Hey, a quick, very general question:
For the various reach weapons, if one assumes all other factors are equal, which do you value more, brace or trip? This is for a warpriest I'm making. I know the utility of trip tails off later on, but brace requires a readied action to be of any use, and aren't my standard actions likely to end up used on spells more often than not?
TIA for your feedback.
Ghorrin Redblade
Brace is also only useful against a charge. Since it depends on an action from the target, it's going to be more situational.
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Brace. With mid BAB - warpriests aren't that great at manuvers anyway, so putting resources into being a tripper probably isn't worth it - and while brace won't come up often, it's pretty cool when it does.
(This advice is for warpriests specifically - not reach weapon users in general. I generally like reach/tripper builds - but warpriests don't do it well.)
Between the two I would say brace is better.
The trip quality only allows you to drop the weapon if you fail by 10 or more to trip the enemy (instead of possibly being tripped yourself). If you're actually focusing on making a trip character this is hopefully unlikely.
If you aren't focusing on a trip build, then it isn't likely to come up. Further dropping your weapon is probably much worse than being knocked prone (for most characters). Because without your weapon you have no offensive capabilities.
Brace, requires a readied action. Making it pretty crappy, but at least it will deal double damage if you go to the trouble of using it.
As a warpriest, you probably wont spend standard actions casting spells. You'll actually be spending fervor and swift actions to cast buff spells on yourself.
Right, fervor. Okay then, I'll go with brace and see how that works (actually Imbicatus, as my build is currently set I'm using the almost-identical bec de Corbin).
Thanks folks,
Ghorrin Redblade
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Remember the only problem with Combat maneuvers is that they provoke AOO's. but if you use them out of there threatened range, it becomes a moot point...
Also brace is a joke.
If you actually needed the trip property in order to make a trip with a weapon, that might be useful info in the decision. As it is, brace will do more for you than trip, because trip only allows you to drop the weapon on a failed attempt.
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Neither one is very good. I would just pick whatever weapon I thought fit the character better or looked cooler. Damage and critical value are much more important, as well as damage type.
Neither one is very good. I would just pick whatever weapon I thought fit the character better or looked cooler. Damage and critical value are much more important, as well as damage type.
Of course. I hope no one got the impression that was the sole driver of the decision-making process. I was just trying to ascertain if there was a significant difference between the two properties that I should worry about; it doesn't sound like there is. The initial plan is a bec de corbin for all the reasons Imbicatus gave for a Lucerne hammer, plus a x3 crit.
Ghorrin
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Almost every character I have uses reach, but I find I almost never get an attack of opportunity. Very few players have the discipline to wait along side me under the protection of my screen. Almost everybody decides to go engage the enemy by moving up themselves. Even if that were not a problem, a reach weapon is almost like a pseudo defense. The enemy decides to go attack someone else instead of th reach weapon pc who would get an AoO.
Ask your gm if you have to ready brace specifically against a charge or if it is ok to just ready to attack someone who comes into your reach. If having to do it vs charge, expect it to almost never happen. Would you even be ready when a charge comes st you? Combat reflexes can allow you to make an AoO even while.flat footed but if you don't have that. They May charge before your initiative. A wRpriest with wisdom would have a chance to make the.perception check and go in the surprise round but will you still be ready before them? As a war priest, you have the extra feats to make it easy to afford combat reflexes or the trip line.
In the end, I find both trip and brace very unlikely to ever go off and believe it is better to just attack and do damage. Trip works better on an Eidolon with (better) reach (both adjacent and reach simultaneously, not one or the other) who can both do damage and get a free trip on such from the evolution.
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Funny, Raymond, most of my characters also use reach weapons, and I get piles and piles of AoOs. It's not unusual to be in a party where allies go out of their way to feed me AoOs. Of course, I'm also familiar with fools who rush in, and have troubles with them, too. I find that sort of 'loose cannon' behavior common in PFS play up through level 5, but relatively rare for levels 6+. My reach PCs tend to get a lot of AoOs. Interesting that our experiences are so different. Perhaps it's because I'm more of a jerk about it than you are. I usually attempt a bit of early-game tactical teaching to maximize effectiveness of reach, and I've been known to satirically & publicly mock fools who rush in.
Apologies to the OP for my not giving better advice on how to be a Warpriest. But I hope you and your readers find my trip/brace ideas interesting.
No worries man, ideas come to us when they come, you know. I did look longingly at the halberd when planning this WP out, and several times thought, "Man if only that thing had reach..."
Be cool.
Ghorrin
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I'd think you should be able to buff yourself into a pretty effective Trip machine. If you'd rather go for Brace the biggest concern might be how to convince enemies to charge into double damage.
I can't recall if I've ever seen Brace used successfully by a PC. I guess if nothing else it would be nice against foes with Pounce. If the party likes to stay away and make ranged attacks you could punish any foes who try to close in. Remember that if you've readied an action to attack a foe who moves into your reach you still get an AoO when that foe leaves your threatened square. That's typically 2 attacks. If you have Cornugon Smash and Hurtful you can potentially turn it into 3 attacks.
You just have to convince your party to hold ranks and wait for the enemy to close. Good luck with that!