Weapon Traits — Forceful, Sweep, Trip, Grapple, Shove, Parry
Key weapon traits: Forceful (escalating damage), Sweep (+1 vs adjacent), Trip/Grapple/Shove (weapon-aided [[compendium:skill:Athletics]]), Parry (+1 AC), Backstabber (+1 vs [[compendium:condition:Off-Guard]]), Reach (10 ft), Two-Hand (flexible grip).
Forceful: Damage increases on consecutive hits. Second hit in a turn adds one extra damage die, third adds two. Rewards multi-attack builds with large damage dice (like greatsword d12).
Sweep: Gain +1 circumstance bonus to attack rolls against targets adjacent to a creature you already hit this turn. Rewards cleaving through groups.
Trip: You can use this weapon for the Trip action (Athletics vs. Reflex DC). Adds the weapon's item bonus to Trip checks. Reach + Trip (like guisarme) lets you Trip from 10 feet.
Grapple: You can use this weapon for the Grapple action (Athletics vs. Fortitude DC). Adds weapon's item bonus and keeps a hand free (weapon maintains the grapple instead of your hand).
Shove: You can use this weapon for the Shove action (Athletics vs. Fortitude DC). Adds weapon's item bonus. Push enemies into hazards or off ledges.
Parry: You can use an action to gain +1 circumstance bonus to AC until the start of your next turn while wielding this weapon. Costs 1 action. Useful when you don't need all 3 actions for attacking.
Backstabber: Deal +1 precision damage (+2 with greater striking rune) to Off-Guard targets. Common on daggers. Rewards flanking.
Reach: Weapon has 10-foot reach instead of 5 feet. Attack adjacent AND one space beyond. Critical for controlling space and avoiding AoO.
Two-Hand (die): Wield in one hand (lower die) or two hands (higher die). Example: Bastard Sword is d8 one-handed, d12 two-handed. Versatility without fully committing to two-handed.