fell out of fashion quite a while ago, but for good reason, but they still exist, often as civilian self-defense weapons or casual attire armament.

Gladius
Thegladius is the perfected form of the earliest attempts of making a standard military sidearm. It had a broad blade that allowed it to apply some weight behind a chop, but was not a particularly good slashing weapon - though unlike its predecessors, it was specifically designed for thrusting, and was good at getting through contemporary armor. The word Gladius simply means "sword", which gives you an idea of how long the sword was in use - here's a hint, we're talking several thousand years.
 * Damage: Blunt (1d4), Slashing (1d8) and thrusting (2d4)
 * Reach: Close,
 * Init: -1,
 * Cost: 1.
 * Special: +1 Defense, +1 AP
 * Finesse: 5

Seax
The seax is traditionally a Scandinavian/Celtic weapon as we know it, but it existed in other cultures as well. It was actually a tool that eventually was found to be useful as a weapon, but in reality, a Seax is truly just an early machete made for combat. The Seax predates the Gladius, but as mentioned, it was a tool before it became a weapon and while it probably laid the foundation for many predecessors to the Gladius, the seax as a weapon is not something known to predate the Gladius itself.
 * Damage: Blunt (1d4), Slashing (2d4), thrusting (1d8)


 * Reach: Close.
 * Initiative: -1
 * Cost: 1.
 * Special: +1 Defense, half-chop
 * Finesse bonus: 4

Variant: Falcata
The Falcata is a variant of the Seax that doesn't see frequent use since the invention of steel. Soft iron and bronze weapons were too fragile to be effective chopping weapons, unless forged in particular ways, such as with the falchata, which is an otherwise clumsy design, ill-suited for fencing.
 * Damage: Blunt (1d4), Slashing (2d4), thrusting (1d4)


 * Reach: Close.
 * Initiative: -1
 * Cost: 1.
 * Special: +1 Defense, full-chop
 * Finesse bonus: 4

Variant: Heavy Infantry Sword
The Heavy Infantry Sword is just a shortened cutlass. Designed for chopping, and shortened to be effective from within an infantry line, the weapon was not much different from a traditional Seax in effectivity.

Infantry Sword
Infantry Swords, or Light Infantry Swords, went by different names in their early days, but were not very common prior to the age of Plate Armor. Short blades, designed for thrusting, almost exclusively, later models were designed so they could be affixed to a musket or similar long-gun, so it may be used as a spear.
 * Dmg types: Blunt (1d4), Slashing (1d4) and thrusting (1d10).
 * Reach: Close,
 * Init: -1,
 * Cost: 1.
 * Special: +1 Def., +2 AP
 * Finesse bonus: 3

Dueling Sword
Dueling Swords are a category of of weapons that were developed as personal defense weapons, though due to an inherent lack of opportunity to use them as such, the fighting styles for these weapons (and the weapons themselves) evolved in a direction meant specifically for dueling purposes (understood to mean 1-on-1 combat).

Citizen Sword
The Citizen Sword is a weapon that was often found being a family heirloom or something worn more as a status symbol than as an actual defense weapon. Only Citizens had the right to carry such weapons, and that may not seem like much of a qualifier, but to become considered as a Citizen in the medieval times, one had to, not only be a free-man (as opposed to being a serf), but also fulfill certain other qualifiers. It was often members of Guilds that obtained these qualifiers, and otherwise landowners who were heads of their households and business owners - naturally burghers in cities had the right to bear such arms as well.

Unlike the Arming Sword, the Citizen Sword was not designed to pierce armor - in fact, the flexibility of the blade, which gave it an inherent inability to pierce hard objects, was part of the design. Largely meant to be a weapon that excelled at parrying and inflicting minor injuries, rather than be an effective military weapon. These swords are often carried with a matching dagger.
 * Damage: Blunt (1d4), Slashing (1d8) and thrusting (2d4)
 * Reach: Normal (but close, when used with shield or other off-hand)
 * Init: -1,
 * Cost: 1.
 * Special: +2 Defense
 * Finesse: 5

