Weighted Spear


Pathfinder First Edition General Discussion


So, could someone with MTT check this weapon for me? d20 source is listing it as 1d8 x3 and 1d6 x2 for a double weapon weapon. Okay, fair enough. That's no double bladed sword...

Except it is simple???

Um.

Yea.

For the very rare, and powerful, double ability the balance ussually tends to be that they are hard to get hold of. Fair enough since any TWF build that isn't using weapon finesse wants them. (Oh, you mean all those builds that no one plays? Shush me!)

I dunno, I am kinda floored by this weapon. Seems too good to be true.

Grand Lodge

yep..its true...and has brace and does B or P damage....


grimdog73 wrote:
yep..its true...and has brace and does B or P damage....

...is it okay to hate a weapon?

Like, normally I would be all munchkin and go, "Aha! I can build a character around this."

But... This makes Double-Bladed Swords seem terrible by comparison. And well. Any build I would've done before would be my Double-Bladed Swords build... And... I love Double-Bladed Swords...

This feels FILTHY.


Double bladed swords have one side with better damage and both sides have crit range improvements compared to this. How is the weight.


Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber

So, it's effectively a spear that can't be thrown with a light mace stuck on the non-pointy end...

Meh, I'll stick with a Toothy half-orc Str-based TWF ranger using an orc double axe. Although I guess it does give (most) TWF clerics or non-battle oracles a slightly better option than a quarterstaff or spending a feat.


That's a pretty significant advantage over quarterstaff or a feat.

...and it weights 8 lbs so yea it trashes on double-bladed sword more. :\

And yes, you have improved critical, but you loose x3 and add 2 lbs. at the cost of a feat. So, basically you are paying a feat for 1/2 of weapon specialization on one end and improved critical on one end while the other end is a sidegrade.

But yea, short of getting proficiency another way it kinda trashes on 90% of the reason for EWP to even exist.

Grand Lodge

The dumbness of this weapon (above and beyond the stupidity of double sword/orc double axe) far outweighs it's mechanical goodness.

Onto the never-use pile it goes for me


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Actually... the weighted buttcap of a typical hoplite's spear was often used as a light mace once the head was broken. It was also spiked on that end as well. The weighted section was often flanged. Nothing odd at all, really. A double bladed sword is actually a TERRIBLE idea for a weapon that probably only came about because someone thought Darth Maul was cool. A spear with two heads would accomplish all the same stuff but actually not suck.

What's more egregious is that a "spear" in this game is defined as about 5' long. That's a very short spear. It's also odd that you can't use spears (or long spears) one handed with a shield (unless you take a certain archetype for fighters).

Scarab Sages

It's a weapon that should have existed in core. Several historical pole weapons had weighed or spiked butt caps that allowed the off end to be used as a weapon.
Weighted Spear
Poleaxe

Balance wise, the double sword and other double weapons should not be exotic. They aren't worth the proficency slot, and the same effect can be gained by using a one handed weapon and a cestus/spiked gauntlet.


I think someone said the armor book fixed that with a feat.

But how dare you insult my Darth Mauling plans!


It was once said that if someone came at you with a double bladed lightsaber and they still had all their limbs, you should run. They either just got it and are very stupid, or are incredibly well trained.

Forget double bladed swords, I'm holding out for this. Actually, you know what? I want a septuple laser sword in Starfinder now.


Akharus wrote:

...

What's more egregious is that a "spear" in this game is defined as about 5' long. That's a very short spear. It's also odd that you can't use spears (or long spears) one handed with a shield (unless you take a certain archetype for fighters).

Or use a doru with martial or exotic proficiency.


Overall... it is a 'functional' quarterstaff.

I say this since the quarterstaff was missing one of the important parts of this sytem (metal- ie- silver and cold iron). Now, you can get different metals for each end if you feel like it.

So it is fine. It has the stats of two other simple weapons taped together.


lemeres wrote:
So it is fine. It has the stats of two other simple weapons taped together.

Nope.

If you tape two other simple weapons together that's still a -2 on TWF. There is also no 1d8 x3 one handed weapon. This instead has the stats of a longspear.

Basically, this is a warhammer (martial) tied to a light mace (simple). With the -2 penalty removed. And with the ability to take Weapon Focus and such feats on both.

I'll give you that it is nothing game breaking. Partly because there are so few double weapon builds and a rogue is going to want something finessable. But it should at the very least say, "If you use this as a double weapon it requires martial weapon proficiency."


Addendum:

Basically, this is a warhammer (martial) tied to a light mace (simple). With brace added. And with the ability to take Weapon Focus and such feats on both.


