A Modular And Upgradable Weapon and Armor System for D&D 5e
Recently I’ve been writing a few articles that highlight some of the homebrew changes I make to D&D5e to make it more epic and open (Simpler Currency System and Point Buy Feats). The current game I’m running is in a Final Fantasy world and I’ve wanted to make sure things felt more open and accessible. Today I want to share the Modular Weapon and Armor system I use to make weapons more interesting and variable. This system is definitely not RAW or appropriate for more OSR style games, but what it does is allow weapons to be more interesting and adaptable to character concepts. It gives an upgrade option outside of magic +1 weapons and armor. With stock D&D rules there aren’t a lot of ways to make a dagger “better” except by making it a +1 weapon. Older editions had things like Masterwork, which were interesting and added some definition to the weapons and armor. This system separates weapon mechanics and narrative aspects to allow more interesting weapon types.
The Core Concepts
Later on in the article I’ll provide the full tables for everything, including translations of all the core D&D weapons for ease, but first let’s talk about the core concepts of this system and how to implement it.
Categories and Ratings – To start off we are going to retain the Light, Medium, and Heavy armor categories and the Simple and Martial weapon categories. This allows the system to dovetail into proficiencies granted by classes or feats without changing anything else. Inside of each category are general ratings that determine the AC or Damage as the core statistic for the item. These are classified as Poor, Basic, Good, Great, and Excellent. A poor weapon only provides a d4 for the damage while a basic weapon provides a d6. For balance purposes, each category still has limits. Simple weapons only go up to d8 for damage and Light Armor with it’s Dexterity mods only goes up to 12 + Dex modifier. For weapons you will also have to consider the damage type (piercing, bludgeoning, slashing, etc.)
Base Costs – Each category is given it’s own basic cost. The costs won’t dovetail up to RAW costs but are more in line with a Silver Standard setup. The general idea is a cost system based more on function than form. An incredible dagger that deals more damage is certainly worth more and this system quantifies that by assigning base cost to the categories and ratings.
Modifiers – Once you have decided on the Base Category and determined the Cost for the weapon, you can then add modifiers to provide different abilities to the weapon or armor. The costs for all modifiers is shown as percentages of the base costs. The “Ranged, Thrown” modifier is a +10% cost and provides a throwing range of 20/60. The “Ranged, Ammunition” modifier is a +30% of the base cost and provides a range of 30/120 but requires ammunition. The “Light” modifier makes the weapon usable for dual wielding (but has a cap of 1d6 max damage) and adds 10% to the base cost. Modifiers can reduce cost as well. The “Clunky” modifier for armor provides a -10% discount and means the wearer has disadvantage on stealth rolls.
When considering modifiers to the base cost, add all the modifier percentages together and use that total to determine the price change. Having 3 modifiers that each cost +10% means you have a total +30% modifier to the base cost. If the base cost is 100 silver pieces, then the cost of the modifiers is 30 silver for a total of 130 silver. If you apply a +10% and a +30% modifier as well as a -20% modifier, the total is +20% added to the base cost. Keeping the modifier costs even in chunks of 10% keeps the math simple, but you could certainly add or change these to work with 5% increments.
Putting it all together – With those 3 factors (Categories and Ratings, Base Costs, and Modifiers) you have the crux of the system. To create a new weapon is fairly simple:
- Pick the category (Simple or Martial), choose the base rating of damage and damage type. (Good Simple weapon piercing weapon for 1d6 for 60 sp)
- Add modifiers so the weapon fits the parameters it needs to function as desired. (Light, Finesse, Versatile, Clunky, etc.)
- Add up the modifier costs and apply them to the base cost of the weapon. (+30% from modifiers makes a 60 sp weapon cost 78 sp)
- The Game Master decides if that cost is appropriate or if it represents an “average” selling cost and tweaks cost from there. (The weapon is actually a modification of the current character’s mechanical spear and is done at haste, the Game Master decides to crank it up to 150sp because the thematics of the weapon make it realistically more expensive to work on.)
Armor is the same. Pick the category and base rating, add modifiers, find final cost, change to fit the tone or theme of the game and situation.
What This System Gets You
So, why would you use this system over the core D&D system that’s already written up? There are a lot of benefits that come out of the small amount of extra work you need to do.
-
Narrative Freedom with relative mechanical balance – If a player wants a weapon for a character that is unique or special in some way, it’s easy enough to create. Let’s imagine that a player with a rogue character wants a kind of Armblade built into a bracer. We start with a Martial Weapon of Good Quality providing 1d6 damage and costing 60 sp. At this point it’s the same as a handaxe or shortsword for damage. The player wants to use it for dual wielding and with dexterity, so that adds the Light modifier at +10% and the Finesse modifier at +10%. Now it’s more in line with a shortsword for damage and properties.
