if you are proficient with a weapon do you need the feat?


Rules Questions


just what the subject says.

Wiktionary

proficient(Noun)

An expert.

if a person is proficient with a weapon type then shouldn't that cover any feat requirements?


You get weapon proficiency from the feat in most cases. The only exceptions I can think of are a few racial abilities and the weapon proficiency a divine caster gets.

Otherwise I don't understand what you are asking.


Some feats have Exotic Weapon Proficiency feat listed as a prerequisite. So the question is does having proficiency with a weapon through means other than that feat satisfy the EWP prerequisite?

Everything I have been able to find suggests it does, but it is not explicitly stated.


That would have been an interesting question, I would agree with you. However there is room for arguement


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

It seems like there is some context missing here.


Using tengu as an example, since they probably have the broadest racial weapon proficiencies: Tengu are proficient in the Falcata, Aldori Dueling Sword, Sawtooth Saber, etc. They therefore count as having the exotic weapon proficiency feats for those weapons (and every other exotic swordlike weapon) for the purposes of meeting prerequisites.

That said, a human fighter wielding a bastard sword in two hands as a martial weapon (without the feat) does not count as having exotic weapon proficiency (bastard sword).


So a tengu can get weapon focus feat in any sword type (which is what the tengu racial gives if I remember correctly) just as and elf can with bows. Or any other feat that requires having proficiency in a weapon. Yes, that works. Seems fairly obvious, did someone make a different argument?


Most pre-requisites just require that you are 'proficient' with the weapon/armour.

For example Net adept ask for "Exotic weapon proficiency:net". It doesn't care whether you have the feat, or you gained proficiency in another way, as long as you are proficient with the net as an exotic weapon then you qualify.

I can't imagine it ever being relevant, but (hypothetically) if it were possible to gain martial weapon proficiency with a net then you wouldn't qualify for Net Adept. The ability granting it would have to specify it was 'martial proficiency:net' as the assumption would be that any ability granting you net proficiency grants you exotic weapon proficiency as that is how it appears on the weapon table.


I think the question being asked is: if you're an expert shouldn't that give you all the feats tied to it?

And no.


scrapped my long post but i think i am getting close. can i take a feat and leave it open and later on make a decision on what to focus the feat on?


Cavall wrote:

I think the question being asked is: if you're an expert shouldn't that give you all the feats tied to it?

And no.

i think it was asking that you make a choice not spend a feat.


zainale wrote:

scrapped my long post but i think i am getting close. can i take a feat and leave it open and later on make a decision on what to focus the feat on?

No, this is not allowed. It would really help if you would explain the situation. What weapon are you talking about, and which feat?


zainale wrote:

scrapped my long post but i think i am getting close. can i take a feat and leave it open and later on make a decision on what to focus the feat on?

No, you have to select a feat when you gain it.

What you can do is check if your GM will let you take a placeholder feat and retrain it later.


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zainale wrote:

just what the subject says.

Wiktionary

proficient(Noun)

An expert.

if a person is proficient with a weapon type then shouldn't that cover any feat requirements?

I assume that your question is as follows:

IF the prerequisite is "Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Bohemian Earspoon", AND IF I am already proficient with the Bohemian Earspoon, but without having taken the feat,
THEN I should be able to take the feat, yes?

It certainly SHOULD work that way, and some writers and a lot of players think it DOES work that way. I don't think I've ever seen a gunslinger burn a feat on Exotic Weapon Proficiency before taking Rapid Reload, for example.


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Menacing Shade of mauve wrote:
zainale wrote:

just what the subject says.

Wiktionary

proficient(Noun)

An expert.

if a person is proficient with a weapon type then shouldn't that cover any feat requirements?

I assume that your question is as follows:

IF the prerequisite is "Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Bohemian Earspoon", AND IF I am already proficient with the Bohemian Earspoon, but without having taken the feat,
THEN I should be able to take the feat, yes?

It certainly SHOULD work that way, and some writers and a lot of players think it DOES work that way. I don't think I've ever seen a gunslinger burn a feat on Exotic Weapon Proficiency before taking Rapid Reload, for example.

Not to derail the thread here, but who would use a Bohemian Earspoon after they just released the Ukrainian Thimbletack? Doesn't the Thimbletack do everything the old Earspoon did, but better?


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Gulthor wrote:
Menacing Shade of mauve wrote:
zainale wrote:

just what the subject says.

Wiktionary

proficient(Noun)

An expert.

if a person is proficient with a weapon type then shouldn't that cover any feat requirements?

I assume that your question is as follows:

IF the prerequisite is "Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Bohemian Earspoon", AND IF I am already proficient with the Bohemian Earspoon, but without having taken the feat,
THEN I should be able to take the feat, yes?

It certainly SHOULD work that way, and some writers and a lot of players think it DOES work that way. I don't think I've ever seen a gunslinger burn a feat on Exotic Weapon Proficiency before taking Rapid Reload, for example.

Not to derail the thread here, but who would use a Bohemian Earspoon after they just released the Ukrainian Thimbletack? Doesn't the Thimbletack do everything the old Earspoon did, but better?