The Mortonator wrote:
If you tape two other simple weapons together that's still a -2 on TWF. There is also no 1d8 x3 one handed weapon. This instead has the stats of a longspear.

???

CRB wrote:
Spear 2 gp (S) 1d6 (M) 1d8 x3 20 ft. 6 lbs. P brace

It has the same medium attack on the pointy end.

Really, it more trades away the throwing range in order to get double. Which is an actual trade now that ricohet toss is a thing, I suppose. I am going to assume that was the balancing intent, since even the description of the weapon itself basically says 'double weapon now, but in return you lose throwing).

Really, if you are going to argue something is overpowered for its category, it would be the long spear (ie- spear, but also has reach). But no one does, because it is the beautiful oasis in the desert for almost every class. Since it can be universally used, and throwing that in as loot benefits anyone with str that isn't married to a particular weapon (like with weapon focus).


lemeres wrote:
The Mortonator wrote:
If you tape two other simple weapons together that's still a -2 on TWF. There is also no 1d8 x3 one handed weapon. This instead has the stats of a longspear.

???

CRB wrote:
Spear 2 gp (S) 1d6 (M) 1d8 x3 20 ft. 6 lbs. P brace
It has the same medium attack on the pointy end.

But not for a ONE HANDED weapon. Because it has the double propriety the comparison is one-handed + light.

Imagine if one end of a double-bladed sword was a greatsword and it was martial.

I'm not saying this is the most broken thing ever. If the crit on the pointy end was x2 when double I probably would be sad for Quarterstaffs and move on. But it is obviously more than every other weapon those feature are balanced around.

Scarab Sages

Actually, a 1d8 x3 P weapon is functionally identical to the morningstar as a 1d8 x2 b&p weapon. Both damage type at once is more useful in more situations than the extra crit multiplier, especially on two weapons that only crit on a 20.


This is B or P though.

Scarab Sages

Yes, depending on which end you use. The spear side is P, and the mace is B. I'm only comparing the spear side, because that is the one-handed simple weapon that you have the problem with.


Well, disagree they are the same there. I just, don't think spear dancing style should be built into a weapon at no cost.

Scarab Sages

I just think double weapons are garbage as an exotic weapon, and removing that feat cost makes them usable.

Besides, spear dancing style is a trap as you can't enchant the haft as a weapon by RAW.


That's the thing though. I was doing the math on double weapons to N. Jolly the other day when he commented that EWP should be a trait. They are actually pretty freaking fantastic aside from the drawback that they can't be finessed.

They are easily one of the more powerful weapon qualities in the game. It's just that for the vast majority of TWF builds that finesse quality is so much better. If there was any class that had a heavy damage or sneak attack like ability, no penalties keeping them from using TWF, and favored heavy armor/str you would see double weapons as default for them. It's just that there is this weird design gap in the game around double weapons. They are not all bad, as I am sure anyone like me who has played 3e divergent games other than pathfinder would agree. Just oddly absent.


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Well.. most exotic weapons aren't very use or worth the feat.. Honestly I wish that feat gave you several proficiencies (Like BAB number of exotic weapons) and there were traits in combat and social that could give you singular proficiency....
Exotic weapons are rarely ever used because.. they just aren't.

and thats boring.. I'd much rather more of those weapons fall into simple and martial. They aren't mechanically better (in most cases, yeah there are a few that are stand out amazing. But that isn't much different than whats going on in the simple and martial category with a few specific far better ones.. So null topic in this case) but flavor wise they are so much fun. boomerangs, rope darts etc. Yeah they would be harder to figure out how to use.. But frankly that isn't really that good to represent in this game. The ability to use a weapon and training with it is represented by BAB and stats. There really shouldn't be a whole set of weapons you can't remotely use without really gimping any singular build. That is a point of realism I dislike. At most, they should at least have the fighter be proficient with everything, yeah that promotes dips but fighter is a fairly dipable class anyway-for proficincies in fact.
and.. frankly that is the point of those classes-They are more amiable to any weapon, and they'll use it better than I will. That should be a function of hte class not the weapon. Anyone with practice can learn a weapon, not as well as someone for whom its the main stay of their life of course.. You could say that should be a result of proficiencies.. but the game doesn't really support that-what with easy dipping and many classes having the same proficiens as say.. a fighter who is specialized in the weapons. So. I really am a person who supports tossing out exotic proficiency or turning them into trait gain for a singular and a feat for all(or bab amount). I want to use nets and boomerangs but you really can't effectvely much less use speciality feats.. because your spending so many of your feats on the basic usability you can't grab anything interesting.

