The most awesome exotic weapons

[ArqArturo]

Pretty much what the title says.


Mechanics crunch/optimization: spiked chain (3.5, the PF version was nerfed to kingdom come), mostly because it's a reach weapon that I can use adjacent to the enemy if needed be. Great for gishes/duskblades.

Rule of Cool: Katana. Because katanas are awesome.

[Laura Eternata]

Mechanics-wise, my favorite (not the best, which I agree is spiked chain) is kaorti resin weapons. I really like criticals, especially on warblades with Lightening Maces. Gnomish quickrazor is nice too, but iajutsu focus is just a little too hard to get on non-samurai/factotums.

In terms of awesomeness, I'm gonna go with Elven Xblades. I know they're not super useful, and generally aren't worth the feat, but finessing a greatsword-sized weapon is just cool.

[limejuicepowder]

One of my favs is the harpoon. Good throwing damage with strong mechanics against things that like to run/move. Readying an action to spear a flying enemy as they do a fly-by attack is pretty boss.

I also have dreams where some of the defensive weapons like broadblade swordswords and sai don't suck....but they are just dreams.

[TheDarkSaint]

I really like the lowly, humble, net. Simple touch attack, it hampers who it catches to an impressive degree. If you have a couple of people to help out with the pulling part, you can drag someone all over the battlemap.

I have phalanxes of goblins who form up into shield walls while the second rows are armed with long spears and nets. It's quite effective.

[Deophaun]

Best mechanically: Drow scorpion chain, because slashing > piercing, and 19-20/X2 > 20/X2

Fluff-wise: Sugliin. Sure, it's mechanically terrible, but being a raging barbarian and beating someone to death with antlers you ripped off a caribou and sharpened on your own teeth is just awesome.

[Lateral]

Definitely agree with both net and harpoon. (Of course, nets can still be used effectively even without proficiency.) Not only does the harpoon function as battlefield control, but arguably you get the double damage for ripping it out if you have it be Returning.

I'm also a fan of the good ol' Kusarigama, mostly for style points- it's like a spiked chain, but you can also dual-wield them, and look like a badass while you're doing it. (And it's also nice that, unlike the spiked chain, it's a real weapon, even if it doesn't work the way the writers think it does.)

Oh, and the Braid Blade, mostly because I've always wanted to play a character that fights with thirty of them. :smallbiggrin:

[TrollCapAmerica]

I'm also a fan of the good ol' Kusarigama, mostly for style points- it's like a spiked chain, but you can also dual-wield them, and look like a badass while you're doing it. (And it's also nice that, unlike the spiked chain, it's a real weapon, even if it doesn't work the way the writers think it does.)


When I first moved on from 2nd to 3rd ed on of the first things I did was mod the "SuperPolearm-on-a-chain" to be more in line with the chain weapons that actually could exist/were already stated out in old books.

The Harpoon strikes me as one of the coolest mechanically even though its only exotic because of its added effects.I dont think it should cost a feat because the throwing spear you hurl has a tendency to get stuck in the target

[Vizzerdrix]

Gnome Calculus from Arms and Equipment. Giving your acid and thunderstones a 50 foot range increment can get silly quickly. Then when you start stacking damage boosting enchantments it gets terrifying.


I'll also cast my vote for harpoons as well, but want to give honorable mention to the spikard weapons from Eberron, and the Jovar and ripper from Planar Handbook.

[Yora]

Falcatas from Pathfinder are pretty neat. Might even be worth a feat.

[Snowbluff]

Falcatas from Pathfinder are pretty neat. Might even be worth a feat.

Not enough facepalm.

Falcata is awful. It is not worth the feat, by any measure. Kaorti Weapon blows it out of the water, and Minotaur Hammer does more.

Even worse, is that it is exotic. A falcata is pretty similar to a scimitar in real life. Not sure why someone who could wield a sword and an axe cannot not wield a falcata.

[Yora]

It has slightly higher stats than most martial weapons. That makes it considerably more useful than most exotic weapons. You don't hurt yourself by using one, if you have the feat. :smallbiggrin:

[ArqArturo]

Not enough facepalm.

Falcata is awful. It is not worth the feat, by any measure. Kaorti Weapon blows it out of the water, and Minotaur Hammer does more.

Even worse, is that it is exotic. A falcata is pretty similar to a scimitar in real life. Not sure why someone who could wield a sword and an axe cannot not wield a falcata.

Well, there's the 19-20x3 critical that is kind of worth it :smallcool:.

