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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nazhkandrias" data-source="post: 3821202" data-attributes="member: 50521">OK, first things first, let's NOT make this a "Is A Spiked Chain Cheesy?" thread. Just want to prevent the seven-page discussion that's happened 20 times before.Now, the skinny on the Chizzle to the Spizzle... <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f631.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":o" title="Eek!    :o"  data-smilie="9"data-shortname=":o" />First off, why do people pick it? Easily answered, in no particular order...1. Lame munchkins who want the "uberbuild", as seen in the Half-Ogre Spiked Chain Fighter in OotS. They see "Trip" and "10-ft. Reach", they think Combat Reflexes and Improved Trip, then they think that grants them invincibility. I'll cover this later.2. Flexibility! That 10' reach can be really helpful, and not having to take a 5' step every round or invest in Spring Attack, as per polearms, is pretty cool. In addition, tripping (psychadelic sounds) is always a nice option, plus the disarm bonus to cater to Improved Disarm builds.3. Weapon Finesse. Dex-based classes (like the Ranger, if they use an alternative Weapon Style - or the Rogue, for that matter) can benefit from it, too, although despite having the Finesse quality, it isn't a great choice - two of the three main advantages to the chain are the trip and disarm properties, both dependent on Strength - this means that a Dex-build will miss out on most of the weapon's goodness.4. Depending on how you view it (and how seriously you consider a fantasy RPG to be realistic), it's either cool as hell or ridiculous. Both good reasons to get it.Next, why do some DMs hate it, or disallow it completely? Here's the lowdown...1. It is easily abusable, on the PLAYER'S part. Yes, they can Trip everything within reach with Whirlwind Attack, and yes, against a bunch of humanoid enemies, this would get ridiculously powerful on a high-Str fighter. In addition, Combat Reflexes + Reach + Trip is annoying, too. But, this has never been a problem in my games, which I will cover now...2. They don't see the obvious way to balance things out. Simply throw in some Yuan-Ti Abominations or similar un-trippable / hard-to-trip enemies (drow mounted on spiders), and suddenly, our spiked chain munchkin is absolutely gimped. So many feats go into one tactic that they become hyper-specialized, and could easily lose the upper hand.3. They don't see it as a realistic weapon. Who gives a hobo's crap? D&D is fantasy, where scythes are viable weapons and you can survive a 10,000 foot drop with a little luck.Finally, why I encourage people to lift the taboo on this neat little weapon and use it...1. It's a unique, flavorful weapon that you can get really creative in describing (coup de grace - pick up enemy by neck, wrap chain around neck, pull hard, SNAP), and it has a lot of cool options available for it.2. It's only cheesy if the DM is unwilling to deal with the problem in a logical manner - if the players get too powerful with one method, give 'em a monster who it doesn't work on - typically, it will scare the players into diversifying their tactics a bit.3. It's a freakin' chain. Can somebody say "Ghost Rider" (+2 Unholy Flaming Spiked Chain)?Anyway, hope this gave you a little insight. Don't abuse this weapon, and don't execute the same maneuver over and over. This is such a diverse weapon, it seems a shame to use it in such a dry and colorless way.</blockquote>

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