Weapon

A paladin's longsword.

See also: Armor

A weapon, sometimes called an arm or armament, is an instrument used to inflict harm. While some weapons are improvised and others are repurposed from common tools or devices, most are designed to inflict damage to beings and structures.

Classes of weapons

Weapons can be classified in a number of ways:

By group

See also: Category:Weapons by group

There are a number of weapon groups that help define weapons with common traits. Many weapons can be classified under multiple groups.

Group	Description
Axes	Hafted bladed weapons, including battleaxes, dwarven waraxes, greataxes and orc double axes.
Bombs	Separated from Thrown weapons, mostly alchemical bombs.
Heavy blades	Hefty bladed weapons, such as bastard swords, greatswords, longswords, sawtooth sabres, and scythes.
Light blades	Lightweight bladed weapons, such as daggers, rapiers, short swords, sickles, and starknives.
Bows	Manual arrow-firing weapons consisting of a bent frame joined by a tense string.
Brawling
Close	Weapons designed for extremely close ranges, such as armor spikes, gauntlets, and stakes.
Clubs	Separated from Close weapons, such as juggling clubs, frying pans.
Crossbows	Mechanically triggered weapons that fire arrows or bolts. Subcategory of Bows.
Darts
Double	Weapons designed with two or more dangerous ends, such as dwarven urgroshs, gnome hooked hammers, or two-bladed swords.
Firearms	Technologically advanced weapons that fire projectiles. Includes all types of guns and beam weapons.
Flails	Weapons linked to a handle or another weapon, often by a chain or rope. Includes nunchaku and whips.
Hammers	Hafted weapons with a heavy head, often blunt or spiked. Includes clubs, earth breakers and warhammers.
Knives
Monk	Weapons designed to complement a monk's fighting style. Includes brass knuckles and temple swords.
Natural	Parts of one's natural body, including bites, claws, hands, horns, tails, and wings.
Picks
Polearms	Long-shafted weapons, typically ending in a blade; many are designed to be swung. Includes glaives and halberds.
Shields
Siege engines	Large weapons of mass destruction, such as ballistas, catapults, and rams.
Slings
Spears	Long-shafted weapons, typically ending in a point; some can also be thrown. Includes lances and tridents.
Swords
Thrown	Weapons propelled by manual force, including bolas, darts, and nets. While not strictly thrown, this group also includes blowguns and halfling sling staves.

A paladin's shortbow.

By range

See also: Category:Weapons by range and Category:Ammunition

Weapons can be designed for up-close melee combat, such as swords and maces; to reach targets within a short range, such as polearms; or to attack targets at a greater distance, such as bows and thrown weapons.

By required skill

See also: Category:Weapons by skill level

Many weapons can be simple to use, if not master. Some, however, require martial training or extensive perfection of exotic or esoteric techniques.

A halfling Eagle Knight wields a lance.

By weight and grip

See also: Category:Weapons by grip

Light weapons can be easily wielded, while other one-handed weapons require more concentration, and two-handed weapons work best in the grip of a strong wielder. These scales can be relative to the wielder; a weapon usable in one hand by a human might require two when wielded by a halfling, for example.

By damage

See also: Category:Weapons by damage type

There are many ways a weapon can harm a target. Bladed weapons cut and slash, pointed weapons pierce, and blunt weapons bludgeon. Many weapons can do some or all of these types of damage depending on how they're wielded, but most are designed to focus on a specific type of harm.

By scale

See also: Category:Siege engines

Weapons are not limited to what humanoids can hold in their hands. Larger weapons, such as siege engines and cannons, might require crews to operate but can also operate with a greater magnitude of destructive force.

By technological level

See also: Technology and Category:Technological weapons

In their most basic forms, many weapons are little more than highly refined arrangements of metal, wood, stone, and other simple materials. Others employ more complex mechanical, chemical, electrical, or other technological processes.

The most prominent example of a technological weapon on Golarion is the firearm, a weapon rarely found outside of Alkenstar that combines mechanics with explosive chemistry to fire projectiles at devastating rates of speed. Also, alien technology scattered across Numeria is capable of all manner of strange effects and destructive potential.

By magical enhancement

A hammer that has been magically enhanced to particularly damage golems.

See also: Magic item and Category:Magic weapons

The vast majority of weapons on Golarion are considered mundane in nature, but a few are persistently enhanced with magic. Whether infused by a spellcaster, a soul, its environment, a deity, or other often strange and unnatural means, even a relatively innocuous type of weapon can become exponentially more effective as a magic weapon.

By material

See also: Category:Weapons by material

Weapons can be constructed using many materials. Most are made of common, mundane materials, such as wood and steel. Less common are those made of materials with unique or magical properties—such as skymetals, cold iron, and darkwood—or through special techniques, such as fire- and frost-forged metals.

On Golarion

A sword and shield of an Iomedaen holy warrior.

Golarion has seen tremendous armed conflicts across many millennia, and as a result many of its cultures have developed diverse ways to create and use weapons.

