A Weapon and Armour Creation System for Openquest and other BRP-like Games

I hate most lists of weapons in roleplaying games because they almost always seem arbitrary, and if there is any design, it's to encourage you to wield a one-handed sword in all situations. I also find that I want to constantly create a variety of weapons that differ from the options on the list, but because the decisions are arbitrary, choosing which weapon another is like (and should therefore use the stat profile, either modified slightly or unmodified), is really more trouble than it should be.

So, rather than just complain about it, a while ago I came up with my own system to create weapons for Openquest. You can also use it for straight BRP or Legend, though you'll need to decide which weapons can impale, cut etc.

You can also expand this list for more fantastical weapons by tacking on "Is it magical?" to almost any of these categories. For example, a weapon that is sharp, wielded with both hands, heavy enough to break bones when it hits, and longer than a metre (a magical halberd, for example), could deal 2d8 or 2d10 (the  linear increase in average damage starts to break down due to limited die types from 1d12 to any higher combination, but since this extra potency can only be gained through magic, it might as well - I'd favour 2d10, because in a BRP-like you're going to have it in your hand anyhow when rolling to hit).

Build Your Own Weapons and Armour System:

Melee weapons:

All possible weapons start off doing 1d4 damage.

Answer the following questions, and for each "Yes", increase the damage by one step according to the chart:

1d4->1d6->1d8->1d10->1d12

Is the weapon sharp?
Is the weapon wielded with two hands?
Is the weapon heavy enough to break bones when it hits?
Is the weapon longer than a metre?

Ranged Weapons:

All possible ranged weapons start off doing 1d4 damage.

Answer the following questions, and for each "Yes" increase the damage by one step according to the chart:

1d4->1d6->1d8->1d10->2d6

Are the projectiles sharp?
Are the projectiles heavier than an arrow?
Are the projectiles longer than a metre?
Does the launcher provide more force than a human arm throwing the projectile?

Reload
All weapons start with a reload time of 1 action.

Add +1 action to the reload time for each "Yes".
Does the weapon require mechanical assistance to reload?
Does loading the weapon require further preparation to fire beyond loading a projectile?

Range
All weapons start with a range of 25m.

Add 50m for each "Yes".
Does the weapon provide more force than a human arm throwing the projectile?
Can the weapon fire projectiles in an arc?

Weapon AP and HP

All weapons start off with 0 AP and 0 HP.

AP

Add +2 AP for each "Yes"
Is the part of the weapon you parry with mostly made of metal?
Is the part of the weapon you parry with as thick or thicker than a sword edge?
Is the weapon specifically designed to parry blows?

HP

Add +2 HP for each "Yes"
Is the part of the weapon you parry with mostly made of metal?
Is the part of the weapon you parry with as thick or thicker than a sword edge?
Is the weapon longer than a metre?
Does it have a tang holding the blade or head to the handle?
Is the weapon heavy enough it requires two hands to wield?

Strength and Dexterity Required

All weapons start off with 0 STR and 0 DEX required to wield them.

Strength Requirements

Add +2 to the STR Required for each "Yes"
Is the weapon heavy enough to break bones when it hits?
Is the weapon longer than a metre?
Does the weapon rely mainly on force of impact for its effect?
Are any two parts of the weapon connected by a chain, string or other tensile connector?
Is the weapon wielded in one hand?
Is the weapon made almost entirely metal?

Subtract -1 from the STR Required for each "Yes"
Is the weapon wielded in two hands?
Is the weapon less than a foot long?
Is the weapon made almost entirely from wood, horn or other organic materials?

Dexterity Requirements

Add +2 to the DEX Required for each "Yes"
Can the weapon be used to attack in two or more ways (i.e. stabbing, slashing, crushing, etc.)?
Is the weapon wielded in one hand?
Is the weapon longer than a metre?
Are any two parts of the weapon joined by a chain, string or other tensile connector?
Does the weapon require its point or tip to hit to deal maximum damage?
Is a different part of the weapon used to parry than to attack?

Subtract -1 from the DEX Required for each "Yes"
Is the weapon wielded in two hands?
Is the weapon capable of dealing damage even on a hit that does not penetrate?

Armour

Any clothing on the body starts off with 0 AP
Add +1 point of armour (AP) per question answered "Yes"

Is it rigid?
Does it cushion you from blows?
Does it cover most of the body?
Is the outer layer tough?
Does it have multiple layers of different materials?
Is it custom fitted?