Weapon Proficiency and Expanded Weapons

[FreakyCheeseMan]

And now for Part Three of my umpteen-part series, "Mechanics for a Game I'm Sort-Of Half Designing." Today is an idea on how to make straight-fighter classes a bit more interesting and versatile.

Note that this is for a system I'm building from the ground up, so if it doesn't sound like it'll work with D&D... it's not meant to.

At level up, a player can choose to purchase an ability "Weapon Proficiency: (Weapon)." Unlike D&D, Proficiency applies to only a single type of weapon, rather than an entire class. Furthermore, this proficiency is re-programmable; a fighter can spend some amount of in-game time in training, and trade one weapon proficiency for another. "Weapon focus" works in the same way, but has proficiency as a prerequisite, and requires a longer time to re-program.

Being proficient (or focused) with a weapon will give a character a significant attack bonus, but also unlock a special attack with that weapon. For example, being proficient with a whip might unlock a special Trip attack; being focused might unlock a disarm attack, as well. Proficiency with a knife might give bonus sneak attack damage; proficiency with a bow might allow the player to make high-angled shots that bypass certain forms of cover.

There might also be a "Weapons Master" ability, with several Weapon Proficiencies as a prerequisite. "Weapons Master" would give proficiency with all weapons- the idea would be that you were experienced with such a range of weapons, that the use of new ones becomes instinctive. Weapons Master would be a poor choice for optimization (As you'll usually only be fighting with a single weapon at a time), but could allow for some fun gonzo-esque sequences- go into a fight unarmed, steal a weapon from the first enemy to attack you, then lay about your enemies with their own weapons.

These Special Attacks would replace a lot of the things that fighters normally get through Feats, such as Improved Trip. Hopefully, giving fighters the ability to re-build themselves in a more fluid manner will make the archetype more versatile, and make fighters more fun to play (as they won't be stuck being a one-trick pony.)

What does everyone think?