[3.5E] Weapon Familiarity!

[KnowTheToe]

Weapon familiarity sounds good at first, but as mentioned many times, the waraxe is the axe version of the bastard sword. Dwarf fighters, any fighter, is already proficient using it two handed and need training using the large axe with one hand. Bad move balance wise.

 

[Remathilis]

uhhh... unless I missed a revision, dwarves do get dwarf war-axe as a martial feat: TWO HANDED!!!!! You need a EWP to wield it ONE HANDED!!!!! Same with humans and Bastard Swords. I don't think familiarity will change that (I may be wrong), if not, I don't see the problem.

 

[Goobermunch]

Y'all are missing the point. There is a race that will be getting Weapon Familiarity with the Bastard Sword. The Bastards.

--G

 

[MThibault]

I will pile on with my dislike of the Dwarven War Axe Familiarity (and, hypothetically, the Elven Thinblade).

It has always made me wonder at how the Urgrosh or Orc Double Axe came to be associated with their respective races. After all a Dwarven Fighter couldn't have all of the respective feats to use it to full effect (Ambi/TWF/Exotic WP) until 2nd level, and a Half-Orc or Orc barbarian would be 6th level before they could use the double axe without at least a -4 penalty on all attacks. I mean, humans are better at using these weapons than dwarves or half-orcs.

Okay, so Weapon Familiarity brings those levels down to 1st level for Dwarven Fighters and 3rd level for 1/2 Orc Barbarians. Hypothetically combining Ambidexterity/Two Weapon Fighting into one feat as in d20 Modern lets the barbarians be fully effective (i.e. have as low a penalty as possible) at 1st level. Problem solved, the rules support the flavor. Dwarven and Orc Warriors can wield their racial weapons effectively, so there is a good reason to associate the weapon with the race.

I think that unless the Bastard Sword is familiar to Humans, then the Dwarven Waraxe and Elven Thinblade will just be overkill. If humans are familiar with the Bastard Sword then it is just an unnecessary boost in power accross the board.

Just my 2 cents, of course.

Cheers

 

[Squire James]

I think the idea that "exotic weapons aren't exotic to races associated with that weapon" is elegant and simple. I'm not sure I approve of letting dwarven fighters wield a 1d10 weapon in one hand without spending a feat.

Then again, my gang, upon receiving a powerful magical bastard sword, immediately seek out some high level wizard in order to cast Polymorph Any Object on it to make it a greatsword. No respect for 1d10 (potentially) one-handed weapons at all. Then they complain that their AC's are too low.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Well, I kinda like the idea, though it does somewhat unbalanced.

An interesting idea:

What if every kind of profiency would become racial based -
Human and Elven Rogues learn to use the Rapier, but Dwarf and (Half)Orcs prefer the [insert name for a d6 x3 axe here], while Halfling ones use Slings (currently not a Rogue Profiency, if I recall corectly) and Gnomes Rogues hammers.

Human Fighters gain Bastard Sword as a martial weapon, fighters a dwarfen waraxe, Elves the Double Bladed Sword, (Half)Orcs the Double Axe, Gnomes hooked hammers and halflings the skiprock.

The Simple Weapon Profiency could be somewhat reduced, to later beeing enhanced with racial specific weapon (once again, more axes to Dwarfes and Orc, more swords to Human and Elfes, Hamemrs to Gnomes and so on)

Maybe these ideas are not worth the work to implement, maybe they could add some spice...

Mustrum Ridcully

 

[Ace]

Oh lord, another person grousing about the supposedly-OTT thinblade. In truth, it follows a standard convention for an exotic weapon: take a martial or simple weapon and upgrade it by one step at the cost of a feat. In this case, the thinblade can either be seen as a rapier with its damage die increased by one die-type (which is the difference between a battleaxe and a waraxe), or as a longsword with its threat range increased by one number (same as the difference between a dagger and a kukri).

Now, granted, this ill-conceived racial Weapon Familiarity nonsense takes a sledgehammer to the whole concept behind exotic weapons by giving superior weapons away for bupkus, but that's not a problem specifically with the thinblade. The same is true of the waraxe.

Wel put.

On that line the Kukri should be a martial weapon though

Simple weapon+ crit upgrade= Martial Weapon

 

[Guilt Puppy]

I have to stand up for the pro-Weapon Familiarity camp... I've been using these rules for a while (not just for, but including, PHB material), and I think they carry a well-needed flavor to them.

IMO the idea of Exotic Weapon Proficiencies is what the name says: These aren't weapons that are harder to use than Martial Weapons, they're just so uncommon that you wouldn't learn to use them along with normal Martial Weapons... In societies where the weapons are that common, it makes perfect sense to treat them as martial weapons.

Granted, in cases like the Bastard Sword and Dwarven Waraxe, I don't think that definition applies, but I'd call it the exception, not the rule... Further, for simplicity's sake, I don't mind saying that the Dwarven Waraxe would be common enough for dwarves that they'd have exotic-style proficiency with it. For consistency's sake, I'd even be open to applying the same to Humans and Bastard swords.

As it is now, a human Fighter with a Dwarven Waraxe will be better with it than the Dwarven Fighter with a Dwarven Waraxe of equivalent level, thanks to the bonus feat... That, IMO, is silly.

 

[wolff96]

Actually, it's a brilliant conspiricy to bring back a race that has been relegated to the dung heap by min-max'ers.

Weapon Familiarity: Bastard Sword will go to the Half-Elves.

 

[Nightfall]

nah half ogres. They should considering they'll be large.