Weird & Wonderful Weapon Hack 2.0: Phantasmos Version

Based on the original Weird & Wonderful Weapon Hack, this version contains new Qualities unique to the Phantasmos setting, but I'm also changing a few rules from the original hack. I think many of the Phantasmos-specific Qualities could be re-worded to be more generic, but many of the new Qualities are generic and mundane. For the Phantasmos-specific Qualities, some good points of reference would be the Materials, Character Classes, and Crafted Items tables.

Also, I've beefed up the auto-generators! In addition to randomly generating a base form or a single quality, there is now a generator to generate a full weapon with a random base form and any number of Qualities of each cost! It still needs more work (which will hopefully be in the 3.0 version), but for now I think it's pretty cool!

EDIT: I recently posted a table of 20 Unique Weapons, generated using this hack! Each weapon additionally has a plot hook written for it, the idea being that any of these weapons could have a whole adventure told around them!

Rule Changes

  • Ranged Qualities separated and rules changed.
  • Renamed or reworked some of the original Qualities.
  • Added a bunch of new Qualities!
This chart uses input variables
  • Num_cost_0_qualities
  • Num_cost_3_qualities
  • Num_cost_2_qualities
  • Num_cost_1_qualities
Result

{% base = roll_chart name:"Base" %}
{% meta_lut = [["zero", "0", Num_cost_0_qualities], ["1", "1", Num_cost_1_qualities], ["2", "2", Num_cost_2_qualities], ["3", "3", Num_cost_3_qualities]] %}

Base

Form: {{base.Form}}
Qualities: {{base.Qualities}}

Qualities

{%for i in range from:1 to:4%}
{%if meta_lut.$i.3 != 0%}

Cost {{meta_lut.$i.1}}

{% qualities = 4178 |> get_chart |> filter cols:3 pattern:meta_lut.$i.2 |> unq_rows count:meta_lut.$i.3 %}
{%for quality in qualities%}
* {{quality.1.value}}: {{quality.2.value}}
{%end%}
{%end%}
{%end%}


Subcharts

Base (d3)

d3 Form Qualities

1

Light

1d4, +1 AB, One-handed, Concealable as free Quality

2

Medium

1d6, One-handed

3

Heavy

1d8, Two-handed

Qualities (d100)

d100 Qualities Description Cost

1

Animal

Made of or contains elements of animal life (e.g. bone, teeth, blood, skin or muscle tissue) or is a living animal.

0

2

Anthropomorphic

Has features vaguely reminiscent of a humanoid face or humanoid body part.

0

3

Bronze

Made of bronze. On a critical fail (natural 1 on 1d20) against stronger metals (such as iron or steel), it breaks.

0

4

Carbon

Made of a carbon.

0

5

Colorful

Is an unusual color.

0

6

Cooking

Designed in some way for cooking (e.g. butcher knife, paring knife).

0

7

Crafting

Designed in some way for carpentry and other crafting (e.g. screwdriver, saw)

0

8

Devil-Water

Requires devil-water.

0

9

Edible

Can be eaten.

0

10

Electrical

Requires electricity.

0

11

Farming

Designed in some way for farming (e.g. rake, spade, shovel).

0

12

Fragrant

Smells good.

0

13

Fungal

Made of or contains elements of fungal life or is a living fungus.

0

14

Glass

Made of glass. On critical fail (natural 1 on 1d20) it shatters. Against any surface harder than a human body, this increases to 1-4 on a 1d20.

0

15

Greasy

Is always greasy. On critical fail (natural 1 on 1d20), is dropped.

0

16

Iron

Made of iron.

0

17

Laser

Made of hard light or projects beams of light.

0

18

Loud

Produces annoying noises when carried; painfully loud when used.

0

19

Ornamental

As Stylish or Unique Appearance, but not designed for practical use. On critical fail (natural 1 on 1d20), it shatters or breaks.