[Pesimismrocks]

Kusari-gama. It's spiked chain that makes sense fluff-wise. I actually like it as a weapon fluff-wise rather then mechanically too.

Also people complain about spiked chain making no sense, when its an actual weapon, albeit poorly drawn. There are worse. The longaxe grows when you power attack

[Fredaintdead]

Call me old fashioned, but my favourite exotic weapons are the Dwarven Waraxe and the Bastard Sword, with the Fullblade being another personal favourite of mine. :smallsmile:
Might not be that great, but I just find them cool.

[Snowbluff]

Well, there's the 19-20x3 critical that is kind of worth it :smallcool:. GHMH is 19-20x4. Kaorti Scimitar is 18-20x4.

And both of these aren't always considered good use of a feat. :smalltongue:

[TrollCapAmerica]

Has anyone ever thought of just dropping the exotic weapon feat requirement?or modding it in some way so you dont feel like an idiot for taking it?Ive had a few ideas ranging from "You can use any weapon associated with your culture" to letting fighters get them for free everytime they get a feat

[Grod_The_Giant]

Fluff-wise, I'm a fan of the Sugliin from Frostburn. It needs too many feats to be useful, but come on! It's a bunch of antlers tied to a stick. And you hit people with it. How great is that?

[TrollCapAmerica]

Fluff-wise, I'm a fan of the Sugliin from Frostburn. It needs too many feats to be useful, but come on! It's a bunch of antlers tied to a stick. And you hit people with it. How great is that?

New class feature for Fighters

Rule of cool-If you look really awesome while wielding a weapon you are automatically proficient with it regardless of requirements

It wont be long until every fighter on Earth is wielding Suglins Sword-chucks Gazebos or Chainsaws

[Spiryt]

Even worse, is that it is exotic. A falcata is pretty similar to a scimitar in real life. Not sure why someone who could wield a sword and an axe cannot not wield a falcata.

This is pretty much 'why 3rd edition weapon system is garbage' in nutshell, though. And not just the problem with poor falcata. :smalltongue::smallbiggrin:

[ArqArturo]

You know what's another cool exotic weapon? Laser blasters!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/JHaines/Misc/Frog_Low.jpg

[Vedhin]

Mechanics: Orc Shotput from the Arms & Equipment Guide: the damage and crit range of a greatsword, with a x3 multiplier, as a thrown weapon.

Crescent Knife from a Dragon Magazine #275 makes two attacks for every one you would make normally, with no penalties.

Rule of cool: Whip-dagger. It's a dagger, on a whip.


Edit: The lasers reminded me of an obscure, useful, and cool weapon.
The Etherblade, from the Fiend Folio's Ethergaunts, is a glaive. It also has 50 charges, which can be spent to shoot non-magical beams of force that deal 1d6 damage as ranged touch attacks.

[Snowbluff]

This is pretty much 'why 3rd edition weapon system is garbage' in nutshell, though. And not just the problem with poor falcata. :smalltongue::smallbiggrin:

Wipe that grin off your face, it's PF material. :smalltongue:

[Quorothorn]

The mercurial weapons kind of amuse me for some reason, even if I certainly wouldn't call them "most awesome" in mechanics OR fluff.


Has anyone ever thought of just dropping the exotic weapon feat requirement?or modding it in some way so you dont feel like an idiot for taking it?Ive had a few ideas ranging from "You can use any weapon associated with your culture" to letting fighters get them for free everytime they get a feat

I've considered giving every standard/base class that provides full BAB/proficiency with martial weapons proficiency with a certain number of Exotic weapons (and armours), say 1 for the Barbarian, 2 for the Ranger, etc, with the Fighter, naturally, getting the most (2 at 1st, 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 20th level, for example, for a total of a dozen).

[Big Fau]

Mechanics: The pre-errata Talenta Sharrash. Reach, 19-20*4 crit, and the favored weapon of a race of dinosaur-riding badass halflings. Hard not to love it until the errata is applied (then it just isn't worth it).

Style: Gotta love the ability of the Kusari-Gama to let you pretend you're Kratos.

[Lateral]

Mechanics: The pre-errata Talenta Sharrash. Reach, 19-20*4 crit, and the favored weapon of a race of dinosaur-riding badass halflings. Hard not to love it until the errata is applied (then it just isn't worth it).

