to weapon master or not to weapon master?

[eXodus]

hey there folks.

one of my players is alternating weeks with and running a game of his own.

i am playing a professional soldier whose forte is using abastard sword.

my contemplation is the weapon master prestige class. all of the feats required are along the list of what i have planned for the character anyhow. i have read over and over the prestige class and it is very cool. but i am still uncertain if that is the route i want to move this character.

what do you folks think? have you played or had a weapon master in a game? how would going weapon master balance against simple fighter levels?

any help would be wonderful.......

 

[Doomsdaisy]

Well, the PrC has its ups and downs.

Yes, you do gain some neat abilities, but you loose the things that can help make a fighter so powerful - feats.

Since the class has such strict requirements, the earliest someone can get it is as at 7th level. Aside from the required feats, when you take the first WM level you'll only have one other feat if you're a human. Since the requirements are mostly the chain culminating in Whirlwind Attack, you better like that ability because you're not going to be able to do much else feat-wise for a little while. Once you take the class, you're not getting another feat until your 9th character level, so that can hurt if you set your sights on another chain (the cleave family, perhaps) or even Weapon Specialization.

The plusses are that you get the PrC abilities which get pretty bad-assed at higher levels, especially if you take improved critical at some point to get the big-time crits. Of course, you can always take up to four more fighter levels for two more bonus feats, but that holds off the higher-level WM abilities that much longer.

My biggest problem is that since you can do good damage to a lot of different opponents with the class abilities and feats already gained, it would be great if you could cleave, but since feats now come so slowly, you most likely won't be seeing that for a while.

The high level abilities are vastly cool, but the problem is getting there. Also, you better love your current sword, because you may have problems finding a improved version of your chosen weapon, depending on how generous your DM is.

Its a cool class, but very combat specialized. By 16th level, a regular fighter has a library of feats that she can use to add a great deal of variety in combat that a good player can use to keep the enemies guessing. A Weapon Master essentially wades in and starts hacking until the job is done. I don't mind that, but some people might get bored with the simplicity of the class' combat style.

The biggest problem I have with the weapon master is that I keep looking at all the neat feats I could have taken as a fighter and I know that most of them I won't ever see as a Weapon Master, unless we play into epic levels. So many interesting choices and combos, but they're not going to happen anytime soon.

Oh, and the skill selection sucks.

If you can get past these hurdles, by the time you've reach the end, you'll be very powerful.

 

[eXodus]

wow. doomsdaisy, that was quite a nice rundown of the pros and cons.

and upon reading it i almost think i will not go with the prestige class. as i want this character to be an awesome swordsman but not so limited to simple spring attacks and whirlwind attacks.

i want to have him pick up improved trip and knockdown, improved disarm, weapon specialization, improved crit, the cleave feats. ans these are easy to get if one sticks with the fighter class.

thanks a lot.

 

[Hedgemage]

I think you should be a half-ninja paladin prince with twin holy avengers who rides a gold dragon inherited from his father who was killed by orcs.

 

[eXodus]

I think you should be a half-ninja paladin prince with twin holy avengers who rides a gold dragon inherited from his father who was killed by orcs.

i wonder if this is the chance i can use my ninja-jedi-mech-dragonball conversion.

believe me it is well balanced and mixes perfectly with a standard fantasy world.

 

[Gromm]

It might be worth picking up the class from a Role-playing respect more than anything. If you want to be truly great with a certain weapon. I'd still probably pick up some fighter levels just for the feats though.
That being said, its pretty hard to beat a straight fighter in the end.