- The final stats and cost: Armblade – 1d6 damage + DEX or STR, Light (dual wielding), Finesse (DEX or STR) – cost 72 sp.
- Upgradability – Does this scene sound familiar? The players are in town and you ask them what they are looking for. One player wants to find a “better” set of daggers, not magical because they don’t have that much money yet, but something better that does more damage. Hmmm. You want to say yes, so you’ll have to just homebrew something that feels right. With a system like this, you can figure out the costs and decide how to handle it from there. Upgrading from a d4 dagger (Finesse, light, thrown (range 20/60) – 26 sp) to a d6 dagger is merely a matter of determining the difference in cost. The 3 modifiers at +10% each equal 30% and the new base cost is 60 instead of 20. Buying the daggers new would be 78 sp. You could determine that someone in town could sharpen and re-hone them for a difference of 52 sp or say that it costs 78 sp to reforge them, just as a new set would cost. The process to determine the difference in cost is already in place, it’s just a matter of deciding if the thematics of the work are accurate enough.
- Cost by function, not form – In stock D&D 5e, a handaxe costs 5 gp while a shortsword costs 10 gp. The handaxe has thrown while the shortsword has finesse. A scimitar is 1d6 slashing with finesse, just like a shortsword, but has a cost of 25 gp. A trident costs 5 gp and the damage is 1d6 piercing with thrown and versatile. Much of the actual price in these instances is solely based on narrative functions and older fantasy gaming concepts, which is fine but lacks a balance. Using a system where cost is based on function allows things to match up in decently similar ways. You could set narrative costs, but those will be largely arbitrary. A handaxe made with elven craftsmanship to be a finesse weapon? You know how much that costs mechanically. If you want to consider it more expensive because it is an art piece or because it is made with a special material that is fine. The extra cost reflects the narrative elements.
- Expandability – A system like this that provides mechanical basis for the modifiers allows you to figure out ways to add in your own special properties rather easily. Taking the armblade example above, imagine that the player wants the armblade to be a concealed weapon. A modifier for that isn’t currently written up, but all you have to do is decide the parameters and cost. You may quickly jot down that a +20% concealment cost would make the weapon concealed at a quick glance while a +60% would mean it would be concealed from nearly any visual inspection, but not necessarily a pat-down. You could even decide that adding concealment would just straight up be +100% or +120% because it would take a lot of mechanical elements and tricks. If the player wanted to have a greatsword with a 1d12 damage as a concealed weapon, well you have a basis to determine that would cost +300% of the normal cost. The concealment could be magical, it could be a very special expanding greatsword, it could be a very thin but sturdy greatsword that is disguised in a thick oaken staff. It could be a metal pole that has mechanical blades that slide out from the sides. It could be the magical metal morphing powers of the elemental blood that is your legacy allowing you to perform a minor, practiced change in the metal bar of a specific composition that you always carry with you. The verisimilitude of your campaign is up to you, but the option to say yes and figure out the cost is available in a slightly more balanced way.
- Flexibility – If you use this system to determine the base mechanical costs of the weapons and armor, you have a basis to decide costs narratively but still have a solid core. Maybe a concealed armor is easier with a certain kind of material (a cloak) compared to a set of noble’s clothes. One may require just a bit of tailoring while the other requires some kind of special steel spider-silk. That could be the difference between a +20% and a +80% based on the narrative. You may be making a semi-arbitrary decision, but you are basing it on a system. It isn’t just +40 gold or +130 gold, it’s a percentage based on difference in effort. You can make changes after that if it doesn’t feel right, but you have a solid basis to guide your decisions. “Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.” That saying is attributed to Pablo Picasso, but there is also a similar one attributed to the Dalai Lama. The idea is to have a solid system in place that allows for modifications in a standardized way. You can determine how wide of a change you want to make rather than having it feel arbitrary to your players.
All the Details
I’ve gone on long enough talking about the benefits of the system, so let’s end this article with the information you REALLY needed – the tables and costs. These are based on my FFXIV x DND costs but I’ve tweaked them back to silver. You can get approximate gold costs by dividing by 10. The costs will be a bit more than standard, but costs in the real world vary from location to location and quality of product. Remember, figuring out the cost is easy.
- Choose category and quality (and basic damage type).
- Add modifiers to match your concept.
