Weapon properties
Weapon properties are the fixed traits a weapon's kind carries, shown as chips on the item card. A property comes from what the weapon is, so every dagger carries the same properties at any rarity.
| Property | What it does | Carried by |
|---|---|---|
| Finesse | The weapon strikes with the better of your Strength and Dexterity modifiers | Dagger, rapier, shortsword, whip |
| Light | The weapon is small enough to wield in the off hand without training | Dagger, whip, club |
Finesse
A Finesse weapon reads both your Strength and your Dexterity and strikes with the better of the two, so a nimble fighter loses nothing by favoring Dexterity. Unarmed strikes always use Strength alone, and only a rare legendary signature grants finesse to bare hands, as described on Legendary gear.
Light and the off hand
What the second hand may hold is gated by training:
- A Light one-handed weapon can be wielded in the off hand by anyone.
- A wand can be held in either hand, while a focus occupies the off hand.
- Any other one-handed weapon needs the warrior feat Master of Arms.
- A two-handed weapon in the off hand needs Colossal Grip, which every barbarian gains at level 5.
- A shield always fits the off hand, and only the knight feat Armored Basher lets it be wielded in the main hand as a weapon.
Wielding a weapon in each hand is how you fight with two at once, and Equipment covers the slots the pair sits in.
Caster weapons
A caster staff occupies both hands, while wands can be paired with another wand or a focus. A Quarterstaff is a martial weapon and is separate from the Staff used for spellcasting.
The spell shown on a caster item's card is available while you wield that item, as described on Magic.
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