Weapon
Weapons of the Warhammer World come in a great variety of forms ranging from simple clubs to complex but deadly firearms. [5a]
Close-combat weapons
Choppa
A Choppa is a large, brutish weapon which relies on the brutish force of the user rather than a sharp edge. Only Orcs are able to use Choppas due to their weight and balance,[5b] though it is noted that Black Orcs carry many types of choppas.
- Big Choppa: Larger and more unwieldy than regular Choppas, only the Iron Orcs of Carcassonne are known to carry these. When wielded by anyone but an Orc their size and weight is such that they are treated as Great Weapons.[1]
Fist Weapons
A variety of brutal close-combat weapons are used across the world from meat hooks to mail or plate gauntlets and the familiar knuckle-duster. [5b]
- Brass Knuckles/Knuckle-dusters: guards with finger rings and a small handle to support the fist - a thugs favourite weapon.[5b]
- Cestus: A handwrap with lead coins to weight it - some include spikes and studs to inflict more damage. [5b]
Flail
Cumbersome heavy weapons that are used with both hands they are made up of heavy weights attached to a handle or pole by heavy chains. Although stamina draining to use they can be deadly weapons, smashign shields and splintering bones. [2b]
Great Weapon
Large and heavy weapons used with both hands including Great Axes, Great Hammers and Two-Handed Swords - they can shatter heavy armour and even cut a foe in half. [2b]
Halberd
A halberd is a heavy bladed weapon mounted on a long shaft. The steel blade incorperates the heavy cutting edge of an axe, and a point like a spear which makes it a very versatile weapon, as it can be used to both chop and thrust. [2b] It allows the user to make stronger blows than an ordinary sword, but it is not as heavy and cumbersome as a Great weapon, or as tiring to use as a flail.
Hand Weapons
Every warrior involved in combat has at least some form of weapon, usually a simple axe, sword or even just a dagger. [2a]
- Axe: The Axe is a weapon with a large blade at the end of a pole, or rod. Dwarfs seem to rather like them and frequently use axes. The traditional instrument of the woodsmen of the Empire, it has a heavy blade which is difficult to parry and which can cut through armour. [3a]
- Club: One of the simplest weapons and excellent at knocking people senseless or just crushing their skulls. [3a]
- Billy clubs are short hafted and of equal thickness from top to the handle. [5d]
- Dagger: Able to be carried where weapons are otherwise fobidden, knives and a daggers are very common. [3a] Elf long knives measure some 16 inches and the Bretonnian misericode and Tilean stiletto's are even longer. [5a]
- Main Gauche: Also known as the left-handed dagger, it is primarily a defensive weapon and is designed to protect the hand. [5h]
- Hammer: One of the simplest weapons, a hammer is excellent at knocking people senseless or just crushing their skull. [3a]
- Military Hammers are about 2 feet long with a heavy metal head as well as a pick side which enables them to act as crowbars. [4d]
- Mace: A heavy metal rod with a flanged and decorated ened. [5d]
- Pick: Excellent weapons against armour, they are popular with the Dwarfs. [5d]
- Sword: Often refered to as the King of Weapons - the most common version in the Empire is the broadsword - a 4ft double-edged, razor sharp length of steel. Learning to master the sword is a long and difficult process. [3a] Only the Elves use swords as much as humans do but there weapons are leaf shaped which allows them to gain the benefit of extra weight when they swing. [5e]
- Broadswords are straight bladed, extremely common in the Old World and often with basket hilts. [5e]
- Claymore: Also known as the bastard sword or hand-and-a-half sword it is a versatile weapon that lies in size between the Great Sword and the Broadsword. [5i]
- Cutlass: A broad, curved blade with a basket hilt, this weapon is highly favoured by the pirates of Sartosa. [5e]
- Foil: Also known as a epee is a slender blade with a cup hilt, most duelists begin with the foil before moving to the Rapier. [5h]
- Ind Tulwar: Long with a generously curved blade, the best feature intricate designs on their blades describing the history of their owners. Some have come to the Old World down the Silver Road. [5e]
