Weapon Perks, Armor & Toolkits

Mar 25

Unleashing the Fun with Exotic Equipment Perks in 5e

Are you tired of using the same old boring weapons and armor in your favorite roleplaying game? Do you want to spice things up and give your characters some unique identity? Look no further than Exotic Equipment Perks!

One of the most exciting parts of any RPG is creating and building your characters. You want them to be unique, with their own backstory, class abilities, race, skills, and combat styles. But when it comes to weapons and armor, the options in 5th Edition can feel lackluster. Sure, you might have a few different damage dice and some traits that set them apart, but for the most part, they all feel the same.

That's where Exotic Equipment Perks comes in. We want to give your weapons and armor some personality and make your choice of equipment matter nearly as much as your class, race, or skill option. With our equipment perks, each piece of equipment can feel unique and have its own special skill or technique that can be used in combat.

But don't just take our word for it. Let's dive into some of the specific perks and see how they can make your game more exciting.

Weapon Perks

Dagger

The dagger is a versatile weapon that is used in a wide variety of cultures, fighting styles, and levels of experience. Because it is such a widespread and well-established weapon, it is difficult to pinpoint its origins. It’s quite possible that it began as a simple farming tool that eventually took on more sinister implications. However, given that it is not typically used for farming purposes in its current state, it is also theorized that they were always intended as weapons and may have been an early precursor to their larger counterparts, swords.

Damage: 1d4 piercing

Properties: Finesse, light, thrown (range 20/60)

Hidden Weapon. As a bonus action, you may make a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check against your opponent’s Wisdom (Insight). On a success, you conceal up to two daggers. When you make a melee weapon attack with a hidden dagger against a creature that hasn’t taken a turn in combat yet, you can reroll a number of damage dice up to your proficiency bonus. You must use the new rolls. If you make a weapon attack with a hidden weapon, the attack has its critical hit range increased by 1. For example, if you normally score a critical hit on a 20, you now score a critical hit with a 19 or 20.

Cheap Shot. When a creature within 5 feet of you is hit by a critical hit by another creature, you can exploit the distraction. You can use your reaction to make a melee weapon attack with a dagger against that creature.

The dagger might seem like a basic weapon, but with our equipment perk, it can become a versatile and deadly tool in the right hands. With the Hidden Weapon perk, you can conceal up to two daggers and use them to make sneak attacks against unsuspecting enemies. And if you hit an opponent with a hidden dagger before they've taken a turn in combat, you get to reroll a number of damage dice equal to your proficiency bonus. Plus, if you score a critical hit with a hidden weapon, the critical hit range is increased by 1.

But that's not all. With the Cheap Shot perk, you can take advantage of an opponent's distraction when they're hit by a critical hit from another creature. You can use your reaction to make a melee weapon attack with a dagger against that creature. It's the perfect way to turn the tables in a tough fight.

Rapier

Captain Joan of the Blood Diamond held the title as Pirate Lord of the Western Seas for good reason. She was as cunning and quick-witted as they come; like a shark drawn to blood, she could spot a defensive opening from a mile away. Her favorite activity, by far, was dueling. Her rapier was as iconic as it was lethal, and her aim was ever true. For as ruthless as her reputation portrayed her, she cared deeply for her crew, working directly with them to develop their skills, whilst learning about their needs and desires.

Damage: 1d8 piercing

Properties: Finesse

Defensive Stance. When you take the Dodge action, if an enemy misses you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to make one melee weapon attack, adding your Wisdom modifier to the attack roll.

Sponsor: Dice Tale Games: Blood and Doom - a Dark Fantasy Tabletop Roleplaying Game

Armor Perks

Light Armor

Padded

During the time of their warring city-states, the logging communities in the great northern woods were having trouble finding resources to protect and arm them in battle. They turned to the herbalist healers, as they were resourceful and knowledgeable in mending wounds. They found a way to make padded armor using the thick cotton pads typically used to absorb g bleeding. This way, when the armor was compromised, a healer or capable warrior could use the cotton pads in the punctured armor to stop any bleeding. This proved to be an effective practice and led the way for healers to become instrumental community leaders throughout the northern logging communities.

