Reach with strongarm bracers & large longspear?

What area does a medium creature with 5' reach threaten when using a large longspear thanks to strongarm bracers?

I think it would be threatened 10-15', no threat at 5' as usual.

From the SRD:

Most reach weapons double the wielder’s natural reach, meaning that a typical Small or Medium wielder of such a weapon can attack a creature 10 feet away, but not a creature in an adjacent square. A typical Large character wielding a reach weapon of the appropriate size can attack a creature 15 or 20 feet away, but not adjacent creatures or creatures up to 10 feet away.

So my interpretation is that the large weapon provides what would be a large creatures reach on top of the natural reach of 5' feet for medium. The unthreatened area remains the same since the wielder is still a medium creature.

At least that's how I would rule it. Others may say your reach is 15' only and you can't threaten 5'-10' which I can also see the reasoning behind but I think you'd be able to choke up on a longspear easily enough at that length.

Larger sized weapons no longer increase your reach. Baring other reach-improving features, that creature with longspear threatens 10' with a donut at 5'.

Gotcha, thanks guys.

Actually, technically you only gain reach when you're wielding "a reach weapon sized for you", which a large longspear isn't for a medium creature, no matter your feats, racial abilities, or items.

That seems a little dubious....So if you use a reach weapon that's a size too big you threaten 0 feet?

They already built in a penalty for using weapons that are the wrong size. Use that instead of a silly ruling based on the 'sized for you' text.


A supersized value meal at Macdonalds gives me a larger penalty in the form of even more clogged arteries and more heartburn....But it is still just the right size for me!

Well, strongarm bracers, I think most would rule, make a (for example) Large weapon "sized" for a Medium creature wearing them. Of note is the fact it at least sort of counts as Powerful Build (since it explicitly doesn't stack with it).

Elethiomel said:

Actually, technically you only gain reach when you're wielding "a reach weapon sized for you", which a large longspear isn't for a medium creature, no matter your feats, racial abilities, or items.

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Even more technically, a Large creature gains reach when wielding a reach weapon "of appropriate size". For Medium creatures (or, indeed, Huge creatures), such a restriction doesn't appear in the text.

-Hyp.

According to Sage Advice in Dragon #333 regarding wielding oversized weapons (via Monkey's Grip/Powerful Build) "While this reference {PHB p113 on Reach} doesn't mention the ability to wield a weapon larger than the appropriate size, allowing such a weapon to grant reach to its wielder is a reasonable extension of the spirit and intent of the rule."

Personally, I side with the Sage on this one, and allow a greater reach when one uses an oversized reach weapon.

As always, YMMV.

Dannyalcatraz said:

Personally, I side with the Sage on this one, and allow a greater reach when one uses an oversized reach weapon.

As always, YMMV.

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Of course, as always. But still, seriously? You give more reach to people using larger than normal weapons? Or am I misinterpreting?

I go by page 29 of the DMG under Big Creatures, first line:

"Large or larger creatures with reach weapons can strike out to double their natural reach but can't use their weapons [presumably the aformentioned reach weapons, and not necessarily ALL their weapons] at their natural reach or less."

And extrapolate for other sizes. It's always just double natural reach, so even if a Medium human's somehow using a Huge lance, it's still only reach 10 ft. I also allow Tiny creatures with reach weapons to threaten out to 5 ft, which is probably not RAW.

[sblock]I personally hate the 3.5 doubling system and prefer 3.0 / AE's less broken system, which basically just extends reach (and "too close to attack" range) by +5 ft with a reach weapon. Much more sensible.[/sblock]