When I started getting more into Vanguard, I made custom classes for the OG four Vanguard operators plus Mateo. I chose the operator favorite weapons for the XP grind and also because… yeah, it’s their favorite weapons. I tried to match their aesthetic as well.
Here is a list of new, non-magic weapons for fighters (or other classes) to enjoy! As always, homebrew can be tricky. Playtest these in your own campaigns and if they prove too powerful or too weak, tweak them to your heart’s content. I didn’t provide gold piece values but the weapons that are objectively better or more useful than existing weapons should typically cost more, especially if they are rare or exotic in your world. I would tack on at least 50-100 gp for these unique weapons.
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Urumi
Martial Weapon, Reach, Finesse, 1d4 Slashing
A highly flexible sword with a whip-like blade (you can also use these statistics for a barbed whip or spiked chain weapon). You may use your action to whip the blade rapidly around you in a wild, complex pattern until your next turn. Each creature that starts their turn within 5 ft. of you while you flail the Urumi must make a DEX save (DC 8 + proficiency + DEX) or take 1d4+DEX slashing damage.
Twinblade
Martial Weapon, 1d6 Slashing
A hilt with a short blade extending from the top and bottom. You may use your bonus action to make an extra melee attack with the weapon.
Great Twinblade
Martial Weapon, Heavy, Two-Handed, 1d8 Slashing
A hilt with a long blade extending from the top and bottom. You may use your bonus action to make an extra melee attack with the weapon.
Kusari-Gama
Martial Weapon, Finesse, Two-Handed, Special
A sickle connected to a club or ball by a 10 ft. chain. The wielder may choose two different attacks to use with this weapon: the sickle end deals 1d4 piercing damage at melee range, while the blunt end deals 1d4 bludgeoning damage and has the Reach property. You may use your bonus action to make an extra attack with the weapon using a mode not already chosen. You may use an action to roll an attack against an opponent with the blunt end of the weapon opposed by the enemy’s DEX saving throw. If you succeed, you disarm your opponent’s weapon if it is no larger than a Medium weapon.
Tiger Claw
Martial Weapon, Light, 1d4 slashing
A tiger claw is a set of curved claw-like blades that rest in the palm of your hand, secured by four rings that go around your fingers (sort of like inverted brass knuckles). While wearing a tiger claw, you can manipulate objects as if you were not wielding a weapon in that hand, but may not wield another weapon in that same hand. Your fingers are free but the claws take up too much space in your palm to wield another weapon freely. Each tiger claw you wield gives you a cumulative +1 bonus on attack rolls to maintain a grapple. Each tiger claw also gives you a cumulative +1 bonus to Athletics checks meant for climbing. Tiger claws are easily concealed. You have advantage on Sleight of Hand checks to conceal a tiger claw
Hook Swords
Martial Weapon, 1d8 slashing
Hook swords have a bladed guard around the hilt and the point is shaped like a hook. When dual-wielding hook swords (which requires the dual-wielder feat because they aren’t light weapons), you may use your bonus action to make an attack as if the weapon had Reach by hooking the two sword ends together and lashing out with the second hanging sword. This attack is treated as an attack with the offhand weapon and if the attack misses, you must make a DC 12 DEX saving throw or lose one of the hook swords.
Macuahuitl
Simple Weapon, 1d4 slashing + 1d4 bludgeoning
The macuahuitl is a flat wooden club with sharp obsidian blades fixed to the edges. It is a gruesome weapon that leaves creatures maimed but alive, ideal for taking prisoners, but is very fragile. When you roll a critical hit with a macuahuitl, your foe bleeds for an additional 1d4 damage at the start of their next turn. This ability has no effect if the creature does not bleed or have blood. A large number of the blades shatter or fall out on such a hit. Roll a d20. On a 5 or lower, the weapon becomes useless and irreparable. On a 10 or lower, the weapon becomes a wooden club and does not deal bleeding damage on critical hits until it is repaired. A magical macuahuitl is not subject to breaking in this way.
Kanabo
Simple Weapon, Versatile (1d8), 1d6 bludgeoning
The kanabo is a wooden club somewhere between a club and a greatclub with iron studs dotting the business end. If your STR score is at least 16, you may use your action to make a single melee attack at an enemy’s limb with the kanabo. You have disadvantage on this attack. If you hit, that creature’s limb becomes injured and disabled for 1d2 rounds. If the limb was a leg, their movement speed is reduced by 10 ft. for the duration. If the limb was an arm, they cannot use that arm to fight or manipulate objects for the duration. This attack deals normal damage as if you had made an attack with the weapon.
