Contrary to depictions in RPGs, computer games and fantasy films, real war hammers didn’t look anything like sledge hammers, they actually had smaller (and harder) striking heads than hammers used as tools. Like most hand weapons intended for war, they weighed in the neighbourhood of 2-4 lbs. They almost always included both a striking (hammer) head and a reinforced back-spike at least a few inches long. These could be used against different types of targets but were designed to be armor-piercing weapons, especially useful for cavalry, with a hammer one could ride by and crush a helmeted head with a single blow.

Name	Size	Reach	Speed	Defense	Base Damage	Attack Types	Primary Attack Types	Armor Pierce	Grapple	Hardness	HP
War hammer	S	2	4	2	1-8	BP	B	4	2	7	4

A Polish war hammer, late 15th C


Horsemans war-hammer, Italian, 15th Century


War Hammer, Upper Saxony, 16th Century