"If you aren't proficient in Weapons, difficulty for this check is increased by 4"

[fuzzyfoot88]

What exactly does this apply to? Does it apply to acquiring the item? Or does it apply to the combat check you are making. If the latter does that mean when a character uses this weapon and they aren't proficient, do they begin combat with a -4?

[csouth154]

It applies when playing the weapon, not acquiring it.

[Hawkmoon269]

Technically, the don't begin at -4, the difficulty on the bane gets 4 added to it. So a bane with a combat check of 10 you would treat as 14.

[Andrew K]

Hawkmoon makes an important distinction, as some cards can only be used on banes above or below a certain difficulty.

[fuzzyfoot88]

Ok, that actually makes more sense when you apply it to the bane as such.