Weapons are the implements of destruction that all adventurers employ. All weapons enhance a character's physical and magical strength. Some, such as a battleaxe, are obviously better suited to physical combat; others, such as a mage's jewelled scepter, are intended to focus the wielder's magic into a more powerful form.

There are two ways to purchase weapons for your character. The first is to use the Weapon Construction System to custom-build a set of 10 weapons of any type that your character will use. The second is to simply use a premade weapon list. Several premade weapons can be found in the Resources section of the ZODIAC home page. Your character may only equip one weapon at a time. You may describe him as using two daggers, for example, but for game purposes he is considered to be wielding one weapon.

WEAPON CONSTRUCTION SYSTEM
There are 9 normal weapons that can be bought from weapon shops, and one artifact-level weapon. This is an extremely powerful, one-of-a-kind weapon that can only be found or given- never bought. When creating a set of ten weapons for your character, you are given 6 points to split between the physical and magical strength of the type of weapon you are creating. The following chart shows the cost of each level of power. Choose one column for your weapons' physical power and one for its magical power. These numbers are added to your character's AP and MAP, respectively, when you equip the weapon. Also shown in the table is the amount of gold you must spend to purchase a weapon of the indicated level. Keep in mind that the points you spend here apply to the entire weapon list, not each individual weapon.
Example: Diff the Biffer thinks swords are cool, so he wants the biggest swords he can get. He decides to put 5 points- the maximum- into his swords' Attack Power bonuses, leaving the 1 leftover point for the wimpy Magic Attack Power bonuses. Now, all the swords that Diff uses grant him a bonus to his AP according to the 5-point column, and a bonus to his MAP according to the 1-point column.

WEAPON LEVEL	1 POINT	2 POINTS	3 POINTS	4 POINTS	5 POINTS	COST IN GOLD
1	+0	+10	+15	+20	+30	75
2	+0	+15	+25	+30	+45	150
3	+0	+20	+30	+40	+60	400
4	+0	+30	+40	+50	+80	800
5	+10	+40	+55	+70	+100	1,200
6	+20	+50	+70	+90	+120	2,000
7	+30	+60	+85	+110	+140	3,000
8	+40	+70	+100	+130	+160	5,000
9	+50	+80	+115	+150	+180	8,000
10	+70	+100	+150	+200	+230	-------

The number of points you spend on physical and magical strength also affects the type of die that you roll to determine damage from an attack of that type. Spending 1 point sets your damage die to d6, 2-4 points sets it to d8, and 5 points grants you a d10. In the example above, Diff the Biffer would roll d10's for all of his physical attacks, and d6's for all of his magical attacks. See Chapter VI: Combat for more information on damage-dealing.

Some weapons have special abilities above and beyond the ability to deal damage. These abilities are bought from a pool of 10 points that is divided among the 9 regular weapons in the list. Each individual weapon can have only two different abilities, and cannot have more points of abilities than half its Weapon Level. Thus, an 8th-level sword could have no more than 4 points of abilities. The 10th-level artifacts have their own separate pool of 4 points.

WEAPON ABILITIES
Dedicated Weapon
Point Cost: 2
The weapon is designed to kill a certain type of monster- dragons, demons, etc. Damage is doubled against that type of creature.

Drain Weapon
Point Cost: 3
The wielder of the weapon absorbs 20% of the damage done to restore his own HP. The amount restored cannot exceed the current hit points of the target.
Example: Diff the Biffer is wielding a Drain Sabre. He attacks a dragon, and scores a critical hit for 300 points of damage, regaining 60 HP in the process.

Elemental
Point Cost: 0
The weapon deals damage from one particular element- Fire, Ice, etc. Any one weapon may only have one element.

Keen Edge
Point Cost: 2
The weapon has a greater chance to cause critical hits. Subtract 10 from your Critical.

Long Range
Point Cost: Special
ALL weapons of this type are ranged or projectile weapons, granting them a long-range attack and allowing the wielder to attack flying creatures without penalty. This ability takes 2 points off of the TOTAL number of points the weapon set has, and does not count towards individual weapon limits. Thus, a standard set of Long-Range Weapons would have 8 points to divide amongst the individual weapons.

