A Review of the Role Playing Game Supplement So What’s The Weapon Like, Anyway?

So What’s The Weapon Like, Anyway? by Richard Green is a role playing game supplement published by Raging Swan Press for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. As such, it is covered by the Open Game License and some parts are considered to be Open Game Content as a result.

The supplement is available as a 21-page PDF from DriveThruRPG for $3.99 but was purchased at a reduced price as part of a special bundle. Two pages are the front and rear covers, three the front matter, Contents and Foreword, one page is an ad and one is the Open Game License. The PDF comes in two versions, one designed for print and high-end devices, the other for mobile and low-end devices.

The Foreword explains that the intention is to add verisimilitude to a campaign and make items, and treasure, that is interesting.

Using this Supplement explains that all the weapons are valuable and are considered to be of masterwork quality, though may be worth more than a masterwork item due to embellishments. There’s a d20 table for rolling a weapon category and a note that the various proper names and places referred to in this supplement are either placeholders or from the Lonely Coast setting. There are also some rules on identifying and valuing weapons.

Simple Melee Weapons starts with a brief description of this weapon category, followed by a d100 table with 33 results. Each weapon is given a value and a short description. Simple Ranged Weapons, Light Martial Weapons, One-Handed Martial Melee Weapons, Two-Handed Martial Melee Weapons and Martial Ranged Weapons all follow the same format. Exotic Melee Weapons and Exotic Ranged Weapons again follow this format, except there are only 25 results on the table.

Hooks & Complications has various other things that may be associated with a weapon. There are four d20 tables; Table 1: Previous Owners, Table 2: Famous Victories, Table 3: Inscriptions & Marks, and Table 4: Other Complications.

Famous Weapons has seven weapons described in detail, with their name, physical appearance, history, current owner or location and other lore. A sidebar explains how unique weapons can make a magical weapon more distinctive.

So What’s The Weapon Like, Anyway? in Review

The PDF is bookmarked with most sections linked. The Contents is less thorough and is hyperlinked. Navigation is good. The text maintains a two-column format and appeared to be mostly free of errors. There are a number of appropriate stock black and white illustrations up to full page in size. Presentation is decent.

What this supplement does is make a discovered weapon more interesting, in the way that they are in fantasy fiction, myth and even real life; consider Excalibur. Though only a handful at the end are named weapons, the descriptions make them more than just a found longsword of some value, and that does make the gaming experience more immersive. So What’s The Weapon Like, Anyway? is a nice little supplement and it can be found by clicking here.