Weapon Groups

[Darche Schneider]

With the new book, there's a style I saw that I would love to use with a scythe, So I went to make sure that Scythe was a polearm, as surely, it would be!

And Yet, it was not. Rather it was classified as a "Heavy Blade" which seems apt, but I'd have had also put it in polearm myself. I've even checked 3.5 and they put it in the Pick and Hammer group. I've even gone as far back to look in 2nd AD, and even there a scythe isn't a polearm.

Huh.

Now Wiki does have a warscythe, which isn't really that much like a classic scythe. Which they do classify as polearm.

Having a bit of disappointment that I couldn't use the very spinny scythe style I began looking at other weapons out there, one of which was the Battle Rake (Kumade), another weapon I had thought was a polearm, but is actually an axe?

I can't really figure out why these are not polearms, and why A Kumade would be "an axe"

[Rub-Eta]

The style from the new book, yes, I know exactly what you're talking about and I agree.

[blackbloodtroll]

Name the feat, and describe what you would like to do with said weapon.

[blackbloodtroll]

Wait, I found what you want.

The Fauchard.

It's in the Polearms Fighter Weapon Group.

[Darche Schneider]

The style was the Spinning Spear style. The style works for polearms or spears.

What I was really looking to be able to do was simulate more of what that soul eater clip had, a very hi speed, mobile type fighting style. There was also the new weapon trick that adds a number of other options with the polearms.

Its also been one of my goals to be able to trip targets, and somehow use my scythe for a coup de grace, once they're on the floor. Still trying to figure that one out.

[dragonhunterq]

Not really a rules question. The rules are clear and accepted.

That said I am not sure I see a scythe as a polearm, once the blade is angled that far off vertical I think axe or pick, but fits neither and heavy blade is at least non-contradictory.

And therein lies the problem. Weapon categorisation in the real world is haphazard and arbitrary, in a game where they have to pigeon hole thousands of real world weapons into several dozen broad categories (see any number of discussions on greatswords/longswords/claymores) it's just going to be worse.

[JohnHawkins]

Talk to your GM and see if he will let you use the feat. Or if you are the GM just decide what feels ok to you.
If playing PFS tough luck

[Calth]

Also, weapon descriptions are completely optional. If you want to describe your spear or polearm as a scythe, go ahead.

[Crimeo]

Calth wrote:

Also, weapon descriptions are completely optional. If you want to describe your spear or polearm as a scythe, go ahead.

This. Just pick any set of stats you like and then proceed to refer to it as whatever you want. Worst case scenario the GM has people in town look at you funny for calling the weapon the "wrong thing". But even that's very unlikely.\

If you called a sword your "flail of many crabs" or something, then that might start being a significant social issue, but not calling a fauchard a scythe, 95% of NPCs wouldn't even know that.

[Darche Schneider]

Well there is one weapon close to the same.

But I'm mostly wondering why these weapons are not Polearms.

My GM loves to try and play the devils advocate with any questions I come out like this, I haven't exactly quite pinned down why He thinks the two shouldn't be a polearm, other than reach, which going through what does count as a polearm not all of them have reach. One of them is basically a really big sword. (Nodachi)

If push comes to shove and I just end up wanting to use something that is very close stat wise to a scythe, I could go with a Ranseur, Which is something that I am confused as well why it only counts as a polearm and not a spear as well, as its basically a trident (Even says in its own description).. which is a spear

Appearance wise, Blackbloodtroll did point out one weapon that does have a scythe like blade at the other end.

Its just confusing when they put weapons in these categories, and too often the weapons actually fit multiple categories. This confusion is further amplified now that there's more towards the nature of the groups.

[Crimeo]

There's no logic to it in the strict hierarchical sense you're thinking of. They could have written it like that: "here's a set of mechanical features, and we are going to define polearms as anything that has XYZ features"

But they didn't. They wrote it as "It's a polearm if it says polearm next to it, the end." So that's all there really is to it to discuss, unless one of the authors of the weapons section feels like dropping by and explaining their choices.

(My GUESS would be that it would be harder to balance the game without painting yourself into a design corner by restricting yourself with a hierarchical system. But just a pure guess)

[Imbicatus]

Personally, I think the scythe should be in axes instead of heavy blades. It's much more axelike than swordlike, and the haft is bent and not reach so polearm seems like a stretch too.