Improvised Weapons

[Belteshazzar]

I am looking for a way (a feat I suppose) to get Improvised Weapon Proficiency 'without' joining a prestige class (I know Drunken Master gives it but I don't want to drop my levels there.)

I am going for a kind of brutal, barbaric feel with a Neanderthal (Frostfell) Scout3/Druid17 using the PHB 2 Wildshaping variant. I know there are many mechanically better things to to with a druid, but I am not trying to keep up with or outshine the party as I would be the only full caster anyway. However, any other advice on thematically barbaric (I got inspired while watching the Korgoth of Barbaria pilot) feats, items or skills to take would be well received.

[Irate Ranger]

Well there's probably a feat like that in some rulebook or another, but I'd just homeschool it to save time.

[Belteshazzar]

Unfortunately I am running with a rather 'by the book' fellow so I would rather not press it. I think I already annoyed him about preferring an Ashtari Dread Necromancer10/Sandshaper 10.

[Faulty]

Er... there are some feats in the Pathfinder beta book that let you remove penalties with improved weapons and then makes them deal lethal damage. It's backwards compatible with 3.5. Dunno if your DM would allow that, however.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

Master of Masks, Complete Scoundrel, Gladiator Mask should do it. At the least it's probably RAI and definitely not unbalancing.

[Darrin]

Master of Masks, Complete Scoundrel, Gladiator Mask should do it. At the least it's probably RAI and definitely not unbalancing.

I don't think that will work. Exotic weapons aren't the same as improvised weapons.

What you want is in Dragon #295, p. 73:

Improvised Weapon Proficiency
You are skilled at using any object as a weapon.
Benefit: You do not suffer the standard -4 nonproficiency penalty for using an improvised weapon; instead, you suffer a -2 nonproficiency penalty.

You may also want to take a look at the Brawler PrC on the same page. It's the only way I've been able to find in the entirety of 3.x material to completely eliminate the improvised penalty. Also very interesting, at Brawler 2, the Brawler can apply any Weapon Focus/Specialization/etc. feats to improvised weapons (and a dip into Warblade for Weapon Aptitude allows you to switch all your weapon-specific feats on the fly). Unfortunately, Brawler requires three feats, only one of which might actually be useful.

Hulking Hurler does something similar, reducing the nonproficiency to -2.

There's another variant base class you also might want to look at: the City Brawler barbarian in Dragon #349. You get a similar -2 penalty reduction on improvised weapons. You also get Improved Unarmed Strike and Two-Weapon Fighting (only for unarmed strikes). You can also combine this variant with Spirit Lion Totem for Pounce and the Whirling Frenzy rage variant. Combine this with Battle Dancer (Dragon Compendium), Shou Disciple (Unapproachable East) and/or Fist of the Forest (Complete Champion) for a full BAB unarmed fighter that can tear an equivalent-level monk in half without breaking a sweat.

[Person_Man]

Well, you can get a +4ish to hit a number of different ways (or touch attacks, or deny your enemy it's Dex bonus). That would essentially be the same thing.

Anywho, instead of Scout 3/Druid 17, you may wish to consider strait Ranger. You can get Wildshape (which a reasonable DM would let you swap for the PHB 2 variant) by giving up your Combat Style feats, and Trapfinding/Disable Device with a Ranger variant (giving up Track, which you can always pick up with a regular fear anyway). Your spells would be weaker, but you've already said you don't care about that. More importantly, you end up with better Skills and BAB, and no multiclassing.