Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 lhmloa Sep 05, 2007 16:02:30	One thing I never understood about weapon specialization in 1st edition is the following: A character spends a weapon proficiency on a hand axe, dagger, hammer, or spear and can employ it as both a melee weapon and a missile weapon with proficiency. But if the character chooses to specialize in one of the above weapons the specialization only applies to either melee or missile combat. Personally, I always thought that if a character specializes (or double specializes) in a dagger he should receive the bonus to both of it's uses, since proficiency grants both.
#2 mojo_rat Sep 05, 2007 18:07:18	I guess it is treated as being seperate techniques. up close dirty knife fighting is likely different from throwing them at at high speed at a distant target. But really it is something easy to houserule. Our dm only lets us specialize in one weapon but allowed us to get both the thrown and melee versions. It just means one of them has to be held off until level 7.
#3 lhmloa Sep 10, 2007 14:09:28	Good house rule. We also let the str damage bonus apply to most thrown weapons.
#4 nikosandros Sep 16, 2007 14:53:03	There is nothing in the description of specialization that implies that specialization is limited to either missile or melee combat with a given weapon.
#5 lhmloa Sep 17, 2007 9:36:39	You're right, the rules don't explicitly state it. The fact that "thrown dagger" and "other missile and hurled weapons" are listed on the specialization table, as well as the distinction made in the descriptions between specializing in a melee or other missile weapon, seemed to imply separate specializations to us.
#6 nikosandros Sep 17, 2007 12:45:07	Well, this interpretation is certainly possible, but since the proficiency required is just one, I consider it more likely that a specialized character can use both modes of the weapon. Besides, it gives some incentive for a fighter to specialize in a weapon other than the longsword... ;)