Armor Class: 11 + Dex modifier

Stealth: Disadvantage

Properties: -

Improvised Triage. The simple design of padded armor allows for the armor to be used as bandage gauze. While wearing this armor, if you’re unconscious and dying, a creature has advantage on any Wisdom (Medicine) checks to stabilize you. Additionally, if they roll a 19 or 20 on the check, you regain a number of hit points equal to their proficiency bonus.

Toolkit Perks

Poisoner’s Kit

A poisoner’s kit includes vials, chemicals, and other equipment necessary for the creation of poisons. Proficiency with this kit lets you add your proficiency bonus to any ability checks you make to craft or use poisons.

Proficiency with a poisoner’s kit is required to be able to handle, harvest, and create poisons for those who engage in more unsavory combat styles. In addition, you gain knowledge about a variety of poisonous plants, animals, and monsters, and can use this knowledge to make both poisons listed below. During a long rest, make a DC 15 Intelligence (Nature) check using your poisoner’s kit. On a success, you can craft one vial of lesser poison or a vial of crippling poison.

Vial of Lesser Poison. You can use the lesser poison in this vial to coat one slashing or piercing weapon or up to three pieces of ammunition. Applying the poison takes an action. A creature hit by the poisoned weapon or ammunition must make a DC 10 + your proficiency bonus Constitution saving throw or take poison damage equal to your proficiency bonus. Once applied, the poison retains its potency for 1 minute before drying.

Vial of Crippling Poison. You can use the crippling poison in this vial to coat one slashing or piercing weapon or up to three pieces of ammunition. Applying the poison takes an action. A creature hit by the poisoned weapon or ammunition must make a DC 10 + your proficiency bonus Constitution saving throw or have their movement speed reduced by 10 feet. Once applied, the poison retains its potency for 1 minute before drying.

These unstable toxic concoctions retain their potency for up to 24 hours inside a vial, after which they release a rancid odor and have no effect.

So there you have it, just a taste of what Exotic Equipment Perks can bring to your game. With unique and exciting perks for each piece of equipment, you can make your weapons and armor just as interesting as your characters. So what are you waiting for? Get out there and start exploring the world to find the perfect exotic equipment for your adventurers!

One of the best parts of a roleplaying game is the building of characters. Character backstory, class abilities, race, skills, and combat are all different aspects that can be loved by players. In Fifth Edition, it tends to get clumped into the simple “not enough options” category. In 5e the single largest lackluster choice is the weapon. There isn’t much in the way of uniqueness to separate them, except for maybe the damage die and a few restricting traits. Not to mention, some of the weapon stats are literally EXACTLY the same (looking at you polearms). To an extent, this can also be true for armor as well. Aside from the bonus to AC, there isn’t really a reason to wear any particular piece of armor. Well, Exotic Equipment Perks hopes to remedy that. We want to make your choice of equipment matter just as much as a class, race, or skill option. We want it to be another defining feature of your play style.

Weapons and equipment should be more than just objects that adventurers carry to slay enemies and protect themselves. In the proper hands of a master, they should be powerful tools to gain the upper hand in battle. In order to remedy this, we present to you Exotic Equipment Perks!

We want to give a huge shout-out to all the backers on Kickstarter who made this project possible! Thank you.

Inside you will find:

36 New Weapon Perks
12 New Exotic Weapons with Perks
16 New Armor Perks
6 New Exotic Armors with Perks
10 Toolkit Perks

Get your copy here and make your choice of equipment matter!

Thank you for reading our blog. If you enjoy the content and want to support us, visit our store or follow us on social media, join us on discord, youtube, and leave us a review.