D&D 3E/3.5 [3.5] Sundering a Spiked Chain weapon.

[Camarath]

Linked metal rings are weaker that a soild forged metal span. A chain is only as good as it's weakest point. If the entirety of the chain is as thick or thicker that a Greatsword it would be almost unusable. It would be heavier, the links would have to be quite a bit larger, and would not articualate as well as a lighter chain.

 

[Shard O'Glase]

personally I hate spiked chains, there just too ugly to wield. There not too potent IMO though 2d4 x2 crit crit only on a 20 on a 2 handed weapon, that's weak in fact incredibly weak. Reach, trip, and disarm benefits balance it out at best.

 

[Ysgarran]

edit: btw, masterwork manacles have 10/10. Btw, do you play a spiked chain weilding fighter?

This is the most 'similiar' item I've seen so far, you've convinced me that this is the way to go.

I have a character in my campaign who runs a spiked chain Fighter/Rogue/Devoted Defender. He is pretty effective with it. With Combat Reflexes and his protection abilities he gets a fair number of attacks. One of the things that works well for him is that it is a reach weapon and can be used at 5' feet.

I always try to be prepared for situations that are likely to come up in my game...like sundering a spiked chain

Ysgarran.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

A chain has hardness 10 and hp 5 (3.5 PHB pg 126), requiring a DC 26 strength check to break. That's probably a good starting point.

I wouldn't think a spiked chain would be much tougher -- to keep it light and flexible, it would need smaller diameter links than a chain that's not to be whirled about (hence weaker), but would probably be forged with greater skill and higher quality alloys (hence a bit stronger) -- evening out to be about the same as a heavy chain you'd use to anchor something with. My take, anyway.

 

[Tellerve]

Has anyone thought of an alternate way to think about spiked chains in that if you used it as a reach weapon during the round it would only be reach, and then if you used it for up close combat you could use it as a double weapon? Essentially in that as a reach weapon you are "throwing" out the extra bit and allowing for reach?

I dunno, I just was thinking about it and thought I might see how it works out.

Tellerve

 

[jontherev]

So, how many hitpoints/hardness for an adamantine spiked chain? Would it be less for a small spiked chain (for a halfling or gnome)?

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Clever idea, but I hate it from a game balance perspective. The spiked chain is already pretty good in that it's the only real reach weapon (whip not really counting) that can attack both near and far, plus it can both trip and disarm. Making it a double weapon on top of that ... well, that's way too good IMO.

It slices, it dices, it trips, it disarms, its ... the spiked chain! Only 19 gp and 99 cp with your purchase of the exotic weapon proficiency! Act now, and we'll throw in a free mini spiked chain for your halfling cohort!

Edit: adamantine is hardness 20.

 

[jontherev]

It slices, it dices, it trips, it disarms, its ... the spiked chain! Only 19 gp and 99 cp with your purchase of the exotic weapon proficiency! Act now, and we'll throw in a free mini spiked chain for your halfling cohort!

Edit: adamantine is hardness 20.

You got it. What with the newly improved Weapon Finesse, this halfling rogue's gonna reach out and touch more foes.

That's right on the hardness, but what about hit points? Ah, dern it if it ain't right thar in the book. Add 1/3 more hit points to adamantine weapons, armor, etc. SO, if'n you deem a spiked chain to be 10 hp's, then it'd be 13...20 would become 26? Nice. Me like. Now maybe I can use Combat Reflexes...

 

[Kodam]

Master of Chains

The Option to change the spiked chain from reach weapon to doubble-weapon and back again is a major class feature of the Master of Chains. By making it available for all this PrC will be nerfed a lot.
In any case it should be a feat requiring greater weapon focus as a prerequisite.

I think Hardness 10, 15 HP could be ok. This reflects the fact that the links of the chain can MOVE. A Greatsword doesn't move if you strike it and so it gets the full impakt o the blow. The chain wrapps and thereby lessens the force.