At the start, your character will be able to employ but a limited number of
weapons. The number is determined by class. When the character moves
up in levels of experience to the next higher combat melee table, he or
she is assumed to have acquired proficiency in an additional weapon. The
new weapon is of his or her choice. Note that proficiency with a normal
weapon is subsumed in using a magical weapon of the same type. If
proficiency with any given weapon is not held by the character it is used
at a penalty as shown on the table which follows.

WEAPON PROFICIENCY TABLE

Class of Character	Initial No. of Weapons	Non-proficiency Penalty	Added Proficiency in Weapons/Level
CAVALIER	3*	-3	1/2 levels
Paladin	3*	-3	1/2 levels
CLERIC	2	-3	1/4 levels
Druid	2	-4	1/5 levels
FIGHTER	4	-2	1/3 levels
Barbarian	6	-1	1/2 levels
Ranger	3*	-2	1/3 levels
MAGIC-USER	1	-5	1/6 levels
Illusionist	1	-5	1/6 levels
THIEF	2	-3	1/4 levels
Acrobat	2	-3	1/4 levels
Assassin	3	-2	1/4 levels
MONK	1	-2	1/2 levels
BARD	5	-2	1/4 levels

    * 0-level Horseman (cavaliers) have 1 weapon of proficiency, 0-level Lancers (cavaliers) have 2 weapons of proficiency, and 1st-level Armigers (cavaliers) have 3 weapons of proficiency. Cavaliers and rangers are restricted in which weapons they can choose to take proficiency in; see the appropriate character class descriptions for particulars.

Initial Number of Weapons shows the number which the character may
select to be proficient with, i.e. a cleric could select a flail and staff, club
and mace, or any combination of two permitted weapons.

Non-proficiency Penalty indicates the subtraction from the character’s “to
hit“ dice which applies to attacks by the character using such a weapon in
missile or melee combat. (See COMBAT.)

Added Proficiency in Weapons gives the number of additional weapons
the character can use with proficiency upon attaining the indicated
number of levels above the 1st. Thus, at 1st level a cleric can use two
weapons with proficiency, at 5th level the cleric selects another for a total
of three, at 9th level the total is four, at 13th five, etc.

Q. If a character is proficient with a
normal long or short bow, is he also
proficient with the composite short
and long bows?
A. No. Other games handle the idea of
weapons proficiency in a different
manner, by allowing characters to
become skilled in the use of individual
weapons and to 'transfer' a
proportion of their skill into related
weapons; but in the AD&D Game
characters are only able to get the
best out of the weapons that they
have been trained to use -- hence
the weapon proficiency rules.  Related
weapons can be picked up and
used, but the non-proficiency penalty
comes into operation because although
basic principles are the same,
individual weapon techniques are
often quite different.
(Imagine #23)

Q: Where are the weapon proficiency
rules in the AD&D game? The index
in the Dungeon Masters Guide is
wrong.
A: The index is right. The page numbers in
the index are printed in two type faces (as
explained on page 228); the boldface
entries refer to DMG page numbers, and
the regular entries refer to Players Handbook
page numbers. The entry for "Weapons,
Proficiency" is given as pages 36-37
(note the regular type, indicating the Players
Handbook). Additional proficiency
rules can be found in Unearthed Arcana,
pages 18 and 26.
(142.10)

Question: Weapons like the three <UA: revise> one-handed swords,
the footman’s and horseman’s flail, and the many pole arms
are all used in basically the same manner as the others of
that type. Are these weapons treated as separate weapons
for determining proficiency, or can a character be proficient
in all of them at once since they are forms of the same
general weapon type?
Answer: Every weapon is different enough from every other one
to require a separate proficiency for each one. A character who can
use one of the pole arms cannot automatically know how to use all
pole arms. The same thing holds true with swords, for instance:
Imagine a halfling who is quite skilled in the use of a short sword
attempting to use a long sword or a broad sword. Obviously, the
proficiency with the short sword would not automatically transfer to
the other types.
 

Q: Can a gajin character learn martial
arts or Oriental weapons?

A: Western characters can learn martial
arts if they can find an Oriental teacher
and if they have a weapon proficiency slot
available. Most martial arts masters will be
unwilling to take on a gajin student, however.
Gajins can learn to use Oriental weapons that are similar to weapons allowed to their classes.
A mage, for example,
could use a proficiency slot to learn to
use shurikens, as these weapons are
similar to darts.
(121.20)
 

Q: Can a weapon proficiency slot be
used to enable a fighter or other
class to make attacks with two
weapons at no penalty? Can a fighter
or ranger specialize in twoweapon
combat?

A: Using a proficiency slot for two-weapon
combat is up to the DM, but we do not
recommend it. If you decide to allow such
a proficiency, require a separate slot for
each combination to be used. For example,
a character who wishes to use a long
sword and dagger combination without
penalty would have to have at least three
proficiencies: long sword, dagger, and long
sword and dagger.
Weapon specialization allows a fighter or
ranger to excel in the use of one ? and
only one ? weapon. Thus, a character
cannot be specialized in two-weapon combat,
as this is not a weapon per se. A character
may use a second weapon along with
his weapon of specialization, but he must
follow the rules on page 70 of the DMG.
Bonuses for specialization apply only to
the weapon of specialization, never to the
secondary weapon.
(139.67)

Q: Can a character with a bastardsword
proficiency also use long
swords and two-handed swords, or
does the character instead, require a
proficiency in both long and twohanded
swords?
A: Each weapon on the weapons lists requires
a separate proficiency Although a
bastard sword can be used one-handed
with the same effect as a long sword, its
larger size requires different handling.
Likewise, the bastard sword requires
different handling than the longer and
heavier two-handed sword. However, if a
character is proficient in bastard sword,
he may use that sword either way.
(150.10)

Q: When a character gains proficiency
with a multipurpose weapon
(such as a kusari-gama in Oriental
Adventures), does the character
automatically gain proficiency with
the weapons that correspond with
each function (in this case, with
chain and kama)?
A: The situation is analogous to that of the
bastard sword described previously.
Knowledge of the combination weapon
does not necessarily allow use of its component
weapons. The techniques required
to use each of the weapons you mentioned
are different. The governing principle in
both of these cases is the no-free-lunch
rule: You can?t get two or more proficiencies
for the price of one simply by selecting
a multipurpose weapon.
(150.36)
 
 

ScottyG wrote:
Gary, how specific did you intend weapon proficiencies to be?
Would long bow cover composite long bow?
Would a seperate proficiency be needed for light and heavy crossbows, or any of of the horseman's/footman's weapons?
Scott
 

Very specific.
Thus the limit of proficency being by type of sword.
that same stricture was meant to apply to each and every separate weapon, for the bonus is considerable.

Cheers,
Gary