2e Weapon Proficiencies List

This page lists various Weapon Proficiencies used in Neal's Campaigns, as taken from the 2nd Edition D&D Books. Not all of these rules have been allowed in all Koibu campaigns.

### Classes & Proficiency Slots

 Ranger
 Paladin

**How to Read Table 34:**

* "Initial" is how may "Proficiency Slots" you get at character creation.
* "#Levels" is how often you get another Proficiency Slot.
* "Penalty" is the penalty to using a weapon you don't know how to use. For Fighters using a weapon foreign to them, they get a -2 modifier on their roll to hit. For a wizard a foreign weapon would be -5 modifier to their roll to it.

## Proficiency

When created, a character is allotted Weapon Proficiency Slots based on the their class. These initial slots must be filled immediately, before the character embarks on their first adventure. Any slots that aren't filled by then are lost.

Multi-classed characters gain Weapon Proficiency Slots based on which of their classes is allotted the most.

**Player's Handbook:** All characters may apply their bonus language slots for high Intelligence Scores to any kind of Non-Weapon proficiency.

**Player's Option: Combat & Tactics:** Warrior classes may apply their bonus language slots for high Intelligence Scores to any kind of Weapon Proficiency. Characters of any other type can only use these extra Proficiency Slots to learn Non-Weapon Proficiencies.

Demihuman characters who are allowed to learn extra languages still have to spend slots learning these tongues before spending any on Proficiencies.

### The Basics

**Weapon Proficiency Slots can be spent on:**

* *Player's Handbook:*
	+ Weapon Proficiency: Characters suffer no hit penalty when using a proficient weapon.
	+ Weapon Specialization: Fighters can specialize in a weapon for bonuses to hit, damage, and attack rate.
* *Player's Option: Combat & Tactics:*
	+ Weapon Expertise: Rangers, Paladins, and Multi-Classed Fighters can gain expertise to gain a specialist's attack rate.
	+ Weapon Mastery: Fighters can master a weapon for higher bonuses to hit and damage.
	+ Weapon High Mastery: Fighters can master a weapon for higher bonuses to hit and damage.
	+ Weapon Grand Mastery: Fighters can master a weapon for higher bonuses to hit and damage.
	+ Shield Proficiency: Higher AC bonuses with shields.
	+ Armor Proficiency: Halve the weight of the worn armor.
	+ Unarmed Combat Styles
	+ Weapon Groups, Attack Maneuvers, Special Talents, Fighting Styles

### Weapon Proficiency

A character can become proficient in a specific weapon for 1 Weapon Proficiency Slot.

* 2-Neal: Bows Proficiency costs 2 Weapon Proficiency Slots.
* 2-Neal: Crossbows do not require a Proficiency Slots. Everyone is proficient at baseline with little effort.
* 2-Neal: Ambidexterity can be purchased for 1 Proficiency Slot by Warriors and Rogues.

Weapon Proficiency doesn't grant any bonuses, but lacking Weapon Proficiency confers a penalty to the chance to hit. The penalty differs between classes (listed under Penalty in Table 34 above).

Non-proficient weapons that are similar to a learned Weapon Proficiency confer a half-penalty (rounded up). (Example: A wizard with a Bardiche Proficiency would have a -3 penalty with a Halberd instead of -5.)

### Weapon Specialization

Fighters (not multi-classed) can spend a Weapon Proficiency Slot on a weapon they have Proficiency with to gain Weapon Specialization with it.

* Melee weapon specialists gain:
	+ +1 bonus to all their attack rolls with that weapon
	+ +2 bonus to all damage rolls (in addition to bonuses for Strength and magic)
* Bow and Crossbow specialists gain:
	+ +1 bonus to hit at any range (normal range penalties still apply, of course)
	+ an increased rate of fire
	+ an additional range category: Point-Blank
		- Bows: within 30 feet
		- Crossbows: within 60 feet
		- +2 to point-blank damage rolls
	+ Furthermore, if the character has an arrow nocked and drawn, or a bolt loaded and cocked, and has their target in sight, they can fire at the beginning of the round before any initiative rolls are made.

Fighters with Weapon Specialization also gain extra attacks earlier than those without. Bow specialists do not gain any additional attacks per round.

### Weapon Expertise

Rangers, Paladins, and Multi-Classed Fighters can spend a Weapon Proficiency Slot on a weapon they have Proficiency with to gain Weapon Expertise with it. Weapon Expertise allows a character to gain extra attacks as if a weapon specialist (as seen in Table 35 above). Weapon Expertise does not confer extra attack or damage bonuses.

