Weapons

Most characters in Pathfinder carry weapons, ranging from mighty warhammers to graceful bows to even simple clubs. Full details on how you calculate the bonuses, modifiers, and penalties for attack rolls and damage rolls are given in Chapter 9 on page 446, but they’re summarized here, followed by the rules for weapons and dozens of weapon choices.

Attack Rolls

When making an attack roll, determine the result by rolling 1d20 and adding your attack modifier for the weapon or unarmed attack you’re using. Modifiers for melee and ranged attacks are calculated differently.

Melee attack modifier = Strength modifier (or optionally Dexterity for a finesse weapon) +

proficiency bonus + other bonuses + penalties

Ranged attack modifier = Dexterity modifier +

proficiency bonus + other bonuses + penalties

Bonuses, and penalties apply to these rolls just like with other types of checks. Weapons with potency runes (page 581) add an item bonus to your attack rolls.

Multiple Attack Penalty

If you use an action with the attack trait more than once on the same turn, your attacks after the first take a penalty called a multiple attack penalty. Your second attack takes a –5 penalty, and any subsequent attacks take a –10 penalty.

The multiple attack penalty doesn’t apply to attacks you make when it isn’t your turn (such as attacks made as part of a reaction). You can use a weapon with the agile trait (page 282) to reduce your multiple attack penalty.

Damage Rolls

When the result of your attack roll with a weapon or unarmed attack equals or exceeds your target’s AC, you hit your target! Roll the weapon or unarmed attack’s damage die and add the relevant modifiers, bonuses, and penalties to determine the amount of damage you deal. Calculate a damage roll as follows.

Melee damage roll = damage die of weapon or unarmed

attack + Strength modifier + bonuses + penalties

Ranged damage roll = damage die of weapon + Strength

modifier for thrown weapons + bonuses + penalties

Ranged weapons don’t normally add an ability modifier to the damage roll, though weapons with the propulsive trait (page 283) add half your Strength modifier (or your full modifier if it is a negative number), and thrown weapons add your full Strength modifier.

Magic weapons with striking, greater striking, or major striking runes (page 581) add one or more weapon damage dice to your damage roll. These extra dice are the same die size as the weapon’s damage die. At higher levels, most characters also gain extra damage from weapon specialization.

Critical Hits

When you make an attack and roll a natural 20 (the number on the die is 20), or if the result of your attack exceeds the target’s AC by 10, you achieve a critical success (also known as a critical hit).

If you critically succeed at a Strike, your attack deals double damage (page 451). Other attacks, such as spell attack rolls and some uses of the Athletics skill, describe the specific effects that occur when their outcomes are critical successes.

Unarmed Attacks

Almost all characters start out trained in unarmed attacks. You can Strike with your fist or another body part, calculating your attack and damage rolls in the same way you would with a weapon. Unarmed attacks can belong to a weapon group (page 280), and they might have weapon traits (page 282). However, unarmed attacks aren’t weapons, and effects and abilities that work with weapons never work with unarmed attacks unless they specifically say so.

Table 6–6: Unarmed Attacks lists the statistics for an unarmed attack with a fist, though you’ll usually use the same statistics for attacks made with any other parts of your body. Certain ancestry feats, class features, and spells give access to special, more powerful unarmed attacks. Details for those unarmed attacks are provided in the abilities that grant them.

Improvised Weapons

If you attack with something that wasn’t built to be a weapon, such as a chair or a vase, you’re making an attack with an improvised weapon. You take a –2 item penalty to attack rolls with an improvised weapon. The GM determines the amount and type of damage the attack deals, if any, as well as any weapon traits the improvised weapon should have.

Critical Specialization Effects

Certain feats, class features, weapon runes, and other effects can grant you additional benefits when you make an attack with certain weapons and get a critical success. This is called a critical specialization effect. The exact effect depends on which weapon group your weapon belongs to, as listed below. You can always decide not to add the critical specialization effect of your weapon.

Axe: Choose one creature adjacent to the initial target and within reach. If its AC is lower than your attack roll result for the critical hit, you deal damage to that creature equal to the result of the weapon damage die you rolled (including extra dice for its potency rune, if any). This amount isn’t doubled, and no bonuses or other additional dice apply to this damage.

Bomb: Increase the radius of the bomb’s splash damage (if any) to 10 feet.

Bow: If the target of the critical hit is adjacent to a surface, it gets stuck to that surface by the missile. The target is immobilized and must spend an Interact action to attempt a DC 10 Athletics check to pull the missile free; it can’t move from its space until it succeeds. The creature doesn’t become stuck if it is incorporeal, is liquid (like a water elemental or some oozes), or could otherwise escape without effort.

Brawling: The target must succeed at a Fortitude save against your class DC or be slowed 1 until the end of your next turn.

Club: You knock the target away from you up to 10 feet (you choose the distance). This is forced movement (page 475).

Dart: The target takes 1d6 persistent bleed damage.

You gain an item bonus to this bleed damage equal to the weapon’s item bonus to attack rolls.

Flail: The target is knocked prone.

Hammer: The target is knocked prone.

Knife: The target takes 1d6 persistent bleed damage. You gain an item bonus to this bleed damage equal to the weapon’s item bonus to attack rolls.

Pick: The weapon viciously pierces the target, who takes 2 additional damage per weapon damage die.

Polearm: The target is moved 5 feet in a direction of your choice. This is forced movement (page 475).

Shield: You knock the target back from you 5 feet.

This is forced movement (page 475).

Sling: The target must succeed at a Fortitude save against your class DC or be stunned 1.

Spear: The weapon pierces the target, weakening its attacks. The target is clumsy 1 until the start of your next turn.

Sword: The target is made off-balance by your attack, becoming flat-footed until the start of your next turn.