Monster Hunter Weapon Categories

Great Sword
Great Swords are designed for one thing: raw destructive power. Great Sword wielders are capable of
using the Charge special action once per turn as a Standard action. Charge increases the damage of the
next attack by two steps. This action may be taken up to three times, each granting successively more
additional damage (up to a maximum of 6 increased damage steps).
All charges are lost at the end of combat.

Long Sword
Swift, elegant, and deadly, the Long Sword is a well-rounded weapon of choice for Hunters. Long Swords
possess the special ability Counterattack. Once per combat the Long Sword may retaliate when dealt
physical damage in Short range, striking back with a physical attack of their own. They may not
counterattack a counterattack or a Limit Break, and may not counterattack during a Slow action.
Additionally, Long Swords possess the special action Serene Pose. As a Slow action once per combat they
may enter a defensive stance and ready an attack. If struck by a physical attack during this action, they
may make an opposed roll to negate the damage, and regardless of success strike back with an attack
that deals an additional damage step. If the Long Sword wielder is not struck during the action, the
attack does not receive this increased damage bonus.
Long Swords may calculate their damage with either the PWR or DEX scores, whichever is higher.

Sword and Shield

Versatility is the defining feature of the sword and shield, possessing equal focuses on attack, defense,
and utility.
A Sword and Shield grants its wielder a bonus to their ARM and M. ARM scores equal to the weapon’s
tier. Additionally, they possess the ability Fast Hands. Once per Combat the wielder may cast a spell as a
Standard action (as opposed to a Slow action), or choose to either switch weapons or use an item as an
Instant action.
Sword and Shield weapons may calculate their damage with either the PWR or RES scores, whichever is
higher.

Dual Blades
Speed and ferocity in equal measure define the use of Dual Blades weaponry.
Dual Blades always calculate their damage using the DEX attribute. Additionally, their wielders possess
the ability to enter a heightened state known as Demon Mode as an Instant action. This grants the
wielder the benefits of the Haste status for one turn. This may be used once per combat at no penalty,
but may be activated again in subsequent rounds. However, doing so imparts the Slow status for two
rounds after Demon Mode ends.

Lance
The weapon of defensive specialists, Lances possess superlative ability to tank damage.
Lances always calculate their damage based off of the RES attribute of the wielder, and grant an
additional amount of ARM and M. ARM based on their weapon tier.. Additionally, Lances possess the
special ability Impenetrable Guard. Lance wielders reduce the damage taken while using the Defend
action by 100%, and once per combat as an Instant action may reduce the damage of an incoming attack
by 50%.

Gunlance
Similar to a Lance, Gunlances trade much of the defensive prowess of the Lance for the ability to land
devastating blows from their attached cannon.
Gunlances grant an additional amount of ARM and M. ARM based on their weapon tier. Additionally,
they possess the special ability Shelling.
Shelling attacks come in two forms: Wide and Long.
A Wide attack targets a group at Short range, while Long Shelling attacks may instead target a single
creature at up to Medium range. All Shelling attacks are Standard actions, and the shell used may be
reloaded as a Standard action.

Hammer
Much like the Great Sword, Hammers charge up attacks for devastating strikes, but the Hammer wielder
aims more to debilitate than outright slay the monster.

Hammer wielders are capable of using the Charge special action once per turn as a Standard action. This
stockpiles power into the blunt instrument used to strike, and increases its impact force.

Hammers may be charged up to two times, and each charge increases damage by one step. More
importantly, charging the hammer gives it the ability to knock a monster senseless with a brutal Big
Bang attack. On charging the weapon once, the wielder may make an opposed Force check if the attack
connects; if successful, the monster is Stunned for one turn. If charged twice, the monster is stunned
instantly with no opposed roll.

No monster may be stunned by a Big Bang more than once per combat.

Hunting Horn
There is no more powerful force than morale, which can drive Hunters to even more superhuman feats.

Hunting Horns have access to buffing Melodies, which can be triggered as an Instant action after landing
a successful attack once per turn. The wielder can choose from one of three benefits.

 Increase the ACC of all allies by 1.

 Increase the AVD of all allies by 1.
 Restore HP equal to your MND score.

These benefits end at the end of the wielder’s next turn, but can be extended by successfully activating a
different Melody before they expire.

At any time, if all Melodies are active simultaneously, the wielder may spend an Instant action to
activate an Infernal Melody. This doubles the effects of the normal Melodies, as well as increasing the
number required to score a Critical Hit by 2 for all allies and granting the benefits of both Protect and
Shell.

These benefits last until the end of the wielder’s next turn, and may not be extended.
A Hunting Horn may calculate damage using the wielder’s PWR or MND scores, whichever is higher.

Switch Axe
Charge Blade

Ranged
Monsters are large, imposing, and often surprisingly nimble for their bulk. Is it no surprise that many
Hunters would choose to engage them at a distance?

Whether bowgun (light or heavy), bow, or some mechanical contraption of the Hunter’s own design, all
Ranged weapons share two important traits. The first is that Ranged weapons always calculate their
damage using the wielder’s DEX attribute. The second: Distance. The Distance property allows them to
attack flying targets and those at up to a Medium range for no penalty, and targets at Long range by
taking a -4 top attack rolls.

Additionally, every Ranged weapon is designed to fire off a specialized attack. This attack is chosen from
the list below when the weapon is Synthesized, and may not be changed. Each ability is usable only once
per combat.

 Wyvernsnipe: A Wyvernsnipe attack concentrates energy on a single point, and lets it fly. As a
Slow action once per combat, the wielder may make a single attack that deals an additional two
damage steps and ignores the target’s ARM score. If the weapon possesses the [Status]-touch
ability, it may be activated without reducing the damage of this attack.
 Wyvernblast: Wyvernblast ammunition acts as a force multiplier for the grateful allies of its user.
As a Standard action, the wielder may fire an attack that marks a target with a series of
explosives. These explosives detonate when struck, dealing the weapon’s damage to the target
for every allied attack that connects with target. If not detonated, the Wyvernblast ammunition
detonates at the start of the wielder’s next turn, dealing normal weapon damage.
 Wyvernheart: The wielder overclocks their weapon, drastically increasing its fire rate and
damage…at a price. Wyvernheart lasts for 3 rounds. In the first round, the weapon may attack
twice, though it suffers a -2 to ACC rolls for each attack. In the second and third rounds, damage
is increased by a step, and the penalty to ACC increases by 1 (to a total of -4 to ACC, and two
additional damage steps on round 3).

Finally, all Ranged weapons are capable of making use of specialized ammunition that grants it either
[Element]-Strike or [Status]-touch in addition to its normal properties, though constantly making more
of this ammunition is expensive; ammunition is half the cost of creating a weapon of the same tier, and
a weapon may not use ammunition that possesses a lower tier than itself.