As the title. What are the ways to get proficiency in a Whip besides an Exotic Weapon Proficiency feat?
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Medium with the champion spirit could do it- they get proficiency with a free exotic weapon. Their spirit bonus is enough to make them hit like a full BAB class too.
Half orcs with the city raised or beast master traits work as well.
cleric worshiper of Calista
1/2 elf art
kensi magus
there is a swashbuckler AT
bard (i think)
Be adopted by half-orcs and get some experience as a Caravan Drover, then take a level of a class that grants martial weapon proficiency.
Also…
Warpriest with an appropriate deity
Mysterious Avenger Swashbuckler
Natural Philosopher Investigator (new from Ultimate Wilderness)
Half-orcs have an alternate racial trait that gives whip and longsword Proficiency instead of their normal ones.
It's the City-Raised Alternate Racial Trait. They also have the Beastmaster Alternate Racial Trait which lets them treat whips as Martial Weapons.
Hangman vigilante archetype.
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So far we have this…
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Classes and Archetypes
- Cleric with particular deities
- Bard and most Bard archetypes
- Cavalier (Huntmaster archetype)
- Cavalier (Spellscar Drifter archetype)
- Cavalier (Order of the Whip)
- Fighter (Calistrian Hunter archetype)
- Fighter (Warlord archetype)
- Inquisitor with particular deities
- Investigator (Natural Philosopher archetype)
- Magus (Kensai archetype)
- Mesmerist and most Mesmerist archetypes
- Ranger (Jungle Lord archetype)
- Slayer (Deliverer archetype with particular deities)
- Swashbuckler (Mysterious Avenger archetype)
- Vigilante (Hangman archetype)
- Vigilante (Zealot archetype with particular deities)
- Warpriest with particular deities
Prestige Classes
- Evangelist with particular deities
Alternate Racial Traits
- Half-Elf (Ancestral Arms)
- Half-Orc (City-Raised)
- Half-Orc (Beastmaster - treat as martial)
- Human (Military Tradition - for particular cultures)
Traits
- Caravan Drover (Half-Orc Race - treat as martial)
- Heirloom Weapon (Equipment - one specific whip)
Magic Items
- Opalescent White Pyramid Ioun Stone
- Cracked Opalescent White Pyramid Ioun Stone (treat as martial)
- Training Weapon Special Ability
You can duplicate the "Cleric with particular deities" entry for the Inquisitor and Warpriest classes and for the Evangelist prestige class.
The Ancestral Arms alternate racial trait for Half-Elves can give you Exotic Weapon Proficiency as a bonus feat (mentioned only because it is not a freely chosen feat as the human bonus feat is).
Other classes proficient with the whip include the Mesmerist.
Ancestral Weapon trait (one specific whip)
Opalescent White Pyramid Ioun Stone
Cracked Opalescent White Pyramid Ioun Stone+Martial Weapons Proficiency.
Whip of Vengeance Talent
Training weapon property.Are we counting effects that generate weapons which function as a whip and say you are proficient with it?
Whip of Spiders/Ants/Centipedes
Ghost Whipedit: mistakenly had a TPP item. Removed it.
Add Inquisitor, Deliverer Slayer, and Zealot Vigilantee plus Evangelist and Divine Scion PRC to those that get it with the right deity.
I don't believe that the Whip of Vengeance Talent or Divine Scion grant whip proficiency.
Hmmmm...based on all of these options, I think I'm going to go with the Heirloom Weapon trait option. Sure, it's only one weapon, but based on how the whip comes to be, it makes the most sense thematically.
I was mostly hoping for a basic trait that was "Treat Whips as a Martial Weapon," and not have it be race-specific, but Heirloom Weapon is the closest I get with that.
I appreciate the references anyway, as they may be useful if I want to change direction in how I design this DMPC.
The Ancestral Weapon trait should be replaced with Heirloom Weapon. Ancestral Weapon requires proficiency for its benefits, it does not grant it.
Why can't I just select both (which is again, thematically appropriate for the DMPC) and get both effects at once?
I was mostly hoping for a basic trait that was "Treat Whips as a Martial Weapon," and not have it be race-specific, but Heirloom Weapon is the closest I get with that.
Does Adopted+Caravan Drover not work for your backstory?
There is nothing stopping you from doing that, as the traits are in different categories. I was just pointing out that Heirloom Weapon can meet your goal of gaining whip proficiency while Ancestral Weapon can't. Obviously you have other goals for this character beyond proficiency with whips.
For Ancestral Weapon, though, your character does have to be a Numerian with a silver or cold iron whip.
And I personally dislike traits like Heirloom Weapon that tie you to a specific weapon (not weapon type but individual weapon).
I was mostly hoping for a basic trait that was "Treat Whips as a Martial Weapon," and not have it be race-specific, but Heirloom Weapon is the closest I get with that.Does Adopted+Caravan Drover not work for your backstory?
With the sort of character and his estimated backstory (he is a descendant from a clan of legendary vampire hunters and undead slayers who has been tasked with defeating a vampire lord who has risen and begun terrorizing the world), being linked to Orcs wouldn't make much sense for him.
Whereas having a weapon that has been passed down to him through his birthright that has been used in the past to defeat vampires, as well as other undead and vile creatures, going the two traits that have been suggested (which, after double-checking, turns out they both stack), would be much more appropriate for him.
