Special Weapon Features

Some weapons have special features in addition to those noted in their descriptions.

Blocking: When you use this weapon to fight defensively, you gain a +1 shield bonus to AC. Source: Ultimate Combat.

Brace: If you use a readied action to set a brace weapon against a charge, you deal double damage on a successful hit against a charging creature (see Combat).

Deadly: When you use this weapon to deliver a coup de grace, it gains a +4 bonus to damage when calculating the DC of the Fortitude saving throw to see whether the target of the coup de grace dies from the attack. The bonus is not added to the actual damage of the coup de grace attack. Source: Ultimate Combat.

Disarm: When you use a disarm weapon, you get a +2 bonus on Combat Maneuver Checks to disarm an enemy.

Distracting: You gain a +2 bonus on Bluff skill checks to feint in combat while wielding this weapon. Source: Ultimate Combat.

Double: You can use a double weapon to fight as if fighting with two weapons, but if you do, you incur all the normal attack penalties associated with fighting with two weapons, just as if you were using a one-handed weapon and a light weapon. You can choose to wield one end of a double weapon two-handed, but it cannot be used as a double weapon when wielded in this way—only one end of the weapon can be used in any given round.

Fragile: Weapons and armor with the fragile quality cannot take the beating that sturdier weapons can. A fragile weapon gains the broken condition if the wielder rolls a natural 1 on an attack roll with the weapon. If a fragile weapon is already broken, the roll of a natural 1 destroys it instead. Masterwork and magical fragile weapons and armor lack these flaws unless otherwise noted in the item description or the special material description.

If a weapon gains the broken condition in this way, that weapon is considered to have taken damage equal to half its hit points +1. This damage is repaired either by something that addresses the effect that granted the weapon the broken condition (like quick clear in the case of firearm misfires or the Field Repair feat) or by the repair methods described in the broken condition. When an effect that grants the broken condition is removed, the weapon regains the hit points it lost when the broken condition was applied. Damage done by an attack against a weapon (such as from a sunder combat maneuver) cannot be repaired by an effect that removes the broken condition. Source: Ultimate Combat.

Grapple: On a successful critical hit with a weapon of this type, you can grapple the target of the attack. The wielder can then attempt a combat maneuver check to grapple his opponent as a free action. This grapple attempt does not provoke an attack of opportunity from the creature you are attempting to grapple if that creature is not threatening you. While you grapple the target with a grappling weapon, you can only move or damage the creature on your turn. You are still considered grappled, though you do not have to be adjacent to the creature to continue the grapple. If you move far enough away to be out of the weapon’s reach, you end the grapple with that action. Source: Ultimate Combat.

*Kundala: A kundala weapon can be used by a kundala to perform a flurry of blows

Nonlethal: These weapons deal nonlethal damage (see Combat).

Performance: When wielding this weapon, if an attack or combat maneuver made with this weapon prompts a combat performance check, you gain a +2 bonus on that check.

Reach: You use a reach weapon to strike opponents 10 feet away.

***Strength (#): This feature is usually only applied to ranged weapons (such as composite bows). Some weapons function better in the hands of stronger users. All such weapons are made with a particular Strength rating (that is, each requires a minimum Strength modifier to use with proficiency and this number is included in parenthesis). If your Strength bonus is less than the strength rating of the weapon, you can't effectively use it, so you take a –2 penalty on attacks with it. For example, the default (lowest form of) composite longbow requires a Strength modifier of +0 or higher to use with proficiency. A weapon with the Strength feature allows you to add your Strength bonus to damage, up to the maximum bonus indicated for the bow. Each point of Strength bonus granted by the bow adds 100 gp to its cost. If you have a penalty for low Strength, apply it to damage rolls when you use a composite longbow.

Sunder: When you use a sunder weapon, you get a +2 bonus on Combat Maneuver Checks to sunder attempts.

Trip*: You can use a trip weapon to make trip attacks. If you are tripped during your own trip attempt, you can drop the weapon to avoid being tripped