Common Melee Weapon (5e Equipment)

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Weapon, common

When you first gain this nonmagical weapon, roll a d6 and two d10s to determine its form.

• The d6 decides the weapon's basis, below.
• The d10s decides the weapon's qualities, further down. Every weapon has two of these qualities.

Basis

d6	Item
1	A simple weapon that deals d4 bash ("bludgeoning") damage, such as a hammer, club, staff, or book.
2	A simple weapon that deals d4 pierce damage, such as a knife, pickaxe, mattock, or harpoon.
3	A simple weapon that deals d4 slash damage, such as an sickle, shovel, scythe, or set of shears.
4	A martial weapon that deals d6 bash ("bludgeoning") damage, such as a boomerang, flail, maul, or nunchaku.
5	A martial weapon that deals d6 pierce damage, such as a lance, morningstar, rapier, or sai.
6	A martial weapon that deals d6 slash damage, such as an axe, glaive, sword, or whip.

• Any simple weapon starts at a cost of 5 gp.
• Any martial weapon starts at a cost of 10 gp.
• Every weapon starts at a weight of 4 pounds.

Qualities

d10	Quality
1	Cheap	Dive the weapon's cost by 50. This normally means 1 sp for a simple weapon, or 2 sp for a martial weapon. If your other rolled quality also lands on 1, reroll it.
2	Light	The weapon is "light," whatever that means. Halve the weapon's weight and cost. If your other rolled quality is 7-8, instead treat the result as 3 (Finesse). If your other rolled quality is 9-10, instead treat the result as 4 (Thrown). If your other rolled quality is also 2, this weapon gains the benefits of both 3 (Finesse) and 4 (Thrown), but its damage die decreases one step. If the weapon is martial, it becomes simple.
3	Finesse	You can add your Dexterity to attack and damage rolls with the weapon, instead of Strength. Halve the weapon's weight. If your other rolled quality also lands on 3, reroll it.
4	Thrown	You can throw the weapon a short range of up to 20 feet or a long range (meaning you have disadvantage on the attack roll) up to 60 feet. If your other rolled quality is 4-6, instead of that quality's normal effect: the weapon's range increases to 30/120, its weight is halved, and its damage die increases one step.
5 or 6	Masterwork	The weapon's cost doubles. Increase the weapon's damage die one step. If your other rolled quality is 1 (Cheap), instead of 1's normal effect, return the weapon's cost to its original value. If your other rolled quality is also 5 or 6, reroll it.
7	Whip	This weapon's reach increases by 5 feet. If the weapon is simple, it becomes martial. If this weapon was already martial, decrease its damage die one step. If your other rolled quality is 7 or higher, treat the result as 6 (Masterwork).
8	Polearm	This weapon's reach increases by 5 feet. If the weapon is martial, increase its damage die one step. You must wield the weapon in two hands to attack with it. Otherwise, it's treated as an improvised weapon and may not deal its full damage. The weapon is "heavy," whatever that means. Its weight doubles. If your other rolled quality is 7 or higher, treat the result as 6 (Masterwork).
9	Versatile	If you attack while wielding this weapon in two hands, use a damage die one step higher than usual. If the weapon is martial and it would have a d8 damage die wielded in two hands, use 2d4 as the damage dice instead. If your other rolled quality is 4 (thrown), increase this weapon's damage die another step and divide its cost by 5. If your other rolled quality is 7 or higher, treat the result as 6 (Masterwork).
10	Two‑Handed	If the weapon is simple, increase its damage die one step and divide its cost by 50. If the weapon is martial, increase its damage die two steps and double its cost. You must wield the weapon in two hands to attack with it. The weapon's weight doubles. If the weapon is martial it becomes "heavy," whatever that means. If your other rolled quality is 7 or higher, treat the result as 6 (Masterwork).

Damage Die

Some qualities increase or decrease a weapon's damage die "one step." A weapon's damage die is initially d4 for a simple weapon or d6 for a martial weapon.

Each time the damage die increases one step move it one box to the right according to the table below. Each time the damage die decreases a step, move it left one box.

d4

d6

d8

d10

d12 or 2d6 (see below)

When increasing to the final step, roll any die. On odds, the damage die becomes d12. On even, the damage die becomes 2d6 and the weapon's cost doubles. Even if qualities say otherwise, a weapon's damage die can't go higher than this, and can't fall below d4.

Examples

Excluding precise costs and weights, this item can reproduce every melee weapon in the SRD5 except for the two weapons with special properties: lance and net.