- Add up the modifier % and determine the final cost.
- Apply any narrative or thematic tweaks or elements as you need.
Underneath the tables I’ve converted the D&D standard weapons and armors.
Armor Costs
Light Armor
| Light Armor | Cost | AC | Strength | Stealth | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | 125 sp | 10 + Dex modifier | — | ||
| Good | 250 sp | 11 + Dex modifier | — | — | |
| Great | 500 sp | 12 + Dex modifier | — | — |
Medium Armor
| Armor | Cost | AC | Strength | Stealth | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | 500 sp | 12 + Dex modifier (max 2) | — | — | |
| Good | 1,000 sp | 13 + Dex modifier (max 2) | — | — | |
| Great | 2,000 sp | 14 + Dex modifier (max 2) | — | — | |
| Excellent | 4,000 sp | 15 + Dex modifier (max 2) | — |
Heavy Armor
| Armor | Cost | AC | Strength | Stealth | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | 1,000 sp | 14 | — | Disadvantage | |
| Good | 2,000 sp | 16 | Str 13 | Disadvantage | |
| Great | 4,000 sp | 17 | Str 15 | Disadvantage | |
| Excellent | 8,000 sp | 18 | Str 15 | Disadvantage |
Shield
| Armor | Cost | AC | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shield | 400 sp | +2 | 6 lb. |
Armor Modifications
| Armor | Cost | Properties |
|---|---|---|
| Clunky | -10% | Disadvantage on stealth |
| Silenced, Heavy | +30% | Heavy armor does not incur disadvantage on stealth |
| Concealed | +20% | Does not appear as armor |
| Concealed, Heavy | +50% | Heavy armor does not appear as armor |
Standard 5e Armor Costs
Light Armor
| Armor | Cost | Armor Class (AC) | Strength | Stealth | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Padded | 225 sp | 11 + Dex modifier | — | Disadvantage | 8 lb. |
| Leather | 250 sp | 11 + Dex modifier | — | — | 10 lb. |
| Studded leather | 500 sp | 12 + Dex modifier | — | — | 13 lb. |
Medium Armor
| Armor | Cost | Armor Class (AC) | Strength | Stealth | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hide | 500 sp | 12 + Dex modifier (max 2) | — | — | 12 lb. |
| Chain shirt | 1,000 sp | 13 + Dex modifier (max 2) | — | — | 20 lb. |
| Scale mail | 1,800 sp | 14 + Dex modifier (max 2) | — | Disadvantage | 45 lb. |
| Breastplate | 2,000 sp | 14 + Dex modifier (max 2) | — | — | 20 lb. |
| Half plate | 3,600 sp | 15 + Dex modifier (max 2) | — | Disadvantage | 40 lb. |
Heavy Armor
| Armor | Cost | Armor Class (AC) | Strength | Stealth | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ring mail | 1,000 sp | 14 | — | Disadvantage | 40 lb. |
| Chain mail | 2,000 sp | 16 | Str 13 | Disadvantage | 55 lb. |
| Splint | 4,000 sp | 17 | Str 15 | Disadvantage | 60 lb. |
| Plate | 8,000 sp | 18 | Str 15 | Disadvantage | 65 lb. |
Shield
| Armor | Cost | AC | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shield | 400 sp | +2 | 6 lb. |
Weapon Costs
Simple Melee Weapons
| Name | Cost | Damage | Weight | Properties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poor | 20 sp | 1d4 | Choose one damage type | |
| Basic | 60 sp | 1d6 | Choose one damage type | |
| Good | 120 sp | 1d8 | Choose one damage type |
Martial Melee Weapons
| Name | Cost | Damage | Weight | Properties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poor | 20 sp | 1d4 | Choose one damage type | |
| Basic | 60 sp | 1d6 | Choose one damage type | |
| Good | 120 sp | 1d8 | Choose one damage type | |
| Great | 250 sp | 1d10 | Choose one damage type | |
| Excellent* | 600 sp | 1d12 or 2d6 | Choose one damage type, may have some counterbalance like heavy, two handed, or a special material. |
Weapon Modifiers
| Name | Cost | Damage | Weight | Properties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranged, Thrown | +10% | Range (20/60), have to retrieve | ||
| Ranged, Ammunition | +30% | Range (30/120), uses ammunition | ||
