You're Axeing For It
You may, at some point in the past, have seen one of my previous articles with feats for fighting with a specific weapon, with the intention of providing options to make fighting with a rapier feel special and distinct from fighting with an axe or a hammer or even a longsword. So far, I’ve stuck to relatively “big name” weapons: the rapier and the quarterstaff, but today I want to turn that kind of attention on a weapon that just doesn’t get as much love, in the hopes that I might inspire someone to play with one. So, without further ado, meet the feats of the throwing axe.
Opportune Throw (Combat)
You watch for your opponents to make a mistake, and hurl an unforgiving axe in their face the second they do.
Prerequisites: Weapon Focus (throwing axe), base attack bonus +11.
Benefit: As long as you are wielding a throwing axe, you threaten all squares within one range increment of the throwing axe (typically 10 feet). If a creature within melee range provokes an attack of opportunity, you may choose whether to make a melee attack or a ranged attack with the axe (or, if you are also wielding another weapon, to attack with it). If a creature outside of melee range provokes an attack of opportunity, you may only choose to make that attack as a ranged attack with the throwing axe, if you choose to make it at all. You may not make more ranged attacks of opportunity in this way than the number of throwing axes you were wielding at the end of your last turn, even if you possess the ability to make more attacks of opportunity and to replace thrown axes before your next turn.
Stab and Throw (Combat)
You are a master of fighting with two throwing weapons at a time, fending off an attacker with one while throwing the other at a further foe.
Prerequisites: Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus (light hammer, starknife, or throwing axe).
Benefit: Whenever you make a ranged attack with a light hammer, starknife, or throwing axe, if you are also wielding a melee weapon in your other hand, you do not provoke attacks of opportunity for making a ranged attack.
Throwing Axe Specialist (Combat)
You know how to make a throwing axe especially deadly.
Prerequisite: Weapon Focus (throwing axe), fighter level 4th.
Benefit: The critical multiplier of any throwing axe you wield is increased by 1 (typically from x2 to x3), and the range increment is increased by 5 feet (typically from 10 feet to 15 feet).
Special: Throwing Axe Specialist counts as Weapon Specialization (throwing axe) for the purpose of qualifying for feats or other abilities (you can still take both Throwing Axe Specialist and Weapon Specialization [throwing axe], if desired).
Twin Axe Specialist (Combat)
You are able to slice and dice your foes in a whirlwind of axe attacks.
Prerequisites: Double Slice, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus (throwing axe).
Benefit: Whenever you use the full attack action to make at least one melee attack each with two different throwing axes, if you successfully hit the opponent once with each axe, you deal an extra 2d6 points of slashing damage. This extra damage occurs only once per round, even if you successfully hit an opponent twice with each axe.
Wild Throw (Combat)
You have learned how to throw your weapons so they spin in unpredictable ways, making them difficult to avoid.
Prerequisite: Weapon Focus (light hammer, starknife, or throwing axe).
Benefit: Whenever you make a ranged attack with a light hammer, starknife, or throwing axe, you may choose to take a -2 penalty on the attack roll in order to make it a wild throw. If you do, the target adds only half of any Dexterity, dodge, insight, or shield bonuses to AC that they may possess, for the purposes of that attack. The target does not count as being denied his Dexterity bonus to AC as a result of this ability, and it is impossible to deal precision-based damage (such as a rogue’s sneak attack) with a wild throw.