Someone help me understand these two weapons please, specifically in terms of reach.
The way I read it Meteor Hammer can be a reach or a non-reach weapon as decided on the beginning of your turn (and threatens as such). If used as a double weapon does it have two sides that need to be enchanted?
Kusarigama is both a reach and a non-reach weapon all the time and threatens as such? Which 'end' does 1d6 and which does 1d3.
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For the meteor hammer, it has 2 heads because it is a double weapon, so you have to enchant each side. Also, each side can be of a different material. And yes you declare meteor mode (double weapon mode, 5' reach) or Fortress mode (reach weapon, +1 shield bonus to ac, and can be used to move your target 5' closer to you). Also, in fortress mode, declare which head is active (assuming each is different). The character I am posting as has a +1 cold iron/+1 mithril, making it a very versatile weapon.
Kusarigama I have not studied. I have the same questions as you about it.
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I have also always been curious about the proper usage of the kusarigama since it came out years ago and never found what seemed like a definitive answer.
I sometimes wonder if it was meant to be the replacement of the 3.5 spiked chain, the only weapon that could threaten both reach and adjacent simultaneously. Is it suppose to be able to threaten both reach and adjacent at the same time?
I also wonder if the comment about using the karma end in the off hand means you can only get half strength damage on it. Or can we choose which is the primary attack and which is the secondary attack when using it as a double weapon?
I was going to try using the kusarigama just the threaten both reach and adjacent but decided against it partially suspecting I would have GM table variation on its use at society games and also because I felt a greater need to enchant each end compared to a double karma that I changed my proficiency to.
For the meteor hammer, you would only need both ends enchanted if you want both ends to be magical. I like using it but only ever bothered to enchant the silver end(other end is cold iron) because I never want to use it as a double weapon with a -2 to hit with twf feats and prereqs. I use it for reach or as a two handed weapon for one attack when fighting an adjacent target.
I use the double Kama the same way, as a two handed weapon. I am not interested in requiring 15 dex(or ran2) and twf feat to attack at -2 twice at reg str damage and 1/2 str damage. I would rather swing with any of these weapons once for 1&1/2 str damage. At least until someone casts haste, even then, that dex and feat is a mighty heavy price to pay.
More specific question: Does the "reach" part of the fortress mode of the Meteor Hammer stops you from threatening your adjacent squares ? I don't think so, but I'd like someone else's input.
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Reach Weapons: Glaives, guisarmes, lances, longspears, ranseurs, and whips are reach weapons. A reach weapon is a melee weapon that allows its wielder to strike at targets that aren't adjacent to him. Most reach weapons double the wielder's natural reach, meaning that a typical Small or Medium wielder of such a weapon can attack a creature 10 feet away, but not a creature in an adjacent square. A typical Large character wielding a reach weapon of the appropriate size can attack a creature 15 or 20 feet away, but not adjacent creatures or creatures up to 10 feet away.
It is my understanding that unless the weapon says otherwise(or a class feature, feat, ect.) a reach weapon only threatens reach squares. That would cut them off from being able to threaten adjacent squares simultaneously.
Are you wondering if the usage of the word gain instead of switches to means you could threaten both near and far? I would love that to be the case but I doubt it.
The 3.5 spiked chain ( or chain, spiked) said "A spiked chain has reach, so you can strike opponents 10 feet away with it. In addition, unlike most other weapons with reach, it can be used against an adjacent foe." None of the Paizo hard cover Edition (as I like to call it, as opposed to the alpha/beta test or any future edition) weapons with reach say the same as the 3.5 edition spiked chain. At best it will state you can choose one mode or the other or some are written ambiguously and are less than clear.
Paizo employees have said that the spiked weapon had too many things going for it and complained about too many people using in in 3.5. They removed the option to use it at reach and you can see that no body has used it since. In several years of playing in numerous places in NY, NJ, CT, OH, IN, I have never seen a single player use in play or even advocate in a message board the use of a Paizo hard cover edition spiked chain. In other words they killed it, dead, beyond the reach of animate dead, whatever next extreme of dead comes next.
Paizo tried to do several variations on the spiked chain but seemed to abandon the effort by taking away reach or leaving it up in the air to interpreted like the scorpion whip.
I sometimes wonder how popular a weapon would be with none of the fancy stuff of a spiked chain, except the option to be used to simultaeiously threaten both reach and adjacent.
Interesting.
How are these weapons handled in PFS typically?