Recycled Weapons: The Buzz Bat

Recycled Weapons presents new and creative weapons made from scavenged parts for your post-apocalyptic Pathfinder campaign. In this installment, we get a charge from the barbed-wire-covered buzz bat.

Though the burn hammer might convince you otherwise, batteries are good for more than just caving in skulls. They're also good for enhancing weapons already capable of caving in skulls. With that in mind, enjoy a new recycled weapon that makes the best out of three pieces of scavenged technology.

Buzz Bat

Name	Classification	Cost	Dmg (S)	Dmg (M)	Critical	Range	Weight	Type	Special
Buzz Bat	One-handed Simple Weapon	N/A	1d4	1d6	x2	-	5 lbs.	B	see description

The buzz bat is a versatile and easy-to-use weapon made from a sturdy length of wood (baseball bat, cricket bat, heavy wooden dowel, etc.), a length of barbed wire, a medium-sized battery, and either scrap metal or duct tape. The buzz bat works perfectly well as a club on its own, but when its battery is charged its curcuit is closed it also inflict an additional 1d4 electricity damage on a successful hit. This additional damage is not multiplied on a critical hit. The following special rules apply to the buzz bat.

• Creation: A character supplied with appropriate materials can create a buzz bat with 1d4 hours of work and a DC 15 Craft (weapons) skill check. A roll that exceeds this craft DC by 5 or more cuts this time in half. A natural 1 on the craft check inflicts 1d4 electricity damage on the crafter and destroys one of the construction materials (choose randomly).
• Degradation: When attacking with a buzz bat, a natural 1 on the attack roll drains all remaining charges from the bat's battery. If the battery is already dead, the buzz bat gains the broken condition.
• Charges: The buzz bat's circuit must be closed before it can inflict bonus electricity damage. Closing the circuit is a move action, or a swift action if the bat is upgraded with an on/off switch. A typical buzz bat drains its battery after 20 rounds of use. A character equipped with a generator can recharge a buzz bat in 1 hour.
• Better With Fire: With a full round action and a successful DC 20 Knowledge (engineering) skill check, a fully charged buzz bat's barbed wire can be made to burn red hot for 1d6 rounds. During this time the buzz bat inflicts bonus fire damage instead of electricity damage. After this time the buzz bat gains the broken condition and has a 50% chance of bursting into flame.

It's amazing what a little barbed wire and and electricity can do. Now get out there and ruse the wasteland.