- Khopesh: A long handled sword with a blade that curves into a sickle shape for the last 2 feet of the blade, they are most commonly seen in the hands of the undead warriors of the Tomb Kings. [5e]
- Longsword: A long bladed weapon with a long handle and a wide hilt, they are most favoured by the knights of Bretonnia. [5e]
- Rapier: The sword features a broader blade than a foil it has more ability to slash as well as pierce. [5h]
- Short Sword: A double-edged blade with a sharp point similar in size to a machete. [5e]
Morning Star
Able to be used in one hand, they are one or more spiked balls on a chain, it is effective in the first moments of combat but quickly becomes tiring to use like the larger flail. [2b]
Pole Arm
Many garrison forces in the Old World use these weapons as they are both effective and imposing - many have a variety of blades, sikes and studs. [5i]
- Bec de Corbin: Often used in Bretonnia, it is the same size as a Halberd but features a hammer, pick and spike combination. [5i]
- Bill: Its main feature is a wide curving blade, often with a spike at the end of a wood shaft. [5i]
Quarterstaff
Favoured by travellers, the staff is a roughly six foot length of sturdy wood with superior versions having metal caps on either end to prevent splitting. [5e]
Spear
A spear is basically a short blade on top of a long stick, it has a long reach and is a very effective weapon against cavalry who charge directly at the warrior who is holding a spear. They can be short, heavy throwing spears favoured by skirmishers or elegant, thrusting spears used by veteran, drilled infantry. [2c]
- Cavalry Spear or Demilance[5g]: Smaller but more versatile than the Lance, they are still most effective during the initial charge. [2c]
- Lance: A long, heavy spear used by cavalry - usually crouched under the arm so that the brutal point is driven deep into the enemy with the full weight of the charging mount. After the initial charge, the wielder must switch to a more conventional weapon. [2c]
- Tilean Pike: Heavy very long spears that are ideal for dealing with heavy cavalry but which are useless against opponents who get beyond the head. [5f]
- Thrusting Spear: A favourite of massed infantry regiments across the world, they are ideal defensive weapons but less effective on the chrage. [2c]
- Wood Elf Hunting Spear: Often adorned with feathers, these ash wood shafted weapons have viciously barbed heads. [5f]
Shield
A shield is often used as a weapon, used to punch an opponent and to slam him away with some being notched for fighting with spears. [5f]
Whip
Long lengths of braided leather mounted on a stout handle, a skilled user can cause terrible injuries with such a weapon especially if hooked spikes or sharpened blades are added. [2b]
Ranged weapons
Blowpipe
Blowpipes are a weapon unique to the Skinks . The blowpipe uses darts tipped with lethal venom which can bring down the toughest of foes.1 p49 The most skilled users of blowpipes are the Chameleon Skinks, who use the venom of the Lustrian tree frog - a creature so poisonous that only the Chameleon Skinks can catch it. They also are unerringly accurate - able to send darts through the gaps in armor plates and through the eye holes in helmets.1 p51
Blunderbuss
The Blunderbuss is a type of handgun that shoots a large "cloud" of assorted ammunition, rather than a single bullet. A surprisingly common black-powder weapon, even in the more rural areas of the Empire, this weapon can be loaded with a large assortment of ammunition, ranging from the standard(lead or iron pellets), to the exotic(lengths of chain to flammable liquids)or improvised(broken glass, rusty nails, rocks, etc). [3b]
Interestingly the Chaos Dwarfs seem to use this weapon as a standard weapon among their warriors to concentrate the singular blasts of the soldiers to a devastating volley.
Bow
Used extensively in warfare, a compact, relatively long-ranged weapon which is often cheap to make and maintain. [2d]
- Longbow are capable of projecting power at incredible range, which only increases as the enemy draws closer. [2d]
- Short-bows are small short-ranged bows. Some cavalry also carry a short-bow because it's easier to shoot from horseback. [2d] Races that favour Short-bows include: Skinks, Beastmen, Ungor Raiders, some Humans and most of all, Goblins.
