MURPS Equipment
All characters can use their starting money to outfit themselves. Any magical gear must be run by the GM before being bought as starting gear.
Weapon Stats
Parry
A number, such as “+2” or “-1,” indicates the bonus or penalty to your Parry defense when using that weapon.
- “F” means the weapon is a fencing weapon, which suffers only half the penalty for multiple parries.
- “U” means the weapon is unbalanced: you cannot use it to parry after using it to attack on your turn (or vice versa).
- “X” means the weapon cannot parry.
Reach
The distance in hexes at which a melee weapon can strike; e.g., reach “2” means the weapon can only strike foes two hexes away, not closer or farther. “C” indicates you can use the weapon for Close Combat, meaning in the same hex you are in.
Some weapons have more than one reach; e.g. A spear with reach “1, 2” can strike targets either one or two hexes away. An asterisk (*) next to reach means the weapon requires a Ready maneuver to change reach (e.g., between 1 and 2).
ST (Strength)
The minimum Strength needed to use the weapon properly. If you use a weapon that requires more ST than you have, you suffer -1 to weapon skill per point of ST deficit and lose one extra FP at the end of the fight.
“†” means the weapon requires two hands. If you have at least 1.5xST (round up), you can use a weapon like this one-handed, but it becomes unready after you attack with it. If you have at least twice the listed ST, you can wield it one-handed with no readiness penalty.
“‡” means the weapon requires two hands and becomes unready after you attack with it, unless you have at least 1.5 times the listed ST (round up). To use it one-handed without it becoming unready, you need at least 3 times the listed ST.
Melee Weapon Table
Melee weapons are grouped under the skills required to use them. Skill names appear in capital letters, with defaults in parentheses.
AXE/MACE (DX-5, Polearm-4)
| Weapon | Damage | Reach | Parry | Cost | Weight | ST | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Axe | sw+2 cut | 1 | 0U | $50 | 4 | 11 | |
| Club | sw+1 cr | 1 | 0U | $10 | 3 | 10 | |
| Great Axe | sw+4 cut | 1, 2* | 0U | $100 | 8 | 12‡ | |
| Humongous Club | sw+6 cr | 1, 2* | 0U | $100 | 15 | 16‡ | |
| Mace | sw+2 cr | 1 | 0U | $50 | 5 | 12 | [1] |
| Maul | sw+5 cr | 1, 2* | 0U | $80 | 12 | 13‡ | |
| Pick | sw+1 imp | 1 | 0U | $70 | 3 | 10 | [2] |
| Scythe | sw+3 cut | 1 | 0U | $15 | 5 | 11‡ | |
| or | sw+1 imp | 1 | 0U | 11‡ | |||
| Throwing Axe | sw cut | 1 | 0U | $40 | 2 | 8 | [1] |
| Warhammer | sw+4 imp | 1, 2* | 0U | $100 | 7 | 12‡ |
BRAWLING (DX)
The skill is bought as if it where DX-5
| Weapon | Damage | Reach | Parry | Cost | Weight | ST | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bite | thr-1 cr | C | X | [3] | |||
| Brass Knuckles | thr cr | C | 0 | $10 | 0.25 | [3] | |
| Kick | thr cr | C, 1 | X | [3][6] | |||
| Punch | thr-1 cr | C | 0 | [3] |
FLAIL (DX-6)
| Weapon | Damage | Reach | Parry | Cost | Weight | ST | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flail | sw+4 cr | 1, 2* | 0U | $100 | 8 | 13† | [4] |
| Kusari | sw+2 cr | 1-4* | -2U | $70 | 5 | 11 | [4][5] |
| or | thr+2 cr | 1-4* | -2U | [4][5] | |||
| Morningstar | sw+3 cr | 1 | 0U | $80 | 6 | 12 | [4] |
| Whip | sw-3(0.5) cr | 1-7* | -2U | $20/yd | 1/yd | var. | [5][7] |
