Hey all,
I am creating a character concept and it revolves around the bastard sword (yes the bastard sword, I know who new right?). My race will be human and my class will be a fighter.
Anyway I want to acquire proficiency with it without having to spend a feat slot and I was hoping for some advice on how to do that.
Initial ideas are,
Trait- adoption from tengu (Leaning this way)
Older edition material- proficiency enchantment (not desired)
Potion of bestow proficiency (not desired)
Thank you for your suggestions
Well you could be a half elf and get it as a bonus feat. Or you could take the heirloom weapon trait and gain proficiency in one specific bastard sword.
Use a Sun Blade?
What Race Trait are you using with Adopted?
Well you could be a half elf and get it as a bonus feat.
Starting from Human he could have spent the bonus feat into EWP to begin with
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Alternate Racial Trait, and not Race Trait.
One is called Adoptive Parentage, and the other is called Adopted.
If you are using the alternate racial trait, you are already losing a feat.
A Cracked Opalescent White Pyramid Ioun Stone will give you Weapon Familiarity, with any one weapon, and it will cost 1500gp.
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A cracked Opalescent White Pyramid ioun stone would get you weapon familiarity for 1500 GP. As long as you are using the ioun stone, you'd treat bastard swords as martial weapons. :)
Edit: Drat, ninjaed by a second!
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Good news: a fighter is already proficient with Bastard Sword. If you use it in two hands.
Well, what is the concept, besides "Human+Fighter+Bastard Sword"?
How this can be done, can vary depending on the build.
What do you have in mind?
Pretty much the main issue.
The only two 'reasons' I can think of are 'I want to do d10+Str damage with a onehanded weapon' and 'I want to do 2d8 with a twohanded big wapon'. And both require the feat; most 'tricks' to get around it mean giving up the feat anyway, so you may as well grab it. (Especially since it covers both of these situations.)
If you want to do something that you need an extra feat for, you may need to just pick it up later. Fighter is a little more forgiving of this than, say, barbarian.
If you don't mind multi-classing, there are some classes/archetypes that will give you that proficiency. Three classes that I know off the top of my head - (1 & 2) Cleric/Warpriest that has a deity that uses a Bastard Sword as their main weapon. (3) Kensai/Magus Archetype.
Ummm.....Samurai....
Okay, actually, I take that back.
I forgot that PF katana are not the same as bastard swords like they were in 3.X.
Nevermind me, nothing to see......
If you're considering dipping then Inquisitors, Divine Tracker Rangers and Deliverer Slayers get favored weapons as well. The latter two are full BAB classes, which might make them a little more palatable for a fighter.
Some of you are asking about my build idea and I wanted avoid that because it may be a little controversial and I wanted avoid this thread turning into a rules debate on whether this is legal or not. But here it goes anyway.
Main idea, human fighter, archetype...can vary still thinking it over.
Use bastard in one hand, then in the other use an unarmed strike, with the feat improved unarmed strike, maybe put a spiked gauntlet on.
Here is the kicker, Use the bastard sword in two hands to deliver a two handed power attack with one or multiple attacks, then with two weapon feating feat release the grip as a free action to deliver an unarmed strike as a off-hand attack.
Now doing this requires a declaration of the attack so to apply the two weapon fighting penalties, but essentially using the bastard sword to make use of both two weapon and two handed attacks in one build.
It is costly so I was looking into finding loop wholes to reduce feat costs.
In the game I am in my dm has ruled this legal according to our interruption of the rules, again I'm not here to argue whether this is legitimately legal, not legal, abuse of rules, RAW, etc.
But I'm sure we will get into that discussion anyway.
More ideas are welcome and I appreciate the interest in putting this together.
In that case why do you need proficiency?
You can use a bastard sword in two hands as a martial weapon. Heck-- why not use a greatsword if your DM is letting you do that?
Speaking from a mechanical point of view, I think it is for the sake of balance. Yes I could theoretically kick and still use everything two handed but we think that may be abusing the rules. Two weapon fighting while wielding a two handed weapon has the potential to be abusive to balance, though we have not tested it yet.
There is enough of ambiguity in the rules here for this to work, but I don't want to cause any problems for my dm and fellow players.
