Spiked chain questions/prestige classes?

[Nifft]

Nifty Spiked Chain builds:

Human Rogue3/Fighter4, using 32 point buy
Str: 14, Dex: 14, Con: 14, Int: 14, Wis: 12, Cha: 12
Put ranks in these skills: Tumble, Balance, Jump, Bluff, Sense Motive, and whatever else you want.
Wear a Chain Shirt (eventually an enchanted Mithril Chain Shirt). Tumble into flanking position and wail away at your enemies. You will be VERY mobile!

Feats by level:
L1 - Rogue1: Combat Reflexes, Expertise
L2 - Fighter1: Exotic Weapon Prof. (Spiked Chain)
L3 - Rogue2: Weapon Focus (Spiked Chain)
L4 - Fighter2: Improved Trip
L5 - Rogue3
L6 - Fighter3: Power Attack
L7 - Fighter4: Weapon Specialization (Spiked Chain)


Human PsiWarrior again using 32 point buy
Str: 14, Dex: 14, Con: 14, Int: 14, Wis: 14, Cha 10
Again, focus on mobility, and denying your opponent mobility. You will be able to do this with some nifty Psionic Feats. For skills, take Tumble, Jump, Balance and Concentration to start.

Group 1) Stand Still + Combat Reflexes + Expertise -> Improved Trip
You smack anyone who tries to close with you. If you hit, you can try to trip them or just stop them in their tracks. If you trip them, you get a free attack.

Group 2) Dodge -> Mobility -> Spring Attack + Expertise -> Improved Trip
You run up, trip someone, get a free attack, then run away. They have to spend their next round standing up. Works even better combined with Speed of Thought, Skate and/or Burst (which all improve your speed).

Chain 1) Speed of Thought -> Psionic Charge -> Up the Walls
Works great with Spring Attack -- you can run up a wall, attack a flying foe, and run down the wall again.

Chain 2) Inner Strength -> Talented -> Trigger Power (Animal Affinity)
You get some extra Power Points, some extra uses out of Burst (good 0-level power), and the chance to improve your stats by 1d4+1 each for HOURS for free.

Chain 3) Power Attack -> Psionic Weapon -> Deep Impact
By expending a horrible number of Power Points, you can make melee attacks as though they were touch attacks.

Recommended Powers by level:
0- Burst
0- Detect Psionics (if playing in a Psi Is Magic world)
0- Float

1- Skate
1- Combat Precognition
1- Biofeedback

2- Animal Afinity
2- Vigilance
2- Levitate

3- Metaphysical Weapon
3- Displacement
3- Claws of the Vampire

4- Dimension Door
4- Inertial Barrier
4- Polymorph Self

5- Energy Barrier
5- Graft Weapon
5- Adapt Body

6- Breath of the Dragon

-- Nifft

 

[magnas_veritas]

Thanks for the serious comments, Destil & Pagan Priest. You're making me reconsider whether or not I want to do this kind of character. I just found an awesome Reaper miniature with a spiked chain and thought it might be cool.

Hmmm, lots to look at and consider. Thanks for the info so far.

I've a testbed munchkin build I've been working on, and for a time I thought of having him use a spiked chain. Then I realized that I just didn't want to spend the EWP and invest in the feats to use it. Most of his damage came from the 1.5 Str bonus, so I decided I would go with a heavy flail instead; you get better damage and the same bonus to Trip and Disarm, but don't get reach or two-weaponing. And it doesn't cost a feat to learn, either.

Brad

 

[Destil]

5- Graft Weapon

Anyone know of any rulings allowing this with a two handed weapon? I havn't been letting it, myself. Though if you take pollymorph self (or mabye let expansion at least increase the size of a weapon you can graft) it wouldn't matter.

 

[bmcdaniel]

Spiked Chain wielding monk

I'm playing a spiked-chain wielding monk. Monks get improved trip for free, so I only needed two feats (combat reflexes and exotic weapon prof) to really make use of it. Plus it complements the monk's role, which isn't to do the most damage, but to harass enemy spellcasters and people running away.

BMM

 

[Grendel]

I ran a character with a spiked chain for a couple levels before I realized that as a front-line fighter I needed the shield for protection. I think it works best with the builds presented, psi warrior and fighter/rogue.

If your party can afford a secondary fighter it would work great. but don't expect to hold the line with that reach, at later levels its only a minor deterant.

 

[Darklone]

Just don't forget to take another weapon with you... kytons love spiked chain munchkins. Ever got strangled by your own weapon?

 

[lupo]

Phoenix8008,

I have been looking for a miniature with a spike chain for a long time. Can you tell me where I can find it?

Thanks

Michael Lupo

 

[lupo]

As far as the chain itself is concerned,

I think that it becomes the most powerful when combined with Sneak Attack. The the damage increase is huge, and with feats, you can set yourself up to be able to make a lot of attacks every round, each of which will have the sneak damage applied.

Invisible Rogues with spike chain

ughhhhhhhhhhh

Bad Memories

 

[TaTu]

And pick up the Singh Ranger PrC from OA to get Lion's Charge.

Where can i find it?

 

[Pax]

I'm afraid I don't agree with some of the prior "neds high stats everywhere" suggestions above. I don't see Spring Attack as being needed, especially not for a Large or bigger chain-wielder.

Really, you need a 13+ Intelligence, and as high a Strength as you can manage. A Dexterity of 12 or 14 is nice, but not absolutely required.

One example Fighter(10):

Char. 1 --- Exotic Weapon (Heavy Spiked Chain)
Fighter 1 - Expertise
Fighter 2 - Improved Trip
Char. 3 --- Knockdown
Fighter 4 - Combat Reflexes
Char. 6 --- Large and In Charge
Fighter 6 - Weapon Focus (Heavy Spiked Chain)
Fighter 8 - Weapon Specialisation (Heavy Spiked Chain)
Char. 9 --- Improved Critical (Heavy Spiked Chain)
Fighter10 - Power Attack

Make this a Large character (Half-Ogre perhaps), and upsize the Spiked Chain to 2d6 damage, as well as increasing it's reach by 5', to 15'. Then, since it's a Gold or Platinum "heavy" chain, it goes up to 3d6.

Put on a Ring of Growth (SavS), and you and the chain get bigger ... bumping the damage up to 4d6, and the reach to 20'.

All that, at ECL 11 (10 if you can forgo Power Attack ...). Will it destroy anything it encounters? Nope.

Will it give HEADACHES to anything it encounters? Yep!

And most importantly, will it be FUN to bring this monstrousity into melee combat ... ? Hell, yeah!