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Hi guys and girls!
This may sound the most irrelevant and/or stupid question ever asked:
What does weapon familiarity mean?
So, here is the scenario: I have a halfling rogue so his weapon familiarity because of race is "proficient with slings" and his weapon proficiency as rogue is "simple weapons + hand crossbow, rapier, sap, shortbow, and short sword".
So where does the weapon familiarity come into play? Proficiency through class is simple to understand and basically I can use those weapons and for example the Finesse feature in Rapier. But does the familiarity with slings give me some bonuses to attack throws if I use a slingshot? Like +1 or something?
It's the same with Dwarves. They have familiarity with battleaxes, heavy picks, and warhammers. I kind of understand why those weapons but I don't understand how it affects if I have a Dwarf Barbarian who uses a warhammer.
So, if someone can clear this thing, it would be most awesome.
I am coming to these tabletop games from Noobtown so I need to read and re-read so much to "get it" in the first place. Most of the stuff I understand when I reference various sources and combine the things I have learned but sometimes these weird questions arise.
Thanks,
- Henkka
Weapon Familiarity means it is treated as martial weapons. If your in a class such as fighter or paladin that gives proficiency with all martial weapons, then you're proficient with those.
Well, the general bit with them is to give various races proficiency with some weapons that have been historically linked to the races (i.e. war hammer, picks and axes with dwarves) regardless of class. This means that any dwarf, regardless of class will have proficiency with those 3 weapons. So, a dwarf cleric, monk, or wizard can use a battle axe without an issue, whereas a human with those classes would need to spend a feat to gain the use of them.
Also, most of them have some sort of racially named weapon (i.e. dwarven war axe) that is normally an exotic weapon. The race can use weapons that are racially named as a martial weapon. This means that dwarf barbarian not only gets access to the battle axe, war hammer, and pick, they can also use the dwarven war axe as well because they are proficient in all martial weapons.
Hope this helps a little.
Snigg
Sniggvert mentions two different things, and only one of them applies to halflings. Dwarves treat dwarven war axes as martial weapons, just like halflings treat staff slings as martial weapons. That means that dwarf fighters (or dwarves of any other class that gives proficiency in all martial weapons) can use war axes without taking the exotic weapon feat just like a halfling proficient in all martial weapons can use a staff sling without the exotic weapon proficiency. However, a dwarven rogue [b]still needs a feat to use the war axe without penalty, just like the halfling rogue would need a feat to avoid a penalty with the staff sling.
The other thing he talks about is all dwarves being proficient in battle axes and warhammers, so even a dwarven wizard can pick up a warhammer and use it. Halflings don't have any ability that works like that.
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A Sling Staff is a separate weapon than the Sling. Halflings have proficiency in the weapon "sling," they have familiarity with the weapon "Halfling sling staff" that makes it martial, instead of exotic, for them.
A Halfling Rogue needs to take Martial Weapon Proficiency (Halfling Sling Staff) to use that weapon.
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A Halfling Rogue needs to take Martial Weapon Proficiency (Halfling Sling Staff) to use that weapon.
You'd know this, but in case anyone else is unsure - anyone can try to use a halfling sling staff, but a halfling rogue needs Martial Weapon Proficiency (halfling sling staff) to avoid a -4 penalty for non-proficiency.
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I would like to know if they treat said weapons as martial weapons for all purposes.
There are a few class feature, traits, abilities and whatnot, that call out martial weapons specifically.
Would this ability allow them to use their exotic racial weapons, as if they were a martial weapon, for these purposes?
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I would like to know if they treat said weapons as martial weapons for all purposes.
There are a few class feature, traits, abilities and whatnot, that call out martial weapons specifically.
Would this ability allow them to use their exotic racial weapons, as if they were a martial weapon, for these purposes?
Weapon Familiarity: Halflings are proficient with slings and treat any weapon with the word “halfling” in its name as a martial weapon.
For class features and traits it certainly would. If you have an ability in mind that depends on something other than the character's aptitude and skill, we could look at whether the universe at large considers them martial weapons when wielded by a halfling.
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Example: Heirloom Weapon trait.
Heirloom Weapon: You carry a non-masterwork simple or martial weapon that has been passed down from generation to generation in your family
Your family are halflings, so from generation to generation they have treated the item as a martial weapon. (If you're Adopted or have Racial Heritage and your family are not halflings, you don't have the Weapon Familiarity racial trait, so the question doesn't arise.)
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Other examples:
Grenadier Alchemist archetype.
You pick one martial weapon to become proficient in the use of. You treat a halfling sling staff as a martial weapon.
Metal Oracle's Iron Weapon Revelation.
You can create a melee simple or martial weapon. A halfling sling staff is a ranged weapon that you can use as a melee weapon. If you were a dwarf, you'd treat a dwarven waraxe as a martial weapon and could create one.
Related question: Can the Adopted Trait get you your adoptive parents' Weapon Familiarity trait? By RP (Race Points for creating custom races) the cost of this compared to the cost of a Bonus Feat (scroll down to Weapon Familiarity) this should fit, but on the other hand it seems a way to get around using the Martial Weapon Proficiency Feat (although I have to say that having to use a whole Feat to get proficiency with 1 non-exotic weapon seems rather expensive, especially given that it becomes obsolete if you later gain a level in a class that has Martial Weapon proficiency).
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Related question: Can the Adopted Trait get you your adoptive parents' Weapon Familiarity trait? By RP (Race Points for creating custom races) the cost of this compared to the cost of a Bonus Feat (scroll down to Weapon Familiarity) this should fit, but on the other hand it seems a way to get around using the Martial Weapon Proficiency Feat (although I have to say that having to use a whole Feat to get proficiency with 1 non-exotic weapon seems rather expensive, especially given that it becomes obsolete if you later gain a level in a class that has Martial Weapon proficiency).
Please see the New Rules chapter of the Advanced Player's Guide for the definition of race traits. Adopted gives you a race trait, not a racial trait such as Weapon Familiarity.
Peoples front of Judea? NO! We're the Judean peoples front!
Weapon Familiarity means it is treated as martial weapons. If your in a class such as fighter or paladin that gives proficiency with all martial weapons, then you're proficient with those.Here's an example. An Elven Curve blade is an exotic weapon.
Elves have familliarity with elven weapons. The Elven wizard isn't proficient because he lacks martial weapon proficiency. Howeve his Elven sister who is a fighter is automatically proficienct because she has martial weapon profiency and has elven weapon familliarity due to her race.
This thread is old but needs to have something added to it. Only weapons with a particular name such as Elven, Halfling or Dwarven become martial. The other weapons on the list are marked as "proficient".
This is directly from the Advanced Races Guide
Weapon Familiarity (1 RP): Prerequisites: None; Benefit:
Choose up to two weapons, or one weapon and a racial
weapon group. When choosing a racial weapon group, you
must choose a group that includes the same name as one
of your subtypes. Members of this race are proficient with
those weapons. For the purposes of weapon familiarity,
all bows are considered one weapon. Special: This trait can
be taken up to two times. The second time it is taken, the
race becomes proficient with another two weapons or one
weapon and a racial weapon group.
The very odd thing is the wording of this allows you to recreate Dwarves, Elves or Halflings with this version of Weapon Familiarity and they gain their racial weapons at full proficiency instead of having to buy a secondary proficiency to get what they should already have.