For all it's worth why not just just pick up a longsword or a scimitar. The longsword is basically a bastard sword mechanically, except it is only 1d8 instead of a d10 but it also isn't an exotic weapon. Any one-handed weapon can be used in two hands for extra strength and power attack damage (unless the weapon specifies otherwise). A scimitar is 1d6 18-20x2 versus 1d10 19-20x2. Personally I always choose a larger crit range for weapons. The average difference between 1d10 and 1d6 is only 2 points of damage. You will easily outdo that minor difference in a few levels with power attack and strength damage, and the increased crit range (especially after improved critical) will make a world of difference. And you don't need to spend a feat on it.
If you're going to spend a feat on a weapon, spend it on a falcata. Not a bastard sword.
I am willing to roll with it since his DM is allowing it.
But that doesn't explain why a bastard sword.
Is it just a feat tax from the DM?
Why not any regular martial one or two handed weapon?
Regardless, the Heirloom trait or a 1 level dip sounds like the best options to avoid spending a feat.
On a side note, I think a style feat to use armor spikes ir unarmed strikes off hand while using a two handed weapon would be cool. Like how Shield Mastery provides an extra metaphysical hand by letting you keep your shield bonus while bashing.
You could do the same thing with a longsword, swinging it with two hands and getting a 1.5x STR damage mod. With the tactic described here, there is nothing special about using a greatsword other than the fact that it does a bit more base damage than a longsword.
Wanderer Monk automatically gives you proficiency in an Exotic Weapon, in addition to giving you Improved Unarmed Strike.
A one-level dip solves all your issues.
Wanderer Monk automatically gives you proficiency in an Exotic Weapon, in addition to giving you Improved Unarmed Strike.
A one-level dip solves all your issues.
Good find, but we might need to first make sure he is not creating an artificial issue. He wants to use a bastard sword in two hands, not one. So unless he has some other reason not yet disclosed, he definitely does not need an exotic weapon proficiency. He can do what he wants with the bastard sword with just Martial weapon proficiency.
Or we could have a discussion with the topic he actually asked about rather than something resolved in his home game by the DM
Mythic weapon training in Heavy Blade group will give you proficiency. It's only one feat, and you can apply a feat you already had from one of the weapon in that weapon group to the rest of the weapons. So if you already had weapon focus in greatsword, you now can have it for your bastard sword as well.
I've been looking at all of your posts and there is some good suggestions here.
Yes many of you are right, I could just go with a long sword or similar weapon, but I guess I'm just a sucker for those extra two points of damage haha.
Also, I've always been a fan of the bastard, would like to see it more. I will look into the wandering monk arch type sounds interesting.
but I guess I'm just a sucker for those extra two points of damage haha.
Also, I've always been a fan of the bastard, would like to see it more. I will look into the wandering monk arch type sounds interesting.
Those extra one or two point will only happen about 20% of the time, so truthfully it's not worth it since you don't seem as if you want to spend the feat. Just use a longsword until you have the free feat to spend on bastard sword. Problem solved.
Those extra one or two point will only happen about 20% of the time, so truthfully it's not worth it since you don't seem as if you want to spend the feat. Just use a longsword until you have the free feat to spend on bastard sword. Problem solved.but I guess I'm just a sucker for those extra two points of damage haha.
Also, I've always been a fan of the bastard, would like to see it more. I will look into the wandering monk arch type sounds interesting.
Pretty much this. Average d8 damage is 4.5, and d10 is 5.5 ... so on average you're only getting one point of damage more.
For each even die, as far as averages, each +/-1 point of damage is +/- 1 die type. d4+4 = d6+3 = d8+2 and so on. The jump from bastard to greatsword, by the way, is a whopping 1.5 average damage. Dice are funny that way. (And it's why greatswords and earth breakers are intrinsically better than greataxes, sadly.)
(This of course now begs the question of whether EWP Bastard Sword / Dwarven Waraxe is worth it or not even if used for standard onehanded use ... )
Just be a dwarf and use the waraxe, which is mostly the same as the bastard sword.
You lose the bonus feat but what you get is easily better than a feat.
- Darkvision
- hardy
- fey thoughts alternate racial (replaces hatred)
- Rockstepper alternate racial (replaces stonecunning)
And certainly the most important one: Weapon familiarity with the dwarven waraxe and all other weapons with dwarf in its name.