KNIFE (DX-4, Sword-3, Fencing-3)
| Weapon | Damage | Reach | Parry | Cost | Weight | ST | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dagger | sw-2 cut | C, 1 | -1 | $40 | 1 | 6 | |
| or | thr imp | C | -1 | 6 | [1] | ||
| Long Knife | sw-1 cut | 1 | 0 | $120 | 1.5 | 7 | |
| or | thr imp | C, 1 | 0 | 7 | |||
| Main-Gauche | sw-3 imp | C, 1 | 0 | $50 | 1.25 | 6 | |
| or | thr imp | C | 0 | 6 | |||
| Short Baton | sw-1 cr | C, 1 | -1 | $10 | 0.5 | 5 | |
| or | thr cr | C | -1 | 5 |
POLEARM (DX-5, Spear/Staff-3, Axe/Mace-4)
| Weapon | Damage | Reach | Parry | Cost | Weight | ST | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glaive | sw+3 cut | 2, 3* | 0U | $100 | 8 | 11‡ | |
| or | thr+3 imp | 1-3* | 0U | 11‡ | |||
| Halberd | sw+5 cut | 2, 3* | 0U | $150 | 12 | 13‡ | |
| or | sw+4 imp | 2, 3* | 0U | 13‡ | [2] | ||
| or | thr+3 imp | 1-3* | 0U | 12‡ |
Fencing (DX-5, Sword-4)
Successive parries suffer a -2 instead of -4
| Weapon | Damage | Reach | Parry | Cost | Weight | ST | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edged Rapier | sw cut | 1, 2 | 0F | $1,000 | 3 | 10 | |
| or | thr+1 imp | 1, 2 | 0F | 10 | |||
| Main-Gauche | sw-3 imp | C, 1 | 0F | $50 | 1.25 | 6 | |
| or | thr imp | C | 0F | 6 | |||
| Rapier | thr+1 imp | 1, 2 | 0F | $500 | 2.75 | 9 |
SHIELD (DX-4)
| Weapon | Damage | Reach | Parry | Cost | Weight | ST | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shield Bash | thr cr | 1 | X | var | var | - | |
| Shield Spike | thr+1 cr | 1 | X | +$20 | var | _ |
SWORD (DX-5, Fencing-4)
| Weapon | Damage | Reach | Parry | Cost | Weight | ST | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bastard Sword | sw+1 cut | 1, 2 | 0U | $750 | 5 | 11 | |
| or | thr+2 imp | 2 | 0U | - | - | 11 | |
| Two Handed | sw+2 cut | 1, 2 | 0 | - | - | 10† | |
| or | thr+3 imp | 2 | 0 | - | - | 10† | |
| Broadsword | sw+1 cut | 1 | 0 | $600 | 3 | 10 | |
| or | thr+2 imp | 1 | 0 | - | - | 10 | |
| Edged Rapier | sw cut | 1, 2 | 0 | $1,000 | 3 | 10 | |
| or | thr+1 imp | 1, 2 | 0 | - | - | 10 | |
| Falchion | sw+1 cut | 1 | 0 | $400 | 3 | 10 | |
| or | thr-2 imp | 1 | 0 | - | - | 10 | |
| Greatsword | sw+3 cut | 1, 2 | 0 | $900 | 7 | 12† | |
| or | thr+3 imp | 2 | 0 | - | - | 12† | |
| Quarterstaff | sw+2 cr | 1, 2 | 0 | $10 | 4 | 9† | |
| or | thr+1 cr | 2 | 0 | - | - | 9† | |
| Shortsword | sw cut | 1 | 0 | $400 | 2 | 8 | |
| or | thr+1 imp | 1 | 0 | - | - | 8 |
SPEAR/STAFF (DX-5, Polearm-3)
| Weapon | Damage | Reach | Parry | Cost | Weight | ST | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long Spear | thr+2 imp | 2, 3* | 0U | $60 | 5 | 11 | |
| two hands | thr+3 imp | 2, 3* | 0 | 10† | |||
| Long Staff | sw+2 cr | 2, 3 | +2 | $15 | 5 | 10† | |
| or | thr+2 cr | 2, 3 | +2 | 10† | |||
| Pike | thr+3 imp | 4,5* | 0U | $80 | 13 | 12† | |
| Quarterstaff | sw+2 cr | 1, 2 | +2 | $10 | 4 | 7† | |
| or | thr+2 cr | 1, 2 | +2 | 7† | |||
| Spear | thr+2 imp | 1* | 0U | $40 | 4 | 9 | [1] |
| two hands | thr+3 imp | 1, 2* | 0 | 9† |
[1] Can be thrown with a range of ST x1/x1.5 and a bulk of -4.
[2] Any attack that injures an enemy embeds your weapon.
- If your victim tries to move away, roll a Quick Contest of ST: If you lose, your weapon is pulled from your grasp! If you win, your enemy can’t move. A tie means the weapon comes free.