Spell Effect
Point Cost: 2
The weapon has a 15% chance of casting a particular spell on the target after a successful attack roll. The actual effect is a first-level Magical Attack Tech of any element. The wielder may also choose to cast the spell directly from the item, with a 15% chance to destroy the item. Artifact-level weapons will never be destroyed by releasing the spell within; however, there is a 15% chance that the spell ceases to function for the remainder of the battle, nullifying both random and purposeful activation. Any one weapon may only have one Spell Effect.

Stat Bonus
Point Cost: 2
The weapon improves its wielder's abilities. The exact amount of the increase depends both on the chosen stat and the weapon€™s level. No weapon may increase Strength.

Note: If your character does not have the Draw Out Command Skill, skip this section.
Draw Out is an extraordinary ability that allows a character to draw hidden power from his weapon and release it in a variety of ways. This power can come from many things. Most wands and staves, for example, are highly charged with magical energy, whereas other weapons may be inhabited by ancient and powerful spirits. All weapons have a unique set of properties that can be tapped by a sufficiently talented individual. The abilities that can be Drawn Out are determined in a method similar to the weapon creation process. Every weapon in the set has one, and only one, of the following special properties that is activated upon using Draw Out. Beware, however, for all weapons have a 20% chance per Draw Out to lose their draw powers forever. Such a weapon is still useable in combat and retains all of its special properties, but it can never again be Drawn Out by anyone. However, a new instance of the same weapon may be found or purchased, and subsequently Drawn Out. Artifact weapons will never lose their draw powers, but there is a 20% chance per Draw Out that the weapon cannot be Drawn Out for the remainder of the battle.

Break
The weapon reduces the Strength, Magic or Agility of each enemy by one fifth (Weapon Level 1-3), one fourth (Weapon Level 4-6), or one third (Weapon Level 7-10) for the remainder of the battle.

Demi Attack
All enemies have their HP reduced by one fourth (Weapon Level 1-5) or one third (Weapon Level 6-10) of their current values.

Healing
The weapon suffuses the party in healing energy, restoring 10 + (25 * Weapon Level) HP to all allies.

Immunity
All allies gain Immunity to one element for (Weapon Level / 3) rounds, rounded up.

Magical Attack
The weapon deals magical damage to ALL enemies. The attack has a die class the same as the weapon, and rolls a number of dice equal to (Weapon Level / 3) + User€™s Magic Dice, with additional damage equal to your Magic Bonus. The attack may be of any element, or non-elemental.

MP Attack
The weapon deals damage as a Magical Attack to all enemies. However, instead of damaging the enemies€™ HP, the attack reduces their MP by 1 / 10 of the damage rolled.

Resistance
All allies gain Resistance to one element for 1 + (Weapon Level / 3) rounds, rounded up.

Stat Booster
All allies get +5 per Weapon Level to Strength, Magic, or Agility for 1d3+1 rounds.

Status Effect
The weapon can either cause negative status effects to the wielder€™s enemies, or bestow positive effects on his allies. The weapon can have up to two status effects, and they must either both be positive or both be negative. For every level of the Weapon, you have 5 points to divide between the success rates of all the chosen effects, to a maximum of 85%. For example, a fourth-level weapon might have a 40% chance of Stun and a 35% chance of Seal. Up to two Status Effects may be chosen, and the combined Level cannot exceed the level of the weapon. The effect targets all of the user's enemies. Temporary effects such as Curse and MBarrier last for 1d2+1 rounds.

STATUS EFFECT	LEVEL	CHANCE OF SUCCESS
Stun, Poison	1	35%
Berserk, Curse, DSentence	2	30%
Blind, Slow, Sleep, Seal	3	20%
Frog, Mini, Confuse	4	10%
Stop, Stone, Charm, Venom	5	5%
Instant Death	7	0%
Haste, Barrier, MBarrier	4	-----
Regen, Reraise, Wall	5	-----