PossibleCabbage wrote:

I mean, an axe is a more useful think to have with you in the woods than a sword or a dagger, since you might need to like cut up a deadfall to make a fire. If you wanted to give him a non-dwarvy weapon, I would give him a machete but we don't have rules for those (though I suppose an IRL falchion is basically a machete, but not the Pathfinder falchion.)

[tangent] I like the notion that some race (not necessarily dwarves) might use axes, hammers, spears, bows, daggers, etc. but avoid swords. All of these other weapons are adapted from tools, used for hunting, if not more mundane tasks like chopping firewood or forging horseshoes. But swords exist only for war, only for 'chopping' *other people,* and this hypothetical race finds that 'tacky,' although they are more likely to rationalize it as preferring weapons that have other practical uses, to hunt for game, if nothing else. [/tangent]

As for Harsk, I'm just totally conflicted, as usual. One the one hand, I see the point of 'Iconics' being kind of generic. The 'Iconic' Ranger should be a fairly traditional representation of the breed, and not use unusual weapon choices or be a 'non-traditional' race. On the other hand, I *like* that he's just snorting and pushing right past those expectations and doing his own dwarfy ranger crossbow thing, and not even drinking ale or mead, but preferring his cuppa tea.

On the gripping hand, I'm annoyed that it costs a single feat to replace a crossbow with a longbow, which is flat-out better in many ways, and it takes *three* feats to 'catch up' and be almost as capable with the crossbow as if he'd just chosen to use a composite longbow from the start. It should only cost *one* feat to 'catch up.' The crossbow doesn't have to be able to fire as fast, or become (boringly) mechanically identical to the comp. longbow, but that one feat should be sufficient to make it *competitive.* I love the idea that halflings might prefer slings and dwarves crossbows, but both weapons are craptastic compared to longbows, and it's only the difference between buying a Martial Weapon Proficiency (assuming that one's class doesn't already get them all!), so, IMO, it should only cost a single feat to 'catch up' and be able to hit harder enough with one of these 'sub-par' weapons to make up for the lack of rapid fire options, DPR-wise.

But I haven't had time to read the playtest. Perhaps they've updated things so that the sling and crossbow are no longer red-headed stepchild to the comp. longbow, and my point is moot!