Reach weapon (longspear) through ally space?

[Mighty Halfling]

The situation:
A cleric with a longspear is tucked behind the fighter. The fighter is engaged with a monster.
Can cleric stab at the monster with the longspear? Does the monster have cover?

On the map:
C=Cleric, F=Fighter, M=Monster

Map 1:
CFM

Map 2 (As the cleric makes a 5-foot step to one side, but can still heal):
FM
C

I am aware that the Cleric might be in danger of being left essentially weaponless when he has to cast a heal spell. (Longspears are 2-handed, so he has to hold it with one while casting, which means its unusable until next turn.)

 

[pawsplay]

Map 1: Yes, and yes.
Map 2: Yes, and no. The cleric can use the diagonal as the origin. However, the first diagonal is only 5', so reach may be an issue.

Although it takes a move action to ready a weapon, there is no particular action associating with wielding it as opposed to not. In other words, I think most GMs would say you can free one hand, cast the spell, and then wield it again. Since there is no shield involved and the spear doesn't actually have to be stowed, no mess, no fuss.

 

[Dandu]

It is mentioned in a Rules of the Game article that taking a hand off of a weapon to cast a spell (and putting it back on, for that matter) is a free action.

 

[Mighty Halfling]

Whoops... Map 2 posted wrong and eliminated a space ...
C=cleric
F=fighter
M=monster
U=unoccupied space

UFM
CUU

Do I have reach? Does monster have cover?

 

[Sorry_Charry]

Short answer: Yes.

Long answer: To determine cover for a melee reach weapon, you use the rules for ranged attacks.

To determine whether a target has cover from a ranged attack, you must:
[1] Choose a corner of the attacker's square.
[2] Draw an imaginary line from that corner to each of the four corners of the square your target occupies.
[3] If any of those imaginary lines pass thru:
[a] a square or border that blocks line of effect or provides cover
a square occupied by a creature (your fighter buddy, in this instance)
...Then the target gains cover.

The rules go on to say that since the cover is granted by a creature (as opposed to a wall or some other source), that it is only soft cover.

Soft cover grants only the AC benefit, not the reflex save or hide check benefits that cover would usually provide.

 

[Vegepygmy]

Yep, what Sorry Charry said.

 

[DumbPaladin]

Map 1: Yes, and yes.
Map 2: Yes, and no. The cleric can use the diagonal as the origin. However, the first diagonal is only 5', so reach may be an issue.

From the SRD:

Note: Small and Medium creatures wielding reach weapons threaten all squares 10 feet (2 squares) away, even diagonally. (This is an exception to the rule that 2 squares of diagonal distance is measured as 15 feet.)

 

[pawsplay]

From the SRD:

Note: Small and Medium creatures wielding reach weapons threaten all squares 10 feet (2 squares) away, even diagonally. (This is an exception to the rule that 2 squares of diagonal distance is measured as 15 feet.)

My point was that reach weapons do NOT threaten squares 5 feet away. With the clarification about the positioning above, it is of course a moot point now.

 

[TanisFrey]

My point was that reach weapons do NOT threaten squares 5 feet away. With the clarification about the positioning above, it is of course a moot point now.

Unless you have the Short Haft in the PBHII page 82. It allows you, as a swift action, to choke up on the reach weapon in hand and threaten the adjacent squares.

The Prequets are: Proficiency with the weapon, Weapon Focus for the reach weapon, BAB +3

It is even a fighter bonus feat to boot.

 

[Jacob]

Time Stop.

I thought Cover rules only applied to opponents and the like? From what I recall, an archer shooting someone who is behind an ally isn't effected by any sort of Cover rules, because he's shooting through allies, and not enemies. If he were shooting through an enemy, then cover would apply to that target.

Shouldn't this apply to melee as well?