Improvised Weapons

Improvised Weapons are everyday objects pressed into a fight. The group holds pipes, pans, planks, sports gear, garden tools and household items. It also holds homemade weapons such as the Plank with Nails and the knife spears. Most of them still train a weapon skill. They fill the gap until a real weapon turns up.

All Weapons Categories

Best Improvised Weapons

The top pick for each role, by the game's own figures.

For	Name	Image	Stats	Spawn ID
Hardest hitter	Long Mace		2 damage	/additem Base.LongMace
Longest reach	Field Hockey Stick with Nails		1.63 range	/additem Base.FieldHockeyStick_Nails
Best crit chance	Canoe Paddle - Double-bladed		50 crit chance	/additem Base.CanoePadelX2
Most durable	Medium Handle - Can-Reinforced		15 condition	/additem Base.Handle_Can
Lightest to carry	Pen - Blue		0.1 weight	/additem Base.BluePen

Skill and Leveling

Each improvised weapon has a second class behind it. That class decides which skill it trains. The Lead Pipe, the Frying Pan and the Tire Iron train Short Blunt. The Plank, the Canoe Paddle and the Field Hockey Stick train Long Blunt. The knife spears and the Wooden Spear train Spear. The Screwdriver trains Short Blade.

Pens, pencils, the Stone, the Flint Nodule and the Geometry Compass are pure improvised weapons. They sit outside every weapon skill, so their damage stays the same with practice. The Maintenance skill still slows their wear.

The usual skill bonuses apply to every other improvised weapon. Level 3 of the matching skill adds 10 percent damage. Level 7 raises it to 20 percent and adds 20 percent range. Fast Learner raises the XP rate to 130 percent.

Pipes, Bars and Tools

Metal pipes are among the best one-handed improvised weapons. The Lead Pipe deals 0.7 to 1.2 damage. It has 15 condition and a base 1 in 20 chance to lose a point per hit. The Steel Rod deals 0.7 to 1.1. The Iron Pipe deals 0.6 to 1 and weighs 1.5.

Workshop tools hit almost as hard. The Fireplace Poker deals 0.7 to 1.1 with a 35 percent critical chance. The Tire Iron deals 0.5 to 1. Chisels, the File and the Metalworking Punch each deal 0.4 to 0.8. These all train Short Blunt.

The Screwdriver deals 0.3 to 0.7 and trains Short Blade. The Improvised Screwdriver deals the same. Both are one-handed and light.

Kitchen and Sports Gear

Kitchen pans make weak clubs. The Frying Pan deals 0.3 to 0.5 damage. The Saucepan and the Copper Saucepan deal 0.2 to 0.7. The Griddle Pan deals 0.25 to 0.45.

Sports gear does better. The Canoe Paddle - Double-bladed deals 0.8 to 1.9 damage with a 50 percent critical chance. It reaches 1.6. The plain Canoe Paddle deals 0.5 to 1.3. Hockey sticks and lacrosse sticks each deal 0.3 to 0.7 and reach 1.6. The Tennis Racket deals 0.3 to 0.5, and the Badminton Racket deals just 0.1 to 0.2.

Long household items give reach but little damage. The Broom, the Mop and the Rake each deal 0.2 to 0.5 and reach 1.6. The Umbrella (Closed) works as a weak spear and deals 0.5 to 0.7.

Wood and Nails

Wood is the base of most homemade weapons. The Plank deals 0.4 to 0.6 damage and reaches 1.3. A Plank also comes from Carve Plank, which shapes a Large Branch with a sharp knife. The Chair Leg is a short club, and the Antique Table Leg is a long one.

Nails turn wood into real weapons. Make Nail-Spiked Weapon hammers 5 Nails into a long piece of wood. The Plank with Nails deals 0.6 to 1.1. The Large Handle with Nails deals 0.7 to 1.4. Make Nail-Spiked Small Weapon uses 3 Nails on a short piece. The Tree Branch with Nails deals 0.7 to 1.2.

The strongest improvised weapons are the long maces. The Long Mace deals 1 to 2 damage. The Long Stone Mace deals 1 to 1.6. Assemble Mace fits a Mace Head onto a Large Handle to make a Long Mace. Assemble Stone Mace does the same with a Stone Mace Head.

Other upgrades follow the same idea. Barbed-Wire Wrap Weapon wraps Barbed Wire around a Broom, an Ice Hockey Stick or a Plunger. It needs pliers and Maintenance 1. The Broom with Barbed-Wire deals 0.3 to 0.75. Can-Reinforce Weapon wraps a Tree Branch or a Wooden Rod in tin cans. The Tree Branch - Can-Reinforced deals 0.6 to 1.1.

Saw blades change the skill a weapon trains. The Field Hockey Stick with Sawblade deals 0.7 to 1.5 and trains Axe. The Antique Table Leg with Sawblade deals 0.9 to 1.7 and trains Axe as well. The Antique Table Leg - Chained deals 0.9 to 1.7 and trains Long Blunt.

Durability and Repair

Improvised weapons break quickly. The Plank has 10 condition, but each hit has a 1 in 2 chance to cost a point. The Broom has 3 condition and a 1 in 2 chance. The Chair Leg has 3 condition. Pencils and pens break almost at once.

Metal holds up better. The Lead Pipe has a 1 in 20 chance to lose a point. The Iron Pipe and the Steel Rod each have a 1 in 15 chance. The Maintenance skill lowers the chance of losing condition for every melee weapon.

Most wooden weapons take tape and glue repairs. The Plank, the Broom, the Chair Leg and the paddles all qualify. Fix With Duct Tape uses 2 Duct Tape. Fix With Glue uses 2 Glue. The Broken Plank and the Broken Stick still fight as short clubs.

Locations

Improvised weapons are everywhere. Lead Pipes and Iron Pipes fill plumbing supplies and mechanic crates. Planks fill lumber crates, garages and carpentry crates. Frying Pans sit in kitchens and diners.

Tire Irons come from mechanic shops and car supply stores. Canoe paddles fill sports storage. Field Hockey Sticks and Tennis Rackets turn up in school gyms and sports stores. The Pool Cue sits in bar pool crates. The Fireplace Poker turns up next to fireplaces and wood stoves.

Notes

• The Lead Pipe is common in plumbing supplies and hits as hard as many real clubs.
• Wooden weapons such as the Plank and the Chair Leg also burn as fire fuel.
• Broken weapons such as the Broken Plank can take nails again with Make Nail-Spiked Small Weapon.

All Improvised Weapons