Scissor
Martial Weapon, Heavy, 1d8 slashing
No, not like Kill la Kill. It’s a gladiatorial weapon that is a semicircular blade attached to a metal tube that covers your hand and the length of your forearm. You have advantage on shove attempts with this weapon by using the back of the blade to trip or hook enemies. Enemies attempting to grab or disarm the scissor have disadvantage as you are holding on with your entire forearm.
Katar (Punching Dagger)
Simple Weapon, Light, 1d4 piercing
The katar is a triangular blade attached to a perpendicular hilt. It is unique in that you can pull a lever and cause the blade to open up and reveal another blade inside, creating a W-shape. It is ideal for creating a devastating wound from inside of an enemy. When you roll a critical hit with a katar, it deals an additional 1d4 damage in addition to other damage dice rolled during a critical hit. So a regular katar would deal 3d4 piercing damage on a critical hit instead of a regular dagger’s 2d4.
Sword Breaker
Martial Weapon, Light, 1d4 piercing
A single edged dagger with a deep-toothed spine. When a sword is caught in the teeth, a sharp twist can shatter thinner blades or at least aid in disarming a foe. While taking the Dodge action, you may use your reaction to make an attack against a creature’s incoming attack roll if they are wielding a melee weapon. If your result is higher, the weapon is caught in your sword breaker’s teeth. Then, make a STR contest against your foe’s STR or DEX check (whichever is higher). If you lose, you drop the sword breaker at your feet. If you win, the attacking creature drops their weapon instead. If the weapon was a nonmagical shortsword or longsword, the weapon instead breaks in half and becomes useless.
Kopis
Martial Weapon, 1d8 slashing
A longsword-sized blade with a forward curve. The extra weight and distance made the weapon an ideal one-handed mounted weapon. The kopis deals +2 damage while attacking from a mount.
Bardiche
Martial Weapon, Heavy, Two-Handed, 1d12 slashing or piercing
The bardiche was a greataxe where the toe and heel of the blade are dramatically extended, and the heel making a second attachment to the haft. The long toe could be used for piercing damage, while the axe blade could be used for slashing. Only a creature with a STR score of 18 or higher can wield a bardiche’s heavy axehead. When you roll a critical hit with a bardiche, it deals an additional 1d6 damage in addition to other damage dice rolled during a critical hit. So a regular bardiche would deal 2d12+1d6 damage on a critical hit.
Chicken Sickle
Simple Weapon, Reach, Two-Handed, 1d4 piercing
A chicken sickle is a polearm with a three curved metal prongs on the end, resembling a mangled chicken’s foot (hence the name). Although not a particularly deadly weapon, it is simple for even non-warriors to trip enemies with. When you make a shove attempt with a chicken sickle, you gain a +3 bonus to the attack.
Kilij
Martial Weapon, Versatile (1d10), 1d8 Slashing
The kilij is a longsword-sized curved blade with extra weight at the far end. It can stab in an awkward diagonal motion that happens to be ideal for reaching around shields. Shield-bearing enemies are treated as having 1 less AC when attacked by a kilij.
This spear has long wicked hooked barbs on it that make it a nightmare if you land a deep blow or hit with a thrown attack. When you roll a critical hit with a melee attack, you make a STR check with a DC of 13. If you fail, the weapon is stuck in the enemy. If you succeed, the weapon is ripped out of the enemy, disemboweling them for an additional 7 damage. It takes a DC 15 Medicine check to remove a Makrigga without the victim immediately taking 7 damage.
Soliferrum
Martial Weapon, Heavy, 20/60 Thrown, 1d8 piercing
A javelin made entirely of iron. It has less range than a regular javelin, but deals more damage. A creature must have a STR score of at least 16 to wield a soliferrum. In addition, enemies wearing nonmagical medium or heavy armor are considered to have 1 less AC when attacked by a soliferrum as it is highly efficient at piercing through armor.
Homebrew Weapon Properties
A few of the items I made had some neat ideas so I decided to make them into item properties (like Reach, Versatile, or Thrown).
Devastating: When this weapon lands a critical hit, add an additional damage die of the weapon’s die type to the damage roll.
//Devastating weapons don’t have “triple crit” damage, but they add another die of the same die type. So a devastating weapon that normally deals 1d6 damage would deal 3d6 damage on a crit, excluding the regular doubling of other damage dice like Sneak Attack damage, which are NOT affected by the weapon’s property.