0

20

Plant

Made of or contains elements of plant life or is a living plant (excludes normal Wood).

0

21

Plastic

Made of hard plastic.

0

22

Reflective

Reflects light and can be used as a mirror.

0

23

Singing

Softly hums or unintelligibly sings. The tune never gets old. Knows when to be quiet... usually...

0

24

Sonic

Made of hard sound or projects bursts of sound (not the same as Loud).

0

25

Static Charge

Often builds up a mildly painful static charge (not the same as Electric).

0

26

Steam-Powered

Requires steam.

0

27

Steel

Made of steel.

0

28

Sticky

Is always sticky.

0

29

Stinky

Smells bad.

0

30

Stone

Made of generic gray stone. On a critical fail (natural 1 on 1d20) against metals, it breaks.

0

31

Tasty

Fun to lick.

0

32

Ugly

Has an especially unattractive or even gross appearance.

0

33

Unpalatable

Tastes especially bad.

0

34

Weird

Has weird properties or a weird appearance (can be anything appearance-based on the table, or something not on the table).

0

35

Whispering

Whispers unintelligibly when brought close to the ear.

0

36

Wood

Made of wood (not the same as Elemental: Wood). Lightweight (half encumberance), but generally not good for cutting.

0

37

Attached

Attached to gauntlet or armor, leaving hand free.

1

38

Bonded

Weapon only usable by owner, cannot be removed from person without consent.

1

39

Breaking

Can be used to target and break objects at no disadvantage.

1

40

Chainsaw

Prereq: Devil-Water, Electrical, Steam-Powered, or Wavepunk. Has fast-moving serrations along a chain. As Breaking against anything softer than iron (or relative to what it's made from).

1

41

Cold Iron

Made of Cold Iron. +1 AB and +1 DMG against Fey.

1

42

Concealable

Can be hidden from view.

1

43

Concussive

Creates a burst of sound or light on impact to deafen/blind/temporarily stun.

1

44

Electric

Generates electricity.

1

45

Elemental: Air

Has properties related to air (e.g. can subtly manipulate winds, harness electricity).

1

46

Elemental: Earth

Has properties related to earth (e.g. benefits to mining).

1

47

Elemental: Fire

Has properties related to fire (e.g. produces heat/light, can cause burning).

1

48

Elemental: Metal

Has properties related to metal (e.g. benefits to blacksmithing).

1

49

Elemental: Water

Has properties related to water (e.g. can extinguish fires).

1

50

Elemental: Wood

Has properties related to wood/plants (e.g. benefits to gardening, nature traversal).

1

51

Flexible

Whip or whip-like; Range (close), AoE (close), Stunning (binding), Unwieldy (-2 AB).

1

52

Focused Area

AoE can be focused in a line, cone, etc. Each upgrade allows a different option.

1

53

Focused Damage

AoE can be focused to only target specific creatures or objects. Each upgrade allows greater flexibility.

1

54

Glowing

Can be used to provide illumination (as torch).

1

55

Impacting

Each upgrade increases range of knockback (close, short, medium, long).

1

56

Intoxicating

Eating or even tasting it can cause intoxication (poison saving throw).

1

57

Invisible

Cannot be seen (even by owner/wielder).

1

58

Large

Designed for large-sized creatures. Medium-sized creatures take -1 AB, small- creatures cannot use this weapon.

1

59

Long Range

Can attack targets up to long range, -2 AB at close range.

1

60

Magical

Has general magical properties.

1

61

Medium Range

Can attack targets up to medium range, -1 AB at close range.

1

62

Mobile

Can (slowly/clumsily) move autonomously when not in use.

1

63

Multi-Colored

Is multiple unusual colors.

1

64

Mutilating

Serration or other features cause sustained wounds and mutilation.

1

65

Obsidian

Made of obsidian. As Glass, but +1 damage.

1

66

Phlogisten

Glowing-hot from red to violet or white. Incredibly hot, but must be fed hot materials once a day or it will dissolve.

