MELEE WEAPONS
The d20 Future handbook says the
following about Progress Level 7: The Gravity Age (the progress level that perhaps
most closely reflects the Imperiums).
“Projectile firearms are in their last days as crude energy
weapons become available. Powered armour is available to warriors of this age.
Personal (melee) weapons enjoy a resurgance, due in large part to a shift in
military tactics.”
This is very applicable to the
state of affairs in the 41st millenium. As anyone whose every played the
tabletop battlegame knows, a power sword is often a more valuable asset than a
bolter. When a Tyranid with lashing claws backs you into a corner how will you
fend it off – trying to manipulate a two-handed rifle weapon? Or perhaps
drawing your chainsword and severing the limbs it bears.
There is a double reason melee
weapons are so popular in the universe of Warhammer 40,000. The disruption
field – the cackling energy that surrounds so-called power weapons – requires a heavy generator that is too large for
bullets. This field can carve through even the most heavy metals like a hot
knife through butter. Space Marines can pull tanks apart with their hands if
they are equipped with Power Fists. An Imperial Guardsman can cut a Terminator
in half if he is swinging a power-sword. Even a power-knife. This powerful
technology has made melee weapons extremely popular.
Simple or advanced? Light,
one-handed or two-handed? Medium size? What does it all mean. These are the
rules for understanding the categories of melee weapons. (Rules templated are
from the core Dungeons and Dragons SRD not d20 Modern SRD.)
This section explains how to
correctly read the melee weapons charts.
A list of swords, knives, axes,
hammers and maces to delight the melee warrior. Templated from the D&D SRD.
IMPERIAL
ADVANCED MELEE WEAPONS
These are more expensive weapon
that require the advanced melee weapons proficiency feat and may require other
proficiencies as well. Any close combat character will eventually want to swap
his simple weapon for an advanced weapon.
XENOGEN
ADVANCED MELEE WEAPONS
These are advanced melee weapons
made by xeno-species. Players will have a hard time getting hold of these. This
section barely scratches the surface of available xeno-weapons; but these
examples should be enough to allow players to make up rules for other special
melee xeno-weapons.