Vicious Weapon (Shortsword)
D&D 5e · 2014·Weapons·Rare·No attunement
Base weapon damage before your ability modifier. Use the calculator to include hit chance and critical hits.
Damage calculator
Hit chance
55%
Expected damage / attack
4.1
Attack bonus
+5
Average normal hit: 6.5 · Average critical hit: 17 · Critical chance: 5%.
- Category
- Martial weapon
- Damage type
- Piercing
- Reach
- 5 ft.
- Magic attack bonus
- +0
- Weight
- 2 lb
- Attunement
- Not required
- Rarity
- Rare
- Price
- Not specified
Magic: Critical hit when you roll a 20 on your attack roll with this weapon.
Calculator assumptions & rules
One attack against a creature. Natural 1 misses; natural 20 hits and doubles damage dice, not flat modifiers. Expected damage includes misses and critical hits. Advantage uses the higher of two d20s; Disadvantage uses the lower. Magic bonuses shown on the item are counted once.
Uses only the weapon’s ordinary hit and the listed on-hit extra dice, when enabled. Class features, Sneak Attack, fighting styles, mastery effects, damage on a miss, special critical-hit effects, ongoing damage, resistance and immunity are excluded. Check the full rules below for additional effects.
Changing calculator inputs does not change the item’s rules or create a new page URL.
What Vicious Weapon does
- Strength or Dexterity can drive this martial weapon’s attack and damage rolls. Add your proficiency bonus to the attack roll only if you are proficient.
- The base 1d6 weapon damage averages 3.5 before your ability modifier and extra effects. Hit chance matters too: compare expected damage per attack rather than the die alone.
- Vicious 2014 adds 2d6 damage only to a critical hit when the attack roll is 20. The calculator adds those dice once to critical damage; ordinary hits gain no extra damage.
When you roll a 20 on your attack roll with this magic weapon, your critical hit deals an extra 2d6 damage of the weapon's type. This is the Shortsword variant.
Full item details & properties
Rules for this edition
- Proficiency
- A martial melee weapon; proficiency allows adding your Proficiency Bonus to its attack rolls.
Magic properties
- Activation
- Critical hit when you roll a 20 on your attack roll with this weapon.
- Consumable
- No
- Vicious critical
- On an attack roll of 20, the critical hit deals an extra 2d6 damage of the weapon’s damage type. These extra dice are added once, after doubling the ordinary weapon damage dice.
Weapon details
- Damage
- 1d6 piercing
- Weapon class
- Martial Melee
Properties
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.
Light
A light weapon is small and easy to handle, making it ideal for use when fighting with two weapons.
Tags & related references
Compare alternatives
Same edition, using your calculator inputs above. Special properties and character features can change the choice.
Same base weapon; compare its bonuses and rarity
Sword of Life Stealing (Shortsword)3.75 expected damage / attack55% hit chance1d6 piercing · +0 magic attack · 5 ft. reachNot specified · 2 lbSame base weapon; compare its bonuses and rarity
Vicious Weapon (Whip)3.5 expected damage / attack55% hit chance1d4 slashing · +0 magic attack · 10 ft. reachNot specified · 3 lbBoth use Finesse; compare reach and damage
Vicious Weapon (Rapier)4.7 expected damage / attack55% hit chance1d8 piercing · +0 magic attack · 5 ft. reachNot specified · 2 lbBoth use Finesse; compare reach and damage
Ordinary attacks only. Matching extra-damage conditions follow your input; alternatives keep their default bonus allocation.
Vicious Weapon FAQ
Does Vicious Weapon require attunement?
No. This entry does not require attunement; follow its activation and use rules.
Is the listed price a guaranteed purchase price?
The source does not specify a price for this entry. Ask your GM about availability and cost.