2e Weapon Proficiencies List

The Basics
When a character is created, the player checks the above table to see how many weapon proficiency slots the character has. 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.

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: Fighters, paladins, and rangers 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 nonweapon proficiencies. This rewards fighters who chose brains over brawn by allowing them to compensate for shortcomings in physical attributes with the benefits of skill and training.

Demi-human characters who are allowed to learn extra languages still have to spend slots learning these tongues before spending any on proficiencies.

Weapon Proficiency Slots can be spent on:
 * Player's Handbook:
 * Specific Weapon type so not to suffer a penalty when using said weapon type.
 * Fighters can specalise in a weapon for an extra slot(s) for bonuses.
 * Player's Option: Combat & Tactics:
 * Sheild type to get extra AC.
 * Armor type to halve carry weight.
 * Fighting Styles that aren't natrually know by their class
 * Fighting Styles Specialization of a known Fighting Style for advantages. Fighters can learn more than one Fighting Styles Specialization.
 * Unarmed Combat Styles

Weapon Proficiency
You can choose a specic weapon type to be proficient in for 1 Weapon Proficiencies Slot.
 * In 2-Neal, Bows cost 2 Weapon Proficiencies Slots to become proficient.
 * In 2-Neal, Crossbows do not require a Proficiencies Slots, everyone is proficient as a baseline.
 * In 2-Neal, Ambidexterity can be purchased for 1 slot by warriors or rogues. This is the exact same rule from Player's Option: Combat & Tactics.

A character who has a specific weapon proficiency is skilled with that weapon and familiar with its use. A character does not gain any bonuses for using a weapon he is proficient with; the combat rules and attack chances assume that everyone uses a weapon he is proficient with. This eliminates the need to add a modifier to every die roll during battle.

When a character uses a weapon that they are not proficient with, however, they suffers a penalty on their chance to hit. The size of this penalty depends on the character's class. Fighters have the smallest penalty because they are assumed to have passing familiarity with all weapons. Wizards, by comparison, are heavily penalized because of their limited study of weapons. The modifiers for each class (which are taken as penalties to the attack die roll) are listed on the table at the top of this article.

When a character gains a weapon proficiency, they are learning to use a particular weapon effectively. However, many weapons have similar characteristics. A long sword, bastard sword, and broad sword, while all different, are all heavy, slashing swords. A character who is trained with one can apply some of his skill to the others. He is not fully proficient with the weapon, but he knows more about it than someone who picks it up without any skill in similar weapons. When a character uses a weapon that is similar to a weapon he is proficient with, his attack penalty is only one-half the normal amount (rounded up). A warrior, for example, would have a -1 penalty with a related weapon instead of -2. A wizard would have a -3 penalty instead of -5.

Weapon Specialization
Weapon specialization is an optional rule that enables a fighter (only) to choose a single weapon and specialize in its use. Any weapon may be chosen. Specialization is normally announced (and paid for with weapon proficiency slots) when the character is created. But even after a player character earns experience, they can still choose to specialize in a weapon, provided they have the weapon proficiency slots available.

Multi-class characters cannot use weapon specialization; it is available only to single-class fighters.

Fighters can spend an extra Weapon Proficiencies Slot on a Proficient Melee Weapon to become Specalised in it. Fighters can spend an extra 2 Weapon Proficiencies Slot on a Proficien Bow (other than Crossbow) to become Specalised in it.

When a character specializes with a melee weapon, they 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).

The attack bonuses are not magical and do not enable the character to affect a creature that can be injured only by magical weapons.

Bow specialists gain an additional range category: point blank.
 * Point-blank range for bows is from six feet to 30 feet.
 * Point-blank range for crossbows is from six feet to 60 feet.

At point-blank range, the character gains a +2 modifier on attack rolls. No additional damage is caused, but Strength (for bows) and magical bonuses apply. 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 who specialize also gain extra attacks earlier than those who don't specialize. Bonus attacks for specialists are listed on the following table.

Bow specialists do not gain any additional attacks per round.

Shield Proficiency
By spending a weapon proficiency, characters can become more skilled in the use of their shield. The extra protection conferred by the shield varies by the exact type the character becomes proficient in:

The number of attackers is the maximum number of times the shield bonus can be used in a single round by the character. Normally, shields can only be 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.

Fighting Style
If a character doesn’t know a fighting style, they can learn it at the cost of a proficiency slot.

