Weapon Statistics
Each weapon presented in this book includes its name, trait, range, damage dice, damage type, and burden, and (sometimes) a feature. For example, the Shortsword starting weapon has the following statistics: | Name | Trait | Range | Damage | Burden | Feature | | Shortsword | Agility | Melee | d8 (Phy) | One-Handed | Reliable (+1 to attack rolls with this weapon) |
Name
In your character’s early adventures, most weapon names are the same as their type—for starting weapons, this is often something straightforward like Battleaxe or Hand Runes. As characters level up and collect better equipment, this type could become more specific—something like a Flaming Dragonscale Blade, Valiant Bow, or even a named weapon like the Wand of Essek.
Trait
This tells you what trait is used when making an attack with this weapon. For example, a Strength weapon uses your StrengthCharacter Trait whenever you use it to make an attack on a target.
Range
Range signifies the maximum distance from which a weapon or effect can hit a target. Distance in Daggerheart is zone-based and relative to your location—you may be able to hit something in Melee, Very Close, Close, Far, or Very Far range with an effect or weapon (See the earlier “Maps, Range, and Movement” section).
Damage Dice
The damage dice represent how deadly your weapon is against the enemies you face. When a weapon’s damage lists a type of die—like “d8”—you roll one of those dice to determine the damage you deal.
As you gain levels, you’ll increase your Damage Proficiency (see “Proficiency”), which starts at 1. Unless otherwise specified, you roll a number of weapon dice equal to your Proficiency. When your Proficiency increases to 2, you’ll roll two weapon dice instead of one, adding their values together to determine damage, and so on. For example, if your Proficiency is 2 and your weapon die is a d8, you roll 2d8 and add their values together—so if you roll a 4 and an 8 on these dice, you do a total of 12 damage.
Damage dice sometimes list a modifier on the end, like +1 or +3. You add this number after all dice have been rolled. For example, if your Proficiency is 3 and you successfully hit with a weapon that deals d8+5 damage, you roll your three d8 dice, total them, and add +5 to the result.
Damage Type
A weapon’s damage type specifies what kind of damage it does to a target; either Physical (Phy) or Magic (Mag). Physical damage is usually damage from any wielded weapon that cuts, stabs, or bludgeons (swords, longbows, war hammers, etc.). Magic damage is usually damage caused or enhanced by magic (Conjure Swarm, Midnight Spirit, Smite, etc.)
Damage type is important because some creatures might have resistance or immunity to one of the two types (something like ghosts may not be as affected by physical damage as they are by magic damage, etc.) For more about resistance, see the earlier “Resistance and Immunity” section.
You typically can’t wield weapons that do magic damage unless you can Spellcast (a feature available on some Class Foundation cards).
Burden
The burden of a weapon is how many hands it takes to wield it. Weapons are either one or two-handed. When you take a weapon, you’ll also fill up a number of hands equal to its burden on your character sheet. If you can’t bear the burden of a particular weapon because your hands are already full, you can’t equip it.
You’re welcome to create a character with any number of hands you wish, or wield a weapon using something other than your hands; however, when tracking burden, each character mechanically has two (and only two) appendages capable of weapon-wielding.
Feature
Weapon features describe any special rules that apply only to that particular weapon. For example, some reduce or increase your statistics, while others give you special ways to deal damage.
Features only apply while the weapon is equipped, so if you put a weapon into your inventory or you don’t have that weapon anymore, you no longer gain the benefits of that feature.