Sap Master
quote:
Whenever you use a bludgeoning weapon to deal nonlethal sneak attack damage to a flat-footed opponent, roll your sneak attack dice twice, totaling the results as your nonlethal sneak attack damage for that attack.
This feat can only be used with a
bludgeoning weapon. Blunt arrows are not weapons, they are ammunition.
1)
The ability to be used as an improvised weapon does not make them a weapon. Bolts, arrows, and stones can be wielded as improvised weapons, which may suggest that they are in fact weapons. But, improvised weapon damage values are usually up to the GM's best guess as to what those values should be. Even if some values are given as guidance in the player's guide, those values are still improvised and do not prove that ammunition is a weapon.
2)
You are not using them as an improvised weapon, so can't describe them as being such. Even if I agree with you that using something as an improvised weapon makes it a weapon; you actually have to be using it as an improvised weapon. How something is used determines what it is. For example, "treat a dart or shuriken as a light weapon when used in this manner, and treat a bolas, javelin, net, or sling as a one-handed weapon." When you shoot an arrow out of a bow, it is ammunition. If you run up to me and swing an arrow at me, you could argue that you're using it as an improvised weapon.
3)
Ammunition is not a weapon because it needs no proficiency to use. Ammunition for ranged weapons requires no particular proficiency to use, although the weapons that propel the ammunition (usually bows) do. The Exotic Weapon Proficiency feat isn’t required to use any item in the Ammunition category. The clearest argument that ammunition is not a weapon is that it requires no proficiency to use.
4)
Ammunition is not a weapon because they are not given the key characteristics that weapons are always given. Additionally, as blunt arrows have no specific critical threat* or range, I think that proves they are not weapons. They act as "charges."
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/equipm...pons#wpn-types-paizo.
5)
The rules themselves differentiate between weapons and ammunition and treat them differently. "Special Materials: Weapons or ammunition can be made of an unusual material."
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/magic-weapons. To me, this also suggests that weapons and ammunition are two different things. There are separate rules for weapons and ammunition suggesting that they are two different things.
In my opinion, your strongest argument that they are bludgeoning weapons is that they have a "B" in the damage type. To me, this suggests that you can simply change the damage type of a bow. It does not mean that the arrow is a bludgeoning weapon. But even if this counterargument does not hold, even if this suggests that ammunition is a weapon, when I weigh that against all the other information suggesting that ammunition is not a weapon, then I have to go with where most of the evidences lies.
As such, I don't think blunt arrows allow you to sidestep the "bludgeoning weapon" requirement for the Sap Master feat. Additionally, if we can be honest with ourselves, I think they only intended the Sap Master feat to be used with melee weapons.
These are just my thoughts. I'm curious to see what you guys think.
* Note, it only has the crit range of 20 if used as an improvised weapon. "An improvised weapon scores a threat on a natural roll of 20 and deals double damage on a critical hit. An improvised thrown weapon has a range increment of 10 feet." But you are not using it as an improvised weapon.
** Note, two of these arguments I found online.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:51, Sat 14 Nov 2015.
