Melee Weapon Mastery and Stacking Bonuses

[Volaran]

Sorry if this has been covered before.

The Melee Weapon Mastery feat from the PHB II has pre-requisites of Weapon Focus (x), Weapon Specialization (x) and 8th level fighter. Provides a +2 to attack and damage with all weapons that deal the same type of damage as x (slashing, bludgeoning, or piercing)

The wording of the feat Melee Weapon Mastery talks about mastery of a single weapon affecting similar weapons.

Based on this, I'm trying to decide what would stack in regards to this feat, Weapon Focus, Greater Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization and Greater Weapon Specialization.

My initial inclination is that this would overlap with the WF and WS feats, but stack with GWF and GWS.

So, a character who had WF,WS with the longsword, and Melee Weapon Mastery (Slashing) would have, due to these feats, +2 to attack and damage with all slashing weapons, including the longsword. A character who had WF, WS, GWF, GWS with the longsword, and Melee Mastery Slashing would recieve +3 to attack and +4 to damage with the longsword, and +2 to attack and damage with all other slashing weapons.

Does this seem correct?

 

[Legildur]

Slight correction to the prerequisites you listed, but it needs BAB +8 instead of Ftr 8 - it's a significant difference

As written, the feat stacks with WF/WS and the greater forms of those feats. Crazy, I know, but that's the way it is written.

It's interesting to read the short description of the benefit for the feat in table 3-1 (PHBII, p72), which states "Gain Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialisation benefits with multiple weapons."

 

[Volaran]

Ah, that you for pointing that out. A rather important difference indeed. I suppose I'd gotten used to the idea of more higher level feats requiring a flat fighter level in the PHB II.

So under that interpretation of the rules:

WF, WS (longsword), MWM (Slashing) would give +3 atk, +4 dmg to the longsword and +2 to atk and dmg for other slashing weapons.

WF, WS, GWF, GWS (longsword), MWM (Slashing) would give a +4 atk, +6 dmg to the longsword and +2 atk and damage to other slashing.

I'm not sure how I feel about that...though I suppose I would need to see it in play. It is quite a number of feats for that second result, and a minimum level of 12.

 

[Drowbane]

Sorry if this has been covered before.

Does this seem correct?

It has been, but no worries... and yes, its correct. Such a fighter would have a +3 / +4 with WF, WS, and WM: Slashing.

As written, the feat stacks with WF/WS and the greater forms of those feats. Crazy, I know, but that's the way it is written.

It's interesting to read the short description of the benefit for the feat in table 3-1 (PHBII, p72), which states "Gain Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialisation benefits with multiple weapons."

It really isn't all that crazy... WM is what GWF and GWS should have been, namely one feat.

As to the feat description, no doubt thats how the feat originally worked... then someone wised up and realized how weak it would be.

 

[Votan]

Ah, that you for pointing that out. A rather important difference indeed. I suppose I'd gotten used to the idea of more higher level feats requiring a flat fighter level in the PHB II.

So under that interpretation of the rules:

WF, WS (longsword), MWM (Slashing) would give +3 atk, +4 dmg to the longsword and +2 to atk and dmg for other slashing weapons.

WF, WS, GWF, GWS (longsword), MWM (Slashing) would give a +4 atk, +6 dmg to the longsword and +2 atk and damage to other slashing.

I'm not sure how I feel about that...though I suppose I would need to see it in play. It is quite a number of feats for that second result, and a minimum level of 12.

At the levels that it shows up, somebody who has stayed pure fighter deserves to have some pretty impressive bonuses. These are nice but not fantastic.

 

[Burne]

Had this discussion with the gaming group as well. We compared the barbarian rage at that level and factored the additional barbarian advantages and its not out of range at all.