Spiked chain + Imp. Trip + Combat Reflexes + Enlarge Person

[Felix]

Point Blank Shot
Rapid Shot
Mounted Combat
Mounted Archery

Gives melee fighters the willies. But then, he already got the TPK willies, eh?

 

[Liquidsabre]

Yeah, I've got a tiefling chain-wielder that went swashbuckler/fighter in my game going this build. Quite effective in most situations. Get him with a big burly fighter or ranged weapons and he usually has a tough time.

Fighting werewolves he was nigh ineffective due to his low damage dealing (in comparison to big fighters in the group) and couldn't penetrate their DR, he changed tactics to start tripping instead. Changed when he got the insightful-strike ability though, what with his high intelligence.

A tough-build, still can't match the heavy-hitting fighter types, range-fighters, lower HP, and have as much trouble as the next guy with casters.

Keep in mind that spells such as magic missle, and touch attack spells don't have saves.

 

[Darklone]

The last Spiked Chain expert I used was killed by a cleric who just charged in, won the first trip check, won the second trip check and laid the smackdown on the char. Ah well.

Another nice tactic: My groups last polearm twink complained about not being able to use his Combat Reflexes often enough. 20 kobolds did it for him... the 8th kobold won his grapple check... two kobolds in the back used sneak attacking ranged attacks ... bye bye chain twink. He was nearly saved as the wizard dropped a fireball on him AND the grappling kobolds, but he rolled a 1 on his saving throw

 

[heliopolix]

20 kobolds did it for him...

In my case, it was the 30+ Derro that were supposed to be a scripted event for them to watch to gain a useful clue that they couldnt otherwise have gotten, and instead the party charged them, trip-boy in the lead. As the eight 5th lvl characters had been having problems getting ambushed by 3, yes three Derro, I assumed that they would get it. Well, you know what happenes when u ass-u-me things. Only, I didnt make as ass out of myself.

 

[Darklone]

Sounds like the typical by-the-book D&D players who complained afterwards that you as DM didn't give them encounters that can be beaten ?

 

[heliopolix]

8th kobold won his grapple check... two kobolds in the back used sneak attacking ranged attacks ...

I know that while grappling, you are denied your dex modifier to AC against anyone you aren't grappeling, but ranged attacks also randomize among grappeling combatants to detemine who was attacked after the attack roll is made. As sneak attack is precision based damage, I'd have to say that it wouldnt really work, but that's your GM's call. It wouldnt work in my game, is all.

They weren't all by-the-book-13-winnable-encounters-per-level-loot-level-up players, but as the trip-boy was their main melee fighter ( the other was a lower level ranger) they had little choice but to follow him into combat. Of course, by then, it was too late to retreat. 30+ sound bursts = goo, lots and lots of goo. And Derro love goo for dinner.

 

[Darklone]

I know that while grappling, you are denied your dex modifier to AC against anyone you aren't grappeling, but ranged attacks also randomize among grappeling combatants to detemine who was attacked after the attack roll is made. As sneak attack is precision based damage, I'd have to say that it wouldnt really work, but that's your GM's call. It wouldnt work in my game, is all.

Do kobolds care whom they hit as long as they hit someone else as well ?

I have no problems with ranged attacks hitting someone for extra sneak attack damage who's not able to dodge arrows... I know, it's not realistic, but the rules work rather ok that way.

 

[Malin Genie]

Now that you get AoOs for opponents whom you have tripped standing up or crawling away, I think that giving +4 to Trip checks and a free attack for Improved Trip is completely unreasonable. Either give the +4 bonus - you'll effectively get the extra attack as an AoO anyway; or give the free attack but no +4 bonus, making it a dicier but rewarding-when-it-succeeds proposition.

Currently, the only balancing factor is in point-buy - you need to allocate at least INT 13, meaning you have to balance the build against lower-INT higher-STR/DEX/CON alternatives. In roll-dice-for-stats, if you are blessed with an INT 13 fighter, Reach Tripping is (almost) a no-brainer.

 

[Darklone]

I like about the feat that it only grants the bonus when you are tripping someone

So two tripper twinks lay next to each other on the ground...

 

[dark2112]

Still say a Huge Kobold would be fun to do. PLUS they'd be like not easy to trip but still relatively easy to kill. Relatively.

I remember reading something once about someone mistaking '4 armed kobolds' for a '4 armed kobold', so I decided to make one as a BBEG once... sadly, the campaign never went to completion... so I never got a chance to see how well my 4 armed kobold would do vs the party...