Weapons:
Weapons from all over Ermendria have made their way to the Wild Winds Desert, especially after the recent invasion by Arnarethian crusaders. The weapons that have been developed or most adopted in the region do share many similarities. They tend to use or require less metal than more ore-rich regions. Access to the unique wood of the Stonewood forest, and a steady influx of monster bones from the Great Sand Sea means there is no lack of weaponry made in the region, despite the lack of steel and iron. Many of the weapons unique to the region serve multiple purposes, doubling as hunting or survival tools. The blades that are made in the region favor curved blades for their more compact and lighter design. Spears, axes, hammers, and maces are much more common than swords since they are less metal-dependent.
The development and refinement of firearms over the past 200 years has drastically changed life in the region. The dwarves of Tsfun Barg under the guidance of Queen Macher took the weaponization of blasting powder from simple bombs and rockets to multi-shot firearms. These weapons are rare, and because of this they are often handed down from parent to child and prized as family heirlooms. These weapons are often highly decorated and elaborately adorned with carvings, precious metals, and even gems. Recently the dwarves have developed self-contained bullets making faster firing weapons possible, though these are only seen carried by the most powerful and favored of dwarven warriors. Until only a few years ago the secret of refining blasting powder, and the metallurgy to make firearms was a secret only known to the dwarves. Guild Master Sud Nemt brought the secrets of gunsmithing with her to Peloch 2 years ago after her exile from Merb Vakh. Now firearms are becoming more common among the non-dwarven people of the desert.
Simple Weapons:
Atlatl:
The Atlatl is a simple and effective tool. Used by people across the world, on the surface it looks to be a simple piece of wood with a groove cut into it that a spear can rest in. By swinging the atlatl, a user can hurl a javelin with much greater speed and, with practice, greater accuracy.
Bolas:
At first glance, this weapon looks simply like a pair of weights connected by a length of cord, rope, or chain. But in the hands of a skilled and practiced user, this weapon can be used to stop nearly anyone in their tracks. When swung about and thrown at a target's legs, they can entangle it, knocking it down for an easy kill.
A creature hit by a bola falls prone until it is freed. A creature can use its action to make a Strength check(DC depends on the material connection the weights) or to attack the restraints to free itself, destroying the bolas in the process. You can only throw one bolas on your turn.
Cestus:
A cestus can take many shapes, but in all cases, it is comprised of some sort of glove, gauntlet, or hand wrapping covered in metal, stone, bone, or some other hard material, normally worn in pairs. Unarmed fighters often use them simply to protect their hands, but they are also for covering in special materials such as silver or alchemist's fire.
Punching Dagger:
This unique style of dagger consists of one or more blades attached to an H-framed handle, allowing a proficient user to augment his unarmed strikes. This weapon is favored by thugs and bandits on the streets of Peloch.
Sickle:
This simple forward-curving weapon is at home as much in fields as it is on the battlefield. They are regularly made out of stonewood and bone in the Wild Winds Desert and are favored by peasants and druids alike.
Martial Weapons:
Stonewood Bow:
Stonewood bows are prized by monster hunters, rangers, and warriors across all of Ermendria, not only for their strength but their beauty as well. They are made by combining pieces of stonewood from several different ages of trees. This composite material is much stronger than a longbow and can throw arrows with the power of a heavy crossbow.
Stonebows can also be made stout enough to take advantage of those with prodigious strength. They come in +1, +2, and +3 variety and allow the wielder to add their strength modifier, up to the Strength of the bow to the damage roll, in addition to their Dexterity modifier.
Great Sling:
Great slings are long, heavy slings made of either woven reeds or braided leather or monster hide. They can easily measure six feet in length when wielded and up to fifteen feet in total length. They are favored by dwarves, harongen, and herders everywhere. While a normal sling can project small stones with blinding speed, the great sling takes a different approach: hurling weightier stones or bullets slightly slower. Using this weapon requires more strength and patience to master but in a skilled slinger's hands, it can fell the mightiest beast. Unlike its smaller cousin, the great sling can also be used in melee combat. Many of the mountain folk will carry a particularly heavy rock to use when close-quarter combat is called for.
Not only rocks and bullets can be thrown from the great sling. Alchemist's fire, holy water, acid, bombs, and anything else mostly spherical can be hurled with devastating effects.
Harpoon:
A long wooden shaft with a barbed spear-like point, usually made of bone or stonewood. When used for hunting, this weapon has a length of rope attached to it. This rope can be used to control the target of the weapon or to haul in slain prey.
After striking a target the wielder may make a grapple check as a bonus action. If the target fails the grapple check, they may not move beyond the range of the rope, which is usually 20 feet. The target may attempt an opposed grapple check or a DC 15 Strength check as an action to free themselves. Or they can attack the rope directly.
Catchpole:
This weapon is used to immobilize creatures at a distance. Usually, they take the form of a half-moon of metal with small spikes on the inside attached to a long pole. Favored by guards, monster hunters, and bounty hunters they are great for capturing people without harming them too severely.
