Weapon Subtype Tables for Random Equipment Generation Part 2: The Two-Handers

When I started these posts, they came as a result of my adolescent fascination with the many varieties of polearms presented in certain editions of D&D. It is perhaps fitting, then, that the wall my enthusiasm has collided into is made of those same polearms. I had some idea going into this that names for polearms aren't exactly very specific, and that many of the differences are practically trivial. I did not anticipate just how bad it really is.

This is an incomplete chart of polearm head types.
Credit: Bashford Dean

Ashes to ashes, pikes to pikes, I suppose. With all that in mind, I have tried my best to list categories with mostly recognizable names and non-trivial differences in use, even if it has led to some incorrect titling of weapons. I've also had to class axe-bladed polearms, such as halberds, together with battleaxes to fill out both groups into a full table. Battleaxes and Halberds

d6	Weapon	Traits
1	Bardiche	With a long, curved blade affixed to the shaft at two different connection points, the bardiche can cleave through unarmored foes with ease in the same fashion as a curved sword. Additionally, the large blade bakes it difficult for an opponent to hook the shaft and gain control of the weapon.
2	Danish Axe	Though it lacks additional means of attack for defeating armor, the danish axe's length allows it to break through wooden shields easier than other axes with extremely forceful blows.
3	Double-Bitted Axe	Frankly impractical, double-bitted axes sport two opposite facing blades. Though this is usually redundant and merely adds weight to the weapon, it may allow the wielder to strike back and forth at two different foes in specific situations.
4	Maul	A large, two-handed warhammer, the maul delivers crushing blows through brute force. Though heavy and unwieldy, a proper swing of a maul makes little distinction between bone, mail and plate.
5	Halberd	A compromise between a poleaxe and a pike, the halberd sports an axe-bit, a rear-facing spike, and a long spike at its end. It is equally capable at engaging mounted and dismounted foes, but struggled against heavy armor more than dedicated anti-armor weapons like a poleaxe.
6	Poleaxe	Shorter than a halberd and sporting a rear-facing hammer face instead of a spike, the poleaxe is considered a weapon of nobility compared to other common polearms. It is able to make quick work of armored combatants with its hammer face, but lacks the length of a halberd.

Pikes and Polearms

d6	Weapon	Traits
1	Bill	Designed to catch and pull an opponent, the bill is defined by a hooked blade, sharp along the inside of the hook. It may or may not also include a smaller rear-facing hook. By hooking armor or blade, the bill may be used to unhorse a rider or topple a combatant to the ground.
2	Glaive	With a single-edged blade at the end of its shaft, the glaive is one of the simpler polearms in common use. Though similar to a swordstaff, the glaive's blade is too short to bind blades as readily as its cousin, but its increased length allows it to provide more reach, equivalent to the reach of a pike.
3	Guisarme	Fitted with both a thrusting spike and a short, hooked blade, the guisarme is a compromise between the bill and the pike. It can be used to trip an opponent like a bill, though less effectively, and can also be braced against a charge like a pike.
4	Pike	The pike is one of the simplest forms a polearm can take, simply being a long spear. It sacrifices the many bells and whistles of other polearms for unparalleled reach, and can be braced against a charge for deadly effect.
5	Ranseur	Essentially a long spear with a crescent-shaped guard at the base of its blade, the ranseur is designed to give its wielder leverage over the weapons of foes. If a weapon is caught in the guard, the ranseur can be twisted to wrest it from the opponent's grip.
6	Trident	A fishing tool by design, the trident is rarely used by warriors. When it is used by a skilled wielder, however, the possibility of stabbing a foe multiple times at once makes it possible to use it to overrun enemies, driving two or more prongs into their body and driving them to the ground.

Two-Handed Swords

d4	Weapon	Traits
1	Claymore	A simple design, the claymore is simply a larger iteration on the design of a bastard sword. Often featuring a forward-angled cross-guard, the claymore is a bit lighter than other two-handed swords and requires less space to swing, while retaining great capability for force.
2	Flamberge	The wavy, flame-like blade that gives the flamberge its name causes the sword to vibrate when binding. These vibrations are unpleasant to the other combatant and may even cause their blade to slip from their grip if conditions are right.
3	Swordstaff	A compromise between a sword and a polearm, the swordstaff is simply a sword blade mounted at the end of a long shaft. It provides longer reach, though not as long as that of a pike, while allowing the wielder to bind blades as if with a sword.
4	Zweihänder	Larger than a claymore, the zweihänder usually features parrying hooks beyond its cross-guard to catch an opponents blade, allowing a wielder to keep opponents wielding smaller weapons at a safe distance with greater ease.