Though you possess some combat training, your practical experience in face-to-face combat is limited. You must hone your skills through real battle, learning to wield your weapons more effectively with each encounter.

As you engage in combat with a particular weapon type, you become more proficient with its use. Your proficiency with a weapon increases as you deal damage with it.

To advance your proficiency, you must deal a certain amount of damage with the weapon in combat. The table below details the damage required to progress and the corresponding benefits.

• Level 1: You suffer disadvantage on all attack rolls made with the weapon. (Deal 5 damage to advance to Level 2.)
• Level 2: You have a -3 penalty to attack rolls with weapons. (Deal additional 20 damage to advance to Level 3.)
• Level 3: You have a -1 penalty to attack rolls with weapons. (Deal additional 50 damage to advance to Level 4.)
• Level 4: You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls with weapons. (Deal additional 100 damage to advance to Level 5.)
• Level 5: You gain a +3 bonus to attack rolls with weapons. (Deal additional 250 damage to advance to Level 6.)
• Level 6: While wielding your primary weapon type, your Armor Class increases by 1. (Deal additional 500 damage to advance to Level 7.)
• Level 7: You gain advantage on attack rolls made with weapons. (Deal additional 1,000 damage to advance to Level 8.)
• Level 8: You have advantage on all attack rolls with weapons, and any disadvantage affecting your attacks is ignored.

Weapon Specialization

Once you advance with a specific weapon type (such as dagger, crossbow, or greataxe), that weapon type becomes your primary weapon. If you use a weapon that isn’t your primary weapon, your proficiency level with that new weapon is reduced by 1 (to a minimum of Level 1). This reduction persists until you switch back to your primary weapon or advance your proficiency with the new weapon, making it your new primary weapon. Note that switching between two weapons of the same type (e.g., from one rapier to another rapier) does not cause your proficiency level to regress.