Focused Weapon ex requirement confused


Advice


Hello fellow pathfinders,

I'm a newcomer as a player to pathfinder and would like senior insight on this feat from the Advanced Weapon Training for Fighter. I've done a bunch of researching for a week on fighter class features on roll20/ paizo, feats pro/com guides from 2010-2014, and scoured the forums. Unfortunately i couldn't find anybody talking more about this feat for fighter.

Focused Weapon (Ex) The fighter selects one weapon for which he has Weapon Focus and that belongs to the associated fighter weapon group. The fighter can deal damage with this weapon based on the damage of the warpriest's sacred weapon class feature, treating his fighter level as his warpriest level. The fighter must have Weapon Focus with the selected weapon in order to choose this option.

My DM tells me that i need to multi-class into a war-priest to be able to get this. Personally i have my doubts so I wish to know my senior's opinions. As that feat interests me in the ability to boost damage, also i don't see a chart for medium size weapons on war-priest's sacred weapon. ;( Don't know what that implies.

Tomorrow's the day i start my first game with my DM and 2 others.
Starting out as Lv3 Half elven Pure Fighter with weapon finesse Elven Curved Blade.
Thanks for taking the time to read this.


You don't need to multiclass into Warpriest, since Focused Weapon explicitly lets you substitute Fighter levels for Warpriest levels in the Warpriest Sacred Weapon damage progression. You won't be able to get this or any other type of Advanced Weapon Training until 5th level, however (except 4th level if you are using the Weapon Master archetype). Also, since (assuming that you are of Medium size) an Elven Curve Blade has base damage 1d10, Focused Weapon beats this only starting at level 15, so you wouldn't even want to get it until you get to be very high level. Focused Weapon (and the parent Warpriest Sacred Weapon ability) are much better for weapons that do small amounts of base damage, such as Daggers and their relatives.


Look at the Warpriest class. The chart shows you the damage his weapon does at each level: 1d6 at first level, 1d8 at fifth level, etc.

As a fighter, you can take Focused Weapon with ANY weapon that you already have Weapon Focus (different feat). So if you have Weapon Focus (elven curve blade), and you have also taken Weapon Training (heavy blades), you can take Focused Weapon (elven curve blade) as an Advanced Weapon Training class feature.

When you do, your elven curve blade now deals damage based on that Warpriest chart (instead of 1d10, it now deals whatever the chart says). For this purpose, your "warpriest" level is actually your fighter level - you don't need any levels in warpriest to do this because your fighter level counts for this ability instead.

Note: since you're already choosing a weapon that naturally does 1d10, you won't get any benefit from taking Focused Weapon until you reach 15th level, the level at which the warpriest's damage becomes 2d6. At that point you will gain an average of 1.5 damage per hit with the elven curve blade which, at 15th level, is pretty negligible. In other words, this is not a great use of Advanced Weapon Training for somebody who already does 1d10 with their weapon. Now, if your favorite weapon is a dagger (1d4), then I'm sure you'll LOVE being able to do much more damage when you gain this ability, but you won't find it very impressive with an elven curve blade.

Scarab Sages

The other posters are correct in their reading of the situation. It's not a good feat for boosting Elven Curved Blde damage. If you haven't taken Weapon Specialization yet, that's your best straight damage boost. If you already have that feat, then I think Martial Focus will stack with Weapon Training. It says it counts as Weapon Training for qualifying for feats, but the damage bonus it grants does not count as a weapon training bonus, and it is untyped, so I don't see any reason it wouldn't stack. That would be another +1. And then of course when you qualify for Greater Weapon Specialization you could take that.


i see, thanks for the explanations. i will reconsider about my weapon or feat picks, as well i just noticed the damage chart for medium was right next to saving throws. i searched below and saw only small / large. A blunder on my part. thanks for the help guys.


Oh one more thing. i doubt its allowed but want to confirm. its not possible to enchant the weapon with this feat right? i assume its only the damage boost only right?


No, this class feature does not cause your weapon to be magical. You can use it with an ordinary or masterwork or magical weapon and it has the same effect no matter what: it changes the base damage die to a different die - whatever other bonuses the weapon has remain the same with or without this class feature.


alrighty i am done talking about this feat. Thank you guys, and may others find this helpful.


DM_Blake wrote:
Now, if your favorite weapon is a dagger (1d4), then I'm sure you'll LOVE being able to do much more damage when you gain this ability, but you won't find it very impressive with an elven curve blade.

As you say, it is great with daggers. And it is oh so very sweet for a whip build. :)


Ferious Thune wrote:
... Martial Focus will stack ...

Sorry, but I'm not finding "Martial Focus." Is there another name for this?

Thanks!


Pantastic wrote:
Ferious Thune wrote:
... Martial Focus will stack ...

Sorry, but I'm not finding "Martial Focus." Is there another name for this?

Thanks!

It's a feat from the Weapon Master's Handbook.

Edit: Here it is.


Gisher wrote:

It's a feat from the Weapon Master's Handbook.

Edit: Here it is.

I haven't got the WMH yet, and I wasn't aware of Archives of Nethys. I'll add it to my resources. Thanks for the help!


Gisher wrote:
DM_Blake wrote:
Now, if your favorite weapon is a dagger (1d4), then I'm sure you'll LOVE being able to do much more damage when you gain this ability, but you won't find it very impressive with an elven curve blade.
As you say, it is great with daggers. And it is oh so very sweet for a whip build. :)

If I may add in, any weapon with a low damage die can benefit from it. One such weapon that really deserved it was Unarmed Strike, as there are not many archetypes that grant the unarmed strike progression. For instance, not even the brawler archetype for fighters grants that progression. If you're a fan of gauntlets or similar weapons, that ability will satisfy you.

I would say that Focused Weapon can benefit any weapon that can surpass its damage die. For an elven curved blade, you can consider it as a replacement for Weapon Training 3 or 4.


JiCi, this thread's been dead a couple of years and the OP stopped posting at paizo.com more than a year ago, and Gisher has apparently moved to the PF Second Edition boards exclusively. Please check dates before replying.

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