Hunter Sword
Unlike the Citizen Sword, the Hunter Sword was carried by anyone who had the right to hunt, and even some that didn't, and was actually called "lang-messer" - which literally means "long knife" - as if somehow, by calling it this, it could magically qualify as a knife instead of a sword - and actually, it did in many places! Obviously based on the design of the Hunting Blade. The implication here was that it was specifically "not a weapon", though it could easily be used as one - so readily that many mercenaries used them as secondary weapons, actually. The weapon was, however, intended for finishing off wounded animals on the hunt, and this is somewhat ironic, as one would assume that a blade designed for piercing, rather than a blade designed for slashing, would be ideal for such - but the slashing blade was specifically made with combating unarmored opponents in mind.
 * Damage: Blunt (1d4), Slashing (2d4), thrusting (1d8)


 * Reach: Normal (but close, when used with shield or other off-hand)
 * Initiative: -1
 * Cost: 1.
 * Special: +1 Defense, half-chop
 * Finesse bonus: 4

Side Sword
When the Rapier eventually became the weapon of choice for most swordsman, the Citizen Sword fell out of fashion and was eventually replaced by the Side-Sword, which was really just a short rapier. There is virtually nothing else to say about it.

As with the Citizen Sword, the Side Sword was often used with a matching dagger. The side-sword was far more rigid, due to needing to pierce armor, and as such, one could benefit from the use of a buckler or dagger.
 * Dmg types: Blunt (1d4), Slashing (1d4) and thrusting (1d10).
 * Reach: Normal (but close, when used with shield or other off-hand)
 * Init: -1,
 * Cost: 1.
 * Special: +1 Def., +2 AP
 * Finesse bonus: 3

Arming Sword
Arming Sword means "Military Sword", so these were swords used by Soldiers primarily. That effectively means the Gladius should also be listed here, but in the hopes of not causing too much confusion, I have left the Gladius listed with Short Swords.

War-Sword
The Spatha, or War-Sword, was first invented to lengthen the reach of Cavalry, but was found to be dramatically superior to the Gladius when used by footmen, because its reach allowed a man in a shield-formation to strike effectively without moving his shield first. This weapon typically had a tapered edge, allowing for better thrusting attacks, and the blade was often very hardened - they were standard side-arms for most professional soldiers in the majority of the European medieval.

Another benefit of this weapon, was that a man could use a polearm, bow, cross-bow or even some sort of close-range hafted weapon and immediately switch it over to his off-hand and draw a war-sword if needed, eliminating the need to drop or holster these weapons, which wasn't always easy or practical. Despite their versatility, these swords were never the primary weapons of their users - polearms, hafted weapons or ranged weapons took such roles, but many soldiers fell back on their swords when their weapons proved ineffective.
 * Dmg types: Blunt (1d6), Slashing (1d10) and thrusting (2d4).
 * Reach: Normal,
 * Init: -1,
 * Cost: 1.
 * Special: +1 Def, +1 AP
 * Finesse bonus: 5

Rapier
The Rapier was a very late medieval sword, and eventually replaced the saber as the academical fighting weapon of choice, but not until firearms had become so common that the horse slowly lost its battlefield application, at least in direct combat. A lot of historical texts wrongfully refer to certain swords as Rapiers, but they were in reality Infantry Swords - similar but different. The Rapier was truly a late weapon, and it would be more accurate to say that became the standard symbol of nobility after the age of swordsmanship had already ended, but it was invented much earlier, without gaining excessive popularity.
 * Dmg types: Blunt, (1d4), Slashing (1d6) and thrusting (1d12).
 * Reach: Good.
 * Init: -1,
 * Cost: 1.
 * Special: +1 Def and +1 to hit called shots, +2 AP
 * Finesse bonus: 3

Falchion
Truly just an axe in the form of a sword, anyone who has ever used an axe in combat, would probably rather have a falchion, but it turns out they're really expensive! The Falchion looks like a scimitar, and many people wrongfully assume that there is a connection - the truth is that the Falchion probably was invented in the middle-east, but we say it is of European origin because the people who likely invented it later became Europeans, or rather, their history became part of the European Canon. The Falchion is one of the oldest known weapon designs, but the one displayed here is an attempt at combining older designs with the design of the Spatha.
 * Dmg types: Blunt (1d8), Slashing (1d12) and thrusting (1d8).
 * Reach: Normal,
 * Init: -1,
 * Cost: 1.
 * Special: +1 Def, half-chop
 * Finesse bonus: 4

Variant: Cutlass
For obvious reasons, people who work on a ship do not tend to wear heavy metal armor - the invention of the cutlass capitalized on this. The cutlass is an infantry weapon designed for slashing, that doesn't have quite the reach of the  rapier, but has superior cutting and slashing capability.

