How do combination weapons work with proficiency? Can you be proficient with part of a combination weapon but not the rest?
For example, say you are a dwarven alchemist and you take Explosive Savant. If you pick up an axe musket, are you proficient with the axe part of it?
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As far as I can tell, unlike 1st ed, a Combination weapon is treated as a unique single weapon with different methods of use rather than two different weapons. You would need to be proficient in Axe Musket to use it in either mode. Being proficient in either Axe or Musket will not help with an Axe Musket.
As far as I can tell, unlike 1st ed, a Combination weapon is treated as a unique single weapon with different methods of use rather than two different weapons. You would need to be proficient in Axe Musket to use it in either mode. Being proficient in either Axe or Musket will not help with an Axe Musket.
Hmm... I don't think that idea works well. It would cause serious problems with the intent of Gunslinger Singular Expertise. And since that was created in the same book, I figure they are supposed to work well together.
And I don't see anything in the Combination trait rules that mention the weapon using the same proficiencies. Instead it makes you spend an action to switch forms of usage. So it would be easy enough to switch proficiency levels for each of the very separate forms of attack.
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There are no special rules for proficiency for combination weapons or linking their proficiency, so I disagree with the second poster.
An Axe Musket is an axe in axe form and a firearm in musket form, with all the appropriate restrictions and functionality you'd expect.
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I think the category remains the same for the whole weapon (so martial, simple, advanced, etc) but if you happen to have higher proficiency in one group than another, say you are a Gunslinger or Fighter with Axes chosen as your favoured group, you will get the boost when using that portion of the weapon as they are very clearly delineated.
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There are no special rules for proficiency for combination weapons or linking their proficiency, so I disagree with the second poster.
An Axe Musket is an axe in axe form and a firearm in musket form, with all the appropriate restrictions and functionality you'd expect.
Actually, there IS a special rule, it's all in the Combination trait. That's all we know about Combination weapons, and how they differentiate from others. They are not two weapons, they are one singular weapon that works in two different ways.
Take a look at the example already quoted - the Axe Musket
The weapon is called an Axe Musket, but it has stats for melee mode, and stats for ranged mode. If it worked the way you expected, it would probably just say 'the axe component works as a Battleaxe', but it doesn't, it lists separate stats. The Axe component is in the Axe group, and the musket component is in the firearm group. Interestingly, the melee usage does NOT list a Category - if it uses different proficiencies for each mode, how do you determine the Category for the melee component?
So, that would seem to indicate under Singular Expertise, using the weapon with the melee mode would limit your proficiency as a non-Firearm. Seems reasonable to me.
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I think the category remains the same for the whole weapon (so martial, simple, advanced, etc) but if you happen to have higher proficiency in one group than another, say you are a Gunslinger or Fighter with Axes chosen as your favoured group, you will get the boost when using that portion of the weapon as they are very clearly delineated.
I can get behind that.
Which would also answer MaxAstro's original question.
For example, say you are a dwarven alchemist and you take Explosive Savant. If you pick up an axe musket, are you proficient with the axe part of it?
No. You would only have trained proficiency with the firearm mode. Because the feat that is giving martial weapon proficiency is only applied to the firearm weapon group. Using the melee axe group attack would result in untrained proficiency.