Ooh, that reminds me. I love the (halfling) boomerang, mostly because of Boomerang Daze, but also because it lets you play a dinosaur-riding, boomerang-throwing Australian halfling. Eberron is awesome. :smallbiggrin:

[Snowbluff]

Mechanics: The pre-errata Talenta Sharrash. Reach, 19-20*4 crit, and the favored weapon of a race of dinosaur-riding badass halflings. Hard not to love it until the errata is applied (then it just isn't worth it).
Oh, yeah. It's good.


Ooh, that reminds me. I love the (halfling) boomerang, mostly because of Boomerang Daze, but also because it lets you play a dinosaur-riding, boomerang-throwing Australian halfling. Eberron is awesome. :smallbiggrin:
That too. I won a Zinc Saucier with it.

[Deophaun]

Has anyone ever thought of just dropping the exotic weapon feat requirement?or modding it in some way so you dont feel like an idiot for taking it?Ive had a few ideas ranging from "You can use any weapon associated with your culture" to letting fighters get them for free everytime they get a feat
I just use the weapon group feat alternate rules from UA. You're a fighter and you want to use a spiked chain? Take the flails and chains group and the exotic weapons group, and you're good. You won't be able to use every martial weapon you come across, but you also don't need to waste a feat to use the marginally better weapon you want.

[Nagukuk]

You know what's another cool exotic weapon? Laser blasters!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/JHaines/Misc/Frog_Low.jpg

HEY

I have that module!

[Darth Stabber]

Other than orcish shotput and spiked chains i've never really used exotic weapons, not been particularly interested.

In L5R I had a character (bayushi bushi) that used a jitte (same thing as a sai except only 1 side prong) and it was pretty cool, but disarming is more useful in that game, especially as a magistrate (since jittes are, in the fluff, a symbol of that office, and killing a suspect should be avoided). I have tried converting him over, and he usually ends up a weird mix of rogue, scout, or factotum with either fighter, ranger, or warblade and the sai remains useless.

[Chronos]

The Sugliin isn't actually all that bad, if you have racial weapon familiarity with it (such as Neanderthal), and you're too low-level for iterative attacks. In that case, it's pretty much just extra damage, with no significant downside.

[Hamste]

The Orc Double axe of course

Sits back and waits for the people from the Orc Double Axe thread to come.

I love the spiked chain, the picture of how people use it in the manuals is hilarious and it is so useful in game.

[Lateral]

The Sugliin isn't actually all that bad, if you have racial weapon familiarity with it (such as Neanderthal), and you're too low-level for iterative attacks. In that case, it's pretty much just extra damage, with no significant downside.

The significant downside is being unable to move and attack. Or charge.

Of course, I might use it if I had racial weapon familiarity and could take Sugliin Mastery (which by RAW, you couldn't, since it requires EWP (Sugliin), but a reasonable DM would probably let racial familiarity work), but only because wielding a giant caribou axe is awesome. (And, without the full-round restriction, a 2d8 reach weapon is pretty fun.)

[TuggyNE]

The Orc Double axe of course

As we all know! :smalltongue:

I have a certain fondness for the repeating crossbows.

[Andion Isurand]

I'd add Cutting Wheels to the list... a light melee weapon that deals slashing and piercing damage, and can be thrown... deals 1d6 dmg 19-20/x2 crit... and offers a +2 bonus on rolls to avoid being disarmed.

Only negative is that they are hard to store/conceal.

I'd also like to second the Orc Shotput, as it makes for a great subject of the telekinetic boomerang power. *Dribble Dribble Dribble*

[TuggyNE]

I'd add Cutting Wheels to the list... a light melee weapon that deals slashing and piercing damage, and can be thrown... deals 1d6 dmg 19-20/x2 crit... and offers a +2 bonus on rolls to avoid being disarmed.

Is that like chakrams? Yeah, those are great. I've loved them ever since reading a Lloyd Alexander novel that happened to mention them.

[Andion Isurand]

they look like this

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm47/SFMC_2008/W044.jpg

[Deophaun]

Is that like chakrams? Yeah, those are great. I've loved them ever since reading a Lloyd Alexander novel that happened to mention them.
I hated them after seeing a Lucy Lawless series that overused them.

[ArqArturo]

I'd add Cutting Wheels to the list... a light melee weapon that deals slashing and piercing damage, and can be thrown... deals 1d6 dmg 19-20/x2 crit... and offers a +2 bonus on rolls to avoid being disarmed.

Ooooh, predator blades.

[Vizzerdrix]

Anyone want to see how a spiked chain could be used? They use one in this fight from the Tekken movie. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d85eI1XDFlU)