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I've looked over the rules stats for the kusarigama (sickle and chain). It has the "double" and "reach" properties. The idea is that the chain part is swung like a flail while the sickle part is wielded, well, like a sickle. It's a double weapon because you hold the sickle in one hand and swing the chain in the other, and it's a reach weapon because you have 10 feet of chain.
Here's the question: are both ends of the kusarigama "reach"?
Based on the weapon's description (and YouTube videos of people demonstrating kusarigama techniques) I would expect the sickle end to threaten adjacent while the chain end attacks at reach. Though I suppose you could swing the sickle as well, if you held the chain part. Is the idea that you have to switch between "double" or "reach" by adjusting your grip?
As written, yes, both sides are reach. Many of the weapons from Ultimate Combat are... complicated, to say the least, and the rules on them aren't 100% clear. Ultimate Equipment helped on a few, but not all of them. Without other information, one must pretty much stick to the stat block or pick a house rule that works for them (such as only having reach when used as a single two-handed weapon).
It's a shame it's not finessable, it'd be nice to have a finessable reach weapon that didn't require 4 feats and still sucked (ie, the whip). Especially since sicle is a light weapon, chain weapons tend to be finessable, yet you stick them together and...suddenly not finesseable anymore.
But yeah, it's a TWF reach weapon. Enjoy it, TWF seldom gets nice things. And kusarigama is a cool weapon, too. There are weapons that require switching grip or "modes", kusarigama is not one of them.
Realistically, you are correct. Chain would hit at reach and sickle adjacent, and throwing the sickle would be awkward. But the game is far from realistic. And one of my favorite anime characters would throw the sickle end all the time. :D
Klassy choice of thread title...
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Thanks, BBT. I had a feeling I wasn't the first to be confused. Though it would appear that that thread didn't exactly have a clear consensus either...
The way I see it, there's three possible interpretations:
1) All weapon properties apply to both ends. This is mechanically the simplest, though it does create a tortured mental image of what it looks like to fight with one. It also gives monks a reach weapon they can flurry with, which is nice. However, non-monks are left having to resort to armor spikes to threaten adjacent.
2) You can switch between "double" and "reach". What sort of action it would be to do so is left unanswered, which suggests that this isn't the right interpretation. Compare to the dwarven dorn-dergar, which does include instructions for changing grip.
3) One end has reach and the other doesn't. This is the interpretaion most resembling real-world kusarigama techniques. It also makes the kusarigama a weapon that threatens at 5' and 10'. Unfortunately, it also makes TWF/flurrying with it far more difficult unless your opponent is as least Large.