Single Weapon Fighting Style:
 * All player characters, regardless of class, know the single-weapon fighting style.
 * If the single-weapon character makes an off-hand attack, such as a punch or grab, they’s considered to be fighting with two weapons. Their primary weapon suffers a –2 penalty to attack rolls and his secondary attacks suffer a –4 penalty to hit. These penalties are offset by the character’s reaction adjustment for his Dexterity score.

Two-Handed Weapon Fighting Style:
 * Warriors, priests, and mages normally know the Two-Handed Weapon Fighting Style.
 * Several other weapons are normally one-handed weapons that can be used two-handed if the wielder so desires. There’s no particular reason to do this, unless the character’s too small to wield the weapon any other way.
 * A size Small Character can use two size S weapons or one size M weapon.
 * A size Medium Character can use two size M weapons or one size L weapon.
 * A size Large Character can use two size L weapons or one size Huge weapon.

Weapon and Shield Fighting Style:
 * Warriors and priests normally know the weapon and shield fighting style.
 * In addition to the AC benefit of the shield, this style also gives the character the attack options of shield-punch and shield-rush.
 * There are two disadvantages to this style: first, the character is limited to using a single one-handed weapon, since his other hand has the shield; secondly, if he wants to quickly empty a hand, he has to drop his weapon. Most shields are strapped to the character’s arm and take a full round to remove.

Two Weapon Fighting Style:
 * Warriors and rogues know Two Weapon Fighting Style.
 * Not to be confused with the Two-Handed Weapon Fighting Style
 * The character can use any one-handed weapon in his primary hand, but his secondary weapon must be a size smaller than his primary weapon.
 * Knives and daggers can always be used, regardless of the primary weapon’s size.
 * The character suffers a –2 penalty to attacks with the primary weapon, and a –4 to attacks with the secondary weapon. This penalty is offset by the character’s reaction adjustment for high Dexterity.
 * Important Note: While the character receives his normal number of attacks for class, level, and specialization with his primary weapon, he only receives one additional attack with his secondary weapon.

Unarmed:
 * All characters can punch or wrestle; it doesn’t even require a weapon proficiency.
 * It’s possible to specialize in unarmed combat and become better at hand-to-hand fighting)
 * Generally, a character can make one wrestling or overbearing attack or two punching attacks per round.
 * If a character is using a weapon in one hand, they can use their second hand for an additional attack, just like fighting in two-weapon style. However, the bare-handed attack creates an attack of opportunity for the defender if they threatens the attacker.

Missile or Thrown Weapon:
 * Regardless of a character’s size, using a bow, crossbow, sling, blowgun, or firearm at its normal rate of fire requires both hands.
 * Crossbows and firearms can be loaded with both hands and then aimed and fired in one hand, if the attacker’s size is equal to the weapon’s size or larger.
 * However, heavy crossbows, arquebuses, calivers, and muskets suffer a –2 penalty to the attack roll if aimed one-handed.
 * Multiple Loaded Weapons: If a character is able to cock and load several crossbows or ready several firearms for firing, he can get several shots off very quickly. As long as the character has loaded weapons close at hand, he can triple his normal rate of fire. When he runs out of loaded weapons, he’ll have to resume firing at the normal rate.

Thrown Weapons:
 * A character can’t throw weapons and make a melee attack in the same round—they have to choose one or the other.
 * Size M or larger thrown weapons can be used in conjunction with a charge attack. The character performs their charge as normal, but they pulls up short of their target by 10 to 20 feet and uses their momentum to add to the javelin or axe throw. This attack confers the movement and +2 attack bonus of a charge, but the attacker suffers the charge penalties, too.

Fighting Style Specialization
Knowing how to use a particular fighting style is almost as important as being proficient with a weapon.

In addition to simply knowing a style, warriors, priests, and rogues can specialize in that method of fighting by spending a weapon proficiency slot.

The various fighting styles are are introduced in Chapter Two; warriors automatically know every style, while the other character types are limited in their knowledge of fighting styles. If a nonwarrior wishes to learn a style he doesn’t know, he can do so at the cost of a weapon proficiency.

The exact effects of style specialization vary from style to style. Note that warriors can specialize in a weapon, and then specialize in an appropriate style. In fact, warriors can specialize in as many styles as they like, as long as they have the proficiency slots (or character points) available. Priests and rogues can only specialize in one style.

Player's Option: Skills & Power
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