Combat Proficiency Rules

These rules are intended to replace the non-proficient /simple weapon proficiency /martial weapon proficiency /exotic weapon proficiency rules. Damage done with an attack is set by the user’s proficiency level- it is the wielder that is dangerous, not the weapon itself. Using this system, a trained warrior is more dangerous with a dagger than a wizard. There are no exotic weapons, just regular weapons used exotically.

Damage Die Scale

Weapons are mainly a descriptive detail in this system. Having a weapon to hand is what allows the user to do lethal damage, and the weapon provides damage type (slashing, piercing, or blunt) and size. Weapons may be enchanted normally. A scimitar and a longsword are equivalent mechanically- they are both slashing, one-handed weapons. The user will determine whether he is using his sword as a 1d6, 18-20/x2, or a 1d8, 19-20/x2 weapon.

There is no difference between improvised and regular weapons in this system, nor is there a -4 penalty for non-proficiency. If you aren’t proficient in combat, you are from a class with a lower BAB and will do less damage if you hit with the weapon anyway.

Definitions

A light weapon is easier to use in one’s off hand than a one-handed weapon is, and it can be used while grappling. A light weapon is used in one hand. Add the wielder’s Strength bonus (if any) to damage rolls for melee attacks with a light weapon if it’s used in the primary hand, or one-half the wielder’s Strength bonus if it’s used in the off hand. Using two hands to wield a light weapon gives no advantage on damage; the Strength bonus applies as though the weapon were held in the wielder’s primary hand only.

An unarmed strike or a natural weapon is always considered a light weapon two sizes smaller than a one-handed weapon; see the unarmed grip for notes.

A one-handed weapon can be used in either the primary hand or the off hand. Add the wielder’s Strength bonus to damage rolls for melee attacks with a one-handed weapon if it’s used in the primary hand, or ½ his or her Strength bonus if it’s used in the off hand. If a one-handed weapon is wielded with two hands during melee combat, add 1½ times the character’s Strength bonus to damage rolls. Wielding a one-handed weapon in your off hand incurs all the penalties for two weapon fighting.

Two hands are required to use a heavy melee weapon effectively. Apply 1½ times the character’s Strength bonus to damage rolls for melee attacks with such a weapon.

Any melee weapon can be thrown, if you use the throwable grip. The wielder applies his or her Strength modifier to damage dealt by thrown weapons. Throwing a light or one-handed weapon is a standard action, while throwing a heavy weapon is a full-round action.

Light crossbows, slings, heavy crossbows, shortbows, composite shortbows, longbows, composite longbows, hand crossbows, and repeating crossbows are projectile weapons. Most projectile weapons require two hands to use (see specific weapon descriptions). A character gets no Strength bonus on damage rolls with a projectile weapon unless it’s a specially built composite shortbow, specially built composite longbow, or sling. If the character has a penalty for low Strength, apply it to damage rolls when he or she uses a bow or a sling.

Non-proficient users start on the damage scale at 1d6, 20/x2, for medium users with one-handed weapons. A weapon size change (to light or heavy, with the attendant modifiers) or user size change (an ogre or kobold) moves the damage up and down the scale normally.

There are two weapon grips that are available at this level of skill: throwable, and projectile. Grips allow for weapons to have much greater versility at the expense of sliding down the damage scale one step. The throwable grip can be used with any melee weapon; it gains a range increment of 10'. A projectile weapon (like a bow, crossbow, or sling) provokes an atack of opportunity when used in melee and does not apply your strength bonus to damage. Mighty bows that allow for higher strengths can be purchased normally. Projectile is a special grip which can not be swapped on and off like other grips. At this level of (non)proficiency, thrown weapons have a range of 10’ and projectile weapons have a range of 30’.

You may reduce your damage die by one step to increase the threat range of your attack to 20/x3 or 19-20/x2.

Grips & Feats

Available to any User
Throwable: The weapon can be thrown, max range is 10'. Range increases 10' per proficiency level.
Projectile: (not usable in melee) A ranged weapon, like a bow or crossbow can be shot max range 30'. Max range increases 30' per proficiency level.
Unarmed: An attack without a weapon. This grip reduces your damage die by two steps. Unarmed strikes are considered light weapons. You deal non-lethal damage, do not threaten an area, and provoke attacks of opportunity when you attack (but see Improved Combat Proficiency). None of the Grips associated with Combat Proficiency are usable when unarmed, but those from Improved Combat Proficiency and above can be used if you qualify for them. Holy flaming-burst knock-back fists!