Manufacturing

See also: Category:Weaponsmiths, Category:Weapon shops, and Category:Arms merchants

Many weapons are manufactured by weaponsmiths and sold in weapon shops and by arms merchants. Some of Golarion's most renowned smithies and weapon shops include:

• Al'Faran's Steel Restaurant: Featuring an unusual sales process, this Katapeshi weapon shop offers high-quality steel weapons.
• Jovvox: This independent gnomish town east of Mivon is a regional hub of weapon crafting, taking advantage of local resources and battlefield salvage.
• Semere Arms: Ilsurian's elite order high-quality weapons from this artistic weapon shop.
• Smine's Weaponworks: Gladiators in Tymon hold this dwarf-run shop's namesake weaponsmith in high regard.
• Steel-Clad Giant: Located on Motaku Isle in the Shackles, this weapon shop and smithy reportedly has an eight-month waiting list for blades.

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In culture

Weapons fill many roles in Golarion's culture in addition to their more straightforward utility in hunting and combat.

• In addition to its use in hunting and combat, the Zenj also use iwisas as symbols of authority.
• Longswords in Taldor, for example, are objects of fashion and status that often value appearance over function.

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Racial weapons

A dwarven blacksmith works on a warhammer.

See also: Category:Weapons by people

Several of Golarion's races have weapons uniquely suited to their strengths, preferences, or cultural norms.

• Conrasu warriors designed a complex crossbow called a taw launcher.
• Deros are devious inventors whose weaponized works include the insidious injection spear.
• Dwarves, renowned for their smithing, are also known for developing a wide variety of weapons suited for themselves, including waraxes, urgroshes, hammers, and picks.
• Elves have a number of unique weapons, from shadow cleavers to elven curve blades.
• Gillmen, particularly among Absalom's Sea Cavalry, create special lance-like harpoons designed to penetrate wooden ships.
• Gnomes use a clever double-sided tool known as a gnome hooked hammer.
• Goblins favor crude blades that often appear to be little more than junk, such as dogslicers and horsechoppers.
• Halflings use sling staves, a long wooden staff topped with a slingshot. Such weapons often have use as both a sling and a club.
• Kobolds wield the exotic barbed flying talon.
• Ogres wield crude but brutal polearms called ogre hooks.
• Orc smiths developed devastating double axes that they wield with a fluid motion.
• A tengu weaponsmith invented a wooden, magical non-lethal training bokken to help perfect their training in swordfighting.
• Urdefhans wield vicious, double-bladed rhoka swords.

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Ethnic weapons

The many human ethnicities of Golarion also often have weapons uniquely suited to their people or culture.

• The Azlanti developed special weapons to combat serpentfolk.
• Taldan weapons are more ornamental status symbols than deadly implements, though some are effective at intimidating foes.
• Mwangi cultures have many unique weapons, including the triple-bladed mambele.
• Many Tian cultures have weapons of their own, from straightforward dan bong and katanas to more complex kyoketsu shoge.
• Shoanti use earth breakers and klar to deadly effect.
• Varisians often wield starknives and bladed scarves.

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Regional weapons

A member of the Bright Lions wields a sun sling.

Many regions of Golarion are known for preferring certain weapons and fighting styles.

• The Aldori swordlords of Brevoy favor their unique Aldori dueling sword.
• The Osirian khopesh measures up to four feet long, or nearly twice the length of most other khopeshes.

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In history

Weapons have played pivotal roles across Golarion's war-scarred history.

• The Pharaoh of Blades hoarded legendary swords, including Jeratakra and Harosteir.
• Massive siege engines litter the Cairnlands outside of Absalom as monuments to past failed invasions.
• The Alara'hai, seven legendary swords associated with the Thassilonian runelords, continue to circulate among weapon collectors.
• Ovinrbaane, the sword of the infamous Kellid barbarian leader Armag of ages past, is purportedly sought by someone claiming to be Armag reborn.
• The Plain of Ten Thousand Swords in Numeria holds the cursed souls of thousands of Kellid warriors.

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In religion

See also: Category:Weapons by deity

A number of deities feature weapons in their religious symbols, and all deities have a favoured weapon as an element of their faiths.

• 

  Torag religious symbol

• 

  Ragathiel religious symbol

• 

  Psomeira religious symbol

• 

  Vampire Kyra

• 

  Torag symbol.png

• 

  Chaldira Zuzaristan religious symbol.webp

• 

  Calistria religious symbol.webp

• 

  Erastil religious symbol.webp

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  Gorum religious symbol.webp

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  Iomedae religious symbol.webp

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  Shizuru religious symbol.webp

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  Thamir religious symbol.webp

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  Yaezhing religious symbol.webp

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  Zyphus religious symbol.webp

References

Paizo published the Weapon Master's Handbook as a major sourcebook about weapons. Adventurer's Armory, Adventurer's Armory 2, and Lost Treasures also include many weapons.

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.