weapon proficiency via feats

[LazerPointer]

I'm not really a fan of the current system where, for combat classes, an exotic weapon costs a feat to become proficient, and a common one does not. To me, the route to proficiency should be to use the weapon, a lot. Besides, feats are rare enough for me to not want to use one towards exotics. (except the spiked chain ) Does anyone else have seperate weapon proficiencies, maybe a la v. 2?

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

Mechanically, it costs a feat because exotics are, statwise, better than martial weapons. Asthetic/character reasons aside, if bastard sword and waraxe were martial 1 handed weapons, then who would ever voluntarily use a longsword or battleaxe? Why wield Longsword/Shortsword combi when you can have a doublesword?


One problem that occured to me with the pick up and practice method - would all classes be able to learn weapons they can't normally use? Wizard with longspears and repeating crossbows? Thieves sneak attacking with greataxes?


To make it a more attractive deal for a feat, you could group the exotic weapons by type and give several related ones for the price of a single feat.

For example:
Double weapons.
Oversized weapons (bastard sword, waraxe, etc).
Martial arts weapons.
Etc.

And/or possibly increase the number of feats. Perhaps give players free feats in exotic weaponary. e.g. every 4 levels for a fighter, 6 for ranger, whatever. Like the old style 2e proficiency system.

Another option would be that fighters/fighting type classes are proficient in all exotic weapons from the start. Although I doubt many fighters would use martial weapons after that.


Though, like everything, I reckon if it works then go for it!

 

[Staffan]

To make it a more attractive deal for a feat, you could group the exotic weapons by type and give several related ones for the price of a single feat.

That's how it's done in Arcana Unearthed. There are two exotic weapon classes: Agile and Heavy. Agile weapons are mostly those who have special effects, and heavy weapons are those that do a lot of damage (the bastard sword is a heavy weapon, and if AU had spiked chains it would be an agile weapon). I think the reasoning is that once you pay for the extra damage of a bastard sword, you might as well get the extra damage of a waraxe while you're at it.

 

[Cheiromancer]

Improved Weapon Familiarity (from Complete Warrior) makes a little step in that direction- it allows all exotic weapons associated with your race to become martial, rather than exotic.

It's kind of a dumb feat, though. Dwarves already treat dwarven war axes and dwarven urgroshes as martial weapons. In the PHB there is one exotic weapon for orcs (the orc double axe) and one for gnomes (the gnome hooked hammer). In the CW there is the elven thinblade.

So this feat doesn't really improve on the standard of one feat for one weapon. Unless you introduce lots of racial exotic weapons, that is.

 

[Trainz]

Or how about this: fighters, being the master of weapons that they are, can start with one free exotic weapon proficiency if they have an intelligence score of 13 or more (or wisdom score of 13 or more if you don't want to front-load combat expertise).