So I am ALL for much more interesting weapons in simple and martial categories. You still really need the feat support to use them effectively.. so a martial orientated guy with power attack, or two weapon, and all the cool little feats that increase ability, is going to use it more effectively than my occultist who wants a cool weapon as a reasonable choices. Especially when you get so much flavor and RP out of it.. Its like how few people use a whip, yeah the damage die is small but the issue is mostly because you need so many feats to use it, so if you aren't a fighter.. you basically spend all yoru feats to use it with out penalties and can't grab the basic minimums. Thats just one of the more exaggerated examples.

TLDR: I'm all for flavoriful weapons that are more readily usuable by more classes. Exotic in general is a bad category and just limits the cool games for the worst reasons of realism. Same point of realism that makes quickdraw unable to put a weapon away quickly. Rule of cool needs to always ovveride Realism in cases like that.


Zwordsman wrote:
At most, they should at least have the fighter be proficient with everything, yeah that promotes dips but fighter is a fairly dipable class anyway-for proficincies in fact.

I actually would rather have Fighters get proficiency via AWT myself.

Regardless, I don't disagree thay exotic weapons are a problem as stands. It's just that going EWP for double weapons was one of the few nitches where it WASN'T terrible. And now we have a bloody simple weapon that's stupid. How does that do anything but make it worse???

Scarab Sages

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Going EWP for double weapons was always terrible. The only time they are used if you get them racially via half-orc or dwarf and then they aren't an EWP.


The Mortonator wrote:
Zwordsman wrote:
At most, they should at least have the fighter be proficient with everything, yeah that promotes dips but fighter is a fairly dipable class anyway-for proficincies in fact.

I actually would rather have Fighters get proficiency via AWT myself.

Regardless, I don't disagree thay exotic weapons are a problem as stands. It's nust that going EWP for double weapons was one of the few nitches where it WASN'T terrible. And now we have a bloody simple weapon that's stupid. How does that do anything but make it worse???

AWT?


Zwordsman wrote:
The Mortonator wrote:
Zwordsman wrote:
At most, they should at least have the fighter be proficient with everything, yeah that promotes dips but fighter is a fairly dipable class anyway-for proficincies in fact.

I actually would rather have Fighters get proficiency via AWT myself.

Regardless, I don't disagree thay exotic weapons are a problem as stands. It's nust that going EWP for double weapons was one of the few nitches where it WASN'T terrible. And now we have a bloody simple weapon that's stupid. How does that do anything but make it worse???

AWT?

Sorry, Weapon Training. Added the A out of force of habit from advanced version.

And if you think weapon specialization sans Fighter levels is a terrible feat, that's like, your opinion man.


Don't think I mention weapon specializations? Assuming that was directed towards me anyway.

ALso not aware you could get it without any fighter levels.


Zwordsman wrote:

Don't think I mention weapon specializations? Assuming that was directed towards me anyway.

ALso not aware you could get it without any fighter levels.

Ah, no. It was not. I was directing it at the other comment.

The damage buff between daggers and double-bladed sword is that of 2 on average. (2.5 average to 4.5 average) Thus, EWP double-bladed sword on a str character is weapon specialization. The con is you loose P or S for just S, but damage is more important on multihit characters so another 2 is more important.

The real con is no weapon finesse. It is at THIS point the build tumbles and crashes. In theory, str and dex are both important. In practice players tend to pick one. You can do it through a pure str build either by getting TWF as a bonus feat or going Artful Dodge on an Int char (such as an int based caster).

The flaw is that there is nothing that gives you a decent sized damage boost and allows for this playstyle. Well, Cavalier kinda does. Order of the Flame doing this should actually outdamage a typical Daring Champion thanks to getting Power Attack and giving your single attacks the advantage of being able to do a two-handed swing.

This build isn't the best example though since they do have martial and EWP becomes a lot worse when you get martial. That's when it really should be trait level. A unique proficiency trait that required martial weapons would be totally fair.

Scarab Sages

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Except the dagger build has River Rat, so the damage between the dagger build and the two-bladed sword build is 1 point of damage. The loss of thrown weapon utility should not be understated either.

The two-bladed sword is just awful, and should be a martial weapon. The only double weapons that are possibly worth an EWP is the double chained kama, kurasigama, and meteor hammer, but that;s because they can switch between reach and double.


Sigh.

Yes, there is more content for Daggers. There is also Knife Master Rogue. OF COURSE, if there are things that call out that one specific weapon it gets better. I'm talking about the chassis of the game. Not the game as it is, but the game as it is designed.

A content gap doesn't mean an option is bad, it means an option is UNSUPPORTED.


