In a grim and dangerous world, warriors employ many different types of weapons against a multitude of foes. From the fine swords of the Fives to the sharp axes of the Dwarfs, every race has weaponry fitted to its preferred style of fighting. Few individuals manage to avoid violence in this perilous world. The rest wage war.

It is usual for all the models in a unit to carry the same weapons. So, a unit will be a unit of Spearmen, a unit of Halberdiers, a unit of Crossbowmen, etc. It is acceptable for a unit to include a minority of models that are differently armed for the sake of a varied and interesting appearance, but the whole unit still counts as being armed as the majority. Where models are varied in this way, it is important that the overall appearance of the unit is not misleading.

All troops and characters are assumed to carry hand weapons, such as swords, long daggers, axes, clubs, maces and comparable weaponry. In addition, some troops carry another weapon such as a spear, Great Axe, or halberd. At the start of the first turn of a combat, troops can choose which of their weapons to use. Whichever weapon they use must be used for the entire combat. Eg, troops armed with Great Axes may opt to fight with their swords if they do not wish to suffer the penalty of striking last, but must then fight with swords for the duration of the entire combat.

Before we look at the rules for individual weapons we shall consider two exceptional but important cases. In both instances these rules only apply to warriors fighting on foot and not to mounted warriors or warriors fighting from chariots. They cover warriors fighting with a weapon in each hand and warriors fighting with hand weapons and shields.

Some warriors carry two hand weapons, one in each hand, and can rain down even more blows on their enemy. This could include a sword in both hands, an axe and sword, a sword and long dagger, or any combination of hand weapons described in the Weapons section.

If a warrior on foot fights with a hand weapon in each hand, he receives +1 extra Attack to account for his second weapon. Eg, if the warrior's Attack characteristic is 1, he has 2 Attacks, if his Attack characteristic is 2, he has 3 Attacks, and so on.

Some warriors carry a hand weapon in one hand and a shield in the other, and so are able to defend themselves easily by deflecting blows by means of either their shield or hand weapon. Any hand weapon is good for this, whether it is a sword, an axe, a club, pistol butt, etc.

If a warrior on foot fights with a hand weapon and shield, he may increase his Armour save by a further +1 in close combat. Eg, if he has a shield and light armour and a sword, his armour save is increased from 5+ to 4+ when fighting in close combat. This only applies in close combat, not against wounds suffered from shooting, magic, or other means.

Different weapons have advantages and disadvantages in different circumstances. Some require both hands to use but are very powerful, some missile weapons have long range but take a long time to load, and so on. These qualities are represented by the special weapon rules described here. Rules for individual types of weapon are listed later in this section.

Some weapons give their wielders a Strength bonus in close combat or when shooting. This is clearly indicated in the weapon's profile. For example, a halberd has a +1 Strength bonus, so if used in close combat by a warrior with a Strength of 3, any hits caused are resolved with a Strength of 4. Note that this Strength bonus only applies when the warrior is using the weapon - his Strength characteristic remains unchanged for other purposes.

Some Strength bonuses only apply in the first turn of a combat. This reflects the fact that the weapons are especially cumbersome or exhausting to use. This restriction is indicated in the weapon's description.

Some Strength bonuses only apply in the first turn of a combat and only if the user has charged that turn. These are weapons that rely upon the impact of the charge to pierce the foe. This restriction is indicated in the weapon's description.

Some weapons require two hands to use in close combat. These weapons usually have a long shaft. Note that all Great Weapons require two hands to use and are sometimes known as 'double-handed weapons' for that reason. However, Great Weapons are not the only weapons that require two hands to use.

If a weapon requires two hands to use then it is not possible to simultaneously employ a shield or another weapon. If a shield is carried then it must be slung across the warrior's back or dropped behind him whilst he fights in close combat.

Many weapons, such as the Great Sword favoured by some Empire troops or the Great Axes of the Dwarfs, are very heavy and require considerable training and stamina to wield. Such a weapon is described by the term strikes last.

Troops armed with a weapon that strikes last will always strike last during close combat where they would otherwise strike in Initiative order. Note that troops that charge will still strike first in the initial rum of close combat, as charging troops always strike first rather than in Initiative order. For example, troops armed with Great Axes will strike first on the turn they charge and strike last thereafter.

Spears and similar weapons are well suited to fighting in deep formations. Weapons used for fighting in ranks enable troops in a second or subsequent rank to fight in close combat as well as the warriors in the first rank who are actually touching the enemy. For example, a unit of Spearmen can fight in two ranks warriors in the second rank can stab past their comrades using their long spears.

If a unit is entitled to fight in this way then any model in a second or subsequent rank can fight if it is behind a model that is engaged in close combat to its front. Extra ranks cannot fight to their side or rear but only to their front. Where a weapon can fight in two or more ranks, this is indicated in the weapon's description, for example, 'spears fight in two ranks'.

In order to employ all of its additional ranks as described, a unit must not have moved in that turn. If a unit has moved, if it has charged for example, then it fights with one less rank than it otherwise would. For example, a unit of Spearmen can normally fight in two ranks, but will fight with only one rank if they charge. The unit will be able to fight with the extra rank during subsequent rounds of close combat.

Note that troops armed with weapons which fight in ranks can fight with the extra ranks only against opponents engaged to their front, not against enemies fighting in the formation's flank or rear.

Some missile weapons enable their users to shoot several times in each Shooting phase - known as multiple shots. The number of times the weapon can fire is given as part of its description. Eg, a Dark Elf repeater crossbow can fire two shots in each Shooting phase so is noted as having 2x multiple shots. These weapons can either fire once without penalty, or several times with a -1 to hit penalty for each shot.

Note that a model's Attacks characteristic has no effect on the number of shots it can make. The Attacks characteristic refers to close combat attacks only.

Some warriors carry missile weapons which are designed to be thrown, such as javelins or throwing axes. These generally have a short range, but as they are aimed individually, they can be very accurate.

Thrown weapons do not suffer the usual to hit penalties for shooting at long range or for moving and shooting. Note that this doesn't entitle the warrior to throw his missile if he charges or marches, it is simply that the usual -1 to hit penalty for moving whilst shooting does not apply.

Some missile weapons take a long time to load, such as crossbows and handguns. So, a model that is armed with a move-or-fire weapon may not fire his weapon if he has moved at all during that turn. It doesn't matter if the model was forced to move by some compulsory action or by magic. Any movement will prevent the model from shooting, even the simple act of turning round.

Certain weapons, most notably blackpowder weapons such as handguns, are even better at penetrating armour than their Strength value suggests. Therefore, the enemy Armour save is reduced by an additional -1. For example, an Armour piercing weapon that has Strength 4 would have a -2 Armour save modifier rather than -1.