Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback Problem with racial weapon/armor proficiencies

Extra weapon proficiencies from racial abilities does not matter. 9 times out of 10, characters that would want to use those weapons - will already have them from their class. And for those that dont - they rather be spending their action on a cantrip or spell. Especially bad for dwarfs with their stength based hammer and axe proficiencies.

Armor fares a bit better, but wizard/sorceror that dont have armor proficiency - eventually will switch to a robe with powerful bonus to their spells, like a Potent Robe. Only human/half elf shield proficieny is good here. And somehow SHIELD dwarfs are not proficient with SHIELDS by default. What.

So, i suggest the following:
-If your race has an armor/weapon proficiency AND you play as a class that gets that proficiency as well - you get +1ac for those armor types (shields dont count) and +1 to hit with those weapon types.

Also nerf githyanki. Dont know how, but do it.

Not entirely true.

Casters especially like getting Bow/Crossbow proficiencies because before level 5 Cantrips suck so bad compared to them (While Druids don't actually get a ranged option unless going Circle of the Spore). To say nothing about Clerics and their awkward cantrips pre-Spell Sniper.

Bow proficiencies overall are good because there's plenty of bows that provide passive bonuses for equipping them. So even your Fireball slinging Wizard can get something nice like +1 initiative, advantage vs monsters or fire + cold resistance (Plus a free Haste cast per long rest) just for having the bow equipped, even if they never use it.

Casters can also utilize hand crossbows well, since they can use their bonus action (That is normally unused) to shoot something. Be it actually hitting an enemy for the 1d6 damage or maybe they want to shoot a bottle of water to put Wet on enemies before using their standard action on Lightning Bolt/Call Lightning/Chain Lightning/Cone of Cold.

Even some melee weapon proficiencies can be useful.

A Monk getting to use Longswords for a versatile weapon which is good because it means they get a 1d10 weapon that still allows them to use their Bonus Unarmed Attack with the notable benefit of their being many very good Longswords in the game (While most staves are itemized more towards casters or have crap bonuses)

A non-War/Tempest Cleric being able to use Spears/Pikes/Halberds/Glaives can allow Clerics to utilize Polearm Mastery feat for a way to utilize their bonus action - Especially notable for Life, Nature and Trickery domains which get bonus 1d8 damage from their level 8 perk instead of the Potent Spellcasting that Light/Knowledge gets which makes their Cantrips better.

As far as the Light Armour proficiency... Honestly there's only 1 robe that I would care to actually use which is the CHR mod to Cantrips one. Meaning for a Wizard I'd rather use Spidersilk Armor (Or Barkskin Armor for a Shield Dwarf) for the advantage on Concentration checks (As they're a Constitution save) since not having my concentration broken is worth FAR, FAR more than +1 DC and getting it from armour means I can skip on the War Caster feat in lieu of something else (Like +2 stats for +1 DC, Attack rolls and Damage for EvoWiz. Or Dual Wielder to use 2 staves for their DC bonus and +1 AC)

You dont have to be proficient with weapon to get passive benifit from it.

Pretty much everyone proficient with light crossbow to use it in place of a cantrip.

Buff shield dwarfs, that all im saying.

In my opinion those weapon proficiencies are good enough. Sure, they might be not useful for every character, but there are enough combinations that benefit from it.
The most obvious one is elf rogues being able to use Gontr Mael.
Other good options that come to mind are the Dwarven Thrower on a dwarf monk or the Silver Sword on a gith cleric or bard.

There are also some pretty powerful medium armour options like Sarevoks helmet on a dwarf rogue or the Dark Justiciar half plate and helmet on a dwarf warlock.

One level into fighter will give all the armor proficiencies + shield and +1ac from defensive fighting style.

One level into knowledge cleric gives you all the armor proficiencies + shield and a whole bunch of skills. AND some bonus spells and spell slots.

AND delays your class progression and loses you a Feat.

While picking a race that provides proficiencies costs nothing.

1 level in a class is often better then a feat.

Nope from me.
Proficiencies works as intended ... there is no reason to fix what aint broken.

+1 for to hit or AC is a pretty big buff in terms of DnD. It's possible that it could be balanced if tied to a feat somehow, but giving it out from just the combination of race and class sounds like it would be overpowered. Having proficiencies is different types of weapons always felt like it was more to add flavour, rather than a buff to a character. IMO the "problem" is that some feats are extremely strong while others aren't very useful, but it's not a very big problem that some feats never get picked by players who are min-maxing their characters.