Creating Weapons

Craftsman Accessory

Note from the author: Our definitive crafting base class, the Craftsman, uses features like Masterwork to create magical weapons and add enchantments to other adventurers’ gear. We didn’t want to limit your creativity to the magical, so we included a section on how to create any kind of weapon you can dream up for the 2024 ruleset. Of course, the Craftsman can enchant these new weapons as well! For a set of examples, including some of my favorite weapons from history, check out the New Weapons post.

Creating Weapons

You can use the following rules to dream up new, imaginative weapons or adapt weapons from history to 5th Edition.

Starting Weapon
Damage Steps
Add Properties
Add a Mastery Property

Starting Weapon

To begin, choose one of the following weapons to begin building. Choose any type of ammunition for a weapon with the Ammunition property. Choose Bludgeoning, Piercing, or Slashing damage, as appropriate, or Fire, Force, Necrotic or Radiant damage in futuristic settings.

Weapon	Damage	Properties
Simple Melee	1d6	—
Simple Ranged: Thrown	1d4	Thrown (20/60)
Simple Ranged: Ammunition	1d4	Ammunition (30/120)
Simple Ranged Firearm	2d4 + 1	Ammunition (Range 30/120), Firearm

The Firearm property above is described as follows.

Firearm. You don’t add your ability modifier to the weapon’s damage, unless otherwise stated. When you make an attack with this weapon that doesn’t add your Strength or Dexterity modifier to the damage roll, such as the extra attack of the Light property, you subtract 2 from the damage roll of the attack, to a minimum of 1 damage.

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Damage Steps

As you modify a weapon, its damage moves up or down the following scale.

1d4 → 1d6 → 1d8 → 1d10 → 1d12 or 2d6

Further increases add a +1 bonus to the weapon’s damage roll.

If the weapon being modified has 2 damage dice (such as a Greatsword or a weapon with the Firearm property), the scale is instead:

2d4 → 2d4 + 1 → 2d6 → 2d6 + 1 → 2d8 → 2d8 + 1 → 2d10 → 2d10 + 1 → 2d12

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Add Properties

Add properties from the following list to your starting weapon until it has the form, function, and damage desired. New weapon properties might change a weapon’s damage, range, or other properties. The weapon must meet any prerequisite specified for its new property. You can’t add a property if it decreases the weapon’s damage die lower than 1d4, or 2d4 for a weapon with two damage dice. Some of the properties on the following list are new, and include a description of the property.

Blaster

Prerequisite: Weapon with the Ammunition Property

This property replaces the Ammunition property in futuristic settings. This weapon can’t gain the Loading or Reload properties.

Blaster. A weapon with the Blaster property is a Ranged weapon that requires no ammunition. This weapon counts as having the Ammunition property.

Cooldown

Prerequisite: Weapon with the Blaster Property
This property replaces the Loading property in futuristic settings.

Cooldown. Because this weapon requires cooldown time between uses, you can only fire it once when you use an action, Bonus Action, or Reaction to fire it, regardless of the number of attacks you normally make. This weapon counts as having the Loading property.

Destructible

Prerequisite: Ranged Weapon with the Thrown Property

The weapon’s damage die increases by one step. This is a new property, as follows.

Destructible. After you make an attack with this weapon, it is destroyed.

Finesse

Prerequisite: Melee Weapon that Doesn’t Have the Two-Handed Property, or a Ranged Weapon with the Thrown Property

No changes.

Heavy

Prerequisite: Weapon with the Two-Handed Property

If it is a Melee weapon, its damage die increases by one step.

Light

Prerequisite: Weapon that Lacks the Two-Handed or Versatile Property

The weapon’s damage die decreases by one step.

Loading

Prerequisite: Ranged Weapon with the Ammunition Property

The weapon’s damage die increases by one step.

Martial

Prerequisite: Simple Weapon

The weapon becomes a Martial weapon, and its damage die increases by one step.

Reach

Prerequisite: Melee Weapon with the Finesse or Two-Handed Property.

The weapon’s damage die decreases by one step.

Recoil

Prerequisite: Ranged Weapon with the Ammunition and Two-Handed Properties

The weapon’s damage die increases by one step. This is a new property, as follows.

Recoil. After you make an attack with this weapon, you can’t make ranged attacks beyond the weapon’s normal range until the end of your turn.

Reload

Prerequisite: Ranged Weapon with the Ammunition Property

This is a new property, as follows.

Reload. This weapon can be used to make a number of attacks before it must be reloaded. If you are proficient with the weapon, reloading it takes an action or a Bonus Action; otherwise, reloading it takes an action. The number of attacks is determined by the size of the weapon’s damage die or dice, as follows.

Damage Die	Reload Attacks
d4	8
d6	6
d8	4
d10	2
d12	1

Thrown

Prerequisite: Melee Weapon that Lacks the Two-Handed Property

The range of this property is 20/60 feet.

Two-Handed

Prerequisite: Weapon that Lacks the Finesse, Light, Thrown, and Versatile Properties

The weapon’s damage die increases by one step.

Versatile

Prerequisite: Melee Weapon that Lacks the Light and Two-Handed Properties.

While being wielded in two hands, this weapon’s damage die increases by one step.

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Add a Mastery Property

Choose a mastery property for the weapon from the following options. The weapon must meet any prerequisite specified for the mastery property.

