Equipment FAQ

What weapons can characters use?

A character can attempt to use a weapon even without proficiency, but proficiency determines whether the character adds their proficiency bonus to the weapon's attack roll. The 2014 rules divide ordinary weapons into simple and martial weapons and into melee and ranged weapons. A weapon's own properties determine details such as finesse, reach, thrown range, ammunition, loading, heavy, light, two-handed, or versatile use.

The weapon a character can **hold** and the weapon a character can use **proficiently** are not the same thing.

Simple and martial weapons

The 2014 baseline divides ordinary weapons into two broad training categories:

Simple Weapons Martial Weapons

Simple weapons are generally easier to use.

Martial weapons represent more specialized combat training.

Classes provide proficiency with:

  • specific weapons;
  • simple weapons;
  • martial weapons;
  • another limited list.

Species, feats, subclasses, or other features can add more.

Melee and ranged weapons

Every weapon is also classified as melee or ranged.

A melee weapon is normally used against a nearby target.

A ranged weapon attacks at distance and normally has listed range values.

This classification affects:

  • which ability is normally used;
  • range;
  • disadvantage in close combat;
  • features that require melee or ranged weapon attacks.

Strength and Dexterity

The normal 2014 rule uses:

Melee weapon attack → Strength Ranged weapon attack → Dexterity

Weapon properties can create exceptions.

Finesse

A finesse weapon allows the wielder to use either Strength or Dexterity for the attack and damage rolls.

The same ability must be used for both on that attack.

Finesse is important for characters such as Rogues because Sneak Attack requires a finesse or ranged weapon in the 2014 rules.

Thrown

A thrown melee weapon can be used for a ranged attack.

Because it remains a melee weapon with the thrown property, it normally uses the same ability it would use for a melee attack unless another property changes that.

A thrown handaxe therefore normally uses Strength.

A thrown dagger has finesse, allowing Strength or Dexterity.

Range

A ranged or thrown weapon can list:

20/60 80/320 150/600

The first number is normal range.

The second is long range.

Attacks beyond normal range and within long range normally have disadvantage.

The weapon cannot normally attack beyond its long range.

Ammunition

A weapon with the ammunition property requires ammunition to make its normal ranged attack.

The 2014 rules treat drawing ammunition as part of the attack.

After combat, the character can normally recover half the expended ammunition by spending a minute searching the battlefield, where that makes sense.

Loading

Loading limits how many pieces of ammunition can be fired with that weapon when using an action, bonus action, or reaction, regardless of the number of attacks the character could otherwise make.

A specific feature can override this.

Light

Light weapons are designed to support the normal two-weapon fighting rule.

“Light” does not mean the weapon uses Dexterity.

Finesse and light are separate properties.

Heavy

Heavy weapons impose disadvantage when used by Small creatures under the 2014 weapon property.

A feature or newer rules version may handle this differently, so edition context matters.

Two-handed

A two-handed weapon requires two hands when attacking with it.

This does not necessarily mean the character can never hold it in one hand while doing something else between attacks.

The property applies to attacking with the weapon.

Versatile

A versatile weapon has one damage die when used in one hand and another when used with two hands.

For example, the entry may appear as:

Versatile (1d10)

The second die is used when attacking with two hands.

Reach

Reach extends the weapon's reach for attacks and for relevant opportunity-attack interactions while wielding it.

Read the exact property and feature interactions rather than assuming every polearm behaves identically.

Improvised weapons

A character can attack with an object not designed as a weapon.

The improvised-weapon rules determine its damage, range, and whether it is similar enough to an existing weapon for the DM to treat it as such.

A chair leg does not automatically become a magical club or inherit every feature that references a specific weapon.

Natural weapons and special class weapons

Some species, classes, subclasses, or monsters provide special weapons.

Examples include:

  • unarmed strikes;
  • natural weapons;
  • Psychic Blades;
  • Beast Barbarian natural weapons;
  • firearm systems;
  • project-specific techniques.

Those use the wording of the granting feature.

Do not force them into an ordinary Equipment table if the feature defines them separately.

Proficiency changes attack accuracy

If you are proficient with the weapon:

attack roll = d20 + relevant ability modifier + proficiency bonus + other applicable modifiers

If you are not proficient:

attack roll = d20 + relevant ability modifier + other applicable modifiers

The proficiency bonus is simply not added.

Lack of weapon proficiency does **not** inherently give disadvantage unless another rule says so.

Damage does not normally add proficiency bonus

Weapon proficiency improves the attack roll.

It does not normally add the proficiency bonus to weapon damage.

Damage usually uses:

weapon damage die + relevant ability modifier

plus any specific feature or magic-item bonus.