Only an opinion, but if you are giving up two traits, take the feat instead...Way to many really great feats out there...
If you cast instant weapon, you gain proficiency with it for the spell duration (minutes).
Only an opinion, but if you are giving up two traits, take the feat instead...Way to many really great feats out there...
To be fair, I was going to take the feat if there wasn't an easier/better way to get proficiency. Also, I think you mean traits; it doesn't make sense to spend a feat with you saying that there are plenty of great feats out there. Also, Additional Traits is a thing, and I'd rather spend a feat on that then on, well, proficiency.
Even despite that, I'm technically only giving up one trait for proficiency with that specific whip. The other trait gives me an extra +1 to hit with the whip that I start with, which is basically Weapon Focus that stacks with Weapon Focus. That's not including the factor that it's a Masterwork Weapon made out of a special material, no less, which gives me another frontloaded +1 to hit. On top of that, the flavor of the second trait fits perfectly with the character the DMPC will be emulating.
Kitsune Oracle favored class bonus. It takes 4 levels though.
For Ancestral Weapon, though, your character does have to be a Numerian with a silver or cold iron whip.
Luckily there are metal whips floating around. [Stinging whip]
For Ancestral Weapon, though, your character does have to be a Numerian with a silver or cold iron whip.Luckily there are metal whips floating around. [Stinging whip]
Pretty much, though I fear that is a result of specific magic items breaking the rules. Looking at the Game Mastery guide, it says that Whips don't have any material that they can use for special materials, which means Cold Iron and Silver is technically off the table.
That isn't to say that I can't have the whip be made of those materials for the handle, for example. But that also means I can't use it to bypass DR, and I wouldn't get the added attack bonus for it.
Of course, there are whip variants that are metallic-based, such as the Nine-section whip whose tail-end is a giant metal spike (which can be flavored as a spiked ball), as well as possibly the Scorpion Whip (which has blades and spikes at its tail-end).
The problem with those is that I don't get the maneuverability of a standard whip with them without further investment, which is problematic for how I want to build the DMPC, having reach as one of the most essential qualities of his mechanics.
Hmmmm....this is a pickle indeed.
Darksol the Painbringer: Stinging Whip isn't a magic item though but Channel Foci. "An unactivated focus is completely nonmagical—it is a channel for the magical positive or negative energy, but has no magic of its own."
The "completely nonmagical" Stinging whip "is made from braids of metallic wire." I can't see any reason it to deny it the ability to use special material metals.
Interesting. I suppose metal whips are possible, then. Crisis averted.
I'm honestly quite interested in how having proficiency via Heirloom Weapon would work with feats that require proficiency in that weapon; after all, whips aren't something that are very functional by themselves, and require feats to make them function, which require proficiency in the weapon.
Can I take those feats (and they would only apply to that specific whip), or would I have to burn a feat for proper proficiency in order to get those supplementary feats?
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I don’t think Heirloom Weapon works. “You carry a non-masterwork simple or martial weapon that has been passed down from generation to generation in your family.” So unless you’re already treating it as a Martial Weapon, you can’t select it for the trait. I think that was an errata at some point, but it happened a long time ago. I’m also not sure if it would count for prereqs for things like Whip Mastery.
Do you have a class in mind for the character?
Did someone mention the Human alternate racial trait (Martial Tradition, I think it is). It replaces the bonus feat, but gives you EWP with two weapons, and lets you get it on a 3/4 BAB class at 1st level.
Doh. Good catch on that.
As far as the class, I'm debating between Warpriest and Inquisitor. (Archetypes pending.)
Inquisitor has a lot of skill points, is very self-sufficient (which is basically a must for a vampire slayer), and has a lot of abilities that can make him perfect for a DMPC that supports the party in areas that they lack.
Warpriest doesn't have the skill points, but it does get Weapon Focus for free at 1st level, has the damage dice progression, and can be a martial powerhouse. Also, the Bonus Feats which let me circumvent most BAB requirements and Fighter level requirements for certain feats as well.
Also, before we question why I don't just worship Calistria to get proficiency that way, the setting is in a Medieval Gothic time period with a monotheistic pantheon, i.e. Christianity, which means the odds of that god's favored weapon being a whip is basically nil. So, no getting proficiency that way.
Looking up the racial trait you suggested, it is Military Tradition, which does as you say. And to be honest, I'd much rather go that route if I'm required to spend a feat for proficiency, since I can get a Metal Scorpion Whip with Reach, while benefitting from Ancestral Weapon to make it a Silver Scorpion Whip and get an extra +1 to hit, as well as make it Masterwork, shoring up the lack of a full BAB starting out.
I can even Finesse the Scorpion Whip because it's listed as a Light weapon, meaning I could take Slashing Grace with it if I really wanted to. But between Slashing Grace, and the Improved Whip Mastery feat, it will be hard to fit all of that in there, especially as a 3/4 BAB class.
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With Martial Tradition, you could have EWP Whip and Scorpion Whip to use the Scorpion Whip like a (lethal) normal Whip. That may be what you were saying.
Yeah, my other suggestion was going to be worshipping Matravash (if you don’t want the character to worship Calistria), but that’s not an option for your setting.