When you hit a creature of Large or smaller size with this weapon, you can attempt to grapple the creature instead of doing damage.
Khopesh:
The khopesh is an oddly shaped sword, straight-bladed from the pommel up until dramatically curving outward and ending in a hooked point, giving it a look similar to a cross between an axe and a short sword. The hooked backside of the weapon, though blunt, is an extremely helpful tool when attempting to trip or drag a foe.
Warspear:
While not overly long, a warspear has a heavy, weighted head that gives it greater puncturing power. A cleverly designed counterweight maintains its ability to be wielded one-handed. This weapon is favored by orcs, tabaxi, and human nomads.
Firearms:
Spark Pistol:
The spark pistol is a sturdy pistol, which must be reloaded after every shot. It is favored both for its easy concealment and deadly blast, but because of its short range and long reload time, it's largely used in addition to an axe or other weapon. Even though the dwarves of the three sister cities have started making more advanced handguns, these are still the most common firearm in the Wild Winds Desert.
Spark Rifle:
This long rifle was the first blasting powder weapon developed. It is prized for its accuracy and power. Its long reload time means that it is best used in conjunction with another weapon, often dropped after being fired. Some dwarves would fit an axe head or dagger blade to the barrel, allowing them to wield it in melee after firing. These weapons are often prized family heirlooms with the great deeds of the wielders carved into the stock.
Tunnel Sweeper:
This distinctive short-ranged firearm features a dramatically flared muzzle from which it fires heavy shots in a wide spray. In a pinch, it can even be loaded with nails, chips of stone, or small bombs or vials of alchemist fire. Most effective at close range, the Tunnel Sweeper earned its name and fearsome reputation in the tunnels below the dwarven cities.
Lever Rifle:
The newest firearms these weapons are a truly fearsome development. Nearly as powerful as a Spark Rife, but able to fire five shots before needing to be reloaded. The complex mechanism and materials that allow the weapon to fire so quickly and hold multiple rounds mean that this weapon is very expensive. It is almost exclusively used by dwarven nobles, and royal guards.
Pocket Pistol:
A small and easily concealed pistol this weapon has gained popularity quickly with assassins, nobles, and anyone else who needs to hide a weapon on their person with any regularity. These weapons are still quite rare and very expensive since they use the new self-contained cartridges that allow for multiple shots before needing to reload. Because of the cost they are often highly adorned with handles inlaid with rare materials like monster bone or desert pearl.
Revolving Pistol:
This new and powerful pistol stores six bullets in a rotating cylinder, which can be fired in rapid succession. This weapon is favored by wealthy warriors and mercenaries who value its reliability and power. Still relatively new and rare, they are rarely seen on the hip of anyone other than a dwarf.
Harpoon Launcher:
This unusual firearm is designed to fire entire harpoons rather than bullets. They are often found on monster-hunting ships, as well as on top of most dwarven shifzam. It usually doesn't take more than one direct hit from one to deter a bandit party from attacking one of these great sand crawlers.
Light Cannon:
This cannon is designed to be transportable either by creature-drawn cart or sandship. Though light by cannon standards, since it's used to blow holes in people and monsters rather than ships or fortifications, it is extraordinarily heavy for a single individual. Some dwarven sand ships, shifzam, and trains have even equipped them as defense tools, or for monster hunting.
Heavy Cannon:
These cannons are heavy enough that they are almost exclusively used to defend the dwarven citadels. Huge and frighteningly destructive they can nearly guarantee the death of anything they are aimed at. While cumbersome and slow to reload, few who have been on the receiving end of a full barrage of heavy cannons have needed a second to send them running.
Revolving Cannon:
The pinnacle of firearm development, these cannons are truly terrifying. Using the same mechanism as the revolving pistol, only sized up to huge proportions, these cannons are capable of firing devastating shells with amazing speed and accuracy. Even more accurate than a heavy cannon, though not quite as powerful, the only thing keeping these weapons from dominating the region is the amount of adamantium and steel needed to make them.
Exotic Weapons:
Assassin's Blade:
This thin sword is made to be hidden and quickly drawn. It is both unusually thin and narrow, making it very easy to hide. The blade is not as rigid as most swords, sacrificing durability for speed and a razor-sharp edge. This flexibility makes it hard to wield, but those who have mastered it can strike with surprise at any moment. Some nobels become proficient with these blades so that they can attend court and still be armed.
Chainwhip:
This heavy whip is constructed from a length of chain, rather than leather or cord, making it heavier, but multiplying its impact. Sometimes the links of the chain are made from different kinds of metal such as adamantium for greater weight, mithral for greater speed, or hallowed metal to fight outsiders and undead.
Heavy Waraxe:
Useful for fighting in tunnels, or chopping through thick monster hide, heavy waraxes have a wide-bladed axe head on one side and a wickedly barbed spike at the other. Dwarven, gnoll, and orcish warriors and leaders favor this weapon.
Dueling Blade:
A thin and often curved sword, this sword has a large and curved guard that allows the wielder to use the sword for both offense and defense. These swords are the most common weapon carried by the nobility and the upper echelons of society across the Wild Winds Desert. They are often used in conjunction with a parrying dagger.
