How do you build a core-only spiked chain user?

[Infiniti2000]

That's true, Thanee. The tripping does make power attack attractive, but it would depend on how the DM view's power attack and the trip check. I know a few around here that argue that your power attack penalty applies to the opposed trip and therefore it would not be as beneficial.

 

[Thanee]

It surely applies to the touch attack, but applying it to the Str check? What a weird thought. It should rather give a bonus there, if anything.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Timely Drought]

Assuming that with those 12 fighter levels he's got all the feats he needs for his chain tripping schtick and more fighter levels are wasted...

Which other classes would be good to take? Barbarian for rage I guess. Would 3 levels of rogue be any good for a bit of sneak and maybe maxing some non-fighter skill? Or ranger for handle animal then train them for assists? Maybe get the wizard to feeblemind monsters and then train them...?

What would be decent skills for this char?

None of the core prestige classes look very good for this character.

I'm tempted to take ranger to have better options for skills: use rope, survival, handle animal, spot, ride, hide, move silently, intimidate, knowledge (dungeoneering). And for the archery path. But then I'm not sure if I want to either delay taking the chain tripping feats, or get the ranger skills/abilities very late in character development.

Fighter 10 / Ranger 10 looks good to me. Makes him a battlefield controller with some mediocre ranged fighting and some skills. Would this guy fit in a 4-PC standard party (tank, skill monkey, arcane caster, divine caster), in the role of tank?

 

[ruleslawyer]

I wouldn't do that. Barbarian for rage is fine, but going with 10 levels of ranger is getting too far afield. Rather, if you want to not be a one-trick pony, stay with fighter and take some ranged feats, so that you can adequately deal with the guy peppering you with arrows from a distance.

Also, I'd take Mobility/Spring Attack/Whirlwind Attack over greater weapon focus/spec/blind-fight if I were you. The spiked chain threatens a simply ungodly number of squares, and being able to wallop everyone in those squares is pretty good.

 

[Timely Drought]

True that ranger means spreading the concept too thin.

Barbarian has more synergy. How many levels of barbarian though? Lvl 1 for the bare minimum? Lvl 4 for rage 2/day? Lvl 8 for rage 3/day? Lvl 12 for rage 4/day and greater rage?

 

[nittanytbone]

A spiked chain wielding dwarven defender would be neat. The biggest issue with dwarven defender is the lack of mobility, and with a spiked chain your reach is so absurd that mobility isn't so important -- when enlarged, you threaten out to 20'.

The problem is that dwarven defender requires three feats to get into, and a spiked chain fighter needs as many feats as possible.

 

[Thanee]

Barbarian 4 / Wizard 4 maybe?

Or just continue with Fighter and start another combat tree, like Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Quick Draw, etc.

Bye
Thanee

 

[interwyrm]

Just for kicks...

1. Fighter - EWP(Spiked Chain), Combat Expertise, Improved Trip
2. Sorcerer
3. Sorcerer - Still Spell
4. Sorcerer
5. Sorcerer
6. Dragon Disciple - Combat Reflexes
7. Dragon Disciple
8. Dragon Disciple
9. Dragon Disciple - Weapon Focus (Spiked Chain)
10. Dragon Disciple
11. Dragon Disciple
12. Dragon Disciple - Power Attack
13. Dragon Disciple
14. Dragon Disciple
15. Dragon Disciple - Cleave
16. Fighter
17. Fighter
18. Fighter - Weapon Specialization (Spiked Chain)
19. Fighter
20. Fighter

It's too bad... I think I remember that in 3.0 the DD increased your size as well. That doesn't happen anymore.

So... fun things you get... natural weapons to supplement your close range attacks, ability boosts, +15 bab total, the ability to cast enlarge person and some other spell on yourself (in armor if you do still spell). If you replace fighter with barbarian and cut out still spell, you can just take the asf for wearing a mithral breastplate or somesuch and then rage after casting spells. As a barbarian you get fly speed 40, otherwise it's 30. Interesting thing about flying is that I think you can make your attacks from 10 (15 enlarged) ft away while flying. You get a pretty lame breath weapon, but it's nice against low-level hordes I suppose. You get blindsense.

You also get the coolness factor of being a dragon.

 

[Shallown]

Thanees build is fine except I would move the imp disarm to a lower level maybe 4th or so.

Reasoning be with the bonuses spiked chain gets disarming is easy.

+4 for the feat
+4 for 2 handed weapon
+2 for the chain

A + 10 to your normal attack roll is usually enough to take even large opponents weapons away.

Only down side is the percentage of natural weapon users so in some campaigns it maybe near useless while others heavy in humaniods may be toouseful.

Later

 

[Brekki]

I like the dragon disciple idea .. but all you really need for a good tripping build is enlarge person ... so I advice something like:
fighter 2
barbarian 2
sorcerer 1
dragon disciple from here.

I played a character in this direction for a while, it was a Draconic Dwarf: wolf tribe brb 2 / ftr 2 / battle sorcerer 2 / battlerager 5 / dragon disciple 4