Combat Proficiency (Prereq: BAB +1)
Benefit: Your damage starts at 1d8, 20/x3. Range increments (thrown and projectile) are 20' and 60'. You may use a light or heavy weapon, as detailed above. You may slide down the damage scale one step to make the critical for the attack 20/x4, or may slide up the scale one step by reducing the critical to 20/x2. You may also select among equivalent critical values (20/x3 is equivalent to 19-20/x2). You may select and use 1 of the available grips. Changing your grip is a move action, which may be done as part of a move if your BAB is at least +1. You select your initial grip when you draw the weapon.
Grips that become available to users with Combat Proficiency
Finessable: (one-handed required) You may use a one-handed weapon as though it was a light weapon for the purpose of Weapon Finesse, if you possess the feat.
Parrying: When used with Combat Expertise, each point of attack bonus used for defense provides an additional +1 dodge bonus to AC.
Reach: (heavy required) Threatens at 10' from your square, but not at 5'.
Settable: (non-light required) You may set the weapon against a charge; if you ready an attack against a charge, you inflict double damage if you hit.

Improved Combat Proficiency (Prereq: BAB +5, Combat Proficiency)
Benefit: You start on the damage scale at 2d6, 20/x3. Range increments are 30' or 90'. You may use up to 2 of the available weapon grips. At this level of proficiency, unarmed attacks may do lethal or non-lethal damage, attacker’s option, and he is considered armed when fighting unarmed.
Grips that become available to users with Improved Combat Proficiency
Defensive: When used with Two Weapon Defense, you gain double the shield bonus.
Disarming: Add a +2 bonus to disarm checks made using this weapon.
Tripping: Add a +2 bonus to trip checks made using this weapon; if you fail, you may drop your weapon to avoid being counter-tripped.
Wide Threatened Area: You threaten both the squares 5' and 10' from yours. If combined with reach you instead threaten at 10' and 15', but not at 5'.

Greater Combat Proficiency (Prereq: Warrior 10, Improved Combat Proficiency)
Benefit: You start on the damage scale at 3d6, 20/x3. Range increments are 40' or 120'. You may use up to 3 of the available grips. The grips at this level of proficiency and greater require a standard action to activate.
Grips that become available to users with Greater Combat Proficiency
Bloody: An opponent hit by your attack takes an extra 1d6 + (strength bonus) damage on your next turn.
Dazzling: An opponent hit by your attack must succeed a fortitude save, DC equal to the damage dealt or be dazzled for 1 round.
Merciful: All damage dealt this round is non-lethal. Your attack causes an additional 1d6 + (strength bonus).
Penetrating: You may ignore up to 5 points of armor or natural armor bonus on your target.

Advanced Combat Proficiency (Prereq: Warrior 15, Greater Combat Proficiency)
Benefit: You start on the damage scale at 4d6, 20/x3. Range increments are 50' or 150'. You may use up to 4 of the available grips. The grips at this level of proficiency and greater require a standard action to activate.
Grips that become available to users with Advanced Combat Proficiency
Fast: When making a full attack, you may make an additional attack at your highest attack bonus with the weapon. All attacks take a -2 penalty.
Frightening: An opponent hit by your attack must succeed a fortitude save, DC equal to the damage dealt or be shaken for 1 round.
Knock-back: When you hit an opponent, you may choose to move him 5’ in a direction you choose; a fortitude save, DC equal to the damage dealt negates this effect.
Touch: While finessing your weapon you may make an attack as a touch attack, but cause only 1 point of damage + any extra damage from precision or expressed as bonus damage. May not be combined with Deadly.

Combat Mastery (Prereq: Warrior 20, Advanced Combat Proficiency)
Benefit: You start on the damage scale at 6d6, 20/x3. Range increments are 60' or 180'. You may use up to 5 of the available grips. The grips at this level of proficiency and greater require a standard action to activate.
Grips that become available to users with Combat Mastery
Aligned: (Your alignment must be appropriate for this) Add one of the following special abilities to the attack: Chaotic, Lawful, Holy, or Unholy.
Bane: Choose a creature type. Your weapon deals an additional 2d6 damage which ignores DR to the choosen type.
Deadly: (formally Vorpal) On a successful critical hit you may choose for an opponent hit by your attack to not sustain any damage but instead must succeed a fortitude save, DC equal to the base weapon damage dealt or die.
Elemental: Choose an element or energy type. Your weapon deals an additional 1d8 damage of the choosen type. On a critical hit your weapon deals an addtional 1d10 per x2 critical multiplier.

