Weapon Damage s/m Damage L # attacks rnd 1 # attacks rnd 2 Ave per hit s/m Ave per hit L
Short Sword 1d6+3 1d8+3 2 4 6.5 7.5
Hand Axe 1d6+3 1d4+3 2 4 6.5 5.5
Dagger 1d4+3 1d3+3 2 4 5.5 5

Table below was calculated by probabilty to hit and average damage. It is based on dbl spec bonuses where the odds of hitting are 50% for the primary and 40% for the secondary (a character with 17 dex). Except for the two-handed sword which is based only on single spec as per the rules.


Weapon Ave damage rnd 1 s/m Ave damage rnd 1 L Ave damage rnd 2 s/m Ave damage rnd 2 L Ave per 2 rnds s/m Ave per 2 rnds L
Short Sword 5.85 6.75 11.7 13.5 17.5 20.25
Hand Axe 5.85 4.95 11.7 9.9 17.5 14.85
dagger 4.95 4.5 9.9 9 14.85 13.5
2-handed sword 3 5 6 10 9 20
Long Sword 3.75 4.75 7.5 9.5 11.25 14.25


Things of note:

The longsword is not a bad weapon, You can use a shield with a long sword. Longswords are the most common of the magic swords. 2-handed swords are good against Large creatures, but the odds of finding a magic 2-handed sword are but 1%. Strength can make a huge difference and favors characters who use a weapon in each hand due to the extra attacks. Every successful attack gets a strength bonus.