Do you require Dwarves to spend an Exotic Weapon feat to use the Dwarven Waraxe?

[Wormwood]

Maybe if WotC had used the term 'Difficult' rather than 'Exotic', this topic wouldn't come up so much.

 

[Corinth]

Yes, I do require dwarves to buy "Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Dwarven Waraxe" if that dwarf wants to use the waraxe with one hand. This is because the dwarven waraxe is the dwarven version of the bastard sword, so it follows the same rules.

 

[Gaiden]

Isn't that like saying a Kantana would be exotic to a Japanese Samurai?

Since you begged the question, yes it is. In Rokugan, the samuraii core class is required to take exotic weapon proficiency - katanna to gain proficiency 1-handed.

 

[Caliban]

Humans have to pay proficiency for bastard swords, so dwarves have to pay a proficiency for war axe. And 1/2 orcs have to pay a proficiency for the double axe, halflings pay a proficiency for skiprocks, gnomes pay a proficiency for hook hammers, and elves pay a proficiency for thinblades.

Racial weapons are not weapons that everyone of that race is trained it, it's just that it's common for them to take proficiency in it.

 

[johnsemlak]

Maybe if WotC had used the term 'Difficult' rather than 'Exotic', this topic wouldn't come up so much.

agreed. that's what confused me.

 

[Gez]

Personnaly, I don't give them it as a free feat (like elves do), but the weapon is not considered exotic for dwarves, so they can get it with a martial proficiency (and fighter get it).

It's a general rule, when a race give its name to a weapon, said weapon is not exotic for that race. A gnome hooked hammer is not an exotic weapon for a gnome, but would be for a halfling or an elf.

Note that this don't prevent some uses of "racial" weapon to stay exotic nonetheless (like the bastard sword is exotic when wielded one-handed).

 

[CCamfield]

Maybe if WotC had used the term 'Difficult' rather than 'Exotic', this topic wouldn't come up so much.

Perhaps. The PHB actually says the battle axe is the standard dwarven weapon; I don't see the reasoning behind giving dwarves proficiency in the war axe for free; for one thing, since it's going be better than any 1-handed martial weapon they might use, you'll give a boost to dwarves to use nothing but big axes instead of possibly having some variety.

 

[Mistwell]

Dwarves should have proficiency with the Dwarven Waraxe and Urgosh for free. Gnomes should have it with the Gnome hooked hammer. Orcs should have it with the Orc double axe. Elves should have it with swords and bows (which they do). Halflings should have it with the halfling skiprock, and their throwing bonus should apply to slings as well.

Racial weapons make sense to me, and I do not think it is at all unbalancing. All this bitching about a free feat, and yet we are not talking about a significant change when it really comes down to it. Can anyone out there really report a game that went noticeably off-balance because a racial weapon was allowed as a free feat? I seriously doubt it.

 

[Fenes 2]

If you don't think that a free exotic racial weapon for demihumans is unbalancing, why not let humans choose any one exotic weapon proficiency as an additional free feat?

 

[Gez]

Dwarves should have proficiency with the Dwarven Waraxe and Urgosh for free. Gnomes should have it with the Gnome hooked hammer. Orcs should have it with the Orc double axe. Elves should have it with swords and bows (which they do). Halflings should have it with the halfling skiprock, and their throwing bonus should apply to slings as well.

Racial weapons make sense to me, and I do not think it is at all unbalancing. All this bitching about a free feat, and yet we are not talking about a significant change when it really comes down to it. Can anyone out there really report a game that went noticeably off-balance because a racial weapon was allowed as a free feat? I seriously doubt it.

I prefer to consider these cultural weapons to be martial for the culture. This is different from giving the feat freely -- a gnome wizard won't get the proficiency with gnome tortoise blade or gnomme hooker hammer, since he won't get martial proficiencies. However, a gnome ranger would.

Among the other little changes I made, a cultural weapon is never restricted by druids. So a gnome druid could use a gnome hooked hammer (if she take the proficiency feat).



Fenes 2, if you allowed such a thing, every human would know how to use the Spiked Chain; unless you just get things like human wizard wielding bastard swords 1-handed (but unable to use it 2-handed). Cultural weapons are usually sub-optimal; and furthermore, making them martial rather than giving them automatically (à la elven bow and sword proficiencies) don't break the class balance.