Fighting with reach weapons

[Shin Okada]

@irdeggman:

Precise Swing, from the Eberron Campaign Setting book.

Also there is a magic item called Goggles of Foefinding in Magic Item Compendium. For just 2,500 gp, you can ignore cover bonus to AC.

 

[Kask]

"otherwise, what's the use of most reach weapons, apart from an initial AoO, i will have to drop them to fight an adjacent foe, esp. if i want to use flurry of blows or other full attacks, no?

many thanks, V

You are merely running into rules that reflect reality. Pole Arms weren't designed to be used by a single soldier. They are to be used en mass.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Dannyalcatraz, given your remark about the Pole Fighter feat and other solutions, i assume there are no reach weapons that can be used one-handed so that i can continue benefiting from FoB while having reach?

Even while wielding a polearm, a Monk can FoB with his unarmed strikes against adjacent foes. If he actually takes either the Pole Fighter or Pole Master feat, he can FoB with it as well, meaning he could- if foes were properly placed, FoB against both adjacent foes AND those 10' away (assuming size M monk w/standard reach weapon).

There are feats in both DCv1 and WotC products that allow you to add 5' reach to a polearm (briefly) to attack opponents who are slightly further away or "choking up" on the grip to attack adjacent foes with your polearm.

There are some non-polearm reach weapons (as I recall, all are chain-type weapons) that can be used against adjacent foes, but none are truly 1 handed (the DMG version of the Kusarigama is one handed when used as a kama only).

 

[vlysses]

@dannyalcatraz

thank you for your comment, and also to everyone else for their clarifications/ideas/suggestions.

best, V

 

[SamCameron]

The spiked chain has reach and can be used to attack adjacent opponents.

 

[FEADIN]

There's a feat called Short haft in PHBII (not sure), it let's you reduce the reach or regain it with your reach weapon once a round as a free action.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

There's a feat called Short haft in PHBII (not sure), it let's you reduce the reach or regain it with your reach weapon once a round as a free action.

Yeah, its PHB2, along with a bunch of other polearm feats. There are also a similar bunch of feats in DCv1. Check out both books- each one has winners that the other doesn't. DCv1 in particular has a BUNCH of polearms.

(As I recall, others can be found in CompWar, the Planar Handbook...maybe Savage Species as well.)

 

[glass]

otherwise, what's the use of most reach weapons, apart from an initial AoO, i will have to drop them to fight an adjacent foe, esp. if i want to use flurry of blows or other full attacks, no?

As other have noted, you can keep holding your polearm and still make attacks with your unarmed strike. Note that the key word there is "hold"; if you wield your polearm and unarmed strike at the same time you take TWF penalties. And to threaten with both weapons, you need to wield both.

Not everyone agrees with me on this, but just in case your DM does...


glass

 

[Berod Oyeghirn]

Except that your opponents now have "soft cover" so your attacks are at -4.

I think they introduced a feat to get around this though, I just can't remember what it was {getting old ; ) }

I believe that the -4 applies to ranged attacks, not to melee atacks (even with a reach weapon).

 

[irdeggman]

I believe that the -4 applies to ranged attacks, not to melee atacks (even with a reach weapon).

Reach weapons are treated as ranged weapons for purposes of cover.


SRD or PHB pg 151

COVER
To determine whether your target has cover from your ranged attack, choose a corner of your square. If any line from this corner to any corner of the target’s square passes through a square or border that blocks line of effect or provides cover, or through a square occupied by a creature, the target has cover (+4 to AC).

When making a melee attack against an adjacent target, your target has cover if any line from your square to the target’s square goes through a wall (including a low wall). When making a melee attack against a target that isn’t adjacent to you (such as with a reach weapon), use the rules for determining cover from ranged attacks.