The cutlass is considered better than the rapier as a close quarter weapon. The cutlass is commonly associated with naval culture, but it's less ideally suited for dueling and more of an all-round weapon.
 * There is no significant difference between a cutlass and a one-handed falchion.

Bastard Sword
Bastard Swords are arming swords with a bit of extra length, to make them more effective from horseback, at least this is how the first of such weapons  came to be. They also can all be used in two hands.

Broad Sword
The war-sword was first invented to enable a cavalry man to reach a target on the ground - the Broad-Sword was further developed from this same notion, being slightly longer and having, typically, a less tapered edge, allowing better slashes from horseback. They later came to have expanded grips, allowing for versatile two-handed use, a feature much in demand by cavalry who sometimes found themselves fighting on foot, having misplaced much of their gear in the chaos of combat - typically due to being dismounted. The Broad-Sword came to be a symbol of Nobility, and though hard to distinguish from a normal Spatha, nobles and Knights would often have their swords ornamented, making them visibly distinguishable - referred to as "Knight Swords".
 * Dmg types: Blunt (1d8) slashing (1d10) and thrusting (2d4).
 * Reach: Normal,
 * Init: -1,
 * Cost: 1.
 * Special: +1 Def, and +1 AP, Versatile+
 * Finesse bonus: 5

Footman's Estoc
Commonly called a "Tucker Blade", this weapon was not particularly popular for a number of reasons, the main one being that the weapon relies on half-swording, which requires two hands free, and that eliminates the need for this weapon being small enough to use in one hand, so one would argue that a better choice was to design a weapon that relied less on half-swording - and they did, it's called an Infantry Sword, and is found under Arming Swords. The Footman's Estoc was still very wide-spread, as it was an excellent training weapon - either with a dulled tip or not, one could still attempt to use it as a normal sword with less risk to self and others.
 * Dmg types: Blunt (1d8), Slashing (1d4) and thrusting (1d10).
 * Reach: Normal,
 * Init: -1,
 * Cost: 1.
 * Special: +1 Def, +2 AP, versatile+
 * Finesse bonus: 3

Cavalry Falchion
The Cavalry Falchion was not a very common weapon. Those using the falchion preferred the one-handed version, and often relied on it as a secondary weapon, preferring it over an axe due to the similarity with a regular sword, but truly just needed something that would break a shield. That said, the Cavalry Falchion was a thing, and it was effective - just not particularly popular, as it was likely a bit too heavy.
 * Dmg types: Blunt (1d8), Slashing (1d12) and thrusting (1d8).
 * Reach: Normal,
 * Init: -1,
 * Cost: 1.
 * Special: +1 Def, half-chop, versatile+
 * Finesse bonus: 4

Variant: Cavalry Saber
The Cavalry Saber was a natural evolution of swords bound to come along after armor started becoming uncommon on the battlefield because of the invention of the firearm. Cavalry sabers were not necessarily curved or at least not necessarily very curved. Often, they featured straight blades, but were distinguished from infantry swords in that they featured a cutting edge and were good for slashing as well as stabbing.

Cavalry sabers, or just sabers, replaced the Broad-Sword as the primary sidearm of Knights and Academic Fencers and became such an iconic weapon of its time, that even Kings replaced their royal heirloom swords with sabers. Unfortunately, our idea of a saber has changed, and it might be hard to recognize the truth in this statement unless you specifically study what makes a saber a saber (hint: it isn't the curved blade!).
 * Does not have versatile, but provides full-chop from horseback.

Two-Handers
Two-Handers were generally speaking late medieval weapons designed in a time when Plate Armor was making shields redundant. Designed for two-handed use, there are none of these weapons that cannot be wielded in one hand, but one will not obtain the desired effect of the weapon this way, so it is not assumed to be a realistic option - the exception being from horseback where these weapons were used in one hand as well.

