Reach Weapons for a Warlord (Resourceful)

[SadisticFishing]

In your opinions... what is Reach worth for a Warlord?

I am completely undecided between two characters, an Eladrin (Soldier), or a Genasi. Either would be Resourceful, and the Genasi is better numerically (both are equally awesome in fluff, so that is irrelevant)... Except I don't know how well to rate Reach.

So what are your opinions?

 

[scarik]

I like to have a whip.

Its offhand and Reach for when you need that if you don't mind it doing only a d4 with +2prof.

You can hold a longsword in the other hand for when you can get adjacent.

 

[themilkman]

There are a lot of good Warlord powers that have a range of "Melee Weapon", so having a reach weapon can really come in handy. Commander's Strike, for example, but there are many, many more. Either a Genasi or an Eladrin with a Greatspear would work out really well for you.

Also, in thinking about how much a reach weapon is worth to you, consider you party's composition and how important flanking is going to be in your party. If you have a rogue, and no real sticky defenders, then taking a reach weapon may not be as important, since you'll need to be adjacent to enemies to flank them. Likewise, if you don't have a lot of front-line fighters, then enemies will probably collapse on you anyway and you'll end up fighting adjacent enemies. Reach weapon can still be useful against adjacent enemies, but they are of more value if you can hide behind some beefier dudes. If these things aren't really considerations for you, then pick whichever weapon you want.

 

[Victim]

I tried a Spiked Chain with my taclord and just switched out of it for several reasons. First of all, the defense boost from a 1 handed weapon and shield comes in handy, even in a defender heavy group like ours. Attacks do get through, and you're probably not going to have a good Con. Hence few surges. Even with Durable, my warlord is often the first one to reach a critical level of surges - but we play many encounters per day.

Second, you need to be adjacent to enemies to flank. So providing a typically much needed bonus means not using the reach that you sacrificed some attack, defenses, and/or feats to get... Flanking usually seems sufficiently useful (you want every bonus to hit on those important encounter/daily powers you can arrange for your team) and easy to arrange that not going for it seems worse than wasting reach. So if you'll often end up adjacent for flanking (and possibly other feats), then why emphasize reach?

I'm not saying you shouldn't pack a reach weapon - they are very useful in certain situations like extremely tight quarters. But I don't think they're worth using as your primary weapon.

 

[Tenniel]

In your opinions... what is Reach worth for a Warlord?

I would say it depends on party composition, in particular is he going to part of the front line or is a support member. If a support member reach is totally awesome.

Works wonders with leaf on the wind.

Greatspear is the 'must have' reach weapon for that extra accuracy bonus, particularily for the eladrin (for use with Eladrin soldier).

 

[Dan'L]

I like to have a whip.

Its offhand and Reach for when you need that if you don't mind it doing only a d4 with +2prof.

You can hold a longsword in the other hand for when you can get adjacent.

What book has the item stats for whip? I can't find it in my PHB or Adventurer's Vault?

-Dan'L

 

[jedrious]

Dragon 368, the gladiator article

 

[Rechan]

It's also worth noting that Dragon put out an article with polearm powers for a Warlord, last month.

 

[SabreCat]

I like to have a whip.

I find this a highly amusing idea, especially with regards to Commander's Strike.

Standing behind the fighter: "You!" *crack!* "Get a-swingin' or it's ten more lashes!"

 

[Dan'L]

Dragon 368, the gladiator article

Thanks!

-Dan'L