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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Elethiomel" data-source="post: 4096561" data-attributes="member: 49897">Then there's no possibility of raising HP based on CON, as he doesn't have one, and you're not counting those two HD of "construct" in there which contribute 0 to any save.Large is not only positive. I don't see Large as being +1 LA by itself.Anyway, I don't have a problem with the Maug by itself. But we'll come to that.Which I skipped as an irrelevancy because a Goblin Fighter 10 is not CR 1/3 by default, and hence arguing that it isn't is pointless.Well, point by point:Yes, but I don't see any point in tailor-making my encounters to my PCs in one way or another, except as fits the theme of the campaign. If all the players decide to roll up characters with low Will saves when I've already decided (as the GM) that all the trouble all over the countryside is brewed up by a high-level enchanter messing with peoples' minds, then that's too bad for the PCs.I don't see how my tripmonster is so very vurnerable to ranged attacks. He has a reach of 30' if Huge, and that's where you'll find most ranged characters who sneak attack or has point blank shot anyway. Plus, I had in mind gear choices to make ranged attacking harder if I actually put a build together (specifically, the idiotic Animated Shield with the crystal that gives bonus AC against ranged attacks attached).Finally, yes, EL10 of constructs against a party of rogues is pretty lame. So what? I'm not running a campaing for a party of rogues here. If I was, all encounters would be with buildings that needed entering, marks that needed conning, and the town guard. Now if the campaign was nonspecific and everybody decided to make a rogue *anyway*, sure. That's their problem. Now they can use all their rogue skills to bypass the encounter instead of fighting it (in which case it becomes an "impassable room" problem rather than a "fight" problem - and that method of making an "impassable room" I might well employ in an all-rogue campaign too.)Because he's not circumstances, he's an NPC made within the rules. He's optimised, yes, but if the PCs are too, that's fair.32 point buy. And no, I didn't have enough Strength to trip a Huge Giant. I had enough Strength, Feats, Items, and Buffs *put together* to trip a Huge Giant.I often play monstrous PCs. I often GM. As a GM, I tailor the challenge to the party as long as the party doesn't do something silly like all walk around with intelligence damage uncured because "they don't need it", or they all roll fighters and expect me never to use any will-save abilities against them. And many of my encounters are decided long before the first character is rolled up anyway.I haven't presented an extraordinary case as evidence that a standard mechanic and weapon are broken. I don't believe the Trip mechanic is broken. I believe the Spiked Chain is broken because it allows ALL of: - Attacking at reach distance - Attacking at normal distance - Weapon Finesse - Two-handed 2:1 power attack exchange - Tripping - Disarm bonusNo other weapon not inspired by the spiked chain (it has a few derivatives) can do all these things. Granted, it has low base damage. That's not really a concern, as with some optimisation very little of your damage tends to come from the standard base damage of your weapon anyway. It has poor crit range *and* multiplier, which is somewhat of a balancing factor. I still don't think it balances all those things out though. Especially the two first points.My envisioned build here was made in response to the OP who said, "There have been several threads regarding the Spiked Chain and its lack of sense as well as its supposed "overpoweredness". I'm not so sure this is actually true. I've been fiddling round with a 10th level character to throw at my PCs but for all the supposed smell, I can't find the cheese."I envisioned a character to optimise the Spiked Chain. To do this, I went with something I knew (Maug tripper build) and poured on some extra cheese. I refused to go with the spiked chain when I originally made my PC Maug tripper, even though it would have cost me less feats, less class levels, and less discussions with my GM regarding what "fighting this way" when two-weapon-fighting means, and given me extra bonuses on top of it.</blockquote>

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