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<blockquote data-quote="Dannyalcatraz" data-source="post: 6263364" data-attributes="member: 19675">Choice.Just because something isn't &quot;viable&quot; doesn't mean that someone won't play it.&nbsp; I myself have played a geriatric- yes, with the age modifiers to stats- Ranger who used a quarterstaff &amp; sling.&nbsp; She was a former advernturer now granny returning to action because some orcs wiped out her family while she was out getting water.&nbsp; She couldn't afford the encumbrance of a walking stick AND a bunch of metal weapons.1) in all probability, such a weapon is a polearm and requires 2 hands.&nbsp; If the PC wants to use a sword or wand in the off-hand, then a longsword it is.2) roleplay- my Marshal2/Duskblade2/Battle Sorcerer6 w/Stalwart Sorcerer ACF uses a longsword both because he uses a shield in his off-hand but also because he is a member of the Illuminated Society of Thoth, whose &quot;...members favor the use of straight, double-edged blades of all kinds as the embodiment of the common aphorism, &quot;knowledge is a double-edged sword.&quot;This is demonstrably false.&nbsp; Bow hunting is a huge sport.Bows and crossbows also have the advantage of silence.3.5Ed.And I agree with your assessment of the feat's mechanical power.&nbsp; Yet PA has rarely been chosen by more than half of those PCs in our group with warrior levels.&nbsp; (And I prefer MG, since, as stated, I don't need the 13 strength to get the same power boost.)Why?&nbsp; Because it didn't fit PC concepts and/or builds.&nbsp; If you want to be a Kensai, for instance, Power Attack is useful, but you need other Feats to qualify.&nbsp; Ditto if you want to be a tripper/disarmer.Actually, he was doing the clean-up...or more accurately, the kill-stealing,But even so, at 1st level, he could only do that so many times before that ability was utterly exhausted.&nbsp; Then he'd be down to his Sorcerer's BAB for melee attacks.Besides, as any spellcasting optimizer will tell you, dealing damage is the least efficient way to defeat foes as an arcanist.&nbsp; AND woe betide them if something were immune to- or healed by- electrical attacks.&nbsp; (This PC was the electrical equivalent of the pyro mentioned upthread: besides channeling spells into a draconic lightning breath weapon, almost all of his attack spells were electrical/lightning based.)</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Dannyalcatraz, post: 6263364, member: 19675"] Choice. Just because something isn't "viable" doesn't mean that someone won't play it. I myself have played a geriatric- yes, with the age modifiers to stats- Ranger who used a quarterstaff & sling. She was a former advernturer now granny returning to action because some orcs wiped out her family while she was out getting water. She couldn't afford the encumbrance of a walking stick AND a bunch of metal weapons. 1) in all probability, such a weapon is a polearm and requires 2 hands. If the PC wants to use a sword or wand in the off-hand, then a longsword it is. 2) roleplay- my Marshal2/Duskblade2/Battle Sorcerer6 w/Stalwart Sorcerer ACF uses a longsword both because he uses a shield in his off-hand but also because he is a member of the Illuminated Society of Thoth, whose "...members favor the use of straight, double-edged blades of all kinds as the embodiment of the common aphorism, "knowledge is a double-edged sword." This is demonstrably false. Bow hunting is a huge sport. Bows and crossbows also have the advantage of silence. 3.5Ed. And I agree with your assessment of the feat's mechanical power. Yet PA has rarely been chosen by more than half of those PCs in our group with warrior levels. (And I prefer MG, since, as stated, I don't need the 13 strength to get the same power boost.) Why? Because it didn't fit PC concepts and/or builds. If you want to be a Kensai, for instance, Power Attack is useful, but you need other Feats to qualify. Ditto if you want to be a tripper/disarmer. Actually, he was doing the clean-up...or more accurately, the kill-stealing, But even so, at 1st level, he could only do that so many times before that ability was utterly exhausted. Then he'd be down to his Sorcerer's BAB for melee attacks. Besides, as any spellcasting optimizer will tell you, dealing damage is the [I]least efficient way to defeat foes[/I] as an arcanist. AND woe betide them if something were immune to- or healed by- electrical attacks. (This PC was the electrical equivalent of the pyro mentioned upthread: besides channeling spells into a draconic lightning breath weapon, almost all of his attack spells were electrical/lightning based.) [/QUOTE]

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