What's the point of Exotic Weapon Master?

[Li Shenron]

Someone in the campaign is looking forward to pick up this PrCl from Complete Warrior, and it occurred to me: why all these abilities should work with exotic weapons only?

I can't see the book at the moment (it's not mine) and I don't remember if the "stunts" work with all the exotic weapons the PC is proficient, or if the PC has to choose 1 specific ex.weapon each time.

The question is: if stunts work with all ex.weapons, why shouldn't they work with martial weapons as well? if stunts work with one chosen weapon, why shouldn't the PC choose a martial weapon instead?

IOW, why isn't the Exotic Weapon Master just a Weapon Master? What would be the problem in allowing such?

 

[Darkness]

He can use his tricks with any exotic weapon he has Weapon Focus with. (Unless a given stunt works only with certain weapon types. Flurry of strikes requires a double weapon or spiked chain, for example.)

Considering that limitation, I don't think it would be unbalanced to create a martial weapon master.

 

[Li Shenron]

Ok so it was even Weapon Focus!

I don't think it would be unbalanced either. My concerns come from the fact that I cannot see any point why those stunts should be exotic-only. Furthermore, we have used characters coming from regions where some martial weapons are exotic and viceversa (cultural criteria); this PrCl seems to work so that if the weapon is exotic (unusual/uncommon/weird) you can take more features out of it, but it doesn't make much sense to me... the opposite would make more sense.

 

[Mekabar]

I don't see the point of the PrC either, only perhaps that it takes usually more feats to take a Weapon Focus in an Exotic Weapon. Some of the Weapon tricks are limited to Double Weapons, which are per se exotic, but apart from that the tricks would be applicable to martial weapons, too.

 

[Liquidsabre]

Opens up an even better prestige class idea I suppose, the Weapon Master PrC? I like it!

 

[Darkness]

I don't see the point of the PrC either, only perhaps that it takes usually more feats to take a Weapon Focus in an Exotic Weapon.

Yeah, one feat more unless you have the racial quality 'weapon familiarity' (e.g., dwarf, gnome).

(Or if you don't have a class that offers weapon proficiency with the martial weapon you want to use. Which would be rare for this class.)

 

[Plane Sailing]

Maybe if you think of it as "Exotic" weapon master, rather than "Exotic Weapon" master...

 

[Jdvn1]

Well, the EWM isn't that special either. Since everything is variable and it applies to any exotic weapon, the fact that the weapon has to be exotic is the only thing that makes the class unique.

I wouldn't take that away from it. Otherwise it's just a Fighter variant.

 

[icedrake]

I'm playing in a Ravenloft game and my friend took it after taking EWP: Gunpowder. With guns being his weapons of choice, being able to shoot in melee without an AoO is really nice.

 

[Trainz]

Yeah, one feat more unless you have the racial quality 'weapon familiarity' (e.g., dwarf, gnome).

Which begs fo the following question: would a race that considers a given exotic weapon a martial weapon be barred from taking the Exotic Weapon Master PrC ?

Kidding aside, I totally agree. The only time I see this PrC picked by a PC is when he fights with a spiked chain and only takes one level in the class to gain the extra attack.