SRD5 Weapons

Weapon	Cost	Damage	Weight	Properties	Dice
Simple Melee Weapons
Club	1 sp	d4 bash	2 lb.	Light	1 1 2
Dagger	5 gp	d4 pierce	1 lb.	Light, Finesse, Thrown (20/60)	2 2 2
Greatclub	10 gp	d8 bash	8 lb.	Two-Handed	1 5 10
Handaxe	5 gp	d6 slash	2 lb.	Light, Thrown (20/60)	3 2 4
Javelin	5 gp	d6 pierce	2 lb.	Thrown (30/120)	2 4 4
Light Hammer	5 gp	d6 bash	2 lb.	Light, Thrown (20/60)	1 2 4
Mace	5 gp	d6 bash	4 lb.	—	1 1 5
Spear	1 gp	d6 pierce	4 lb.	Thrown (20/60), Versatile (d8)	2 4 9
Sickle	1 sp	d4 slash	4 lb.	Light	3 1 2
Staff	10 gp	d6 bash	4 lb.	Versatile (d8)	1 9 5
Martial Melee Weapons
Battleaxe or Longsword	20 gp	d8 slash	4 lb.	Versatile (d8)	6 9 5
Flail	10 gp	d8 bash	4 lb.	—	4 1 5
Glaive or Halberd	20 gp	d10 slash	8 lb.	Heavy, Two-Handed, Reach	6 5 8
Greataxe	40 gp	d12 slash	8 lb.	Heavy, Two-Handed	6 10 5
Greatsword	80 gp	2d6 slash	8 lb.	Heavy, Two-Handed	6 10 5
Maul	80 gp	2d6 bash	8 lb.	Heavy, Two-Handed	4 10 5
Morningstar or War Pick	10 gp	d8 pierce	4 lb.	—	5 1 5
Pike	20 gp	d10 pierce	8 lb.	—	5 5 8
Rapier	20 gp	d8 pierce	2 lb.	—	5 3 5
Scimitar	10 gp	d6 slash	2 lb.	Finesse, Light	6 2 3
Shortsword	10 gp	d6 pierce	2 lb.	Finesse, Light	5 2 3
Trident (2024 version)	4 gp	d8 pierce	4 lb.	Thrown (20/60), Versatile (d10)	5 4 9
Warhammer	20 gp	d8 bash	4 lb.	Versatile (d8)	4 4 5
Whip	20 gp	d4 slash	2 lb.	Finesse, Reach	6 3 7

Some Other Possibilities

Weapon	Cost	Damage	Weight	Properties	Dice
Simple Melee Weapons
Bo Staff	5 gp	d6 bash	8 lb.	Heavy, Two-Handed, Reach	1 8 9
Cleaver	5 gp	d4 slash	2 lb.	Finesse, Versatile (d6)	3 3 9
Nunchaku	5 gp	d4 bash	2 lb.	Finesse, Versatile (d6)	1 3 9
Rod	1 sp	d4 bash	4 lb.	Versatile (d6)	4 1 9
Scythe	10 gp	d8 slash	8 lb.	Two-Handed	3 5 10
Switchblade	5 gp	d6 pierce	2 lb.	Finesse	2 3 5
Martial Melee Weapons
Bullwhip	20 gp	d6 slash	4 lb.	Reach	6 6 7
Chakram	10 gp	d8 slash	2 lb.	Thrown (30/120)	4 4 4
Chakri	10 gp	d6 slash	2 lb.	Finesse, Thrown (20/60)	6 3 4
Cutlass	10 gp	d6 slash	2 lb.	Finesse, Versatile (2d4)	6 3 9
Discus	10 gp	d8 bash	2 lb.	Thrown (30/120)	4 4 4
Katana	20 gp	d10 slash	4 lb.	Finesse, Two-Handed	6 3 10
Machete*	20 gp	d8 slash	2 lb.	Light	6 2 5
Mallet	4 sp	d6 bash	4 lb.	Versatile (d8)	4 1 9
Meteor Hammer	20 gp	d8 bash	4 lb.	Finesse, Reach, Two-Handed	6 3 8
Tonfa*	20 gp	d8 bash	2 lb.	Light	4 2 5
Sabre	10 gp	d8 slash	2 lb.	Finesse	4 3 5
Stone on a String	1 gp	d4 bash	4 lb.	Reach	1 7 1

* When you use a light melee weapon in two-weapon fighting, if the damage die is larger than d6, use a d6 damage die instead.

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