Armor Spikes

TracerBullet42 · Mar 3, 2005

From the SRD:

Armor Spikes: You can have spikes added to your armor, which allow you to deal extra piercing damage (see Table: Weapons) on a successful grapple attack. The spikes count as a martial weapon. If you are not proficient with them, you take a –4 penalty on grapple checks when you try to use them. You can also make a regular melee attack (or off-hand attack) with the spikes, and they count as a light weapon in this case. (You can’t also make an attack with armor spikes if you have already made an attack with another off-hand weapon, and vice versa.)

An enhancement bonus to a suit of armor does not improve the spikes’ effectiveness, but the spikes can be made into magic weapons in their own right.

Damage Your Opponent: While grappling, you can deal damage to your opponent equivalent to an unarmed strike. Make an opposed grapple check in place of an attack. If you win, you deal nonlethal damage as normal for your unarmed strike (1d3 points for Medium attackers or 1d2 points for Small attackers, plus Strength modifiers). If you want to deal lethal damage, you take a –4 penalty on your grapple check.

Am I correct, then, in thinking that with a successful grapple check in spiked armor, you can deal damage as an unarmed strike PLUS damage from the armor spikes? Or is it one or the other? (It does say "extra" damage...)

Kemrain · Mar 3, 2005

As I understand it, a Fighter in Armor Spikes who deals grapple damage deals 1d3+str in non-lethal damage, and 1d6 points of piercing damage. A low level Monk in Armor Spikes (as I don't believe that Monks lose their unarmed damage when wearing armor) deals either 1d6+str non-lethal and 1d6 Piercing, or 1d6+str bludgeoning and 1d6 piercing. Great way to boost your grappling damage, if you don't mind the possibility of grappling your opponent into a fine red paste on your armor (the cleanup is murder!)

- Kemrian the Pinned, Still.

TracerBullet42 · Mar 3, 2005

Kemrain said:
As I understand it, a Fighter in Armor Spikes who deals grapple damage deals 1d3+str in non-lethal damage, and 1d6 points of piercing damage. A low level Monk in Armor Spikes (as I don't believe that Monks lose their unarmed damage when wearing armor) deals either 1d6+str non-lethal and 1d6 Piercing, or 1d6+str bludgeoning and 1d6 piercing. Great way to boost your grappling damage, if you don't mind the possibility of grappling your opponent into a fine red paste on your armor (the cleanup is murder!)

- Kemrian the Pinned, Still.

That's pretty much how I read it as well...I'd like to gather several opinions, though, so keep 'em coming! Thanks Kemrain!

blargney the second · Mar 3, 2005

If used like that in a grapple, I think the spikes ought to do damage as an off-hand weapon. 1d6+0.5*Str. Other than that, it looks reasonable to me!

-blarg

kjenks · Mar 3, 2005

The Main 3.5e FAQ introduces a new wrinkle on this topic:

When grappling, you can damage your foe with your spikes
by making a regular grapple check (opposed by your foe’s
check). If you succeed, you deal piercing damage to your foe
(see Table 7–5 in the Player’s Handbook) rather than the
unarmed strike damage you’d normally deal when damaging
your foe with a grapple check.

So what are we to make of that? Does that FAQ entry change the armor spike rules back to the way they were in 3e, where armor spikes did not inflict extra damage? Or maybe it adds a new grapple action to the list in the PH, one which allows you to choose A, B or C: (A) Inflict unarmed strike damage and extra piercing damage (per PH), (B) Inflict unarmed strike damage only (for those times when you don't want to kill the guy), (C) Inflict piercing damage only.

Ask your DM.

Armor Spikes

TracerBullet42

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Kemrain

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TracerBullet42

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blargney the second

blargney the minute's son

kjenks

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