Imbicatus wrote:

It's a weapon that should have existed in core. Several historical pole weapons had weighed or spiked butt caps that allowed the off end to be used as a weapon.

Weighted Spear
Poleaxe

Balance wise, the double sword and other double weapons should not be exotic. They aren't worth the proficency slot, and the same effect can be gained by using a one handed weapon and a cestus/spiked gauntlet.

And the Persian Immortal where often called the Apple Bearers for the Mace head on the End of their spears.

And later the Persian developed the Zupa spear which is a dire spear with a spearhead on both ends.
Unlike some exotic weapons these are REAL weapons used in REAL Wars.


Totally thread necro, but didn't feel like making a separate thread for it. I have a question about the butt end of the spear. The text say this:

Weighted Spear wrote:
This pole has a spear head at one end and a mace head at the other. It can be wielded like a standard spear (though it isn’t balanced for throwing), or it can be used as a double weapon, alternately thrusting and bashing.

Would it be reasonable to assume I could also use the butt end, instead of the pointy end? Or would that only be possible while using TWF with it? From the text, it only seems like it's an option when TWFing, but it seems reasonable to also allow it to strike with the other end. I mean, with a regular double weapon you can also decide which end to hit first, but with the way it's worded I'd like to be extra sure. This is for PFS, by the way, so I need exact rulings, not GM leniency.


I know its off topic but speaking of weapons that shouldn't be exotic...

The Crook.

It is a two handed wooden weapon that does 1d6 damage. Sure, it has reach and grapple but are you seriously telling me that Shepherds can't use a crook to defend their flock without exotic weapon training?

Come on, its worse than the long spear and no one is ever going to spend a feat for proficiency for it. Honestly, I'd love to see EWP be reduced to a trait or at the very least have some better EWP weapons exist. Because they are almost never worth it currently.

Scarab Sages

Quentin Coldwater wrote:

Totally thread necro, but didn't feel like making a separate thread for it. I have a question about the butt end of the spear. The text say this:

Weighted Spear wrote:
This pole has a spear head at one end and a mace head at the other. It can be wielded like a standard spear (though it isn’t balanced for throwing), or it can be used as a double weapon, alternately thrusting and bashing.
Would it be reasonable to assume I could also use the butt end, instead of the pointy end? Or would that only be possible while using TWF with it? From the text, it only seems like it's an option when TWFing, but it seems reasonable to also allow it to strike with the other end. I mean, with a regular double weapon you can also decide which end to hit first, but with the way it's worded I'd like to be extra sure. This is for PFS, by the way, so I need exact rulings, not GM leniency.

It's a double weapon, you can decide which end to use for any given attack if you're not two weapon fighting with it.

The Exchange

The Mortonator wrote:
grimdog73 wrote:
yep..its true...and has brace and does B or P damage....

...is it okay to hate a weapon?

Like, normally I would be all munchkin and go, "Aha! I can build a character around this."

But... This makes Double-Bladed Swords seem terrible by comparison. And well. Any build I would've done before would be my Double-Bladed Swords build... And... I love Double-Bladed Swords...

This feels FILTHY.

Would you feel better if I bashed it some for you? a Double-Bladed Sword can be made adamantine for the cost of each end being made adamantine. This yeilds a weapon with hardness 20. You can invest your fortune of adamantine into the weighted Spear and you still get each end of the weapon made out of adamantine, but it's still a hafted weapon made of wood. So while your weapon can bypass hardness < 20, it still only has hardness 5 itself. So Watch those sunder attempts or creature types that damage weapons that strike them.

You might very quickly be wielding weighted splinters!

Contributor

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ShroudedInLight wrote:
...are you seriously telling me that Shepherds can't use a crook to defend their flock without exotic weapon training?

I don't expect shepherds to have EWP, I expect sheep to have low CMDs.


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David Schwartz wrote:
ShroudedInLight wrote:
...are you seriously telling me that Shepherds can't use a crook to defend their flock without exotic weapon training?
I don't expect shepherds to have EWP, I expect sheep to have low CMDs.

2nd level sheep herder: Base Atk +1; CMB +2; CMD 11 [using pig farmer as base]

Sheep: Base Atk +0; CMB +0; CMD 11 (15 vs. trip)

Trip attack [+2, -4, +2] = +0 hit vs 15: lots of work to catch JUST A SHEEP.
Grapple attack [+2, -4] = -2 hit vs 11: Better but less than a 50% chance of grappling farm animals...

So, yes, it seems strange that over half the time the sheep runs off with the crook instead of being controlled as expected.

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