3rd Edition Kender Weapons by Andre La Roche

Kender fight with intuition and grace. Their specialized weapons, which are also tools and instruments, are deadly in the hands of kender, but clumsy in the hands of others (-2 to attack rolls, even when taking exotic weapon proficiency).

Kender tools are commonly constructed of a flexible ironwood haft with leather, catgut, and metal adornment. The heavy "-pak" and "-ak" tools (e.g., polpak, battak) are frequently used by males, whereas the lighter "-pik" and "-ik" (e.g., whippik, bollik) are used by females. Hoopaks and whippiks find the most use among kender.
 
 

Battak: The battak is a walking stick with a variety of items fastened along its length. It is the favorite tool of young kender. Shaped like a miniature studded club, this tool sports a small metal wedge at its tapered end and studs around the wide end. A wooden plug that fits into the broad tip unscrews and inverts to bear a short knife blade. The nether chamber that holds this club also stores sling bullets, which may be batted at one's target with great force.

Bells, chimes, and whistles fasten along the club, producing music and making a fearsome jangle in battle. Other uses for this tool include climbing by wedging it in the ground (+1 to climbing checks), creating percussive music.

Bollik: The bollik is a webbed rope belt worn about the waist on a leather sash and buckle. The bollik hangs from a series of quickrelease loops. On one end of the bollik, three weighted balls of leather hang on short strands of rope, forming a bola, but typically used as a flail. When the bollik is worn, these bola balls are tied to the large metal buckle. The bollik can be tugged free with a simple snapping motion and can be relaced in two rounds. Other uses include using as a bola, threshing grain, grappling walls (+1 to climb check) storing items in pockets of leather strap, and playing as a wind thrummer.

When used as a bola, this weapon can be used to make a ranged trip attack, as such if you fail your opponent can not attempt to trip you.

Chapak: The chapak  is a combination hand axe and slingshot. Its single-bladed axe head rests on a hollow haft of ironwood. The back of the axe blade forms two prongs that support a cat-gut slingshot. The hollow haft has fingerholes drilled along its length and can be played as a flute if the end plugs are removed. Other uses of this tool include splitting wood, prying with the butt-end, snorkeling (with holes corked), shooting as a blowgun (with holes corked), and grappling (with a spidersilk rope).

Hachak:  The hachak is heaviest of the kender tools and is used by woodcutters. On one end of its 6 ft. segmented pole rests a hammer, spike, and piercing beak. The other end of the pole holds a broad axe backed by a hammer head and a saw blade. Metal rings circle the shaft at 1 foot intervals along its length. The shaft itself may be separated into three sections if necessary. Just below the axe blade, a sheepskin wrap can store 6 throwing darts. The hammer and beak can be used as weapons.  Other uses include hammering nails, pruning trees, planing wood, and playing as a chime by hammering on the blades.

Hoopak:  The hoopak is the most common of kender tools. This 5ft., ironwood staff has a short spike attached to its tip, which doubles as a spear or bo stick and inflicts the first damage value listed in the above chart for both. The staff's other end is forked and laced with gut. A stone may be flung by either planting the blade end of the hoopak in the earth and bending the staff back to sling the stone, or whirling the hoopak overhead as a traditional sling-staff. This tool acts like a bullroar when whirled in the air, creating a low thrumming sound. Other uses include prying with the blade, and picking apples with the gut.

Polpak: The polpak is a 6 ft. staff that sports a short-sword blade. Triggering a catch and giving the blade a half-turn releases it so that it can function as a sword. The blade has one serrated edge and doubles as a saw or pruner. The crosspiece for the sword is a double recurved crescent. Iron rings appear around the shaft at 1 foot increments to aid in gripping and climbing. A dozen caltrops are laced on a rod in the crosspiece. Typical uses include spearfishing with the blade, and playing as a musical saw.

Sashik:  The sashik  is a beaded, weighted sash-of laced rope.  Worn across one shoulder, the sashik bears weighted pouches on one end, making an excellent flail.  Two dozen large wooden beads that line one edge of the sashik can be pulled loose and thrown. The mesh of the sash is coarse and netlike. Other uses include scourging by attaching hooks (+1 damage), entangling enemies, fishing as with a net, and playing as a xylophone.

You can also use this weapon to make trip attacks.  If you are tripped during your own trip attempt, you can drop the sashik to avoid being tripped.

Sithak:The sithak (swordbow) was originally a yoke used for carrying water in buckets. Now, its ends bear two blades, allowing it to serve as a double scythe. A recurving hook rests beneath each blade. A bowstring laced across the yoke allows short field-arrows to fire through a hole in the haft. Other uses include harvesting crops, furrowing ground, slashing enemies, and strumming as a stringed instrument.

Whippik:  The whippik is a thin wand of ironwood that holds a short length of looped catgut on its end. It looks much like a riding whip. The whippik is the most popular tool among female kender. Short darts may be fired from this whip bow.  The whippik also performs various functions such as snaring game, fishing, and strumming as a stringed instrument.


  Weapon Stats

Weapon Cost Damage Critical Range Increment Weight Type Size Instrument
Battak*‡ 10 Stp 1d8/1d4+1 --- 50 ft. 3 lb. B Medium Shake Stick
Bollik*‡ 6 Stp 1d4+2/1d4 X2/X3 30 ft. 8 lb. B Tiny Spun for Tone
Chapak*‡ 11 Stp 1d6/1d4 X3/--- ---/50 ft. 5 lb. P/B Small Flute
Hachak*‡ 20 Stp 2d4/1d8 X3/X3 --- 15 lb. P/S Medium Chimes
Hoopak*‡ 7 Stp 1d6+1/1d4 X2/--- 20 ft./50 ft. 9 lb. P/B/ Medium Bullroar
Polpak*‡ 9 Stp 1d6/1d6 19-20/X2/X2 --- 10 lb. P/S Medium Musical Saw
Sashik*‡ 12 Stp 1d8+1(+2) X2 --- 6 lb. B/S Small Shake Stick
Sithak*‡ 8 Stp 2d4/1d4 X4/X3 ---/25 ft. 12 lb. S/P Medium Strung Inst.
Whippik*‡ 4 Stp 1d2+2/1d4 X2 ---/20 ft. 4 lb. S/P Small Strung Inst.

*See the description of this weapon for special rules.
‡Double weapon
 Thanks to Andre for compiling this information.
Check out his site at Dragons Run!

 

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