### Weapon of Choice

A character can designate a specific weapon as their favorite. They must be proficient with that weapon already, and even if the proficiency they possesses applies to an entire tight or broad group, the weapon of choice must be designated.

Characters of all classes can designate a weapon of choice. Rogues, priests, and warriors can do so for a cost of 1 weapon slot. Wizards must spend 2 weapon slots to gain a weapon of choice.

A player can declare a weapon of choice when they first creates a character, or at any point thereafter-as long as they have the weapon slots. They should receive some training or extensive practice from a warrior who is proficient in the same weapon and has a higher experience level than the trainee. Alternately, any character can train someone if they possess a higher level of weapon mastery (weapon expertise or better) with that weapon.

A character receives a +1 bonus on all attack rolls when using their weapon of choice.

### Weapon Mastery

If a Fighter (level 5 minimum) spends another weapon proficiency slot on a melee weapon he already specializes in, they become a master with the weapon.

* Melee weapon master gain Attack and damage bonuses increase to +3 and +3, respectively (in addition to bonuses for Strength and magic).
* Bows and crossbows masters point-blank bonuses increase to +3/+3 as with melee weapons, and they gains an additional +1 to hit at all other range categories, for a total of +2.
	+ (Remember, this bonus doesn't take range modifiers into account, so the archer has a total of +2 at short, +0 at medium, and –3 at long range, if the penalties are factored in.)

### High Weapon Mastery

If a Weapon Master Fighter (level 6 minimum) spends another Proficiency Slot on a weapon they already have Mastery with, they become a High Master with the weapon.

* Their chosen weapon's speed increases by 3.
* High Masters also score critical hits on rolls of 16 or higher rather than 18 that hit their opponent by a margin of 5 or more.
* High Masters who specialize in bows, crossbows, slings, or firearms gain a new range category: extreme range.
	+ For all weapons, extreme range is 1/3 farther than long range.
	+ *For example, if a weapon has a normal maximum range of 18 squares, in the hands of a master it can shoot 24 (1/3x18=6, 18+6=24) squares.*
	+ Extreme range shots have a –10 penalty to hit before adjustments are made for the effects of mastery.

### Grand Weapon Mastery

If a High Weapon Master Fighter spends another Proficiency Slot on a weapon they already have High Mastery with, they become a Grand Master with the weapon.

* Gain one additional attack per round above and beyond a specialist's rate of attacks for their level.
	+ *Example: 12th-level melee weapon grand master would attack 3 times per round with his weapon of choice.*
* Increase the amount of damage and the chance of a knockdown when they employ their chosen weapon. The weapon's base damage die and knockdown die are increased to the next greater die size against all opponents.
	+ *Example: A long sword thus inflicts 1d10/1d20 points of damage in the hands of a grand master, and its knockdown die is increased to a d10.*
* If the weapon causes multiple dice of damage, all of them are increased.
	+ *Example: A two-handed sword in the hands of a grand master inflicts 3d8 points of damage on large targets.*

### Shield Proficiency

Characters can become more skilled in the use of their shield by spending a Weapon Proficiency. The extra protection conferred by the shield varies by the type of shield:

Shield Proficiency
 Small
 Medium
 Body

The number of attackers is the maximum number of times the shield bonus can be used in a single round by the character. Shields are normally only used against enemies in the character's front spaces or in the flank spaces on the character's shield side.

### Armor Proficiency

Characters can spend time and effort learning how to use their armor more efficiently. While this doesn't provide a bonus to Armor Class, it can help to offset the hefty encumbrance penalties of heavy armor. A character who spends a weapon proficiency slot becoming acquainted with a type of armor gains the special benefit of only suffering one-half the normal encumbrance of that armor.

*For example, chain mail normally weighs 40 pounds, but a character with a proficiency in chain mail only has to count 20 of this towards his encumbrance level. This represents the character’s training in wearing the armor just the right way and his practice in moving around while wearing 30 or 40 pounds of ironmongery.*
### Martial Arts

A character can spend Weapon Proficiency Slots on learning Martial Arts. Martial Arts Talents can be learned with either Weapon or Non-Weapon Proficiency Slots.

See Martial Arts 2e

### Style & Talents

A character can spend Weapon Proficiency Slots on Weapon Groups, Attack Maneuvers, Special Talents, and Fighting Styles.

See 2e Style & Talents List.