Preferred weapon -- are feats specific enough?

[dicechild]

Agreement from me goes ways. I firmly believe some people should be allowed to get very specific while some should be very good all around. I don't know though. It is good to be able to hit with anything, but if some idiot or genius decides to pick a very specific weapon, they should take an additional -4 penalty when not using their favorite weapon, and if it was taken from them, even more distraction penalties. Just a thought.
KP

 

[Bront]

Never thought of it that way. Thanks.

And, yes, I also tire of (am frustrated by?) the golf club bag mentality. Venturing out to parts unknown with a dozen different weapons -- "just in case" -- seems a little silly.

Some of the feats, like focus, specialization, improved crit, require a specific weapon. A few others are more general (The more maneuver style). Generaly, if I want to focus on a weapon, I'll drop a few feats in focus and imp crit, stuff like that. Otherwise, I'll keep my options open.

I disagree with the "Golfbag" approach, but I can see some characters having several different weapons. There are few circumstances I have a character that doesn't have a dagger (Too utilitarian beyond just being a weapon), usually a melee and ranged weapon, and depending on who he is, what he uses, and how strong he is, I might carry one more weapon as an alternate. Warrior characters might have a few more (Spears/javalins, lance, ect, specialized use weapons), but not too many, and they better be able to explain how they can carry them all, or at least where they store some of them if they don't carry them all. (I don't like to use encumberance strictly, but common sense is still in order). Selecting your 5 iron long sword of giant slaying from home is one thing, but having all 18 clubs swords you own at your disposal all the time is a bit much.

The Artifacer has an Atune ability to become more familiar with a particular magic weapon. (not sure if this was a warforged replacement ability, or just a normal artifacer ability)

Another option, is to build magic weapons that grow with use with the character. It adds to the mistique of magical weapons, allows for a GM to tailor the weapon a bit more without seeming contrived ("Oh, thanks mr GM, who would have thought that the Troll was guarding the double bladed holy avenger I've always wanted!" says Sir Munchkin), and you can even build a campaign around the concept. So that lowly +1 sword the fighter found at 2nd level grows in power as he does, and when he goes to slay the dragon, his +5 frost burst defender is still the same sword that he's learned to tune and use it's magical powers (And might still be a +1 sword to some other jamoke who picks it up)

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

I guess it's just the groups I play with, but I've never seen the "golf bag of weapons" in actual play.

...

The notion of carrying a whole stack of weapons "for emergencies" has just never come up.

I think my current character (a Fighter / Rogue Pirate-type in an Eberron campaign) is the most golf-baggy character I've ever played - or seen played.

He's got:

1. His +1, gold-inlaid rapier, a gift from his last crew
2. A mundane light mace (because rapiers don't work well on the Karrnathi horde)
3. Two normal daggers, both concealed
4. A silver dagger, in easy reach
5. A composite, darkwood masterwork longbow, with which he earned his (masterwork, at the time) gold-inlaid rapier

I don't think that's too terribly golf-baggy.

The Artifacer has an Atune ability to become more familiar with a particular magic weapon. (not sure if this was a warforged replacement ability, or just a normal artifacer ability)

It's a feat that anyone (who can craft magic arms and armor) can take.

 

[azmodean]

I don't really see the problem with a "golf bag" of weapons or equipment. Would you be upset if a mage had a large selection of wands? What about an archer with a "golf quiver" of specialised arrows? If weapons exist that are better for different situations, why not have several of them handy?

I guess I just don't understand where this kind of thing is a problem.

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

I like the weapon style feats in Complete Warrior - if a PC wanted to super specialise in 1 weapon or combination I'd probably adapt one of those for them... Although I'd most likely favour anything that didn't involve a 2 handed weapon or bow - those are popular and deadly enough already IME.


I've played a golf bag character - used a heck of a lot of weapons, trying to show his mastery of combat and general uberness. Had Quickdraw and changed weapons quite a bit during combat... used to take a while to pick 'em all up after a fight.

