The trained in exotic doesn't do anything for a normal fighter (maybe for a multiclass). It does give the crit specialization effect though which you don't otherwise get until lvl 13.
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Choose an exotic weapon when you gain this feat. You gain trained proficiency with that exotic weapon and access to its critical specialization effects as if it were a martial weapon in its weapon group
From what I'm reading the "as if it were a martial weapon in its weapon group" part applies to both the proficiency and the critical specialization.
With Weapon Mastery, you gain the critical specialization for all simple and martial weapons in the group but not exotic weapons. Your proficiency is also at a lesser proficiency for exotic weapons in that group compared to simple/martial weapons.
With Exotic Weapon Training, my interpretation is that you choose 1 exotic weapon, and consider it as a martial weapon from now on. This comes with the critical specialization + an improved proficiency.
Ohh that sounds a lot better (or +1 better at least) I hope that's actually it.
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That may be the intention, but it doesn't exactly parse that way. As written, it states that you get the following with one exotic weapon: 1) trained proficiency and 2) access to critical specialization effects. You get access to these as though the weapon you chose was a martial weapon in its weapon group, but that doesn't mean too much because it doesn't say you can otherwise treat the weapon as a martial weapon.
There are no Common Exotic weapons, so does it also grant access to those weapons?
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That may be the intention, but it doesn't exactly parse that way. As written, it states that you get the following with one exotic weapon: 1) trained proficiency and 2) access to critical specialization effects. You get access to these as though the weapon you chose was a martial weapon in its weapon group, but that doesn't mean too much because it doesn't say you can otherwise treat the weapon as a martial weapon.
Well, I think my interpretation makes more sense since otherwise the feat is rendered useless at 13th level by the class features Weapon Specialization which gives you access to Critical Specialization for exotic weapons in your selected weapon group.
In fact the first paragraph of Weapon Specialization has the same kind of parsing:
Your proficiency rank for all simple and martial weapons increases to master, and you gain access to the critical specialization effects of all weapon groups (see page 183). Your proficiency rank for all exotic weapons increases to expert.
You can choose one weapon group and increase your proficiency rank to legendary for all simple and martial weapons in that weapon group, and to master for all exotic weapons in that weapon group. You gain the critical specialization effects of all weapons in that weapon group.
I do agree that these abilities seems to have issues with how they are being written but if you take a closer look, I think it is easy to understand the intent.
The first bolded part of weapon specialization seems to say that you get critical specialization effects for all weapons groups, these weapon can be simple, martial and exotic.
But if you take a look at the last sentence, you can understand that the first paragraph probably only concerns simple and martial weapons, while the second paragraph gives you access to the critical specialization effects on exotic weapons of your chosen group.
Since I do believe that the designers wouldn't put a feat with no value after lvl13, I think that the only remaining explanation is that the Exotic Weapon Training gives access to an increased proficiency and early access to the critical specialization effect on a single exotic weapon.
I would back this interpretation with the first paragraph of weapon specialization which suffers from the same parsing as exotic weapon training, where you are not sure if everything after the "and" is apart from the first part.
I would propose that the Exotic Weapon Training would be rewritten this way:
Choose one exotic weapon. You consider this weapon as a martial weapon of the same group for all other feats and features. You also gain access to the critical specialization effect for that weapon.
Edit: Honestly, Exotic weapons should just go away and be replaced with uncommon or rare weapons that belong to the simple or martial list. What makes a weapon Exotic is that it is uncommon...
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Edit: Honestly, Exotic weapons should just go away and be replaced with uncommon or rare weapons that belong to the simple or martial list. What makes a weapon Exotic is that it is uncommon...
I absolutely agree with this.
That said, there might be ways to have both ways of doing things: I remember reading Kirth's Pathfinder houserule document where there were no exotic weapons, but there was exotic proficiency in all weapons, representing greater or unique training. This allowed one character to pick up a straight sword and swing it normally while allowing a character with exotic straight sword proficiency to use their dexterity modifier for their attack rolls.
They split it up though what makes a weapon exotic is that it has more features than a martial weapon and is therefore 'better' it is separate from rarity in this edition.