Spiked Chain - AKA "The Cheese Whip"

[Ashtagon]

My problem with spiked chain isn't so much with that weapon as with exotic weapons in general. If a player is going to take an exotic weapon at all, spiked chain is the single obvious choice if he cares about optimisation at all; the sole exception is dwarven war axes when used by dwarves, but they aren't spending a feat on that.

And for a typical quasi-medieval European setting, spiked chains just don't satisfy the appropriate tropes. Players are rewarded mechanically for effectively breaking the verisimilitude of the setting.

 

[Dandu]

The Monk class in the PHB isn't about chanting Latin and hitting yourself in the head with a board. For the typical quasi-medieval European setting, Monks just do not satisfy the appropriate tropes... thought at least in this case, players are punished mechanically for effectively breaking the verisimilitude of the setting.

 

[Sekhmet]

[MENTION=85158]Dandu[/MENTION], I'd EXP you for that last statement, if I could.

 

[the Jester]

There was an orcish fighter/wizard in my campaign who focused on the spiked chain. He was tough and impressive, but not overpowered given how specialized he was.

Like Greenfield said, it's all about the trade-offs.

 

[Vegepygmy]

I've had to educate a few DMs about the limits of the combo as well...

So I don't personally think that the spiked chain is a broken weapon, but I've heard so many gripes about it that I thought I'd ask people how they might un-break it.

You can't fix what isn't broken. All you can do is keep educating the ignorant DMs who think that it is.

 

[NilesB]

Add a feat that eliminates the can't fight up close limit on other reach weapons.

 

[Ashtagon]

The Monk class in the PHB isn't about chanting Latin and hitting yourself in the head with a board. For the typical quasi-medieval European setting, Monks just do not satisfy the appropriate tropes... thought at least in this case, players are punished mechanically for effectively breaking the verisimilitude of the setting.

So the best solution to the exotic weapon problem is to ban the only exotic weapon that anyone would ever seriously consider spending a feat on. Interesting.

 

[Samloyal23]

Is the spiked chain a remotely realistic weapon? Would you actually be able to use it in real life the way it is described in the game without hurting yourself? I have seen many examples of chains being used in martial arts, but none of them were spiked and the way they were used would make adding spikes dangerous to the user...

 

[Loonook]

Is the spiked chain a remotely realistic weapon? Would you actually be able to use it in real life the way it is described in the game without hurting yourself? I have seen many examples of chains being used in martial arts, but none of them were spiked and the way they were used would make adding spikes dangerous to the user...

How about a Urumi for dangerous flexible weaponry that exists?

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzxtpg9HKbU]Urumi (Flexible Sword) - YouTube[/ame]

Cannot find spiked chain fighting, but I can find something even worse for the body of those wielding it .

Slainte,

-Loonook.

 

[kitcik]

I would fix Spiked Chain by making it a martial weapon.