| Ranged, Long | +40% | Range (80/320), uses ammunition | ||
| Ranged, Very Long | +60% | Range (150/600), uses ammunition | ||
| Loading | -10% | Can only be fired 1 / turn | ||
| Light | +10% | Weapon can be used for dual wielding (max 1d6 damage) | ||
| Heavy | -10% | Small creatures have disadvantage | ||
| Finesse | +10% | Use DEX or STR as attribute (max 1d8 damage) | ||
| Two-handed | -10% | Requires 2 hands to use it | ||
| Versatile | +10% | Can use one handed or 2 handed (up one damage die type, 1d6 becomes 1d8) | ||
| Extra Damage Type | +10% | Add piercing, bludgeoning, or slashing to weapon | ||
| Ranged / Melee | +10% | Weapon functions equally well as well as a ranged or a melee weapon, requires ranged ammunition | ||
| Special Materials or Complexity Tax | +1 level base cost / extra % costs | Made of some special material that allows it to be unique in some way or fairly complex in some way as the mechanical parts and labor are more expensive. If the base cost is a d8, consider it as if it were a d10 instead. Alternatively, add in an extra +10%, +40%, +200%, etc. as relevant. Used to justify special options. |
Standard Weapons List
Simple Melee Weapons
| Name | Cost | Damage | Weight | Properties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club | 22 sp | 1d4 bludgeoning | 2 lb. | Light |
| Dagger / Dart | 26 sp | 1d4 piercing | 1 lb. | Finesse, light, thrown (range 20/60) |
| Greatclub | 114 sp | 1d8 bludgeoning | 10 lb. | Two-handed |
| Handaxe | 72 sp | 1d6 slashing | 2 lb. | Light, thrown (range 20/60) |
| Javelin | 72 sp | 1d6 piercing | 2 lb. | Thrown (range 30/120) |
| Mace | 60 sp | 1d6 bludgeoning | 4 lb. | — |
| Quarterstaff | 66 sp | 1d6 bludgeoning | 4 lb. | Versatile (1d8) |
| Sickle | 22 sp | 1d4 slashing | 2 lb. | Light |
| Spear | 24 sp | 1d6 piercing | 3 lb. | Thrown (range 20/60), versatile (1d8) |
Simple Ranged Weapons
| Name | Cost | Damage | Weight | Properties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crossbow, light | 144 sp | 1d8 piercing | 5 lb. | Ammunition (range 80/320), loading, two-handed |
| Shortbow | 90 sp | 1d6 piercing | 2 lb. | Ammunition (range 80/320), two-handed |
Martial Melee Weapons
| Name | Cost | Damage | Weight | Properties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battleaxe | 132 sp | 1d8 slashing | 4 lb. | Versatile (1d10) |
| Flail | 120 sp | 1d8 bludgeoning | 2 lb. | — |
| Glaive / Halberd | 225 sp | 1d10 slashing | 6 lb. | Heavy, reach, two-handed |
| Greataxe / Greatsword | 320 sp | 1d12 slashing | 7 lb. | Heavy, two-handed |
| Lance | 400 sp | 1d12 piercing | 6 lb. | Reach, special |
| Longsword | 132 sp | 1d8 slashing | 3 lb. | Versatile (1d10) |
| Morningstar | 120 sp | 1d8 piercing | 4 lb. | — |
| Rapier | 132 sp | 1d8 piercing | 2 lb. | Finesse |
| Scimitar / Shortsword | 72 sp | 1d6 slashing | 3 lb. | Finesse, light |
| Trident | 72 sp | 1d6 piercing | 4 lb. | Thrown (range 20/60), versatile (1d8) |
| War pick | 120 sp | 1d8 piercing | 2 lb. | — |
| Warhammer | 132 sp | 1d8 bludgeoning | 2 lb. | Versatile (1d10) |
| Whip | 24 sp | 1d4 slashing | 3 lb. | Finesse, reach |
Martial Ranged Weapons
| Name | Cost | Damage | Weight | Properties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blowgun | 12 sp | 1 piercing | 1 lb. | Ammunition (range 25/100), loading |
| Crossbow, hand | 72 sp | 1d6 piercing | 3 lb. | Ammunition (range 30/120), light, loading |
| Crossbow, heavy | 275 sp | 1d10 piercing | 18 lb. | Ammunition (range 100/400), heavy, loading, two-handed |
| Longbow | 168 sp | 1d8 piercing | 2 lb. | Ammunition (range 150/600), heavy, two-handed |
| Net | 24 sp | — | 3 lb. | Special, thrown (range 5/15) |
| Gunblade, Basic | 350 sp | 1d8 slashing / 1d8 piercing (ranged) | 3 lb. | Ammunition (range 30/120), Ranged / Melee, Machina, Extra Damage Type |