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I have a swordmage|warlock that uses a rapier.  A while back there was an article that I know some of you guys were disappointed with.  It had feats that gave the expertise bonuses to blades when used as both weapons and implements.

Its been a while but they aren't in the builder.  I'm still stuck with versatile expertise waiting til 15th level to get that +2. 

So what happened to those?  Is there a better feat option for me other than versatile expertise?

Thanks!

They are not even in the compendium.

Good news though, the December errata changed Versatile Expertise to 11/21 just like all the other expertise feats instead of 15/25.

Durr.  I don't suppose Draconic Spellcaster got hit by that change, did it?

Thanks!

Did Wizards clarify if those feats will be official or if they are just getting rid of them?

The article was updated and, while some stuff was removed, the overall opinions on the final article were much better than the original.



Tools of Two Trades

Mar 13, 2012 -- 10:52AM, Mand12 wrote:

Durr.  I don't suppose Draconic Spellcaster got hit by that change, did it?

No, none of the weird racial feats did.

Mar 13, 2012 -- 10:54AM, rjsilverthorn wrote:

The article was updated and, while some stuff was removed, the overall opinions on the final article were much better than the original.

Tools of Two Trades

Indeed, much better, but mainly for bards (wand, musical instrument, or weapliment) and crossbow artificers, with some support for weapliment arcane classes in general. The bard feat is good enough that I'm seriously considering taking it alongside Staff Expertise.

The article also has some nice feats for Divine characters with weapon and holy symbol. Which doesn't eliminate the need to regularly upgrade both items.

If you don't find yourself in those descriptions, it has nothing.

I was a bit annoyed that they did not give a good weapliment expertise feat for divine casters since they have given them so many weapliment options.

The divine feats are fine if you are using inherent bonuses, but if you are not you still have to either maintain two items or go with versatile expertise and a weapliment.

White Lotus Dueling is handy for picking up an extra implement type. 

Mar 13, 2012 -- 12:20PM, GelatinousOctahedron wrote:

I was a bit annoyed that they did not give a good weapliment expertise feat for divine casters since they have given them so many weapliment options.

The divine feats are fine if you are using inherent bonuses, but if you are not you still have to either maintain two items or go with versatile expertise and a weapliment.

I'm not sure why you think this is the case. If you are using any weapon which can also be used as a holy symbol (e.g. Crusader's Weapon, Holy Avenger), then you can use Devout Protector Expertise or Mighty Crusader Expertise. There are some weapons which are more specific than that, like Weapon of Oaths Fulfilled, and you're right about needing Versatile Expertise for those weapons, but it's not true for all of them.

If you are saying that they work for all those items that is great.  But the wording isn't clear since it says weapon powers with weapons and holy symbols with holy symbols like they are two serapate things, while the bard and aritficer ones are very clear they work with all attacks with a weapliment.  And will it work with symbol of the sonnlinor which never mentions holy symbols?

I am not sure why they don't just use the wording of  "You gain a +1 feat bonus to attack rolls that you make with a 1-handed weapon or holy symbol" like they did with artificer and bard ones.  It doesn't break anything that I can tell and is clear that it works with all the various cleric/paladin/avenger weapliment options.

As herid points out, most divine weapliments are, in fact, holy symbols. Some are not, and those are not covered by the expertise feats. Definitely a shortcoming compared to the arcane feats, particularly the lack of primal/divine/equivalents to White Lotus Dueling Expertise, but there are ways to get the full benefits of those divine expertise feats without maintaining a separate weapon and implement.

The feats from that article supposedly hit the builder on its next update (3/28 i believe).