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Well, a hand-axe only does 1d6 damage, and most NPCs have at least 8 hit points. It is a slight improvement over a dagger, at 1d4. I'd go for a pole-axe, it does 1d12. Can't really hide it under your pillow, though.
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If you have a cleric with you, you can just melee him down and raise hand to hand.