Long Sword
The Long Sword has one of the most confusing names among historical weapons, because it is just arbitrarily described as being "long", which is obviously a relative term. Before the invention of the Long Sword, other weapons were known as Long Swords, because at the time, they were the longest swords around, but then their names were altered to reflect this new product. Interestingly, it seems that people were catching on about the confusion, and they stopped using this method of just renaming their previously longest weapon, and the Long Sword was allowed to keep its name - a Late Medieval Sword, designed in a time when shields were on the retreat among Knights, because plate armor made them redundant.
 * Dmg types: Blunt (2d4), Slashing (2d6) and thrusting (2d4).
 * Reach: Good.
 * Init: -1,
 * Cost: 1.
 * Special: +1 Def, +1 AP, Versatile-
 * Finesse bonus: 5

Estoc
The Estoc was a late addition to the field and has an almost rounded blade, though it still features two faint edges, though they are somewhat dull and more suitable for chopping than slashing.

Finally, the blade is basically one big spike. It's basically a sword designed for half-swording exclusively, and it became quite successful during the late medieval period when plate-armor was common, and then quietly disappeared as armor rescinded.
 * Dmg types: Blunt: (2d4), Slashing (1d6) and thrusting (1d10).
 * Reach: Good.
 * Init: -1,
 * Cost: 1.
 * Special: +1 Def, +2 AP, Versatile-
 * Finesse bonus: 3

Cleaver
The Cleaver was typically called a "Gross Messer", which meant "large knife" - welcome to German humor - though the name was derived from its similarity in design to the Hunting Blade (a type of dagger found further down). This massive sword was a weapon specifically made, like many other similar weapons, to fight lightly armored opponents - and it was very good at this. The blade is quite heavy and thick, making it excellent for half-swording against armor, so even against armored targets, the weapon isn't a lost cause at all.
 * Dmg types: Blunt (1d10) Slashing (1d20) and thrusting (1d8).
 * Reach: Good.
 * Init: -1,
 * Cost: 1.
 * Special: +1 Def, half-chop, Versatile-
 * Finesse bonus: 4

Battlefield Swords
Also known as "Great Swords", these weapons, unlike their smaller Two-Hander cousins, were not generally wield-able in one hand. These Swords could not be worn the same way a normal sword could, they were obscenely huge and required a horse or cart to transport comfortably, but could be carried in the same way a spear might. Unlike other swords though, they could not serve as sidearms, and the user of such a weapon would need a separate sidearm.

Claymore
Truly just a longer and heavier Long Sword, the Claymore is of Celtic design, but the Celts were not the first to come up with the idea for a weapon of this type - they were just the only ones who really stuck with their basic concept for a long time, the rest soon moved on to better ideas. The Claymore was easier to make and maintain than other variants of this weapon, as it followed the same standards as a regular sword, only thicker, longer, heavier and broader - but ultimately, the Claymore was totally inferior to more complex versions of the Battlefield Sword.
 * Dmg types: Blunt (1d10), Slashing (1d20) and thrusting (2d4).
 * Reach: Long.
 * Init: -2,
 * Cost: 2.
 * Special: +1 Def, +2 AP. +2 damage to material objects.
 * Finesse bonus: 5

Variant: Flamberge
The Flamberge was designed specifically to break spears, which was one of the primary applications of the Claymore. Imagine that someone said "how do we get past these pesky spear formation? I know! Let's hit them with a big sword!". In reality, it was probably a matter of needing something that could realistically cause chaos on the battlefield, as spear-men against spear-men became more common on the field than it ever had been. The Flamberge was a difficult weapon to make, and harder yet to maintain (imagine sharpening this!), but it was fairly resistant to damage and delivered a shock-effect to what-ever it struck, courtesy of the odd design.

I'm currently not offering any stat-modifications on the Flamberge yet, so hold tight for those...

Great Falchion
A great falchion is a weapon that makes perfect sense, because when a weapon reaches this size, who really needs a double-edge anyway? The time for fancy swordplay is over, and the time bloodshed is upon us! The real issue with the great falchion was probably finding someone who could use it. The weapon totally did exist, but they were typically not as long as other battlefield swords, just extremely heavy. They say you could cleave a horse in two with a weapon like this.
 * Dmg types: Blunt (1d10), Slashing (2d10) and thrusting (2d4).
 * Reach: Long
 * Init: -2
 * Cost: 2.
 * Special: +1 Def, +4 damage to material objects, slashing attacks re-applies all soaked dmg as blunt vs. blunt armor of target.
 * Finesse bonus: 4

