Balanced: By carefully weighting the pommel and handle with the blade, the weapon may be balanced so that it may be more easily wielded. A retrofit balancing-job adds +1 to the initiative of the blade, while a weapon specially designed and crafted by a master to be perfectly balanced gains +2 on initiative and +1 on attacks.
Crushing or Blow-through: Apply shock before reductions for damage resistance
Custom Grip: A customized grip may be added to a weapon to make it better able to attack and defend. This adds +1 to hit and +2 to resist being disarmed. Anyone other than the person for whom the grip was designed for will see those numbers as a double penalty (i.e. -2 on attacks & -4 to resist being disarmed). This may only be done for weapons that have a grip. Bows, swords, and possibly some axes or hammers may be used; but polearms, staves, and straight-handled weapons may not.
Damages Armour: Lowers Damage Resistance, Reduction, &/or Armour Class when it hits, doesn't need to penetrate Damage Reduction to damage armour—just because you didn't feel it doesn't mean your armour didn't
Dense: These weapons and armour are made up of heavier metals. This adds either +1 to attack rolls (weapons) or +2 to damage reduction (armour). The item is 20% heavier in weight and one encumbrance level higher. This feature may be repeated (i.e. Dense x 3 for +3 to hit/+6 damage reduction).
Flaming: These weapons are designed to catch on fire, or produce their own fire. The handles are constructed to prevent the wielder from being burnt by the weapon, and to prevent excess heat from transferring to the wielder's hand.
Flexion: Weapons with this feature are crafted from materials that are able to bend slightly when force is applied. This is not the same as true flex-weapons. This trait allows one to strike hard and unforgiving surfaces with little fear of the weapon breaking. It will instead bend with the impact rather than shatter.
Fork: Commonly found on polearms, this is a prong, fluke, or hook, which aids in defense. The fork is usually mounted on the back of a blade, or beneath it—in the case of stabbing weapons—and jutting outward. Forks add +2 on parries, disarms, and attempts to unseat a mounted rider. Weapons with this feature often also have the Weapon Catch feature.
Ignore Armour: This feature allows a weapon to ignore the fortitude of armour or toughness—like a hot knife through butter. Reflex bonuses to armour class are still applicable.
Jagged: This is similar to the Serrated feature, but the edge of the blade has definite teeth. These cause vicious wounds, but get caught on armour and other weapons quite often. This grants +4 damage, +2 to disarm, and +1 to parry, at a cost of -2 to hit. The jagged edge is easier for opponents to use against you as well; opponents get +2 to parry this weapon and +3 on attempts to catch or disarm it.
Light: These weapons and armour are made up of lighter alloys. This reduces the weight by 20% and the encumbrance by one level.
Plating/Studs: This is a feature similar to Thick that may be added after construction. Plating adds small metal plates or studs for +1 to armour class and damage reduction. This is similar to how studded leather armour is made.
Reach:Weapons with the Reach feature get first-strike capability over someone without a 'reach' or ranged weapon unless the opponent (who would otherwise have initiative) successfully in-fights. The opponent must declare that he or she will in-fight, and then successfully dodging or parrying to get past the business-end of the weapon in order to strike. This uses up an action as a normal parry or dodge. Unless otherwise noted, a weapon with reach cannot strike an opponent unless you back-up to keep them at a distance.
Rolled: Typically only for blades. The metal has been folded and rolled multiple times. This is so that, when the blade chips, one layer peels away, leaving the edge sharp. This has the advantage that the metal withstands battle better & holds an edge longer: +1 damage.
Rolled—Unalloyed: Includes all of the features of Rolled, but there are two types of metals involved; typically steel and lead. The metals are not blended together in a forge, but are rolled and folded together, so that the layers on the edge are alternating materials. When done properly, the resulting blade has an increased damage capability and weight. The harder, lighter metal (steel) holds the shape and edge; while the softer, heavier metal (lead) is more easily sharpened, and adds mass. The increased mass and sharpened edge result in +1 to hit and damage (total). This is an uncommon method in most lands, but the Killian Empire has perfected the process, and produces many masterwork blades with this feature.
Sacrifice: Armour or shields that have this feature can be 'sacrificed' to guarantee that an attack can be completely avoided. This is effectively 100% resistance to hacking, stabbing, and piercing attacks, plus all damaging energy-related attacks (fire, lightning, etc.). When the character chooses to sacrifice the item, he or she takes no damage, but the shield or armour is destroyed. Shields are only effective against a single attack when they are sacrificed; armour is unaffected until the end of the round. This feature is typically only found in wooden, ceramic, bone, and ablative armours and shields.