IIRC, it was:

Great Axe
Morningstar
Armour Spikes
Shortsword
Longspear (in a storing glove)
Spiked gauntlet
Several Throwing weapons
Longbow

Figured it was just about carryable - for a Str 24 Half Orc.

 

[Evilhalfling]

I guess it's just the groups I play with, but I've never seen the "golf bag of weapons" in actual play. Most fighters I see have their primary weapon, a backup weapon, and a ranged weapon. I've sometimes seen a fighter with four or five weapons, but he doesn't carry them all at once. Or I've seen someone with a huge number of small, hidden weapons, but that's always done because the character is sneaky.

The notion of carrying a whole stack of weapons "for emergencies" has just never come up.

unfortunatly my campagin seems to be encouraging this, first there were half fiends and dretches (DR magic/cold iron) then skeletons and zombies (DR blunt/slash) and shadows (incorp, need magic)
the party is low level enough that they cant simply ignore the 5 pt damage penalty.
well the skeletons and zombies shoud be less of a threat next time they hit them, so maybe they will grow out of it. They do have a spare magic shortsword 'just in case'

the groups weapon pile - cold iron staff&Kuri, club (for shillegh)& shortsword, the fungal blade (+1 glowing longsword)&bow/cold iron arrows ; Heart of the Comet (+1 dragoncraft falcion)&bow/ci arrows.

 

[Aust Diamondew]

5 feats come to mind. Improved crit, weapon focus, weapon specialization, greater weapon focus and greater weapon specialization. If you takn all 5 of those feats (which only a fighter could do) you're going to be much better with a paticular weapon than any other weapon. In my games you can also take a feat call critical focus which improves your critical multiplier by 1.

I see no problem with a golf bag of weapons approach besides it being very expensive to effectively upgrade more than 2 or 3 weapons magically.

 

[JoeGKushner]

For a fighter, in terms of specifics, I find that after weapon focus, weapon specialization, the greater versions of both those and improved critical, that's already five feats.

Mercenaries by AEG has a Signature Weapon Feat. Swashbucklign Adventurers has some insane Weapon Mastery Feat. Black Company has an improved specialization/focus feat.

Other general feats like Power Attack are also often too good to pass up so your mileage may vary.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

As I mentioned in my original post, it was more the concept of the golf-bag than any actual bad experience.

But I kinda miss the old days, where we were lucky to get a magic sword, much less one tailored exactly the way we wanted it. And we used it for level after level -- no trading in the +1s for a +2 as soon as we could afford it. No magic shops, precious few places where you could get a custom item made. A magic weapon was rare -- you named it, the bards told tales of it, If you lost it, you moved heaven and earth to regain it. Your weapon was a part of your character in a way that its not, anymore, except for the odd kesai-like classes where abilities are tied to a specific weapon.

My first long-running D&D character used a +1/+3 vs. giants (plus a couple flavor abilities) longsword from the time he was 4th level till he retired at 14th years later. He had plenty of chances to 'upgrade', and would occasionaly use something else if circumstances demanded it, but that weapon had a history in the campaign just like the character did.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Your weapon was a part of your character in a way that its not, anymore, except for the odd kesai-like classes where abilities are tied to a specific weapon.

Eh? My current character was gifted with a gold-inlaid, masterwork rapier by the grateful officers and crew of his last ship, after a lucky shot from the masthead took out the opposing ship's helmsman, causing a momentary loss of control and directly leading to his ship's near-bloodless victory.

It's been a few years now, in-game, and he's still got it. A grateful gnomish government, some time later, offered to enchant the party's weapons, so he had it improved to +1. He keeps a couple extra weapons on hand, but this is certainly his favorite. Moreover, no matter how hard-pressed he gets, he'll never, ever sell it. It means too much to him.

The ability to improve magic weapons means that, no matter how high-level he becomes, he'll never need to "switch out" to another weapon, or trade it in for a shiny new rapier +2.