Examples

Rangar the fighter is battling orges. He hews down the last one nearby with his greatsword (combat proficiency, 2d6 19-20/x2), but sees one 40' away. He changes his grip on his sword, leaving one hand on the hilt but gripping the blade just above the hilt in his gloved hand, effectively holding the weapon as a spear. He's using the "settable" grip, so if that bugger charges him it's in for a world of hurt.
Next round: It did, and got skewered; he looks around and sees the last of the humanoids fleeing. Quickly changing his grip once more, he throws his greatsword with a range increment of 20' as a 1d8 19-20/x2 weapon.
He might also use the quillions as a disarming aid, or turn the sword around completely, holding it by the pointy tip, to use it to trip someone with the hilt.

Jackie Chan, in any number of movies where he plays himself, picks up a ladder. He has Improved Combat Proficiency, and so can apply up to three Grips. The DM says he can use it as a blunt double weapon, but neither end is light, so he's at -4/-4 if he has Two-Weapon Fighting.
Jackie starts at 2d6/2d6 20/x3. He applies the defensive grip and the tripping grip, but drops the critical modifier, sending him to 1d8/1d8 20/x2, and proceeds to go to town on the mooks surrounding him with their silly broom handles.

Li Mu Bai is fighting bandits near the Wudan temple. He has Advanced Combat Proficiency, and is generally a badass. Green Destiny is a +3 slashing, one-handed sword.
Master Li starts with 4d6 19-20/x2. There are a lot of bandits, but they're not too tough, so he uses his weapon with a parrying, penetrating grip, ending up with a 2d6 19-20/x2 weapon. The bandits' low quality armor will not protect them from his technique, and they find themselves unable to hit him, so after he kills a few, they run off.
He tires of all the killing, and goes to give the sword away. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon happens, and Zhang Ziyi has taken the sword. She has Improved Combat Proficiency, and attacks Master Li. She is finessing the sword, so it is a 1d8 20/x3 weapon.
Master Li is not impressed by her technique. He picks up a stick, a blunt one-handed weapon. He still has Advanced Weapon Proficiency, so he uses the stick as a disarming, finessable, fast, parrying weapon. This drops the stick to 1d8 20/x2, but he's not trying to hurt her. He bats aside her clumsy cuts, unleashes a flurry of tap-tap-tap with the stick, and lands Green Destiny back in his hands where it belongs.
Jade Fox faces him down at the end. She has that weird needle-shooting gun thing. It is obviously a projectile weapon, and she has greater combat proficiency, so it does 3d6 20/x3 damage on a hit. She doesn't care about that though, really, because she has a wicked Con-damage poison to use, but at least we don't have to worry about statting that whacky thing out.

William Wallace, in Braveheart, is fighting English soldiers in his village. He has Combat Proficiency at this point, but no weapons. He grabs a stone, and uses it as a 2d6 20/x2 weapon to crush a guard and take his uniform and sword. He later uses a threshing flail, a deer antler, a sledgehammer, and various actual weapons, and is effective with all of them, because it is the man that fights, not the weapon.
In one scene, he kills a man with a sword; he spots another man running towards him, so he quick-changes his grip on the sword to get ready to throw it; it drops to 1d6 19-20/x2, but gains a range increment of 20'. He wings it at the charging soldier, who dies spectacularly; must have been a critical hit!

Nameless, in Hero, is fighting Sky. He is a combat master, and has perfected the unblockable attack (probably a whole different feat chain). His sword is slashing or piercing, and he uses it as a finessable, parrying, knock-back, touch weapon. He is also holding his scabbard (light blunt weapon) in his off hand, and is using the defensive grip on it, though he rarely attacks with it. He only wants to touch Sky with his blade, not kill him; he unleashes his attack, Sky voluntarily fails his save versus the knock-back, and lays there pretending to be dying.
Flying Snow, when fighting, demonstrates that she is equally effective with blade or the hem of her skirt. She is a combat master as well, and will do 6d6 damage with either if she hits.

Ragnar, now a much higher level fighter, has found his nemesis at last. He draws his trusty greatsword, in his hands typically a 8d6 19-20/x2 heavy slashing weapon. He chooses (since he has Combat Mastery) to put two grips on it as he draws it, penetrating and aligned (holy), since he knows this foe is vulnerable to good weapons. The aligned property takes a standard action to activate, so his whole round is spend drawing, gripping, and energizing the blade. He ends up with a 4d6 19-20/x2 holy greatsword that ignores 5 points of armor bonus on his target. Next round, fight!