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What does a good set of exotic weapons look like?
I'm thinking that there are three categories of weapons that can fit quite nicely in the exotic weapon space.
First, are the weapons that are strictly better than comparable martial weapons. These include the double weapons, for example, the waraxe, bastard sword, and curve blade. The falcata and meteor hammer might be going even too far here, but that can be a different debate.
Second, are the weapons that are supposed to be rare and unusual, but don't always require the spending of a feat to get them. The monk weapons are perfect examples. Yes, you can spend a feat to wield a kama, but it's not particularly useful. If you take a level of monk, though, you get the kama for free and can use your monk tricks with it, so that's a better solution. In this case, the spending of the feat acts more as a gatekeeper than a cost for an advantage; it reserves the weapon for the class without outright banning it from everyone else.
Third, are the weapons that do something very different from most weapons. The whip and the net are examples of this. In many ways, this is similar to the first category, as you can still use the weapons from the simple and martial categories, but if you want to do something different, you still can. The whip also has some second-category characteristics, too, because the bard gets it for free.
The problem then becomes any exotic weapon that doesn't fit any of these classes, like the PF spiked chain or the boomerang. Not superior to similar martial weapons, not granting a special class-specific ability, and not delivering a unique ability. I think that if these weapons can be redefined within this framework, then they will work well.
Here is a possible solution for the boomerang:
Alternate Halfling Racial Trait:
Warflinger: Some halflings, mostly from more primitive societies, specialize in thrown weapons instead of slings. This halfling is proficient in javelins and darts, and treats bolas and boomerangs as martial weapons. A thrown boomerang that misses its target returns to the thrower at the end of the round in which it is thrown, when it can be caught and wielded as a free action if the thrower has a free hand. This racial trait replaces the Weapon Familiarity racial trait.
Thoughts on the state of exotic weapons?
Weapon group feats from 3.5's Unearthed Arcana is ptetty much what you're describing. There's even weapon groups for monk weapons and druid weapons.
My roommate and I discussed this. He is really big on thematics and roleplay, so I thought he would just like the exotic weapons in general, but since some of them are indeed weaker than martial (and some, simple) weapons, he dislikes that you have to spend a feat to use a weapon weaker than what you already proficient in, just so you can fit into a character concept. This, I think, is one of those situations where realism (even for a game world) is taking precendence over sense within system.
Totally a bit of real-world realism with (I know!) absolutely no place in this game, but what the heck.
War boomerangs were not built to return, and they did not do so. Trick boomerangs return, but they aren't really effective as weapons. So, the type of boomerang you would use in a fight wouldn't come back on a missed throw. That said, I like the idea of it.
Missed boomerangs always return in my games, it follows the rule of cool, that said, anything that looks like it could have a cool function (in the exotic section) usually gets a cool function
In both the game I run, and the game I play in, we went with modified weapon groups.
1/1 BAB classes get 4 weapon groups at 1st level.
3/4 BAB classes get 2 weapon groups at 1st level.
1/2 BAB classes get 1 weapon group at 1st level.
Everyone get's simple weapons.
It gives the wizards and sorcerers a bit of a boost, and it also allows exotic weapons at 1st level without spending a feat, since you can use one of your weapon groups to buy exotic weapons group for a standard group you already have. So a Fighter might pick Blades, Light and Blades, Heavy and exotic heavy blades and exotic light blades for example.
We modified all weapons feats to be group based, so weapon focus (group), Weapon Specialization (group), Exotic Weapon Prof (Group), Weapon Prof (group)
Hunting boomerangs return. That's the point of the weapon: if you miss your bird the boomerang comes back so you don't have to find it before you can try again. I think they're mainly for birding, but it's not unreasonable to build a returning boomerang out of better materials to get something that does nonnegligible damage and returns on a miss.Totally a bit of real-world realism with (I know!) absolutely no place in this game, but what the heck.
War boomerangs were not built to return, and they did not do so. Trick boomerangs return, but they aren't really effective as weapons. So, the type of boomerang you would use in a fight wouldn't come back on a missed throw. That said, I like the idea of it.
Hunting boomerangs (throwing sticks) are curved sticks symetrical opposite the line of curvature (where returning boomerangs are asymetrical, causing the curved flight path). They are heavy and designed to fly as straight as possible in order to deliver maximum force--the curving boomerang bleeds force off as it's flight path curves--and accuracy. If you missed, you went and found the stick or made a new one, it didn't come back.
All that said, this is a game where people can nock, aim, and fire a composite longbow in a second flat, so them being able to deliver deadly force with a returning boomerang doesn't bother me too much
What you don't realize is that halflings can throw war boomerangs so that they return to them in the real world, too.
A point I readily concede. Never said that you SHOULDN'T do this. Anything to make the boomerang more viable as a weapon, as the things are brutal in the right hands, is perfectly fine by me. Whether that means giving them something cool, like returning with the exotic feat or racial proficiency, or just getting rid of the entry feat requirement is up to the table. Just saying that in the REAL world, a REAL war/hunting boomerang doesn't return.
In the REAL world, though, you can't nock and fire a composite longbow once a second from the back of a galloping horse either (nor can you conjure fireballs, teleport from here to there, read minds, use mind control, summon things into existence, etc.)