Weapon Quality
It is possible to construct weapons of different quality than just average.
Poor quality weapons are shabbily made. They look bad, and like the flawed weapons
described above, they break on a natural attack roll of 1 to 5. They don't hit
as well (this is a penalty to the attack roll) or do as much damage (penalty to
the damage) as their average-quality equivalents.
Average quality weapons are not especially notable; they get the job done, they're
reliable, and they're inexpensive. Unless otherwise noted, all (non-magical)
weapons listed on charts in the AD&D® game are of average quality.
Fine quality weapons are very well-made. Each will have one specific bonus: Either
a +1 to attack rolls or a +1 to damage. This bonus is not magical; it comes
from improved balance, sharpness, etc. (The weaponsmith determines, when he's
making the weapon, whether he's trying to make it more accurate or make it hit
harder.) They also cost a lot more than average weapons. Enchantments are
typically made on weapons of at least Fine quality.
Exceptional quality weapons are like fine weapons, but have both bonuses: They're +1 to attack rolls and +1 to damage. They're also very
expensive.
The following list, adapted from the list on page 65, shows the differences in cost and time to create weapons of these different
levels of quality.
Weapon Type
| Poor
| Average
| Fine
| Exceptional
|
Arrowhead
| 20/day
| 10/day
| 5/day
| 1/day
|
Battle Axe
| 5 days
| 10 days
| 20 days
| 45 days
|
Hand Axe
| 2 days
| 5 days
| 10 days
| 20 days
|
Dagger
| 3 days
| 5 days
| 10 days
| 20 days
|
H. Crossbow
| 10 days
| 20 days
| 45 days
| 90 days
|
L. Crossbow
| 8 days
| 15 days
| 30 days
| 60 days
|
Fork, Trident
| 10 days
| 20 days
| 45 days
| 90 days
|
Spear, Lance
| 2 days
| 4 days
| 10 days
| 20 days
|
Short Sword
| 10 days
| 20 days
| 45 days
| 90 days
|
Long Sword
| 15 days
| 30 days
| 60 days
| 120 days
|
Sword
| 20 days
| 45 days
| 90 days
| 180 days
|
| Effects On
|
| Mod. to Prof
|
| Performance
|
| Check to
|
Weapon Quality
| Attack
| Damage
| Breaks
| Craft
|
Poor
| –1
| –1
| 1–5 on d20
| +2
|
Average
| 0
| 0
| 1 on d20*
| 0
|
Fine
| +1
| +1
| **
| –2
|
Exceptional
| +1
| +1
| **
| –4
|
* This isn't an automatic break; it breaks only if the DM feels like it.
** Fine weapons get either a +1 to attack rolls or +1 to damage, not both.
Fine and Exceptional weapons break only in remarkable circumstances, as dictated
by the DM (for example, a powerful enemy rolling a natural 20 when hitting the
weapon, or the character rolling a natural 1 when striking at an artifact).
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