Bayonet Mounting (5e Variant Rule)

This content deviates from 5e standards. Its use could dramatically alter campaigns, take extreme care.

Caution - Here there be monsters! This content intends to provide a different experience, or goes beyond the scope of the anticipated subjects and situations, than the 5e rules were intended to handle. Some portions of the content below may not be what you expect from traditional game content. When implementing this content, DMs and Players should read over all the information carefully, and consider the following specific notes of interest:

This rule assumes what firearms are common - as such, damage can end up being quite big. Use with caution.

More advanced rules for using and mounting bayonets.

Any melee weapon, what deals non-bludgeoning damage, what doesn't have "glove" quality and isn't flexible (e.g. whips and chains can't be bayonets), can be converted for use as bayonet. Bayonet can only fit on firearm of same or bigger mass. Specifics are listed below.

For our purposes, "shafted" means things mounted on long handle - while "non-shafted" are things not mounted on long handle. E.G. handaxe or war pick is shafted; dagger or shortsword is non-shafted.

One-handed firearm can only mount One-Handed Light weapon, either non-shafted or shafted with removed default shaft. After all, while you can mount small spike or dagger on pistol, or even mount tiny hand axe handle on pistol - you can't mount shortsword or handaxe with intact handle head onto pistol (though you can mount handaxe onto rifle).

With Two-Handed firearms, things are a little bit complicated. To melee weapon can be mounted onto two-handed firearm, if it's either Versatile non-shafted, or Two-Handed shafted, or anything smaller. Two-Handed non-shafted weapons can't be made into bayonets; even the longest bayonet ever, the french bayonet-claymore 1854 with 1165-mm length, was still Versatile to One-Handed weapon.

Since default shaft is usually replaced with weapon's frame (like how it was made on numerous "blunderbuss+axe" and "pistole+axe" combined weapons), bayonet version of shafted weapon becomes lighter: 4lb less if it's Two-Handed, 3lb less if Versatile, or 2lb otherwise. That can't decrease weight of bayonet to less than 1lb. Additionally, it's cost decreases, for default shaft is removed as weapon uses weapon frame for such purpose; it costs 2 sp less if Two-Handed, 1 sp 5 cp less if Versatile, and 1 sp less if One-Handed. If such shafted bayonet with removed shaft is removed from weapon, it can't be effectively used on it's own: One-Handed shafted is used with Disadvantage if held on it's own and can't be thrown - and Two-Handed or Versatile shafted can't be used on it's own at all.

Non-shafted bayonet can be used on it's own just as effectively as normal weapon. Cost and weight of non-shafted bayonets doesn't change; if detached, they work properly.

Bayonet shafted One-Handed weapon may keep it's handle (like with kalashnikov bayonet axe). In such case, it doesn't get cost and weight discount, but can be properly used if detached.

One-handed shafted, or Versatile non-shafted, or anything smaller - bayonet, when mounted onto two-handed firearm, does more damage due to increased leverage and bulk: damage dice increase by 1 step. 1s > d2s > d3s > d4s > d6s > d8s > d10s > d12s; for resulting damage, Versatile's higher damage value is used for calculation of total damage. Bayonet version of Two-Handed weapon - or of Versatile shafted - doesn't get such benefit, due to already having long bulk in normal version. Versatile version of bayonet uses it's higher damage value. Shafted weapon with removed default shaft, if mounted on One-Handed firearm, has less leverage and bulk than usually, as pistol is shorter than axe shaft: damage dice decrease by 1 step.

Bayonet inherits "Two-Handed", "Heavy", "Stabilizing" qualities from it's firearm it's mounted on; e.g. if rifle is Heavy, then it's bayonet is also currently Heavy (as entire contraption is bulky) - or if rifle is Two-Handed, then it's bayonet is also currently Two-Handed, etc. Most Two-Handed firearms with bayonets have Reach.

Examples

Dagger Bayonet: basic bayonet. 2 gp, 1 lb, Finesse, light. If detached, also: thrown (range 20/60). 1d6 Reach if mounted on two-handed firearm; inherits "Two-Handed", "Heavy", "Stabilizing" from it's firearm.

Handaxe Bayonet: 5 gp, 1d6 slashing, 2 lb, Light. If detached, also: thrown (range 20/60). If old shaft is removed: 4 gp, 1 lb, can't be thrown, disadvantage on attack rolls if detached. 1d8 Reach if mounted on two-handed firearm; inherits "Two-Handed", "Heavy", "Stabilizing" from it's firearm.

War Pick Bayonet: 5 gp, 1d8 piercing, 2 lb. If old shaft is removed: 4 gp, 1 lb, disadvantage on attack rolls if detached. 1d10 Reach if mounted on two-handed firearm; inherits "Two-Handed", "Heavy", "Stabilizing" from it's firearm.

Rapier Bayonet: 25 gp, 1d8 piercing, 2 lb, Finesse. 1d10 Reach if mounted on two-handed firearm; inherits "Two-Handed", "Heavy", "Stabilizing" from it's firearm.

Scimitar Bayonet: 25 gp, 1d6 slashing, 3 lb, Finesse, light. 1d8 Reach if mounted on two-handed firearm; inherits "Two-Handed", "Heavy", "Stabilizing" from it's firearm.

Shortsword Bayonet: 10 gp, 1d6 piercing, 2 lb, Finesse, light. 1d8 Reach if mounted on two-handed firearm; inherits "Two-Handed", "Heavy", "Stabilizing" from it's firearm.

Longsword Bayonet: 15 gp, 1d8 slashing, 3 lb, Versatile (1d10). 1d12 Reach if mounted on two-handed firearm; inherits "Two-Handed", "Heavy", "Stabilizing" from it's firearm.

Battleaxe Bayonet: 10 gp, 1d8 slashing, 4 lb, Versatile (1d10). If old shaft is removed: 8 gp 9 sp 5 cp, 1 lb, can't be used if detached. 1d10 Reach if mounted on two-handed firearm; inherits "Two-Handed", "Heavy", "Stabilizing" from it's firearm.

Greataxe Bayonet: 28 gp, 1d12 slashing, 3 lb, Heavy, two-handed, can't be used if detached. Inherits "Two-Handed", "Heavy", "Stabilizing" from it's firearm.

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