- At the start of your next turn, you may try a ST roll as Ready maneuver. A successful ST roll pulls your weapon free. Failure leaves it embedded.
- If the weapon comes free for any reason, it inflicts half the injury it did going in.
- Critical failure on any of your ST rolls means the weapon is till after the battle.
[3] This attack receives damage bonuses per die based on your skill. +1 if you know it at DX, +2 if you know it at DX+2. Claws don’t affect damage with blows assisted by weapons.
[4] Attempts to parry this weapon are at -4; knives and fencing weapons can’t parry at all! Attempts to block such weapons are at -2.
[5] Gets +2 to disarm. To grapple, attack at -4; a successful hit inflicts no damage and you must use a ready maneuver to make a quick ST contest each round to maintain the grapple.
[6] Kicks have a -2 to hit.
[7] Specify maximum reach (1-7 yards) when bought. Cost and weight are per yard. The whip requires ST 3, +1 per yard.
- Anyone injured on the arm by a whip must roll Against Will modified by the shock penalty for the injury or drop anything in that hand.
- You can “crack” a whip at -4 to hit, for +2 damage.
Ranged Weapon Tables
Acc (Accuracy)
Add Accuracy to your weapon skill if you took an Aim maneuver on the turn prior to your attack.
Bulk
A measure of the weapon’s size and handiness. Bulk penalizes weapon skill during a Move and Attack maneuver or in close combat.
Bows and ST
Bows have their own ST, which you must specify when you buy one. The ST in the table is the lowest possible value. Use the weapon’s rated ST instead of your ST to determine range and damage.
Range
If a weapon has only one range number, this is the Maximum Range (Max) in hexes (yards). If two numbers appear, separated by a slash, the first is Half-Damage Range (1/2D) while the second is Max. Nearly all ranged weapons list range as multiples of the wielder’s ST.
Reloading
Thrown Weapons: pick it up or ready a new weapon!
Bows and Slings: (2) means one Ready to draw and position a stone or arrow, and another to prepare the loaded weapon for shooting. A successful Fast-Draw roll turns the first into a free action, making effective reload time (1).
BOW (DX-5)
| Weapon | Damage | Acc | Range | Weight | Cost | ST | Bulk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bow | thr+1 imp | 2 | x15/x20 | 2/0.1 | $100 | 10† | -7 |
| Composite Bow | thr+3 imp | 3 | x20/x25 | 4/0.1 | $900 | 10† | -7 |
| Longbow | thr+2 imp | 3 | x15/x20 | 3/0.1 | $200 | 11† | -8 |
| Shortbow | thr imp | 1 | x10/x15 | 1.5/0.1 | $50 | 7† | -6 |
SLING (DX-6)
Requires two hands to ready, but only one hand to attack.
| Weapon | Damage | Acc | Range | Weight | Cost | ST | Bulk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sling | sw pi | 0 | x6/x10 | 0.5/0.05 | $20 | 6 | -4 |
Armor
| Armour | DR | Cost | Weight | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloth | 1 | $150 | 18 | [3] |
| Leather | 2 | $450 | 36 | [3] |
| Light Mail | 3/1 | $1500 | 36 | [1,2,3] |
| Light Scale | 3/2 | $960 | 48 | [1,2] |
| 4/2 | $2700 | 45 | [1,2,3] | |
| Scale | 4/3 | $1650 | 84 | [1,2] |
| Plate | 6 | $7500 | 60 | [2] |
[1] Use lower DR against crushing attacks.
[2] Considered metal for the purposes of armor modifiers, lightning damage, reaction penalties in town, etc.
[3] Flexible armour that can be worn under non flexible armour, with at least DR 3, to stack DR. When Layered split DR is ignored. This gives -1 to DX and DX Skills.
Shields
Defense Bonus (DB): is added to all of your active defense role from attacks to your front or shield side. To ready or store a shield takes an amount of ready maneuvers equal to its DB.
| Shield | DB | Cost | Weight | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small Shield | 1 | $40 | 8 | [2] |
| Medium Shield | 2 | $60 | 15 | [2] |
| Large Shield | 3 | $90 | 25 | [2,4] |
[2] Can be used offensively, see Shield on the melee weapons table. A spike that gives +1 to damage adds $20 to cost and 5 lbs. to weight.
[4] Large shields get in the way: -2 to all attacks (but not with the shield) unless you have Shield-Wall Training. In close combat, apply -3 for DB instead.