Meteor Chain:
Also called a meteor hammer, this weapon consists of a long rope or chain, with a large metal weight at the end. Hurling it in an arc or bringing it down from above creates an impact unmatched by almost any other weapon, but mastering the weapon's arc demands ample talent and intense practice. Sometimes single-use versions of this weapon are made with bombs, alchemist fire, or even Arnkrufuth stone with spells stored in it.
Parrying Dagger:
A curved dagger with a wide and sturdy guard, this weapon is often used in the off-hand instead of a shield. It allows the wielder to threaten with their off-hand while still defending themselves. When paired with the dueling blade it makes for a fearsome tool.
Bomb:
A thin metallic, ceramic, glass, or even wooden shell is filled with blasting powder, and sometimes small bits of metal or stone, these are the simplest blasting powder weapons. Detonated with either a lit fuse or an alchemical substance they can be as dangerous to the wielder as the target. With training, courage, and a keen eye they can be used to devastating effect.
When a bomb hits a target it explodes in a 5-foot radius and is destroyed. The bomb can be thrown at an unoccupied space within its range. Each creature other than the target within the blast radius must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking half damage on a successful save.
Additionally, as a bonus action, you can empty some of the bomb's explosive material to permanently remove the blast radius from the bomb, dealing damage only to the bomb's target.
Sniper Crossbow:
This crossbow is heavy and difficult to manage, but with practice, it can be used with devastating effect at truly spectacular distances. The shooting arm is reinforced either with metal bands or stonewood to give it extra power and range. This is combined with delicate glass sights on the top to give it unparalleled accuracy.
When attacking a target within the weapons base range it scores a critical hit on a 19 or a 20. This weapon ignores the disadvantage to attack heavy armor at distance, similar to a firearm.
Wrist Crossbow:
This small and foldable crossbow is easily hidden and deadly at close range. This crossbow does not have a handle and is instead mounted to a bracer or a wrist cuff that the wielder wears when using the weapon. It is fired via a trigger on the side. In many places, it is illegal to have this weapon since it is mostly associated with assassins and thieves.
Armor:
The armor made in the Wild Winds Desert is similar to the weapons. They tend to be made from stonewood, monster parts, bone, or anything other than steel. Steel armor still sees plenty of use but its weight, heat, and reflectiveness mean it's avoided by most of the desert tribes.
Stonewood Armor:
Armor made from stonewood is prized not only for being lightweight and durable. It is also beautiful with swirling colors and patterns that form as part of the aging process of the trees. It is lighter than steel, making it favored not only by the elves of the Stonewood forest, but by warriors of the Great Sand Sea, nobles, and wealthy merchants who want not only armor but decoration.
Monster Armor:
Armor using some, mostly, or all monster parts is common throughout the region. Not only is the resource seemingly endlessly available, but it is hardy, easily enchanted, and lightweight compared to steel armor. The most common forms of monster armor are either Leather or Scale Mail. If the components are from mighty creatures such as Genies, Dragons, or Dunewinders, they can still hold some of the powers of the beast, this armor is prized by warriors all across the desert.
Silk Wrap Armor:
Silk wrap armor is both lovely and practical. The overlapping layers of reinforced silk allow cushioning from blows while still allowing for easy airflow keeping the wearer cool and comfortable. Some groups will dye the silk as a way to identify themselves as part of a particular mercenary company or wandering clan. In its undyed form, the natural color of the silk gives wearers advantage on stealth checks to move across the desert unseen.
Mountain Plate:
The sturdiest and most comprehensive armor found maybe anywhere, Mountain Plate is unmatched in its ability to protect its wearer from harm. Made by the dwarves of the three sister cities, Mountain Plate is made of a combination of metals, mostly adamantine, monster bone, and stone. These suits or armor are almost always enchanted and are only made by commission and so are fitted to the user. This means that similar to War Plate, they are hard to scavenge from the dead.
War Plate:
War Plate is made for the mightiest and most celebrated of elven warriors of Stonewood. Not only effective this armor is beautiful, making it as visually stunning as it is martially effective. Stonewood armor is shaped and warped to the body of the wielder by elven magic making it fit almost like a second skin. This means the wielder can move much easier than standard full plate. You can add up to +3 of your Dexterity to your Armor Class and Saves while wearing this armor, rather than the standard +1 from heavy armor.
Weighted Dueling Cloak:
Favored by the wealthy and the nobility of the region, weighted dueling cloaks are both a fashion accessory as well as an effective tool. Made from heavy cloth, with weights sewn into the hem these cloaks are used in the off hand of a duelist similarly to a buckler. Using these cloaks effectively takes hours of practice and focus, but to those that master it these cloaks are effective and deadly tools.
The cloak counts as a weapon, it has the light and finesse properties and deals 1d4 points of damage. Also, when someone misses you with a melee attack while you are wielding one of these cloaks you can use your reaction to make a disarm check against the attack.
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