1

67

Poisonous

Can cause poisoning.

1

68

Prasium Crystal

Has a neon green crystal which emits small amounts of impossible light radiation.

1

69

Reach

Can be used at close range or thrown at no disadvantage.

1

70

Short Range

Can attack targets up to short range with no disadvantage at close range.

1

71

Silenced

The weapon produces little to no sound on projection or impact.

1

72

Small

Designed for small-sized creatures. Medium-sized creatures take -1 AB, large+ creatures cannot use this weapon.

1

73

Stunning

Can be used non-lethally to incapacitate at no disadvantage.

1

74

Stylish

Looks especially cool.

1

75

Suppressing

Creates an obstacle to those in weapon range. -2 AB to anyone in range.

1

76

Unique Appearance

May be a well known item or associated with a well-known person or faction.

1

77

Aether Metal

A softly glowing and humming white metal. Detritus levitates around it. Does not count towards encumberance. Utilized by aether dragoons.

2

78

Area of effect

May hit all targets in close range.

2

79

Astrium

Prereq: Edged weapon. Can be used to access/enter the astral plane. Utilized by mystics and psycho-knights.

2

80

Byzma Metal

While wearing Byzma metal armor, the weapon can be thrown/projected and will behave in a programmed way (e.g. boomerang)

2

81

Deadly

Each upgrade increase attack die (up to d10).

2

82

Elementa: Liquid Starfire

Has properties related to liquid starfire. Successful hit lowers target Dexterity by X for 1dX minutes (where X = number of applications of this quality).

2

83

Elemental: Absolute Solid

Has properties related to absolute solid. Successful hit lowers target Charisma by X for 1dX minutes (where X = number of applications of this quality).

2

84

Elemental: Anti-Information

Has properties related to anti-information. Successful hit lowers target Intelligence by X for 1dX minutes (where X = number of applications of this quality).

2

85

Elemental: Impossible Light

Has properties related to impossible light. Successful hit lowers target Wisdom by X for 1dX minutes (where X = number of applications of this quality).

2

86

Elemental: Null

Not is. Successful hit lowers target Strength by X for 1dX minutes (where X = number of applications of this quality).

2

87

Fuchsia Phosphene Crystal

Can produce fuchsia light, which can be utilized by Fuchsia Phosphenomenologists.

2

88

IFOD

Prereq: Light base form. Can be used as a wind instrument to produce inverse-frequency noise. Utilized by jammers.

2

89

Impossigen

Filled with super-cold, lightweight impossigen. In normal physics -2 AB, under a-logical physics +2 AB.

2

90

Masterwork

Each upgrade +1 AB.

2

91

Nanotube Steel

Made of nanotube steel. This is an ancient, lost technique. As Masterwork 1, Deadly 1.

2

92

Noxium

Filled with noxium gas. If punctured/released, +2 damage and 1 in 100 chance to induce anti-mutation. Starting ammo 10.

2

93

Penetrating

Ignore armor. With second upgrade, ignore shields. AC otherwise still applies.

2

94

Radio Transmission

Can be used as a radio. Utilized by priests of Lamarr and materialists to control ancient electronic devices and robots.

2

95

Shoglite

Is actually a mimic. Can shapeshift into other items of a similar size. Treat additionally as Bonded.

2

96

Spellbreaking

Can silence spells/spellcasters on successful attack.

2

97

Wavepunk

Has keys, gears, knobs, and chains arranged and moving paradoxically. Utilized by materialists, zoomers, and phreakers to access wavespace.

2

98

Siege

Can be used to break open structures.

3

99

Meridian Metal

A soft metal, not good for attacking, but channels phreaking magic (contains a spell as a wand).

spell level

100

Sentient

Has some degree of sentience (cost 1 = impressionistic/animal-like, cost 2 = human-like, cost 3 = superhuman).

varies