Spearhead Estoc
The spearhead estoc is a very strange looking weapon, that how ever has turned out to be immensely effective. Despite being an estoc, the speahead estoc is also a greatsword, and it's much wider in the blade than it's shorter cousin, making it possible to keep it sharp as well as solid. The blade takes the form of a very wide spear-head towards the end, though the actual tip is needle point and hardened to hell and back. The blade features a ricasso, to make it more suited for half-fighting,
 * Dmg types: Blunt (1d10), Slashing (2d4) and thrusting (2d6).
 * Reach: Long.
 * Init: -2,
 * Cost: 2.
 * Special: +1 Def and +4 AP.
 * Finesse bonus: 3

Daggers
In the Medieval times, everybody always had a knife. Even kids carried a knives eventually, as the knife was a symbol of being "trusted" to make rational choices. The Knife has historically been the "claws" of humans - we lack natural weapons and natural tools, so we have to have something on us that allows us to alter the world. A "dagger" is just an archaic term for a "combat knife", and all soldiers carried these, because they needed a knife anyway, so why not make one that was specifically designed for stabbing people?

General Daggers
There are thousands of knife- and dagger designs in the world. The three daggers found here lay the basis for most of these, so if you're trying to portray a very specific dagger design, pick the one that resembles it the most from below. I am sorry not to put more effort into this, but I could be trying to adjust the stats of these forever, and still be adding more knives and daggers!

Plain dagger
A plain Dagger features a cross-guard and a pommel - these serve to prevent hand-slips. They are traditionally (but far from necessarily) double-edged, full-tang and would typically be the length of an adult man's forearm in blade-length alone.
 * Dmg types: Blunt (1d4), Slashing (1d8) and thrusting (1d8).
 * Reach: Grapple.
 * Init: 0,
 * Cost: 1.
 * Special: +1 AP
 * Finesse bonus: 5

Rondel Dagger
The rondel dagger is designed for piercing armor, and especially visors. The dagger has cutting power of sharp piece of wood, but it's piercing power is exceptional.
 * Dmg types: Blunt (1d4), Slashing (1d4) and thrusting (2d4).
 * Reach: Grapple.
 * Init: 0,
 * Cost: 1.
 * Special: +2 AP
 * Finesse bonus: 3

Hunting Blade
Called a "Messer" in German, literally just meaning "knife", this weapon was actually a took designed for field-dressing animals - but it was also ruthlessly effective in knife-fights, and due to the heavy blade, it could actually withstand attacks and could be used to parry with.
 * Dmg types: Blunt (1d4), Slashing (2d4) and thrusting (1d8).
 * Reach: Grapple/Close (slash only)
 * Init: 0,
 * Cost: 1.
 * Special: Nothing.
 * Finesse bonus: 4

Hafted Weapons
Hafted weapons are weapons such as axes, maces and hammers, all having in common that they were basically just evolved tools. These weapons were rarely used as sidearms, so despite the tendency to portray them as alternatives to swords, this was not how they were actually used - a soldier was likely to carry both an axe and a sword, the sword being his sidearm, whereas the axe would be a weapon used for specific situations, such as against a shield-wall. What is the difference between a hafted weapon and a polearm? Not much, admittedly just the length. Especially not in a late medieval period, when armor become more common, it became customary to add spikes to all hafted weapons.

One-handed hafted weapons
One-handed hafted wepaons are very common primary weapons. They are cheap, require little maintenance and very little skill to use.

Hatchet
The hatchet was extremely popular in early dark-ages societies where organized military forces didn't really exist, and where metal was scarce because mining techniques hadn't quite been perfected yet - such as early Scandinavia or among Native Americans (though they call it a tomahawk).
 * Dmg types: Blunt (1d6), Slashing (1d12) and thrusting (1d8).
 * Reach: Normal.
 * Init: -2,
 * Cost: 1.
 * Special: AP +1, full-chop, +2 AP when thrusting


 * Finesse bonus: 3

Hammer
The hammer is a fairly late hafted weapon. Hammers were mostly used as tools until someone had the great idea to weaponize them, and when that happened, the axe basically lost it's purpose on the battlefield, and so did the mace. Because hammers would also never be a sidearm, those wielding them could switch to their sword if they were facing lightly armored foes, but the hammer was excellent against heavy armor.
 * Dmg types: Blunt (2d6) and thrusting (1d8).
 * Reach: Normal.
 * Init: -2,
 * Cost: 1.
 * Special: Armor piercing 2 when thrusting.
 * Finesse bonus: 3

