Pathfinder 1E Fighter Weapon Training Advice: Is there a Heavy Blade with Reach?

[JediMasterGunner]

Is there a Heavy Blade with reach? The campaign is starting at 4th level. Any Paizo book is available for use.

My concept for the character is a Wheel of Time blade master, using the form names and all.

I'm thinking of building a fighter to try the Advanced Armor Training and Advanced Weapon Training feats. It is a way to see what has been done with the PF Fighter before they wrap up this edition. I'd like to use a Heavy Blade as my main weapon but would like a Reach weapon to start encounters.

We are rolling 4d6 keep highest, reroll 1s and 2s. I haven't rolled Ability Scores in about ten years, but I'm expecting better than the 15 point buy we normally use.

I am going with the following:

Human F Combat Expertise
Lvl 1 Dodge
Fi 1 Mobility
Fi 2 Combat Reflexes (Retrain at 4th for Whirlwind Attack)
Lvl 3 Advanced Armor Training Master Armor (treated as if having Master Craftsman and Craft Magic Arms/Armor for armor)
Fi 4 Spring Attack and (Com Ref > Whirlwind Attack)

I know Whirlwind Attack is often considered not worth it or a trap.

 

[Arakasius]

I don’t believe there is. There is reach Spears, pole-arms, flails, axes and hammers but not a sword. You could take a 2h reach weapon with a blade like a Fauchard and wield a small version of of it in one hand. (Only way to really get 1h reach weapons) But for even 2h reach weapons there is no heavy blade reach option.

 

[JediMasterGunner]

Thanks, I thought if the Naginata didn't count there might not be anything else.

 

[Arakasius]

There is a number of weapons like naginata/Glaive/fauchard that are basically a polearm with a heavy blade on it. You could definitely rp swordsmanship with that, but it will have the awkwardness that once up close you’re not going to be able to duel. Something like the meteor hammer would IMO work for your theme, because it’s both a reach weapon and close weapon at the same time. What is being described with that is something you could fuel with, but I’m not sure if your feat selection requires heavy blades. The other thing that can do that is whip and those builds can be very effective, but it’s very feat heavy.

 

[JediMasterGunner]

Thanks, what I am looking for is something where I can mechanically use a Heavy Blade for reach and then switch to the Katana up close. I want both to use the Fighter Weapon Training and then Advanced Weapon Training feats starting level 5.

I found the Versatile Design weapon modification. It costs +500 GP and makes a weapon count as an additional Fighter weapon group. But it also makes Simple weapons Martial, Martial weapons Exotic, and Exotic weapons need a new feat Modified Weapon Prof or Weapon Adept.

 

[Arakasius]

Yeah even if that fixes the heavy blade requirement you have there is very few weapons that are both reach and non reach at the same time. And they’re all pretty weird weapons. You could do pole arm master and be able to do both with a penalty to up close (that eventually does go away but not for a long time)

 

[Tony Vargas]

Thanks, what I am looking for is something where I can mechanically use a Heavy Blade for reach and then switch to the Katana up close.

I somehow missed that PF used the 'Heavy'/'Light' Blade distinction. I'm familiar with it from 4e, in which a Glaive is a Heavy Blade with reach. (Is the Glaive missing, or somehow not 'heavy' in your campaign?)
A fighter in my old group's c2009 campaign used a glaive re-skinned as a Naginata and a greatsword re-skinned as a No-dachi (or however you spell each of those). Mostly the latter, though, as reach wasn't quite the advantage in 4e as in 3.x/PF. FWIW.

 

[Arakasius]

Glaive is just a pole arm with reach in PF1. Main issue is you’re not going to be a good dueler RP wise if you can’t go up close with an enemy. Reach in PF means you can’t attack adjacent without big penalties.

 

[Tony Vargas]

Glaive is just a pole arm with reach in PF1.

Well, sure, it's a pole arm - with a blade on the end of the pole, that's relatively heavy (relative to a dagger or rapier, anyway). :shrug: Or is the idea of a PF1 'heavy blade' mainly something like a 'non-finesseable sword.'

Main issue is you’re not going to be a good dueler RP wise if you can’t go up close with an enemy.

The OP seems to plan to have two weapons, one reach, one melee. Is that no-viable in some way?

Reach in PF means you can’t attack adjacent without big penalties.

That doesn't sound quite as bad as 3.5's you can't attack adjacent, at all.
Still, 5' step. Or has something in PF made that non-viable, as well?

 

[Arakasius]

Heavy blade in PF1 isn’t used a lot. It’s basically things like the greatsword, falchion, etc. I agree the glaive has a blade (as does the Fauchard or some other bladed reach weapons) but none of them count as heavy blades.

For your later two statements there is nothing preventing a player from doing it. Dropping a weapon as a free action and using a move to draw (or having something like quick draw) is totally fine. And five foot step like you said is how all reach characters in PF are played.

The problem with that is none of those fit the Lan Mandragoran/blade master archetype from Wheel of Time, especially not the two weapon option. The heron marked blade is integral to the image of the master, and these characters invest in mastery of it above anything else. I don’t think starting a combat with another weapon they only intend to drop fits that archetype.

Now a reach weapon that could work, but reach in d20 means attacking a character at a range they can’t interact with you. That to me doesn’t fit the blade master character either. All of the sword forms are very much about interacting with a character attacking you. Reach weapons don’t fit that theme. Blade masters are about dueling, and reach weapons is not dueling.

Now what you could do is look into ways to give yourself reach with a heavy blade. Lunge doesn’t work since it’s only on your turn. Combat patrol could work but not at your level. If you don’t mind changing classes an Aberrent bloodrager works, since at level four they get long arms as their bloodline power. Don’t think you can turn that into a wand though (long arm spell). Not sure what other temp reach options there are.