- Warbows are often composite and recurved they effectively transfer the firers strength into every shot. [2d]
Crossbow
A strong bow mounted on a metal or wood stock that do require strength and time to reload. They are conversely relatively easy to use but extremely powerful , crossbows are ideal weapons for large regiments. [2f]
- Crossbow Pistols: Miniature crossbows which retain the accuracy and power of the larger versions but are easily concealed. [3b]
- Repeater Crossbow: Exchanging power for speed, repeater crossbows can be highly effective. [2f]
- Repeater Handbow: Small and rapid-firing they are also prone to malfunction. [2f]
Drakegun
Potent but short ranged Dwarf weapons that fire blasts of alchemical fire which can burn through both armour and flesh. [4a]
- Drakefire Pistols: Short ranged versions of the Drakegun. [4a]
Grenades
- Blasting Charges: Used by Dwarf Miners as makeshift weapons. [4c]
- Cinderblast Bombs: Dwarf made weapons used by the leaders of Irondrakes and Ironbreakers. [4a][4b]
Handgun
Simple fireamrs consisting or a metal barrel mounted on stick, usually wooden, some have to rely on fuses soaked in saltpetre to ignite the powder whilst other more advanced versions have complex mechanisms or lveers or springs. They hit hard but some versions can be slow to use. [2e]
Javelin
Javelins are light spears which are too flimsy to be used in combat, but are perfect for throwing. A soldier armed with javelins usually carries several to last them through the battle. As javelins have a short range compared to other missile weapons they are relatively rare.[2g] Probably the most common users of javelins are the Skinks, who often use javelins coated with lethal poisons collected from jungle creatures.2 p50
Pistol
Smaller handguns that mean they can be used in one hand and even as clubs once they have been fired! Some warriors enter battle with a Brace (or more!) of pistols allowing them to shoot mutiple shots. [2e]
- Dueling Pistol: A work of art crafted by a gunsmith and often carried by Imperial nobles, even the ammunition is very expensive. [3a]
Repeater Gun
Mutiple gun barrels wleded together to make a devestating weapon but one which is usually very slow to reload. [2e]
Sling
A looped string of leather or cloth that allows a stone to be projected a good distance with accuracy, power and speed. [2g]
Throwing Axe
Keenly balanced allowing them to thrown accurately, they can be devestating if used by strong warriors. [2g]
Throwing Knife
Mainly used by assassins or street thugs who ambush the unwary and who have ended the lives of many a merchant, noble or warrior. [3b]
Throwing Star
Throwing Spears
Heavy weapons favoured by hunters on foot or mounted, they can also be used in battle by ranks behind the front one, killing enemies as they approach. [2c]
Gallery
Sword and Helm from Cathay
Chaos Dwarf Fireglaives
The Fantabulously Far-Reaching Harquebus of Unforseeable and Unperceived Bereavement
Von Finklemann’s Fantabulous Finger Gun
Quotes
| The town's militia tried to use pikes against us but their drill was so sloppy we just slipped past their weapons and cut the fools to pieces. I almost felt bad for them. |
Sources
- 1: Knights of the Grail, ch. VI, pg. 65
- 2: Warhammer: The Old World Rulebook
- 3: White Dwarf 225 (UK), Mordheim, City of the Damned
- 4: Forces of Fantasy (TOW)
- 5: Old World Armoury
- 5a: Arms of the Old World, pg. 27
- 5b: Arms of the Old World, pg. 28
- 5c: Arms of the Old World, pg. 29
- 5d: Arms of the Old World, pg. 30
- 5e: Arms of the Old World, pg. 31
- 5f: Arms of the Old World, pg. 32
- 5g: Arms of the Old World, pg. 32
- 5h: Arms of the Old World, pg. 35
- 5i: Arms of the Old World, pg. 36
