Charge Question

DM Magic · 12th October 2009, 02:27 AM

If I have reach and have two squares between myself and the target, does that means I can't charge (since the nearest square is technically only 5" away)?

Can't I choose to "lower" the reach?

ValhallaGH · 12th October 2009, 02:42 AM

Use a move action to "back up" and then charge. You do have to stop as soon as you can attack the target, but that just means they have to move to attack you (and can't charge).

Bonus, unless the enemy closes in, you can repeat this trick all day long.

DM Magic · 12th October 2009, 02:46 AM

I was dazed.

Fanaelialae · 12th October 2009, 02:56 AM

PHB page 217 states that a Reach weapon "can attack enemies that are 2 squares away from you as well as adjacent enemies".

As such, you could have charged adjacent to the creature and attacked it with your reach weapon, if your DM is willing to accept your reach as being either 1 or 2 for designating the nearest square. It isn't technically legal, but a merciful DM might let you get away with it.

Edit: In short, I would allow it if I was DMing. The alternative would be for the halberd wielding fighter to quick draw a dagger in order to be able to charge adjacent to an enemy, which is just magnitudes of silly.

NMcCoy · 12th October 2009, 01:49 PM

As it is, you can keep a dazed/prone reach-1 enemy from being able to charge you by positioning yourself properly, an important tactical maneuver. I'd encourage a strict reading of the rules in this case so that creatures with reach aren't immune to this tactic.

Fanaelialae · 12th October 2009, 03:29 PM

Having thought it over my best advice for (officially) legally doing what you're looking to do, would be to take the Quick Draw feat and carry a one-handed weapon (dagger, longsword, whatever). That is, unless you're a gnoll in which case the Claw Fighter feat is just as effective.

Note that the feats only make for optimal conditions; you can still use an unarmed attack even if you don't have the appropriate feats/weapons.

When you get into a situation like the one you mentioned, let go of your reach weapon with one hand as a free action (but keep holding it with the other hand so you don't drop it). Either use your unarmed attack with your now free hand (claws if you're a gnoll) or quick draw a one-hander as part of your charge. Since the weapon you are wielding is not a reach weapon, you can now charge adjacent using your unarmed attack/one-hand weapon. Next turn (because you can't take actions after a charge), you can drop any one-handed weapon you might be holding and resume wielding your two-hand reach weapon, both as a free action.

It isn't a perfect solution, obviously, but it will get you where you want to go and give you an attack (albeit a potentially crappy one).

Personally, I greatly dislike the dazed/prone "dead zone" and it was probably the first thing I house ruled out of 4e. (I allow a Lunge which functions similarly to a Charge except that it's only one square and doesn't grant most of the benefits of Charge.) But that, of course, is outside the official rules.