Serrated: Weapons with a serrated edge (like a steak knife) cause nasty wounds, but are more likely to snag on armour. +2 damage, but -1 on attacks.
Shieldbreaker weapons are able to destroy a shield if its wielder chooses to do so. When this feature is utilized, make an attack roll as normal. If the shieldbreaker weapon is successfully blocked, then the shield is destroyed (defender still takes no damage). If the attack is not successfully parried, then the opponent is not harmed, as your goal was to destroy the shield. If you miss, then of course none of this applies. Loser.
Slick: These weapons and armour are made of, or coated with, low friction materials. Armour with this feature has a +2 on armour class (does not count as a fortitude bonus, but rather a blanket bonus). Weapons with this feature cause a -2 on opponents' chances to parry, catch, or disarm.
Spiked: This allows shields, particularly small shields and bucklers to be used as weapons. Adding a spike this way adds 10 guilder to the cost, or 12 guilder if retrofitted. The spike is usually in the center of a buckler, but spikes may be added to the edge. In either case, the damage is 1D4 + Strength. Spikes may be added to weapons in the same manner—with the same cost and damage. This gives weapons an additional combat option; that is, you can either hack (with the blade, such as with a polearm) or stab with the spiked tip. Spikes may also be added to the bases of most handles.
Armour may be spiked as well. This typically involves many smaller spikes rather than a single large one. These cost 10—50 guilder, and add 1—10 pounds to the weight of the armour, depending on the exact work done. Armour spikes cause 2 points of damage to an opponent in grappling attacks per round, and can be used as a melee attack, such as a blow from the shoulder, forearm, shin, etc.
Thick: Armour with this feature has increased thickness of material. This adds +2 to damage reduction at the cost of one level of increased encumbrance.
Undefendable: Usually found only as a feature of flex or ranged weapons, an undefendable weapon may not be parried or blocked, but a shield's bonus to armour class or cover will still apply.
Weapon Breaker: A weapon with this feature will almost always also have the Weapon Catch feature. The typical use of this feature is, when a weapon has been caught, you may expend a round to attempt to snap the opposing weapon. The chance for this is a percentage equal to your Strength score plus twice your proficiency level with the weapon. The Game Master may modify this percentage up or down based on material and skill of the weaponsmith that created it, as applicable to both weapons.
Weapon Catch: Usually common to weapons with the Fork feature, this is a notch or projection that is designed to catch another's weapon. Typically this is specially angled for maximum efficiency. This feature adds an additional +1 on parries, and +2 on disarm attempts. You may attempt to catch a weapon as a parry. If successful, the opponent's weapon has been snagged and neither weapon may be used until one of the combatants expends an action to unentangle them.
One-hand: smaller & easier to conceal and port; you can use two hands on these weapons by placing your other hand on the pommel, or by wrapping the second hand over the first; maximum bonus for using both hands is an additional +2 to your normal Strength bonus; example: dagger
One-hand-exclusive: these weapons can only be used with a single hand; you cannot get the benefit of the two-handed attack bonus; example: brass knuckles
Hand-&-a-half: may be used with either one or two hands; using both hands on a weapon adds one-fourth of your Strength score to your normal damage bonus for high Strength; example: claymore
Two-hands: these weapons need to be used with two hands in order to be used effectively; these weapons may be used in one hand if the effective encumbrance is light or none, otherwise a -2 attack penalty applies (the Game Master may assign greater penalties, or disallow one-hand use altogether); example: zweihander sword
Hafted: these weapons have a short pole as a handle; they are otherwise similar to hand-&-a-half weapons; example: axe
Pole: typically polearms, these are weapons that have a staff as their base; they are otherwise similar to two-hand weapons; examples: staff or greataxe
Loop: an addendum to the other handle types; this allows the weapon to be attached to the wrist for easy recovery if the weapon is lost (takes one action instead of having to play 'go-fish')
Special: Some melee weapons will have unique grips, such as the strapped-on flexible basket of claives.
Bow: Both long and short bows require two hands to use. As the drawstring needs to be pulled across the body, both hands need to be on opposite sides, i.e. a Killian could not use both right arms to shoot a bow.
Pistol-grip: This handle is found on small firearms and hand crossbows. This type of handle only requires one hand, but both hands may be used to steady it
Stock: Common to most crossbows, small arbalests, and technomantic rifles, this grip is held in both hands with the weapon placed against the shoulder.