Weapon Proficiencies¶
A weapon proficiency represents a character's knowledge and training with a specific weapon. When a character is created, they have a few initial slots that must be filled before the first adventure. A character can assign weapon proficiency slots only to weapons allowed by their class.
As characters reach higher levels they earn additional weapon proficiency points to assign. The rate depends on class:
- Warriors concentrate on martial skills and gain proficiencies quickly.
- Mages spend their time studying magic and gain proficiencies slowly.
Non-proficiency penalties¶
If a character wields a weapon in which they have no proficiency, they suffer a to-hit and damage penalty that varies by class:
| Class group | Non-proficiency penalty |
|---|---|
| Fighters, Rangers, Paladins, Monks, Barbarians | –2 |
| Clerics, Druids, Thieves, Bards | –3 |
| Mages, Sorcerers | –5 |
Fighting styles¶
Characters can also specialize in a fighting style. There are four:
- Two-Handed Weapon Style
- Two-Weapon Style
- Single-Weapon Style
- Sword and Shield Style
Fighting with two weapons
To fight with two weapons at the same time, simply place a second weapon into your shield slot. Without proficiency in Two-Weapon Style you'll incur significant penalties on both hands:
| Proficiency slots | Main-hand penalty | Off-hand penalty |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | –4 | –8 |
| 1 | –2 | –6 |
| 2 | 0 | –4 |
| 3 | 0 | –2 |
Two-Handed Weapon Style¶
For characters wielding a two-handed melee weapon — two-handed swords, halberds, spears, quarterstaves.
- 1 slot: +1 damage, +2 Speed Factor, scores critical hits on 19 or 20.
- 2 slots: an additional +2 Speed Factor (total +4).
Single-Weapon Style¶
For characters wielding a one-handed melee weapon with no shield.
- 1 slot: +1 AC, critical hits on 19 or 20.
- 2 slots: +2 AC, critical hits on 19 or 20.
Sword and Shield Style¶
Anyone can pick up a shield for its basic protection; this proficiency maximises the benefits.
- 1 slot: +2 AC against missile weapons.
- 2 slots: +4 AC against missile weapons.
Note
Despite the name, any one-handed melee weapon combined with a shield earns these bonuses.
Weapon specialization¶
Fighters, Paladins, Barbarians, Rangers, and certain class kits can hone their weapon skills to higher levels than other classes by assigning more proficiency points to a single weapon class.
| Level of Proficiency | Slots | Bonus to Hit | Bonus Damage | Bonus to Speed Factor | Attacks per Round** |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proficient | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Specialized* | 2 | +1 | +2 | 0 | 3/2 |
| Master | 3 | +3 | +3 | 0 | 3/2 |
| High Master | 4 | +3 | +4 | +1 | 3/2 |
| Grand Master | 5 | +3 | +5 | +3 | 5/2 |
* Only Fighters can hone their weapon skills beyond Specialized. Archers can only exceed Specialized with crossbows, longbows, and shortbows.
* Fighters, Rangers, Paladins, and Barbarians also gain an extra half-attack per round at 7th level and again at 13th level. These extra attacks are cumulative with the ones provided by specialization and Grand Mastery — a 9th-level Fighter with Grand Mastery attacks 3 times per round*.
Source: iwdee/original_manuals/IWDEE - Mastering Melee & Magic.pdf — "Weapon Proficiencies", "Fighting Styles", "Weapon Specialization".