Close Combat Weapons

Weapons that are altered from the Mordheim rulebook or are added in this setting are marked with red.

Unarmed attacks

Many desperate fighters have kicked, punched and bitten his enemy after his bow is broken and his sword has been lost in the slippery mud of the battlefield.

Note: this only effects warriors who have been disarmed. Animals and other unarmed creatures ignore these rules. A disarmed fighter can only make one attack per turn.

Range: close combat; Strength: as user-1; Special Rule: target gets +1 armour save

Daggers

Various types of daggers and short blades are carried by both peasants and samurai. They are used both as tools and for attacking when the spear, sword or bow is broken or lost.

Range: close combat; Strenght: as user-1; Special Rule: target gets +1 armour save

Clubs and Staffs

While uncommon on the battlefield, a walking staff, farming tool or just a big stick found by the roadside can be an effective weapon in the right hands.

Range: Close Combat; Strength: As user; Special Rule: Concussion

SPECIAL RULE
Concussion: Hammers and other bludgeoning weapons are excellent to use for striking your enemy senseless. When using a club or staff, a roll of 2-4 is treated as stunned when rolling to see the extent of a model’s injuries.

Axes and picks

While no samurai would consider going to battle wielding an ax, for many villagers these tools are the most lethal instrument they can scrounge up in a hurry.

Range: Close Combat; Strength: As user; Special Rule: Cutting edge

SPECIAL RULE
Cutting edge: An axe has an extra save modifier of -1, so a model with Strength 4 using an axe has a -2 save modifier when he hits an opponent in hand-to-hand combat.

Swords

The bow and the spear were always the main weapons of the samurai on the battlefield, but the sword was carried as a secondary weapon for close combat and fighting in cramped conditions. Other than a weapon it was also a signal of social status, as carrying two swords was a privilege reserved for the samurai. His bow and spear might not be close at hand, but his swords will always be tucked in by his side.

Range: Close Combat; Strength: As user; Special Rule: Parry, Long Hilt

SPECIAL RULE
Parry: Swords offer an excellent balance of defence and offence. A
model armed with a sword may parry blows. When his opponent rolls
to hit, the model armed with a sword may roll a D6. If the score is
greater than the highest to hit score of his opponent, the model has
parried the blow, and that attack is discarded. A model may not parry
attacks made with double or more its own Strength – they are simply
too powerful to be stopped.

Long Hilt: a katana has a long hilt that enable the wielder to either fight with two swords or wield the sword with two hands for more powerful attacks. Handling the katana with two hands will give the attacks +1 Strength but prevents any use of extra weapons or equipment that requires a free hand. The model also lose the parry ability and strike last.

Flails

These huge farming tools where not considered suitable for the battlefield but could prove deadly when wielded by an angry mob.

Range: Close Combat; Strength: As user +2; Special Rules: Heavy, Two-handed

SPECIAL RULES
Heavy: A flail is extremely tiring to use and thus the +2 Strength bonus applies only in the first turn of each hand-to hand combat.
Two-handed: As a flail requires two hands to use, a model using a flail may not use an additional weapon or tool in close combat. If the model has a shield he still gets a +1 bonus to his armour save against shooting.

Naginata

A long stick with a sword blade mounted at the end, the Naginata was a stable in the Japanes martial tradition. It was the favourite weapon of samurai wives for defending their homes, and the warrior monks were legendary for their skills with the weapon.

Range: Close Combat; Strength: As user +1; Special Rule: Two-handed

SPECIAL RULE
Two-handed: A model armed with a naginata may not use an additional weapon or tool in hand to hand combat. If the model has a shield he still gets a +1 bonus to his armour save against shooting.

Pike

As technology evolved, pikes became increasingly dominant as a battlefield weapon. However the weapons is very unwieldy and useless once the enemy gets close and personal.

Range: Special, see below; Strength: As user, Special Rule: Poke!, Two-handed

SPECIAL RULE
Poke!: a model armed with a pike can make a single attack in the close combat phase against a model within 4" that is not in base to base contact with the wielder. This includes models that are in hand to hand combat and models that are on other levels of terrain as long as they are within 4”. If an enemy moves into base to base contact the model armed with a pike must temporarily drop the pike and therefor does not get to attack with it as long as he is locked in combat.

Two-handed: A model armed with a naginata may not use an additional weapon or tool in hand to hand combat. If the model has a shield he still gets a +1 bonus to his armour save against shooting.

Spear

Even a sharpened bamboo stick is a lethal instrument, and samurai train with spears both on foot and on horseback. When not in cramped situations, the superior range of a spear can be very deadly.

Range: Close Combat; Strength: As user; Special Rules: Strike first, Unwieldy, Cavalry bonus

SPECIAL RULES
Strike first: A warrior with a spear strikes first in the first turn of
hand-to-hand combat.
Unwieldy: A warrior with a spear may only use a shield or a buckler in his other hand. He may not use a second weapon.
Cavalry bonus: If using the rules for mounted models, a mounted warrior armed with a spear receives a +1 Strength bonus when he charges. This bonus only applies for that turn.

Double handed weapon

Two handed swords have not been seen on a battlefield in many centuries, abandoned in favour of more easily wielded weapons. They still crop up now and then in the hands of bandits who prefer the scary looking monstrous blades, or lords carrying a family heirloom sword. While not efficient in a battle formation, a large sword or a woodsman's ax can cut a swath of destruction in a skirmish.

Range: Close Combat; Strength: As user +2; Special Rules: Two-handed, Strike last

SPECIAL RULES
Two-handed: A model armed with a double-handed weapon may not use a shield, buckler or additional weapon in close combat. If the model is equipped with a shield he will still get a +1 bonus to his armour save against shooting.
Strike last: Double-handed weapons are so heavy that the model using them always strikes last, even when charging.

Legendary Blade

Some rare swords are crafted by master smiths from the best iron. The heated iron is carefully folded and refolded dozens of times to the sound of Buddhist monks chanting sutras that protect the blade from evil spirits. The resulting weapon is often used for gifts between powerful warlords and are priceless family heirlooms.

Only a sword, spear, naginata or two handed sword can be a legendary weapon. A legendary weapon can either be crafted for superior strength, gaining an extra -1 save modifier, or for a delicate swiftness, giving the user an extra +1 to Initiative in hand to hand combat. A strong blade costs four times the original price of the weapon, and a swift blade costs three times the original price. You may choose which type of hand-to-hand weapon is offered to you as explained in the Trading section.