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<blockquote data-quote="Brother MacLaren" data-source="post: 3373946" data-attributes="member: 15999">The ability to *simultaneously* threaten two zones is what makes the Spiked Chain so much better than a polearm, even with Short Haft.Suppose I'm using a Spring Attacking glaive-fighter in a duel.&nbsp; For every one attack you get, I get two.&nbsp; Move 15', attack you, move 15' away.&nbsp; You get a single attack, but provoke an AOO.&nbsp; One easy counter to this: move up through the threatened area, taking the AOO, and then try to grapple or disarm.&nbsp; If I threatened at close range, I'd get another AOO to stop you (Combat Reflexes is basically a must-have for any reach-weapon fighter), but I don't.&nbsp; I need to threaten at both 10' and 5' at the same time in order to a) make my normal tactic work; and b) prevent the obvious counter to my tactic.&nbsp; I don't think Short Haft will do that.Improved Unarmed Strike might work to give close-range AOOs even with both hands occupied by the glaive, although I don't think spiked gauntlets would.&nbsp; Inhuman Reach (Lords of Madness) combined with a non-reach weapon also works for this, but has drawbacks.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Brother MacLaren, post: 3373946, member: 15999"] The ability to *simultaneously* threaten two zones is what makes the Spiked Chain so much better than a polearm, even with Short Haft. Suppose I'm using a Spring Attacking glaive-fighter in a duel. For every one attack you get, I get two. Move 15', attack you, move 15' away. You get a single attack, but provoke an AOO. One easy counter to this: move up through the threatened area, taking the AOO, and then try to grapple or disarm. If I threatened at close range, I'd get another AOO to stop you (Combat Reflexes is basically a must-have for any reach-weapon fighter), but I don't. I need to threaten at both 10' and 5' at the same time in order to a) make my normal tactic work; and b) prevent the obvious counter to my tactic. I don't think Short Haft will do that. Improved Unarmed Strike [I]might[/I] work to give close-range AOOs even with both hands occupied by the glaive, although I don't think spiked gauntlets would. Inhuman Reach (Lords of Madness) combined with a non-reach weapon also works for this, but has drawbacks. [/QUOTE]

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