Martial Weapon Proficiency feat with weapon groups?


Homebrew and House Rules


Pretty much everyone agrees that the Martial Weapon Proficiency feat is more or less totally dumb. Would it make it more worth it to instead have the feat apply to all the martial weapons in a given fighter weapon group? So instead of picking Martial Weapon Proficiency (Greatsword), you could pick Martial Weapon Proficiency (Heavy Blades), and get the Greatsword, Greataxe, Bastard Sword (2H), Longsword, and so on. This might actually encourage people to take the feat, especially combat classes that don't get a lot of weapon proficiencies they might want (Inquisitor, Alchemist, etc.)

I'm thinking this is how I'm going to handle it in my games. What do you all think?


I think it's a harmless change.

But I don't necessarily agree with your initial premise (I think MWP is modestly useful) and, even if I did agree, I don't really see how your change makes MWP any better (a PC who likes using a heavy blade doesn't usually back and forth between greatswords and greataxes in my experience).


'Rixx wrote:

Pretty much everyone agrees that the Martial Weapon Proficiency feat is more or less totally dumb. Would it make it more worth it to instead have the feat apply to all the martial weapons in a given fighter weapon group? So instead of picking Martial Weapon Proficiency (Greatsword), you could pick Martial Weapon Proficiency (Heavy Blades), and get the Greatsword, Greataxe, Bastard Sword (2H), Longsword, and so on. This might actually encourage people to take the feat, especially combat classes that don't get a lot of weapon proficiencies they might want (Inquisitor, Alchemist, etc.)

I'm thinking this is how I'm going to handle it in my games. What do you all think?

Sounds good to me. It's a nice middle ground between one weapon and everything. Another option to tack on would be to allow the racial groups. So an Elven wizard could blow a feat on martial weapon proficiency (elven) so he can actually be proficient in all the weapons with "elven" in the name that he gets to treat as martial weapons.


Sadly, this game is about specialization and over-specialization (in the standard campaign), so being able to use a greatsword is almost as useful as having the proficiency in all martial weapons (altough the longbow is ok).
Well, we use that houserule and it works ok. Go for it.


Actually, I like the unnearthed arcana.

Smaller weapon groups, but all feats work for those groups.

Like Weapon focus, improved critical, weapon specialization and such. It doesn't hurt the game, and u won't be remembered as "Ohh the Greatsword only fighter"


I plan to add such houserule to my game myself. Also, I am thining about changing Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization to work for weapon groups as well.

Sovereign Court

I agree with Hogarth. While a weapon group adds a smidge of value to the existing feat, the problem is that in each weapon group there tends to be just one or two weapons that are the obvious choices to use and all those other options would fall to the wayside.

Barring overhauling the entire weapon proficiency system, which is what is needed, what I'd do for MWP would be to let the character pick 4 martial weapons, of any group for the cost of the one feat.

That way a Rogue could take MWP and pick up scimitar, long bow, great sword and flail... getting a collection of choice weapons. That would far more in line with the cost of a feat slot, and it would help in the fight against the drive to make martial characters endlessly specialize, rather than become more versatile.


Xum wrote:

Like Weapon focus, improved critical, weapon specialization and such. It doesn't hurt the game, and u won't be remembered as "Ohh the Greatsword only fighter"

What's your motivation to switch from your greatsword to something else, though?

I could maybe -- maybe -- see a character switching from one polearm to another, I suppose (some have reach, some can trip, some can be braced, etc.). But not really from one two-handed sword to another.

EDIT: Mok's idea of having MWP give you several proficiencies of your choice has some merit.


Drejk wrote:
I plan to add such houserule to my game myself. Also, I am thining about changing Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization to work for weapon groups as well.

The best part about that, is that you would actually start to see fighters with 2 weapon fighting using a one handed and a smaller weapon. I miss those days ...

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