Where are hte polearms?

[Hussar]

Dang, now I want to make up a pole arm with all three damage types. Lesse... Axe blade for slashing, Hammer head behind it for bludgeoning, and a spear point on the end... Wait, that's a halberd basically. *Looks* Well a halberd is piercing and slashing already, so changing the backspike to a hammer and giving it all three damages shouldn't be a big deal. If the GM gripes make it into an exotic weapon, call it a Dwarven Can-Opener and maybe bump up the crit multiplier. Now make the axe cold iron, the spearpoint adamantine, and the hammer silver and I'm set. Bring on the DR baby!

Certainly saves on having to cart around a golf bag full of swords.

I recently played a dwarf fighter using the polearm feats from Dragon. They ROCKED. Improved trip and a 15 foot reach combined with Combat Reflexes is AWESOME. The battlefield control aspects of these tactics cannot be overemphasized. There's another feat from XPH, Still? Stand? I forget the name, but allows you to turn damage into a ref save or the target cannot move from his square. Basically the medium sized version of Large and In Charge.

I just want to add my voice to the thoughts that polearms and shields should be getting LOTS more loving.

 

[Umbran]

With all due respect to Umbran's experience in the SCA my experience with sword & shield as well as polearme has been a little different:

I don't see as what you're saying is all that different from what I'm saying. Your evidence is that either weapon can win, but they use different techniques. That's pretty much what I'm saying - the shield is not so superior that it gains you more than a couple points of AC.

When fighting with sword & shield, I would rush the polearm guys and get in close, attempting to pin their weapon. Most polearm fighters can't fight in close and tend to run away with me swinging at them. Result = usually a quick victory for myself.

Well, this is the classic "arms race", now isn't it? Who can run faster?

Right at the moment when they drop their shield to swing at me, I pivot my right hip and slam the polearm into their head. In most cases, that stops them dead in their tracks.

Well, why don't the other polearm users do that? Because they aren't as good a fighter? Then this says nothing about the relative merits of the weapon. What happens when you face someone as skilled with the weapon as you?

The S&S guy lower level than the polearm guy (can't believe his pollarm was legal)

I don't see anything particularly wrong about it (not that we can get much detail). Not too long, the tip has a bulb indicating a thrusting tip pad. Looks to be the SCA standard duct tape over rattan stick, very much like my own weapon.

Bottom line is that I believe that both polearms and shields are undervalued in 3.5.

Well, if they are both undervalued equally, then they are at least balanced against each other. For any weapon, one can construct or refer to stories in which that particular one shines.

 

[Griffith Dragonlake]

Well, this is the classic "arms race", now isn't it? Who can run faster?

Well, why don't the other polearm users do that? Because they aren't as good a fighter? Then this says nothing about the relative merits of the weapon. What happens when you face someone as skilled with the weapon as you?

Heh heh. In my case, I've lost more fights to other polearm fighters than S&S.

I don't see anything particularly wrong about it (not that we can get much detail). Not too long, the tip has a bulb indicating a thrusting tip pad. Looks to be the SCA standard duct tape over rattan stick, very much like my own weapon.

It may well be perfectly legal by today's standards. Last time I fought (1992) there was a lot more padding required which frankly made it difficult to defeat the 'rhinohides.' I think eliminating the padding would make it much more noticeable.

Well, if they are both undervalued equally, then they are at least balanced against each other. For any weapon, one can construct or refer to stories in which that particular one shines.

QFT

By the by, do let us know how your career as a polearm fighter progresses. I for one am eager to know how the art has progressed in the last 14 years.

 

[Banshee16]

Dang, now I want to make up a pole arm with all three damage types. Lesse... Axe blade for slashing, Hammer head behind it for bludgeoning, and a spear point on the end... Wait, that's a halberd basically. *Looks* Well a halberd is piercing and slashing already, so changing the backspike to a hammer and giving it all three damages shouldn't be a big deal. If the GM gripes make it into an exotic weapon, call it a Dwarven Can-Opener and maybe bump up the crit multiplier. Now make the axe cold iron, the spearpoint adamantine, and the hammer silver and I'm set. Bring on the DR baby!

It's a halberd with a hammer.....also known as a poleaxe....the same weapon they had in the documentary. The hammer part was particularly useful....why worry about piercing through armour when you can nail the guy with the equivalent of a sledgehammer, so you can break his kneecaps or shatter his forearm?

I'm going to have to try these feats in the game

Banshee

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Heh- one thing that cannot be overemphasized is the effect of angular momentum.

I used to spar with NERO boffer weapons in Austin. One of my buddies/opponents was a 300+lb bouncer with 28" biceps- not a little guy- who fought 2 weapon style.

At the time, I was 5'7" 220lbs (I'm a fireplug, what can I say) and I used a 6' long polearm; weight = 5lbs total, about 2 lbs of which was in the head. When held at shoulder height, that head was 11' in the air.

The first time he fought me, I put that weapon in just that position...and brought it down in a 90deg. arc towards him when he charged.

He tried to block the blow with his 2 weapons crossed above him about 2' above his head (intending to charge under my blow once he did)...and failed. He caught the polearm's head perfectly between his crossed blades and it still drove through to his shoulder, along with his blades (which hit his head).

He tried again, with similar results. Despite being a VERY strong man, he couldn't simply block this 5lb "pillow" from smacking him around. Eventually, he figured out the proper countertactic, but he had a good headache by that time.

If that had been a real polearm against an armored foe, I could probably have seriously injured him with the first couple of blows- the power of the strikes being much more concentrated with a real axe, hammer or pick type head.