Thoughts on weapon mastery
by paladinnSo on the issue of weapon mastery.. One of the things that I Don't like about it is that characters who use WM are no longer proficient in all the weapons of their class. This is particularly onerous for fighters, for whom weapons are pretty much all they have. I've read opinions of those who don't like the limitation this places on fighters; I am one. If a fighter finds a magic weapon that's not one of their chosen relative-few, too bad.
So the question is, how/can fighters keep their "use-any-weapon" core feature and still make use of WM? With BTB WM, a fighter would be proficient with 4 weapons at L1, and gain another "slot" at L3,6,9,11,15,19,23,27,30,33 and 36. BTB you can't gain WM at L1 (I think?). But all totaled, a fighter would have 15 slots. That's enough to have 3 weapons at Grandmaster rank, or a whole slew at lower ranks.
Is it too much to allow access to All weapons and give WM ranks at some or all of those levels? If so, what would be a more reasonable "spread"?
I don't think all fighters should have to look the same. There's a big difference between Conan, Lancelot and Robin Hood. So WM is definitely not all bad, even if it is a bit complex. I like the idea of letting a fighter choose weapons to specialize. At the same time, "Basic" proficiency has always been a defining feature of a fighter. Conan finds a spear, sword, axe, etc. and just uses it.
So here's what I'm pondering:
1. All fighters get the RAW Basic proficiency with all weapons.
2. At L1, give them exactly 1 WM slot, so they get the Skilled rank for that one weapon.
3. Every x levels, they get 1 more WM slot, for a new weapon or to enhance an existing WM weapon. (not sure what X should be)
4. Other classes also get Basic proficiency with all their classes' allowed weapons.
5. Thieves are allowed WM, but not at L1 and less frequently than fighters. (not sure how often)
6. Clerics are allowed 1 WM slot for their deities' preferred weapon. No more.
7. With allowing the Basic rank for everything, maybe the to-hit progression should be reduced to the +1,2,4,6 rather than the +2,4,6,8?
Thoughts? I'm trying to beef up the fighter and make WM more accessible without a complete rewrite.