New system, racial / cultural weapon adjustments

[Java Man]

I have never really,liked the racial weapon proficiencies, kinda bugs me that every elven shopkeeper knose how to use a longsword, for example, but most englishmen do not know how to use a longbow. So the idea is this, each culture in the campaign has about three cultural weapon familiarities, and about the same number of neglected weapons. Familiar weapons are treated as one category 'easier' and neglected as one category 'harder.' The scale being automatic proficiency, simple, martial, exotic.

So typical elven might be familiar: long and short bow, curve blade, rapier. Neglected: lance, flails, battle axe, great axe.

Viking type human familiar: bastard sword, battle axe, hand axe, neglected rapier, crossbows.

Half elf and half orc would take the set for,one parent or the other.

Still sketching out the sets, trying to hit balance and flavor.

What do you think about this, fun variety for character creation, or meh extra work for what?

[UnArcaneElection]

I have been toying with a similar idea, but splitting out Weapon Familiarity/Proficiency sets on a regional basis, which would also correlate with weapon availability (you CAN bring a weapon from one region to another, but if you do, you might want to invest in Craft (Weapons) or Craft (Bows) as applicable in case something bad happens to yours).

The Military Tradition alternate racial trait for Humans and Spirit of the Waters for Elves do this a little bit, but this should be more fleshed out, and for more than just Humans and a small subset of Elves.

[SillyString]

I agree that the weapon familiarity racial traits should have all been alternate racial traits, so not every shoopkeep and beggar is proficient in swordplay.

[The Raven Black]

I like the familiar part. I do not like the neglected part :-)

[Ciaran Barnes]

It could be said that the mechanics aspect of the various races were intended primarily for PCs, and that shopkeepers don't need half of the traits. I wouldn't assume that all elven shopkeepers have longbows.

[Ventnor]

Ciaran Barnes wrote:

It could be said that the mechanics aspect of the various races were intended primarily for PCs, and that shopkeepers don't need half of the traits. I wouldn't assume that all elven shopkeepers have longbows.

They gotta stop shoplifters somehow.

[Kazaan]

Well, we already have rules elements involving changing the proficiency category of weapons, such as Elves treating elven weapons as martial. You still need martial proficiency for them, but that's easier to come by compared to EWP. Instead of granting auto-proficiency with certain martial weapons, you can step them down to simple. Commoners are only proficient with one simple weapon and certain classes are not proficient with all simple weapons so this averts the issue of all Elven commoners being trained in Longswords, Rapiers, etc. (as well as Monks, Wizards, and Druids). For the neglected category, just do the same process in reverse; neglected weapons step up in category. So, going with the original line of reasoning and using the example of Elves:

Elven Weapon Familiarity:
Treat any weapon with Elven in the name as a martial weapon.
Treat Longbows, Longswords, Rapiers, and Shortbows as simple weapons.
Treat Lances, Heavy Flails, Light Flails, Battleaxes, and Great Axes as exotic weapons.

[Java Man]

Exactly, you have spelled out my idea a bit more clearly, but this is what I am talking about. Also note that a neglected simple weapon would become martial.