Mace
The first weapon used by mankind was probably a stick or a boulder. Someone eventually thought to combine the merits of the two, and came up with the idea for the mace. It is really just a fabricated club, and while they were later perfected to be effective against armor (such as the case with the flanged mace), they were always dramatically inferior weapons (when compared to alternatives) - but extremely simple to use, requiring practically no training at all, which is why they remained popular and are in a sense, still in use! We've just altered the design and call them batons now.
 * Dmg types: Blunt (1d12), and thrusting (1d6).
 * Reach: Normal.
 * Init: -2,
 * Cost: 1.
 * Special: Armor piercing 2 when using thrusting. Even a person with no training can use a mace without penalty.
 * Finesse bonus: 1.

Variant: Flail
Variants of the mace exist, such as the flail. These deal more blunt damage, but also require special training - Upgrade damage to 2d8 for a flail, but all the specials go away.

Cavalry hafted weapons
Hafted weapons are extremely popular as primary weapons for cavalry. The lance is definitely popular with cavalry too, but with armor becoming more common on the field of battle, as well as shields generally being common enough, having a weapon that can smash an opponent to bits and fully utilize the force of a charging mount is pure gold.

Cavalry hafted weapons can be used in two hands due to a longer shaft, and they can also be used from horseback for the same reason. When used in two hands, upgrade the primary damage by one category, and increase reach to "good" - however, the attack cost is increased by one. When used from horseback, add +2 damage and consider reach to be "good".

Cavalry axe
A traditional cavalry axe would have a curved shaft, that looks similar to a modern fire-axe, but curves the other way, with the axe-head curving slightly down towards the shaft itself, making it look like some sort of specific woodcutting tool.

Another very common version of the cavalry axe is an axe made entirely of metal, with the axe head (otherwise normal) placed at the end of a long (as to be capable of reaching a target on foot), but slim metal pipe or rod. - Typically, if there was a back-spike, it would be straight and not curved (as shown in the picture) as not to get caught in someone's body.
 * Dmg types: Blunt (1d6), Slashing (2d6) and thrusting (1d8).
 * Reach: Normal.
 * Init: -2,
 * Cost: 1.
 * Special: AP +1, full-chop, +2 AP when thrusting, upgrade all damage types by one dice-type when using two-handed.
 * Finesse bonus: 3

Cavalry hammer
The Cavalry Warhammer is incidentally similar in design to the second mentioned variant of the Cavalry Axe - the hammer head is mounted on a long (as to be able to reach a target on foot) but slim metal pipe or rod, and otherwise looks like a normal warhammer - typically, if there was a back-spike, it would be straight and not curved (as shown in the picture) as not to get caught in someone's body.
 * Dmg types: Blunt (2d6) and thrusting (1d8).
 * Reach: Normal.
 * Init: -2,
 * Cost: 1.
 * Special: Armor piercing 2 when using thrusting. Upgrade all damage types by one dice-type when using two-handed.
 * Finesse bonus: 3

Cavalry Mace
Cavalry Maces were very practical for less experienced horsemen - it can be fairly difficult to edge-align a blow and control a horse simultaneously, and with the added smashing power of a charging steed behind the weapon, even such a simple weapon as a mace can be extremely effective.

The Cavalry Mace is incidentally similar in design to the second mentioned variant of the Cavalry Axe - the flanged mace head is mounted on a long (as to be able to reach a target on foot) but slim metal pipe or rod, and otherwise looks like a normal flanged mace.
 * Dmg types: Blunt (1d12), and thrusting (1d6).
 * Reach: Normal.
 * Init: -2,
 * Cost: 1.
 * Special: Armor piercing 2 when using thrusting. Upgrade all damage types by one dice-type when using two-handed. Even a person with no training can use a mace without penalty.
 * Finesse bonus: 1.

Two-handed hafted weapons

The concept of a two-handed hafted weapon is a fantasy trope that came about from findings of largely ceremonial weapons, such as executioner's axes and various gladiator gimmicks from roman times. The truth is, that once one desired a long-reach two-handed hafted weapon, it was unusual not just to spring for a polearm. There are however, a few examples!