Specialized: A specialized weapon decreases a creature’s AC by 1 if they are wielding or wearing certain arms or armor, as specified by the weapon.
//A specialized weapon’s notation is “Specialized (X),” so a weapon that is adept at attacking enemies wielding spears would be “Specialized (Spears)” and would treat enemies with spears as having 1 less AC. Look to descriptions of historical weapons for examples of this. The Soliferrum above was specialized for piercing armor, so it would have “Specialized (Medium or Heavy Armor).” Many polearms were perfect for attacking mounted units, so could have “Specialized (Mounted).” This offers more strategy for a fighting class to think about during combat if they have multiple weapons.
Tripping: A tripping weapon gives the wielder a +1 bonus on shove attempts.
//I was debating between this giving advantage or a +1 bonus, but the +1 numerical is statistically less powerful than advantage. The only downside is balancing, because if the wielder already has advantage, a +1 bonus gets even better. Try this out in your own games by putting it on polearms or hook-like weapons and if +1 proves too powerful, switch it out for advantage since advantage doesn’t stack.
Tutorial time - here’s another of my older tutorials on how to make your own relatively simple weapons out of plasticard. You’ll need plasticard of at least two thicknesses - I find Gale Force Nine’s Plasticard variety pack (google it to find a nearby supplier/ebay) is a good way to get a bunch of different thicknesses of plasticard all together.
For weapons I’ve found plasticard of about 1.5mm/0.06″ thick is the most suitable, along with thinner plasticard of about 0.4mm/0.015″ for adding detail. So!
1. First off, plan your weapon out and draw it onto the thick plasticard. Use pre-existing bits if you have them for size reference, and err on the side of slightly too large rather than slightly too small. It’s easier to trim a weapon down to the right size rather than trying to make it larger later if it started out too small.
2. Don't try to accurately cut out the weapon immediately from the plasticard, it's more difficult than it really needs to be. Just start off by getting the rough shape first, then begin trimming away the excess from the sides bit by bit.
This whole thing is a messy process, by the way. Be prepared to have plasticard shavings and bits EVERYWHERE.
3. This pic shows some of the ways I shape the plasticard - trimming it away strip by strip, almost like peeling an apple. Or for larger chunks, cutting in slices, then trimming those off. Plasticard's much easier to deal with if you just cut off thin layers or small sections, instead of trying to carve out large chunks.
The drawing will most likely rub off the plasticard while you're working, so you may have to re-draw it on every now and then to remind yourself where everything goes. Or you can coat it with a thin layer of PVA glue and let that dry, to act as a protective coating for your sketch. The glue will peel off easily once you’re done. Or you can just keep a copy of your design on a piece of paper or something nearby, that works too. XD
4. Once you’ve cut out the rough shape of the weapon, you can use sandpaper to smooth out all those rough areas and refine the overall shape. Cut out a small piece of sandpaper, then fold or roll it into the desired shape to get into those awkward areas.
5. When you’re happy with the weapon’s overall shape, now comes shaping the blade properly. Use your knife to carefully begin carving away thin slices of the plasticard to shape one side of the blade's edge. Don't try to take off a lot at once - if you accidentally take off too much, it's very difficult to fix it. And remember you need to do this on the other side as well, so again, don't take off too much! It can help to alternate which side you’re carving, to gradually get the edges to meet halfway. It may help to practice carving on some spare sprue first, to get used to the process.
6. Once most of the carving’s done, you can use sandpaper to help smooth out any uneven areas and get rid of any knife marks. By this point the blade should be pretty much finished.
7. Now onto the hilt! I roughed out the hilt's shape, then cut out a piece of the 0.015" thick plasticard to glue on and shaped the edge the same way I did with the blade. This can be very fiddly! Don't worry about getting a perfect fit though - it's better for it to be slightly larger than you need, so you can trim off the excess later.
8. Here’s both of the hilt pieces glued on, but not yet trimmed down to size. Once the glue's dry though, you can use your knife and sandpaper to trim off the excess and shape the hilt the same way you did the blade.
9. And here’s the hilt and guard trimmed down and shaped. I just used my knife to scrape off the corners of the guard, round it out, and shape the pommel, then used sandpaper to smooth everything off.
10. There we go! Your custom weapon’s now ready to attach to your model. Plasticard works just fine with regular plastic glue, as it’s pretty much the same material as plastic models. Superglue also works if you’re using metal or resin models.
I hope this has helped, and let me know if you have any questions! :D
