weapon properties

many weapons have special properties related to their use, as shown in the weapons table

ammunition

you can use a weapon that has the ammunition property to make a ranged attack only if you have ammunition to fire from the weapon

each time you attack with the weapon you expend one piece of ammunition

drawing the ammunition from a quiver, case, or other container requires a use object action

you need a free hand to load a one-handed weapon, but you can load a sling while carrying a shield

when ammunition is used the attacker still gets all of it attacks but only at the one target

the creature rolls its damage dice for each hit adding its ability modifier only once

at the end of the battle, you can recover your expended ammunition by taking a minute for each one to search the battlefield

roll 1d6

on a 1 to 3 you recover the ammunition

on a 4 or 5 you recover the ammunition but it is damaged but mending can fix it

on a 6 the ammunition is destroyed

gunpowder ammunition also requires gunpowder to be used again

if you use a weapon that has the ammunition property to make a melee attack, you treat the weapon as an improvised weapon

(see "improvised weapons" later in the section)

sling must be loaded to deal any damage when used in this way

finesse

when making an attack with a finesse weapon you use your choice of your strength or dexterity modifier for the attack and damage rolls

you must use the same modifier for both rolls

heavy

creatures that are mounted have disadvantage on attack rolls with heavy weapons

a heavy weapon's size and bulk make it too large for a mounted creature to use effectively

light

a light weapon is small and easy to handle making it ideal for use when fighting with two weapons, see the rules for two-weapon fighting in combat

loading

because of the time required to load this weapon, you cannot move on the turn you load it

range

a weapon that can be used to make a ranged attack has a range shown in parentheses after the ammunition or thrown property

the range lists two numbers

the first is the weapon's normal range in feet

the second indicates the weapon's long range

when attacking a target beyond normal range you have disadvantage on the attack roll

you can't attack a target beyond the weapon's long range

reach

this weapon adds your reach feet to your reach when you attack with it as well as when determining your reach for opportunity attacks with it

special

a weapon with the special property has unusual rules governing its use, explained in the weapon's description, see "special weapons" later in this section

thrown

if a weapon has the thrown property you can throw the weapon to make a ranged attack

if the weapon is a melee weapon you use the same ability modifier for that attack roll and damage roll that you would use for a melee attack with the weapon

for example, if you throw a handaxe, you use your strength, but if you throw a dagger, you can use either your strength or your dexterity, since the dagger has the finesse property

thrown weapons can only be thrown once a round but get all of the creature's available attack rolls

two-handed

this weapon requires two hands when you attack with it

this property is relevant only when you attack with the weapon and not when you simply hold it

versatile

this weapon can be used with one or two hands

when a versatile weapon is used with two hands to make a melee attack the damage value in parentheses is used

improvised weapons

sometimes characters don't have their weapons and have to attack with whatever is at hand

an improvised weapon includes any object you can wield in one or two hands, such as broken glass, a table leg, a frying pan, a wagon wheel, or a dead goblin

often an improvised weapon is similar to an actual weapon and can be treated as such

for example, a table leg is akin to a club, a character proficient with a weapon can use a similar object as if it were that weapon and use his or her proficiency bonus

an object that bears no resemblance to a weapon deals 1d4 damage with a damage type appropriate to the item

if a character uses a ranged weapon to make a melee attack, or throws a melee weapon that does not have the thrown property, it also deals 1d4 damage

an improvised thrown weapon has a normal range of 20 feet and a long range of 60 feet.

silvered weapons

some monsters that have immunity or resistance to non-magical weapons are susceptible to silver weapons, so cautious adventurers invest extra coin to plate their weapons with silver, you can silver a single weapon or ten pieces of ammunition for 100 gp, this cost represents not only the price of the silver, but the time and expertise needed to add silver to the weapon without making it less effective

special weapons

weapons with special rules are described here

lance

you have disadvantage when you use a lance to attack a target within 5 feet of you

a lance requires two hands to wield when you aren't mounted and charging

the effects of the lance’s reach is 10 feet

net

a large or smaller creature hit by a net is restrained until it is freed

a net has no effect on creatures that are formless or creatures that are huge or larger

a creature can use its action to make a DC 20 Strength (athletics) or dexterity (acrobatics) check freeing itself or another creature within its reach on a success

dealing 15 slashing damage to the net (AC 10) also frees the creature without harming it ending the effect and destroying the net

when you use an action, bonus action, or reaction to attack with a net, you can make only one attack with the net regardless of the number of attacks you can normally make but can roll all of your attacks for effect