Noobie question about proficiancys

[Triston]

Do they provide a bonus, I couldnt find it in the book. What is the benifit of being proficient with a weapon? Or armor for that matter.

[A Man In Black]

They prevent you from suffering the non-proficiency penalty. Using a weapon you aren't proficient with gives you a -4 penalty to hit.

A character who wears armor and/or uses a shield with which he is not proficient takes the armor's (and/or shield's) armor check penalty on attack rolls as well as on all Dex- and Str-based ability and skill checks. The penalty for non-proficiency with armor stacks with the penalty for shields.

[Allia Thren]

If you aren't proficient with a weapon you take a -4 penalty to all attacks you do with that weapon (and some feats you can't take for that weapon).
Not being proficient with armor means you take the Armor Check Penalty also on attack rolls, saves and a few other things.

So usually its bad to not be proficient in the equipment you use.

Edit: damnit, ninja'd by 6 seconds.

[Stynkk]

Hey there!

So, the benefit of having proficiencies with armor/weapons is that you won't take a penalty.

For example, if I had a Longsword and I didn't have Martial Weapon Proficiency then I would take -4 to all my attack rolls for not being proficient.

With Proficiency, I don't take any penalties.

With Armor, its a little different, but you'd get penalties to all your skills as well as your attack rolls.

[SunsetPsychosis]

I sense a 4th Edition player. No, Pathfinder doesn't directly have a 'proficiency bonus' to attack rolls with a weapon. Rather, being proficient means that you don't take a non-proficiency penalty.

[Starbuck_II]

Triston wrote:

Do they provide a bonus, I couldnt find it in the book. What is the benifit of being proficient with a weapon? Or armor for that matter.

In Pathfinder, you need proficiencies to ignore the penalty for not being proficient.

If you ever tried 4th edition, it is the opposite.

[Starglim]

Some (typically exotic) weapons, such as the bastard sword, also have particular abilities for a proficient wielder.