Weapon master

A weapon master was a warrior who sought to achieve mastery in the use of a single type of melee weapon.

Culture
The aim of the weapon master was to make their body as one with their chosen weapon, so that they would wield it as naturally and intuitively as they would use their own limbs and fight as one lethal union. Like monks, weapon masters channeled the power of ki to enhance their martial ability and they studied and perfected their ki via their mastery of a single weapon. They spent their lives in the study of this weapon.

Some came to the path of the weapon master when they inherited a weapon that was a family heirloom, and felt they must learn and master it as part of a family tradition. A weapon master likely had an instructor, a mentor who trained them in the highly specialized techniques required to get the most of out of their chosen weapon. In fact, the majority hailed from wealthy families who could afford such specialist instructors, but otherwise they could be of any race or walk of life, as appropriate to their culture. Training was long and in lieu of payment, a quest or special might need to be carried out before a student could be accepted.

At their peak, weapon masters were renowned warriors whom others sought out for training. They might be chieftains of their tribes, or their champions.

Weapon masters were found across Kara-Tur, namely the Island Kingdoms, Koryo, Kozakura, Wa, Shou Lung, and T'u Lung, and around Faerûn.

Prerequisites
Weapon masters usually started as fighters, monks, or samurai, as only they could achieve with any ease the extensive martial training and techniques required. The would-be weapon master required a certain degree of combat experience and decent dexterity, and some skill in intimidating foes. They needed to know techniques for dodging attacks, mobility on the battlefield, reacting to opportunities, expert defense, and attacking all foes around them like a whirlwind.

But at the core of their training, of course, they needed to focus in a particular type of weapon,   usually a sword such as a longsword or katana, but anything was possible. A monk could choose a special monk weapon like a kama or nunchaku, or even their own unarmed strikes. Once chosen, this could never be changed. In addition, they must own a high-quality but non-magical example of this weapon to begin training as a weapon master.

A monk could cross-train freely as a weapon master.

Possessions
Weapon masters selected a single type of melee weapon to use exclusively as their "weapon of choice". Their weapon master abilities and techniques only worked while wielding a masterwork or magical weapon of that type. However, while they must own a masterwork weapon to begin training, they did not need to keep that specific weapon afterward. They could replace it with an ordinary weapon, another masterwork weapon, or a magical weapon of the same type, and still use their abilities with it. They were permitted to use other weapons, but with none of their special skill. In fact, a weapon master might even struggle to learn and wield other kinds of weapons: a master of the longsword could use other slashing weapons, but not a bludgeoning weapon like a mace.

They preferred light armor, often no more than chain mail.

Abilities
At the start of a fight, a weapon master might make a dazzling display of their skill with their weapon, thereby intimidating their foes. In general, weapon masters used their expertise, specialization, and ultimate mastery to attack more swiftly or more often, with greater accuracy, and inflict more severe injuries.

Once per day, a ki-focused weapon master was able to attempt a special attack with their weapon of choice and focus their ki into inflicting the highest possible amount of damage if it hit. Similarly, weapon masters could make critical injuries even more severe. More advanced weapon masters could do both of these more and more often each day.

With their superior weapon focus, weapon masters became more accurate at striking targets with their weapon of choice. And with their superior reflexes in combat, they could seize the chance to strike at all openings and opportunities around them.

Becoming more experienced, weapon masters could focus ki to improve their chance of landing a critical blow.

Finally, those who were close to attaining true mastery over their weapon used their ki to become much faster at making whirlwind attacks at all foes in range.

Weapon masters could have skills in intimidating and sensing the intent of foes and in hearing and spotting ambushes and attacks,   They also could learn weapon-smithing, bow-making, or fletching, as well as ambidexterity, agility, blind-fighting, and juggling, and develop their endurance. They might also pick up knowledge of weapon lore or the practice the technique of iaijutsu.

Activities
Weapon masters sometimes demonstrated their techniques in a circus or carnival show. They performed stunts like juggling weapons blindfolded or knocking cigars from the mouths of spectators. Many weapon masters became trainers of young warriors. They served as mentors to apprentices who had the same ambition to achieve weapon mastery, and focused on their training and development.

However, a few eschewed such attention, living as loners or practically hermits. They obsessed on some new and vital undertaking and would brook no interruption or interference.

Notable Weapon Masters

 * Valen Shadowbreath, tiefling fighter and weapon master of the heavy flail
 * Viromoto, a Kara-Turan swordsman and weapon master of the katana

Unique Equipment

 * Radiant Death, Viromoto's powerful katana that could only be wielded by a weapon master
 * Weapon master's scale, a suit of scale armor for weapon masters

Background
The Weapon Master first appeared in Player's Option: Skills & Powers, as both a kit and a suite of advanced weapon proficiency abilities.

The Weapon Master prestige class appeared in the 3-edition Sword and Fist, and was separately adapted for Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark and Oriental Adventures (also called a Kensei in the Rokugan setting). According to the "Feats, Prestige Classes, and Spells" 3.0-to-3.5 conversion document released on January 13, 2005, by Wizards of the Coast, the S&F version of Weapon Master was officially "revised" and "renamed" to the Exotic Weapon Master prestige class in the 3.5-edition Complete Warrior, as was the Exotic Weapon Master of 3-edition Masters of the Wild and S&F's Master of Chains. This is despite all four classes being distinctly different in concept and abilities and applicable to different weapons, effectively removing the original classes with no suitable replacement.

However, "Feats, Prestige Classes, and Spells" is no apparently longer available from WotC. Meanwhile, the Exotic Weapon Master has no known presence in the Realms, while the unrevised Oriental Adventures Weapon Master is referenced for Kara-Tur in '"Dragon #315 and the NWN Weapon Master was revised for Neverwinter Nights 2, giving it a solid Realms presence. In addition, the Master of Chains likely inspired the novel Master of Chains''. Thus, for clarity and focus, the classes will be left unmerged on this wiki and only the original Weapon Master is handled in this article.