"Reach: You use a reach weapon to strike opponents 10 feet away, but you can't use it against an adjacent foe."
Um, how come large creatures with 10-ft. natural reach don't gain any benefit from large-sized reach weapons?
"Reach: You use a reach weapon to strike opponents 10 feet away, but you can't use it against an adjacent foe."
Um, how come large creatures with 10-ft. natural reach don't gain any benefit from large-sized reach weapons?
Actually, a troll wielding a large longspear gets to hit creatures between 15 and 20 feet away. Of course, they also can't hit creatures 10 feet or closer (unless they have some nifty feat). See pg 141 of the Pathfinder Rulebook.
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To quote---"Unlike when someone uses a reach weapon, a creature with greater than normal natural reach (more than 5 feet) still threatens squares adjacent to it. A creature with greater than normal natural reach usually gets an attack of opportunity against you if you approach it, because you must enter and move within the range of its reach before you can attack it. This attack of opportunity is not provoked if you take a 5-foot step.
Large or larger creatures using reach weapons can strike up to double their natural reach but can't strike at their natural reach or less."
I bolded the last part. It's under "Big and Little Creatures in Combat" under the Combat section of the PRD.
Thanks everyone! I thought I might be overlooking something. The only rules for reach I could find was in the equipment chapter.
To quote---"Unlike when someone uses a reach weapon, a creature with greater than normal natural reach (more than 5 feet) still threatens squares adjacent to it. A creature with greater than normal natural reach usually gets an attack of opportunity against you if you approach it, because you must enter and move within the range of its reach before you can attack it. This attack of opportunity is not provoked if you take a 5-foot step.
Large or larger creatures using reach weapons can strike up to double their natural reach but can't strike at their natural reach or less."I bolded the last part. It's under "Big and Little Creatures in Combat" under the Combat section of the PRD.
Nicely found. :-)
To quote---"Unlike when someone uses a reach weapon, a creature with greater than normal natural reach (more than 5 feet) still threatens squares adjacent to it. A creature with greater than normal natural reach usually gets an attack of opportunity against you if you approach it, because you must enter and move within the range of its reach before you can attack it. This attack of opportunity is not provoked if you take a 5-foot step.
Large or larger creatures using reach weapons can strike up to double their natural reach but can't strike at their natural reach or less."I bolded the last part. It's under "Big and Little Creatures in Combat" under the Combat section of the PRD.
Do not trust this man, he's not a real healer. Do not let him touch you!
One important thing you should consider that the rules are written mainly from a small or medium character's perspective, because that is what most characters will be like. When you look up things for critters of other sizes and things don't make sense, you should look at the rules to see whether they are different for bigger/smaller beings.
Applicable Houserule my group takes for granted:
You can strike with the haft of a longspear as a quarterstaff at targets within your normal reach.
Applicable Houserule my group takes for granted:
You can strike with the haft of a longspear as a quarterstaff at targets within your normal reach.
Without changing your grip?
We have a houserule in my group that "short haft" is a property of all reach weapons. This property lets a character make a reach weapon into a non-reach weapon as a swift action. Essentially it lets you negate the benefits and penalties of reach for a single round.
Yes, it is. People usually don't want to suck the -4 attack penalty though, or the tiny damage dice. Hence all the attempts to get around that: spiked gauntlets/armor, the short haft houserule my group uses, the quarterstaff rule that Evil Lincoln uses.
The major issue that I have is that choking up on your grip with a reach weapon shouldn't be impossible (in Core) or worth an entire feat (3.5 splats). It should be a feature of some sort. I've dabbled a bit with reach weapons and know people who have done more than dabbling. Shortening the weapon is not difficult at all. It just takes a split second (hence my group's ruling of a swift action). You may need to do as little as move your rear grip in front of your fore grip or shuffle both hands forward.
Smacking someone with the haft of a spear, ranseur or glaive isn't recommended. The haft usually isn't built in such a way as to withstand the horizontal forces. They usually have the strength to absorb a stab or slash with the business end but a strike with the haft has the potential to damage the weapon. Not a super high chance, but a large enough chance to not want to do it regularly.
A quarterstaff is usually thicker and more able to absorb the multi-directional impacts that it would sustain from being used as a weapon.
Smacking someone with the haft of a spear, ranseur or glaive isn't recommended. The haft usually isn't built in such a way as to withstand the horizontal forces. They usually have the strength to absorb a stab or slash with the business end but a strike with the haft has the potential to damage the weapon. Not a super high chance, but a large enough chance to not want to do it regularly.A quarterstaff is usually thicker and more able to absorb the multi-directional impacts that it would sustain from being used as a weapon.
Yes, but, most ranseur's glaives and spears are also not capable of bursting into flame without being harmed either. Nor are they capable of cutting through an inch of silicon (dragon scale) either.
In my game, I allow the 'Use reach weapon as quarterstaff' rule. If it's a masterwork weapon, then there's no issue with the shaft being damaged doing this. If, on the other hand, it's a normal weapon, I usually roll in secret to see if you damage it. Usually a 1 in 20 chance. Then it gains the 'broken' quality.
I always assumed that the business end burst into flames or cut through the dragon scale, not the wooden haft...
I do see your point on being magical and masterwork and such though.
I always assumed that the business end burst into flames or cut through the dragon scale, not the wooden haft...
I do see your point on being magical and masterwork and such though.
Agreed, but that wooden haft is tied to the steel pointy bit with sinew or rope. Either way, the flames are licking things that are flamable.
But yeah, magical and masterwork should have no trouble being treated hard, that's their purpose.
Without changing your grip?Applicable Houserule my group takes for granted:
You can strike with the haft of a longspear as a quarterstaff at targets within your normal reach.
Holding a spear and leaving a "butt" end at the bottom and holding towards the middle you can thrust at long range, perform sweeping strikes at long and mid range, ram with the middle part between your hands at middle-close range, and strike with the butt end at close range all with the same grip. It is also very simple to switch grips with a spear/staff type weapon. In chinese style spear/staff fighting it is constantly being changed so your opponent can't tell exactly where he will be safe. Hope that answered you question.