Meat Cleaver as a weapon?

[John Tanzini]

I'm just wondering what the stats for a meat cleaver would be as a weapon? I'm thinking hand ax from PHB I'm wondering what if any has everyone else used?

[Heathansson]

I think so. If it's of a decent make.
I think Bill "the butcher" from Gangs of New York would be more or less certain to have a servicable handaxe of a cleaver; anybody else 50/50-either the equiv of a handaxe or a shoddy weapon that does 1d6-1 dmg and x2 damage instead of x3 on a critical.

[Lilith]

Are we talking standard, wimpy meat cleavers, or the full on two-handed Chinese cleavers that will cut through bone?

Wimpy cleavers - prolly as Heathy stated, 1d6-1.
Two-handed jobs - as handaxe, probably masterwork.

[John Tanzini]

Lilith wrote:

Are we talking standard, wimpy meat cleavers, or the full on two-handed Chinese cleavers that will cut through bone?

Wimpy cleavers - prolly as Heathy stated, 1d6-1.
Two-handed jobs - as handaxe, probably masterwork.

I'm thinking Hollywood-Jason-WTF was Ginsu thinking putting a cleaver like that on the market kinda Cleaver. Soething sorta like the butcher had in Diablo. Big, nasty, bloody! =D

[Fake Healer]

I have seen cleaver ranging in size from cheese cutters to "hey I can lop off a cow's leg with this" in size. I would say pick what size you want (tiny, light, one-handed, two-handed) and stat it according to what is balanced in that range (simple weapons I would think). So a small one could be tiny 1d4/20x3 slashing, light 1d6/20x3, one handed 1d8/20x3, two handed 1d10 or 12/x3. I gave it the x3 because I always picture a butcher taking a full round action to coup-de-grace whatever he/she is aiming at to deliver a blow capable of severing limbs from a carcass and x3 should be enough damage to do it where x2 seems a bit low. That is my cents in the number of 2.

FH (insert strange, sick cleaver reference here)

[Jonathan Drain]

A meat cleaver? I would just call it a d6 slashing, x2 on a crit. You suffer a -2 penalty to hit unless you have four or mor ranks in Profession (butcher).

No real reason to use it over a better weapon, but it's got a certain "cool" factor.

[Ring of Five]

Try the Great Cleaver stats from the Temple of Elemental Evil PC game:

Great Cleaver 10lbs. Damage: 1-10 Critical Range: 17-20/x3.

This was one of the most lethal weapons found in the game, and was used by my Dwarf Fighter to great effect. IIRC the threat range was without any associated feat on the dwarf's part, meaning it must have been a keen weapon also.

[cwslyclgh]

I would go with JD's idea for a meat cleaver if you want a more realistic version...

[Steve Greer]

I used a standard meat cleaver in something I recently wrote for Goodman Games. It's a simple weapon that deals 1d4/x2 slashing. Small sized would be 1d3/x2.

[Jonathan Drain]

Greer's is fine too.

[Jib]

Some cleavers have a nice little back divet to tenderize meat. That could put the hurt on someone too!

[KnowItAllDM]

I would treat it as an Improvised Handaxe (1d4 damage, x2 crit). This would incur the standard penalty for wielding improvised weapons unless they negate it somehow (Catch Off Guard feat, etc.).