Kinda, but the bohemian earspoon is blunt or slashing, while the thimble tack is both piercing and bludgeoning (generally better, but you might need slashing for some reason)


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Sah wrote:
Gulthor wrote:
Menacing Shade of mauve wrote:
zainale wrote:

just what the subject says.

Wiktionary

proficient(Noun)

An expert.

if a person is proficient with a weapon type then shouldn't that cover any feat requirements?

I assume that your question is as follows:

IF the prerequisite is "Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Bohemian Earspoon", AND IF I am already proficient with the Bohemian Earspoon, but without having taken the feat,
THEN I should be able to take the feat, yes?

It certainly SHOULD work that way, and some writers and a lot of players think it DOES work that way. I don't think I've ever seen a gunslinger burn a feat on Exotic Weapon Proficiency before taking Rapid Reload, for example.

Not to derail the thread here, but who would use a Bohemian Earspoon after they just released the Ukrainian Thimbletack? Doesn't the Thimbletack do everything the old Earspoon did, but better?
Kinda, but the bohemian earspoon is blunt or slashing, while the thimble tack is both piercing and bludgeoning (generally better, but you might need slashing for some reason)

But there's practically no feat support for the Thimbletack, and there's something immensely satisfying about the Earspoon fluff that the Thimbletack does not have. Although the Earspoon does have better damage dice.


zainale wrote:

scrapped my long post but i think i am getting close. can i take a feat and leave it open and later on make a decision on what to focus the feat on?

It would probably help if you told us exactly what you're trying to do.


My Self wrote:
Sah wrote:
Gulthor wrote:
Menacing Shade of mauve wrote:
zainale wrote:

just what the subject says.

Wiktionary

proficient(Noun)

An expert.

if a person is proficient with a weapon type then shouldn't that cover any feat requirements?

I assume that your question is as follows:

IF the prerequisite is "Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Bohemian Earspoon", AND IF I am already proficient with the Bohemian Earspoon, but without having taken the feat,
THEN I should be able to take the feat, yes?

It certainly SHOULD work that way, and some writers and a lot of players think it DOES work that way. I don't think I've ever seen a gunslinger burn a feat on Exotic Weapon Proficiency before taking Rapid Reload, for example.

Not to derail the thread here, but who would use a Bohemian Earspoon after they just released the Ukrainian Thimbletack? Doesn't the Thimbletack do everything the old Earspoon did, but better?
Kinda, but the bohemian earspoon is blunt or slashing, while the thimble tack is both piercing and bludgeoning (generally better, but you might need slashing for some reason)
But there's practically no feat support for the Thimbletack, and there's something immensely satisfying about the Earspoon fluff that the Thimbletack does not have. Although the Earspoon does have better damage dice.

wow best nonsence set of posts ever and oddly to my sleep deprived mind it makes complete sense.


i did a quick look about and i could not find anywhere that said you had to take a feat the moment the feat slot is available. please show me where that is?

Menacing Shade of mauve thank you for the answer.

i do not have to take a proficiency feat to use the feat.

i blame ADHD as well. and sleep.

Liberty's Edge

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Advancing Your Character wrote:
When adding new levels of an existing class or adding levels of a new class (see Multiclassing, below), make sure to take the following steps in order. First, select your new class level. You must be able to qualify for this level before any of the following adjustments are made. Second, apply any ability score increases due to gaining a level. Third, integrate all of the level's class abilities and then roll for additional hit points. Finally, add new skills and feats. For more information on when you gain new feats and ability score increases, see Table: Character Advancement and Level-Dependent Bonuses.

So you add the new feat when you gain a level that provides a feat. This is found at the start of the classes chapter in the CRB, or here.


No, you cannot start the game as an Elven Wizard and save your 1st level Feat until Second Level and become a Figher and take Power Attack and Weapon Focus Elven Curved Blade, now that you meet the pre-reqs.

You have to "spend" feats as you gain them. This is explicitly called out in a few places, but I am not going to hunt them down for you tonight. Deighton Thrane has the base rule posted above. But clarifications have been made over the years.


But with the retraining rules from Ultimate Campaign, I think you can end up with the same result anyway.


Anytime somebody is repeatedly asked to explain his situation specifically so the forumites can help, and consistently ignores the request, and then finally just decides he is right, I know he is basically wrong.

About everything.


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

RAW no, you must have the feat itself. RAI, nobody plays it that way, not even the game designers.


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Also, pure RAW, if something calls for "proficient with x" (e.g. Dervish Dance), the weapon and shield proficiency feats aren't enough - they do not actually give you proficiency, they just remove the penalties for lack of proficiency. Even worse are the armor proficiency feats, because those don't do anything - they state what happens when you are proficient with armor, but don't actually provide this proficiency.*

Of course, no GM ruling it that way survived the Great Player Outrage of '99 where hundreds of angry players stoned their GMs to death with D12s.

*:
Armor Proficiency, Light wrote:
Benefit: When you wear a type of armor with which you are proficient, the armor check penalty for that armor applies only to Dexterity- and Strength-based skill checks.

- thanks for repeating what the rules say, but how about something like "you are proficient with light armor"?

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