Is it Munchkin?

[werk]

I wouldn't worry about it too much. If it's not broken, you can easily pick a different weapon

As far a Raschemen, I don't know if they are really modeled after a real world region, maybe central eastern europe or north western asia. All I know is that they have good cheese and strong booze. They are pretty much always at war with Thay, so they probably hate red...and tattoos.

Nothing is munchkin except games that want to be that way.

 

[Gold Roger]

Could you imagine a 16th-century samurai wielding an English cavalry lance? Or how about a shaolin monk with a rapier? A Venetian duelist with a three-section-staff? A Scottish highlander with a pair of tonfa?

You know, that's awefully close to the kind of stuff you can find in my games. Just saying.

 

[Storm Raven]

If the DM has a bug up their nose about spiked chains, and frankly some do, just use a heavy flail instead. It's martial so it saves you a feat, you still get the trip and disarm bonus, it does slightly better damage, and has a better crit profile.

The down side is that it doesn't have reach, but, well, can't have everything I suppose.

If you want a martial tripping weapon with reach just use a guisarme.

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

I think that this best sums most GMs' problems with the spiked chain up:

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0216.html

Only dumb DM's (which admittedly is most of them). You cant get hit twice w AoO's from the same opponent due to movement in the same round. You cant use your AoO to trip someone as they are standing. Two of the more common (and incorrect) whines dispelled free of charge.

And in the words of one of my former (munchkin) players: "It's broken...of course I took it!"

Its not broken. It merely ALMOST makes the fighter class worth playing in core, and even then only against medium or smaller bipeds. The spiked chain is way overrated by whiners who apparently have never had a spellcaster in their game, or who simply believe in the old 1st edition nonsense that the casters are supposed to be the best class in the game. Sorry, the class is called a fighter. All it does is fight. He has no useful class skills, and provides zero controbution outside of attacking things. He should unquestioningly dominate combat, at all levels of play. The wizard should be in the corner, wetting himself when the fighter's initiative rolls up, and feel ineffective at what his meteor swarm did in comparison to the fighter's full attack.

And for the realism whine? Sorry, you're playing a game where someone can be standing in the middle of a massive fiery explosion and be unharmed (evasion), or jump off a 300 foot cliff for a piddly 10d6 damage and keep running. I'm not sure if you missed the heroic, cinematic fantasy part of D&D, but a simulationist game this aint.

 

[Dykstrav]

The game is what you want it to be. There's nothing wrong with allowing whatever types of weapons you want if you're having fun with it. My point is that a DM is within his rights to limit options (or grant more) based on the flavor or atmosphere that he wants to achieve. In alot of ways, this is a more important consideration than rules questions, because I know the rules are reasonably balanced. Some games are grab-bags of several genres and that's fine.

I did take rapiers out of my own games, strictly for flavor reasons. I just don't like them. They're much more Three Musketeers than pseudo-medieval fantasy to me. The scimitar is almost statistically identical, the only differences being the damage type and the fact that you can use Weapon Finesse with a rapier. Two players within seven years have wanted rapiers, and neither one of them minded when I told them that they weren't available. They both reacted with "oh, cool," took scimitars and we gamed on.

I've also been told by certain DMs that I can't use a halberd because it's a cheesy weapon. You can make trip attempts with it and set up for a charge, but it doesn't have reach or give you bonuses on disarm attempts or anything. The fact that to does double damage on a charge and does 1d10 damage apparently 'dictates tactics' to some DMs who let half-orc chainfighters in their games (but not a dwarven halberdier who wants to fight some giants).

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

If you want, check out Oriental Adventures and you can find a chain that has everything BUT the spikes...and its a real weapon, too.

 

[Rel]

ehren37, your last couple posts could have been about 40% less nasty without hurting the validity of your points at all. Let's lean more toward "Keepin' it civil", shall we?

 

[Jim Hague]

Its not broken. It merely ALMOST makes the fighter class worth playing in core, and even then only against medium or smaller bipeds. The spiked chain is way overrated by whiners who apparently have never had a spellcaster in their game, or who simply believe in the old 1st edition nonsense that the casters are supposed to be the best class in the game. Sorry, the class is called a fighter. All it does is fight. He has no useful class skills, and provides zero controbution outside of attacking things. He should unquestioningly dominate combat, at all levels of play. The wizard should be in the corner, wetting himself when the fighter's initiative rolls up, and feel ineffective at what his meteor swarm did in comparison to the fighter's full attack.

Again, your opinion, and really not supported widely nor by the rules. And, IME, it's pretty broken, with the right combination of abilities.

And for the realism whine? Sorry, you're playing a game where someone can be standing in the middle of a massive fiery explosion and be unharmed (evasion), or jump off a 300 foot cliff for a piddly 10d6 damage and keep running. I'm not sure if you missed the heroic, cinematic fantasy part of D&D, but a simulationist game this aint.

And now you've completely jumped the tracks. Who brought up realism?

Edit: Rel's already handled the attitude issue. Thanks!

 

[Jim Hague]

If you want, check out Oriental Adventures and you can find a chain that has everything BUT the spikes...and its a real weapon, too.

There's a solution for you. I'd forgotten about the OA chain.