Do you allow the Spiked Chain in 3.5 as-is?

[painandgreed]

When I learned 3.5 (only learned up to 2E till then), I DMed a "hack and slash" game through Keep on the boarderlands and some other modules. We had a gladiator with a spiked chain. It seemed sort of powerful with its long reach and AoO. I haven't looked at it again and at the time the point of the game was horribly twinked hack and slash combat so there was no need for house rules.

If I was going to alter the weapon, I think would cut the reach down in instances where there was more than one person in that reach. Seems to me that the only real way to use such a weapon is to swing it really hard and then hit something with it. I can see being able to avoid one person or one direction with your swinging but not if there was a bunch of people surrounding you. I can't see somebody using a spiked chain with friendly fighters in adjacent squares on either side of him. So, I think I'd say that if ther was two or more people or blocking squares in a range category for the spiked chain, then the spiked chain cannot be used in that range category because it cannot be swung up to speed. So, using it in a 10' corridor or in the middle of a large group is pretty much not possible. This would make it the good weapon for gladiators or a single warrior out in the open.

Again, I haven't checked up on it recently, but those are the house rules I remember coming up with at the time back when I was learning the system, so sorry if I made some stupid mistake.

 

[3d6]

I allow the spiked chain as-is. Never had anyone use it, although I have seen two kusari-gamas. (They're a one-handed version that's in the DMG.)

The kusari-gama has worked out well for the person using it (he's a troll barbarian), but I wouldn't call overpowered. He has to give up quite a lot of damage for the reach.

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

I tentatively said "yes", I allow it as-is, but that's only because I've never seen it in action before, as none of my players have shown any interest.

See, nobody in our game has used it, either.

I'm wondering...if it's so obviously broken, why isn't everybody using it?

Brad

 

[sfedi]

I allow it in my game.
Was taken once by a PC.
Seemed powerfull, but not unbalanced.
Having said that, that character died pretty quickly, so we haven't playtested it a lot.

I allow everything until something proves unbalanced.

 

[Grayhawk]

There *are* no spiked chains.

That's right.

We changed Improved Trip. It was too much that you got an extra free attack after tripping someone, in addition to all the other bonuses.

Same here. None of the other 'Improved Combat Maneuver' feats grants you a free attack. When your tripped target stands up is when you get your free attack.

I'm wondering...if it's so obviously broken, why isn't everybody using it?

Because most players are actually concerned about the flavor and believability of their character concept?

 

[Staffan]

I'm not house-ruling the spiked chain per se, but I am house-ruling some of the related stuff. Power attack gives you 1.5 times the bonus when used with two-handed weapons (and 0.5 times the bonus with off-hand weapons) instead of double (and none) - this matches with the Strength bonus. I was considering combining the power attack bonus with Strength before multiplying, but I figured that's a lot of work for one point of damage here and there.

I am also considering either removing the AoO for standing up from prone, or the free attack from Improved Trip. Tripping became a much better option in 3.5e - in 3.0, Improved trip didn't give +4 to trip checks and standing up didn't provoke an AoO.

 

[FireLance]

Because most players are actually concerned about the flavor and believability of their character concept?

Flavor and believability are relative things. In the chinese martial arts genre, you have all kinds of weird and wonderful weapons, such as a one-handed double scimitar, marbles, musical instruments (which made sonic attacks), and silk cloth. My personal favorite is the infamous flying guillotine, a hood about the size of a human head attached to a length of chain. In the hands of a proficient user, the hood would be thrown and would settle around the head of an opponent, sharp razor blades (where did they come from? who knows?) would slice the head off, and with a jerk of the chain, the guillotine (and head) would come back to the user while the rest of the opponent's body collapses several feet away. The spiked chain seems tame in comparison.

Granted, not everyone wants such weapons and characters in their campaign, but some do.

 

[Doctor Bomb]

My personal favorite is the infamous flying guillotine, a hood about the size of a human head attached to a length of chain. In the hands of a proficient user, the hood would be thrown and would settle around the head of an opponent, sharp razor blades (where did they come from? who knows?) would slice the head off, and with a jerk of the chain, the guillotine (and head) would come back to the user while the rest of the opponent's body collapses several feet away.

SWEET. UBER-SWEET. I think I will just go down to the basement and start tinkering with that spiked chain and cloak I have.....

Need another manikin....

 

[RichGreen]

Hi,

I've never had a PC in one of my games use it, but now I think I want to equip an NPC with one!

Why is it so good? What feats do you need to give a fighter to get the best use out of it?

Cheers


Richard

 

[Wormwood]

Don't use it for balance reasons (given the boost Trip got in 3.5)