Some properties, like Automatic and Explode, may be unsuitable for certain campaign settings. The GM determines if a weapon can be made with a given mastery
property.

Automatic

Prerequisite: Ammunition Property

When you make an attack with this weapon, you can choose to make two attacks instead. These attacks are always made with Disadvantage, regardless of circumstance.

Bludgeon

Prerequisite: Ranged Weapon

You can treat this weapon as a Melee weapon with the Finesse property. When you hit a creature with a melee attack using this weapon, it deals Bludgeoning damage equal to 1d6 plus your Strength or Dexterity modifier, or 1d8 plus your Strength or Dexterity modifier if the weapon is wielded in two hands.

Cleave

Prerequisite: Melee Weapon, Heavy Property

If you hit a creature with a melee attack roll using this weapon, you can make a melee attack roll with the weapon against a second creature within 5 feet of the first that is also within your reach. On a hit, the second creature takes the weapon’s damage, but don’t add your ability modifier to that damage unless that modifier is negative. You can make this extra attack only once per turn.

Explode

Prerequisite: Fire Damage, Masterwork Ranged Weapon

When you take the Attack action, you can replace one of your ranged attacks with an explosion from this weapon’s projectile. This explosion is a 5-foot-radius Sphere centered on a point you choose within the weapon’s normal range. Each creature within the Sphere makes a Dexterity saving throw (DC 8 plus your Strength or Dexterity modifier and your Proficiency Bonus). On a failed save, a creature takes the weapon’s damage, but don’t add your ability modifier to that damage unless that modifier is negative. On a successful save, a creature takes half as much damage. You can create an explosion only once per turn.

Graze

Prerequisite: Melee Weapon, Heavy Property

If your attack roll with this weapon misses a creature, you can deal damage to that creature equal to the ability modifier you used to make the attack roll. This damage is the same type dealt by the weapon, and the damage can be increased only by increasing the ability modifier.

Jolt

Prerequisite: Lightning Damage

If you hit a creature with this weapon and deal damage to it, the creature can’t make Opportunity Attacks until the start of its next turn.

Mounted

Prerequisite: Ranged Weapon, Heavy Property

You can use a Bonus Action to mount this weapon in a fixed position until the end of your turn. While mounted, this weapon can’t be moved and its damage dice increase by one step (d4 → d6 → d8 → d10 → d12, to a maximum of d12s) when the weapon is used to make a ranged attack.

Nick

Prerequisite: Light Property

When you make the extra attack of the Light property, you can make it as part of the Attack action instead of as a Bonus Action. You can make this extra attack only once per turn.

Parry

Prerequisite: Melee Weapon that Doesn’t Have the Two-Handed Property

When you hit a creature with this weapon and you aren’t wielding a Shield, you gain a +2 bonus to your Armor Class until the start of your next turn. You can gain this bonus only once per turn.

Push

Prerequisite: Heavy, Two-Handed, or Versatile Property

If you hit a creature with this weapon, you can push the creature up to 10 feet straight away from yourself if it is Large or smaller.

Sap

Prerequisite: Versatile Property or No Weapon Property

If you hit a creature with this weapon, that creature has Disadvantage on its next attack roll before the start of your next turn.

Scatter

Prerequisite: Ammunition Property

Being within 5 feet of an enemy doesn’t impose Disadvantage on your ranged attack rolls with this weapon. This weapon’s range is 20/60 if it were higher.

Shift

Prerequisite: Melee Weapon, Light or Finesse Property

If you hit a creature with this weapon, you can immediately move 10 feet without provoking Opportunity Attacks.

Sighted

Prerequisite: Ammunition and Two-Handed Properties

Attacking at long range with this weapon doesn’t impose Disadvantage on your attack rolls. When you hit a creature with an attack using this weapon at long range, you can reroll any of the damage dice and must use the new roll.

Slow

Prerequisite: None

If you hit a creature with this weapon and deal damage to it, you can reduce its Speed by 10 feet until the start of your next turn. If the creature is hit more than once by weapons that have this property, the Speed reduction doesn’t exceed 10 feet.

Tension

Prerequisite: Ammunition and Two-Handed Properties

When making a Ranged attack with this weapon, you use your choice of your Strength or Dexterity modifier for the attack and damage rolls. You must use the same modifier for both rolls.

Topple

Prerequisite: Heavy, Reach, or Versatile Property

If you hit a creature with this weapon, you can force the creature to make a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 plus the ability modifier used to make the attack roll
and your Proficiency Bonus). On a failed save, the creature has the Prone condition.

Twinshot

Prerequisite: Ranged Weapon, Ammunition Property

If you hit a creature with a ranged attack roll using this weapon, you can make a ranged attack roll with the weapon against a second creature within 10 feet
of the first that is also within the weapon’s range. On a hit, the second creature takes the weapon’s damage, but don’t add your ability modifier to that damage unless that modifier is negative. You can make  this extra attack only once per turn.

Vex

Prerequisite: Ammunition, Finesse, or Light Property

If you hit a creature with this weapon and deal damage to the creature, you have Advantage on your next attack roll against that creature before the end of
your next turn.

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Get more Craftsman subclasses in the Complete Craftsman

Or discover other innovative subclasses in Valda’s Spire of Secrets!