Long-axe
The first known iterations of the Long-Axe were known as "Dane-Axes", as they were used by viking raiders from Scandinavia, and during that time, that mostly meant Denmark, because the rest of Scandinavia was still very rural. The axe design was later redesigned again and again until it reached the final form of the pollaxe, which was a far-cry from the original concept, featuring a warhammer head on the opposite side. The Pollaxe was the finally form, as it was designed with metal covering most of the shaft, allowing the weapon to effectively parry, be used partially as a spear, an axe and sometimes also a hammer - hence the all-around excellent stats. It was an extremely popular late-medieval weapon among footknights.
 * Dmg types: Blunt (2d10), Slashing (2d10) and thrusting (2d4).
 * Reach: Good.
 * Init: -3,
 * Cost: 1.
 * Special: Armor piercing +1. Full-Chop. +2 AP when thrusting. All damage types decreased by two dice-type if using one-handed.
 * Finesse bonus: 3

Long-hammer
Because hammers weren't used as weapons until late-medieval times, and because the pollaxe often featured a small hammer-head on the opposite side, the Long-Hammer was not a common weapon, but seen often enough to be mentioned. It was essentially the same as a pollaxe, but with a classic warhammer head on the tip.
 * Dmg types: Blunt (2d10) and thrusting (1d10).
 * Reach: Good.
 * Init: -2,
 * Cost: 1.
 * Special: Armor piercing 2 when using thrusting. Upgrade all damage types by one dice-type when using two-handed.
 * Finesse bonus: 3

Long-Mace
I saw one in a museum, but let's be very clear here - this wasn't really a thing! Honestly, I'm not even sure why they existed. However, variations of the Long-Mace were in-fact very popular, such as the morning star. More of this to come in the future!

Polearms
Polearms are generally speaking just hafted weapons with reach. Assume that you can take the cavalry version any hafted weapon, apply the effects of using them two-handed permanently, and add the specials and reach of the spear found below. Note that such a hafted weapon will have a higher blunt damage than the spear, which only works at actual range. If a target is closer, blunt damage falls to 1d4 regardless of template hafted weapon. A polearm is at least "good" in reach, but you may choose how much reach the polearm should have when buying it.

Spear
The spear is the simplest thrusting weapon there is. It's the most popular weapon in history for the simple reason that it's cheap on metal, easy to replace/repair and very easy to use. Most infantry soldiers call the spear their primary weapon, while only about a third of all soldiers serving at any given time will have a primary weapon of another type - not counting marksmen or other ranged weapon users. cavalry, negate +2 damage bonus of cavalry weapons used by said cavalry against the spear wielder, and instead assume a +2 damage bonus with the spear.
 * Dmg types: Blunt (1d4), Slashing (1d6) and thrusting (2d4).
 * Reach: +1
 * Init: -2,
 * Cost: 1.
 * Special: +1 Def, AP +1, when set against a charge - double the damage. When used against
 * Finesse bonus: 1.

Exotic Weapons
Weapons from Non-Western Culture Groups will be found here, but in no particular order. Again, this is not a discrimination issue - quite the opposite, I'm extremely interested in exotic weapons, but I have limited reliable information about their functionality and will not just take someone's claim as being truth.

Arabic Swords
These weapons are not necessarily "Arabic" as much as they are middle-eastern or North-African in origin, but at one point or another, these weapons spread among the Islamic culture groups. Arabic culture-groups didn't use heavy armor until very late, and just like everyone else, most of their fighting was among themselves, and that probably contributed heavily towards the lack of development of their weapons. Arabic swords were dramatically superior to European variants prior to the invention of the arming sword, at which point the Arabic swords became more and more inferior by the passing century, until the curve broke and they once again became incredibly good by comparison due to the lack of armor on the battlefield. Arabic weapons remained largely unchanged for hundreds of years however.

Shamshir
The terms shamshir and scimitar are somewhat synonymous today, but many would agree with the distinction that a scimitar is a shorter infantry version of the Shamshir which is a cavalry weapon, and was often the Arabic equivalent to a Broad-Sword, meaning it meant some sort of status. +1 Def, +1 to called shots. Upgrade slashing damage by 1 dice-type if used two-handed.
 * Dmg types: Blunt (1d8) Slashing (1d12) and thrusting (1d8).
 * Reach: Normal,
 * Init: -1,
 * Cost: 1.
 * Special: