When building or playing a character in Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), one of the biggest questions revolves around weapons.
How many weapons can you have in D&D?
A player character can have as many weapons in D&D as they can carry or store. Most characters start at level one with 2-5 weapons. A character can possess many weapons but only wield as many weapons as their hands can hold. A character with a magical storing item can have hundreds of weapons.
In this article, you’ll learn everything you need to know about, “How many weapons can you have in D&D?”
How Many Weapons Can You Carry in D&D?
Theoretically, there is no hard limit to the number of weapons you can carry. You could have as many weapons as you want as long as your character can carry them. However, there are some instances where you might have a limit.
Your DM may set a limit on the number of weapons you can carry when it hinders gameplay.
For example, if you have so many weapons that it’s slowing your movement speed down or giving you a disadvantage in combat, then your DM may put a limit on how many weapons you can have.
Another aspect that can limit you is your Carry Weight.
A character’s Carry Weight or Encumbrance gets determined by their Strength score. The maximum Encumbrance is 15lbs times your character’s Strength Score.
Also, remember there is a downside to carrying too many weapons.
If you have five times your Strength score, you will not suffer any penalties. But, if you hold ten times in excess, your speed drops by about 10ft.
Over ten times will attract more speed drops and other penalties.
Anything about 15 times your Strength Score is too much. It exceeds the limit, which means you cannot even move.
While you may carry as many weapons as you want to ensure you factor in their weight. To find out the mass of the items, check the equipment section in the D&D Player’s Handbook.
To calculate your carrying capacity, you can use the capacity chart from d20srd.com.
Here is a good video about how many weapons an adventurer could realistically carry:
How Many Weapons Can You Have in D&D? (Rouge)
Unlike most other classes in D&D, a Rouge may not carry as many weapons as you want.
That’s because a rouge is a lightly armored class that relies on its speed and dexterity rather than strength to survive.
They specialize in speedy melee damage.
In a combat situation, they use instant attacks to build combo points. They later use them to unleash swift and powerful attacks on their target.
Because of this, they can’t afford to carry many weapons with them.
They also can stifle their target with various stuns, poisons, bleeds, and other debilitating effects. Additionally, they are good at elusiveness and have several defensive abilities that come in handy when escaping unfavorable combat situations.
A rouge can only carry cloth armor or leather and can not use a shield. Rouge can have light weapons, such as daggers, axes, maces, and swords.
At level one, most rouges start with two weapons.
However, if a rouge finds a bag of holding, then they can carry many more items.
How Many Weapons Can You Have in D&D? (Ranger)
Rangers in D&D can carry as many weapons as they want, up to their carrying capacity.
Although they start with a few proficiencies in specific equipment, they can eventually learn to use others and gain more as they level up. Their background grants them two simple melee weapons or short swords at level one.
They also get a longbow and a 20 arrow quiver.
They can also use shields and up to medium armor. As they progress in levels, they learn new abilities, which allow them to take on more demanding tasks.
They include fighting with two weapons at the same time.
Rangers can choose from various weapons, including Oathbow, Vorpal Longsword, Chain Sickle, and Spear Proficiency.
How Many Weapons Can a Wizard Carry in D&D?
Unlike other classes, Wizards do not have to carry any weapons.
They can use their cantrips to attack their opponents. However, if they wish to use physical weapons, they can do so.
While a wizard doesn’t need to carry weapons, having a backup plan can come in handy.
That’s because you run the risk of blowing through all of your spells in a single combat encounter, especially at lower levels.
Generally, a wizard has enough slots and other resources at higher levels.
If wizards choose to use a weapon, they don’t need to be proficient in all of them either.
However, they usually choose simple weapons such as daggers, crossbows, and maces.
How Many Weapons Can a Fighter Carry in DND?
With proficiency in all sorts of weapons, Fighters have no hard limits to how many weapons they can carry. As long as it’s within their Encumbrance limit, Fighters can have as many weapons as they want. That could include a longsword, two short swords, a battleax, and a bow with arrows.
Fighters usually start with up to five weapons.
Realistically, that’s the most you will probably need as a fighter (or any character). Many fighters choose one melee weapon and perhaps one range weapon.
For example, a sword and a crossbow. Or, a battleax and a dagger.
Fighters can also use all sorts of armor, including shields and plate armor. However, your DMs might impose restrictions on the number of weapons a fighter can carry, depending on the setting.
In the end, it is up to your DM to decide how many weapons you can carry in their game.
With the correct planning and resources, you can have virtually any number of weapons that you want.
How Many Javelins Can a Player Carry in DND?
A player can carry any number of Javelins in their inventory, as long as it doesn’t exceed their Encumbrance. Since javelins are light weapons, fighters can carry up to 119 of them at one time.
Each javelin weighs approximately two or three pounds. They have 30/120 feet range and deal 1d6 piercing damage on a hit.
You can use them as melee weapons or ranged attacks. But you must have a free hand to use them for ranged attacks.
If you are holding a shield or another javelin, you cannot make a ranged attack with the javelin.
How Many Weapons Can You Equip at Once?
While you may carry as many weapons as you want, there is a limit to how many you can equip at once. Since D&D is a medieval tabletop simulation, it follows the rules set out in that timeframe. That means you only depend on your hands.
You can only equip one weapon in each hand. You may carry as many weapons as you like on your body, but you only get to equip two at a time.
Of course, your DM’s will still have power over your equipment.
They may rule that too many weapons make you intimidating, less stealthy, or slower. They may even require you to justify how you’ll have everything strapped on you.
How Many Weapons Can a Character Wield at Once in DND?
In D&D, the maximum number of weapons you can wield at once is two.
But they need to be lightweight. That means your two weapons must be small enough to use in one hand, such as daggers, sickles, clubs, and light hammers.
Some weapons might weigh much more and may not allow you to wield others at the same time.
For example, you can wield a Greataxe by itself but not with a second weapon in your other hand. The same applies to a Greatsword, Glaive, and many others.
Most heavy weapons require both hands.
You don’t need to be of any specific class or ability two wield two light weapons. Anyone can wield two light weapons at the same time.
That means, even if your character is a mage, you can still wield daggers or sickles in each hand without any penalties. The weapons don’t have to be of the same kind either.
You can wild two different types of weapons at the same time.
You cannot usually dual-wield:
- Two heavy weapons
- Two crossbows
- Two-handed weapons
How Many Weapons Can You Stow in DND?
In D&D, you can stow up to two weapons at a time.
A character can stow one weapon per turn as a free action. In combat situations, you get one free-object interaction per turn. It could be to sheath a weapon, stow a weapon, draw a potion/wand, or pick up an item off the ground.
If you wish to use an additional object interaction during your turn, you must use a full action.
For instance, you could want to draw a wand to cast a spell and sheathe your sword. In such a case, you’ll use your object interaction to sheath a sword and then use your action to draw the spell wand.
That would delay the spell-casting for your next turn.
Alternatively, you could drop your sword, which would amount to free action. This way, you can use your object interaction to draw the spell wand.
How Many Weapons Can You Have in DND with a Bag of Holding?
In Dungeons and Dragons, a bag of holding is a magical item that can hold up to 500 lbs of equipment within it. This means that, theoretically, you could have an almost infinite number of weapons in your bag of holding.
However, you’ll likely want to consider a few practical issues.
First, the bag of holding weighs 15 1bs itself, no matter what is or is not inside of it.
The list below will give you an idea of how the bag of holding can answer the question, “How many weapons can you have in D&D?”
With the weight capacity cap of 500 lbs, you could carry:
- 166 longswords (at 3 lbs apiece)
- 125 battleaxes (at 4 lbs apiece)
- 500 daggers (at 1 lb apiece)
- 100 crossbows (at 5 lbs apiece)
- 125 quarterstaffs (at 4 lbs apiece)
- 250 sickles (at 2 lbs apiece)
- 125 Scythes (at 4 lbs apiece)
As you can imagine, you can mix and match enough weapons for your entire party. The only limit is your imagination and the size of your bag of holding.
How To Increase How Many Weapons You Can Have in D&D? (5 Good Ways)
There are five ways to increase how many weapons you can have in DND.
Those ways include:
- Increase your carrying capacity
- Magic items
- Spells
- Divine Intervention
- Dungeon Master (DM) permission
Increase Your Carrying Capacity
Since the main limit for how many weapons you can carry is weight capacity, anything you can do to boost your carrying capacity will naturally let you lug around more armaments.
The easiest way to increase your carrying capacity is to level up in DND.
As you advance in levels, you get to increase your ability scores (such as strength) at regular intervals. Usually, you can do this at levels 4, 8, 12,16, and 20.
At level 20, some character classes get a -4 to ability scores like strength.
Increase How Many Weapons You Can Carry Using Magic Items
Using a magic item like a Bag of Holding, Handy Haversack, or Portable Hole allows you to carry more weapons (or other equipment).
It might not be easy to acquire a magic item but it’s a fair method of increasing capacity.
Increase Your Number of Weapons in DND with Spells
Casting spells like Levitate or Wish can also help you carry more weapons. If you’re a spellcaster, don’t forget about cantrips. They can be very useful for carrying more weapons, especially if you have limited spell slots.
For example, the spell Levitate allows you to lift and move objects with your mind. This includes weapons. So if you’re struggling to carry all of your weapons, casting Levitate can help you out.
The Wish spell is even more powerful.
It can essentially do anything, including granting you the ability to carry, store, or weild more weapons.
Divine Intervention
If you have a deity in D&D, they can always help you out and give you the ability to carry more weapons if it’s within their power.
You still need to get an audience with a deity and convince them to give you extra weapon capacity.
That’s no easy feat.
Dungeon Master (DM) Permission
A DM can also rule that you’re able to carrying extra weapons beyond what’s listed here.
A DM has the power to allow players to carry more weapons than what is typically allowed. If you feel that your players are capable of handling the extra responsibility, then go ahead and give them the permission to do so.
However, if you’re not comfortable with it, then simply don’t allow it.
Final Thoughts: How Many Weapons Can You Have in D&D?
Different classes have different restrictions on the number of weapons they can carry. Be sure to discuss with your DM what the limitations are for your character.
Next reads:
- How Long Is a Round in DND? (Solved with Actual Times)
- How Many Cantrips Can You Have in D&D? (Answered & Solved)
- Can You Have Double Proficiency in D&D? (Answered)
