A Question about Weapon and Armor Proficiencies.

[Creamsteak]

A Question about Weapon and Armor Proficiencies.

I would like to know what the official ruling on this situation is, if anyone knows it:

A character starts off with no armor proficiencies and only simple weapons. This same character progresses in that same class till he reaches level 6 and then takes his 7th level in fighter. The problem is that the character burned feats to equip light, medium, heavy armor, and shields. When he takes the level in fighter, is it really necessary that he keeps his now useless feats? Or is he entitled to re-select feats to replace them?

I ruled, in my game, that the character was entitled to exchange his now useless feats for any feat he wants. I felt that he was crippled by having all these useless feats and it knocked him behind the party some. I felt that maybe he should have took more precautions when structuring his character.

Is there an official way to rule on this sitation? It is kind of annoying to take Martial Weapon Proficiency: Longsword at level one and then get it for free at level seven only to find it useless... (as another example).

I don't need to know what this character "should" have done. He is unfamiliar with the rules and I think that he should have chosen to either start as a fighter, or hold back on taking the armor profiencies.

 

[JDragon]

As far as I know you can't roll back anything, including feats or skills.

I would possiby let him change one or two but not all and explain what his mistake was and suggest he try to plan out his characters some so he doesn't run it to the problem again.

JDragon

 

[SableWyvern]

Given the player's inexperience, your ruling (to allow the feats to be changed) sounds reasonable. Another viable alternative would be to make up a whole new character.

I had a player last session decide that he was not happy with the character choices he had made (moreso roleplaying/concept decisions, rather than mechanics based ones), so he scrapped the character and is starting a new one next session (same level, because this is a rare occurence due to legitimate mistakes and not a habit).

Back to your situation, ideally, it would have been best to identify this problem earlier on, and redo the character then. It's always a good option for a DM to discuss a player's future plans and options at every level up, especially if they are new to the system.

Anyway, to answer your actual question: by the rules, the player is stuck with the feats he has chosen. It is the responsibility of a player to understand the ramifications of his feat, skill and class choices. There are some people on the boards who are fairly generous with swapping out feats as characters level up, but this is not by-the-book play.

 

[Umbran]

Um, we have a Rules forum for such questions...

 

[telepox]

Given the player's inexperience, your ruling (to allow the feats to be changed) sounds reasonable. Another viable alternative would be to make up a whole new character.

it would seam


Anyway, to answer your actual question: by the rules, the player is stuck with the feats he has chosen. It is the responsibility of a player to understand the ramifications of his feat, skill and class choices. There are some people on the boards who are fairly generous with swapping out feats as characters level up, but this is not by-the-book play.

it takes all of one or two sessions to either learn how to play this game or quit. that is why the rules are the way they are.

 

[RangerWickett]

Ah, but see, it's kinda like actual character development. He was preparing, slowly but surely, to become a fighter. Then, eventually, he took a level. Those old feats shouldn't be wasted, but I would say that you should probably force him to take fighter feats only to replace them, so at least historically the character would've been training in a similar field to the one he originally did.

 

[el-remmen]

This belongs in rules. . .

 

[Artoomis]

it takes all of one or two sessions to either learn how to play this game or quit. that is why the rules are the way they are.

ROFL.

How may rules are there? It's a bit overwhelming - even if it does not seem so to you.

 

[Zerovoid]

By the rules, you are stuck with them, but I would let the player swap them out. If they make a mistake like that, they obviously didn't know what they were doing, and deserve a little mercy. Its no fun for a character to be permanently down three feats like this, so let them switch, but advice the player to plan their character better next time.

 

[SableWyvern]

it takes all of one or two sessions to either learn how to play this game or quit. that is why the rules are the way they are.

You're not serious?



After one or two sessions, a new player should know exactly how they are going to feel about their character at level 7?

Of course, the fact that no-one who has played at least two sessions ever posts a question in this forum backs up your assertion.