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That sounds VERY situational.
Of course! Someone earlier had dumped on Enlarge Person as very rarely worth while. I was merely pointing out that, for certain builds in certain situations, it is an excellent buff to keep on hand. Then I gave the most extreme example of that situation, where several Large melee foes are about to engage a reach weapon user. I was pointing out that, in that particular situation, Enlarge Person makes a huge difference. I've encountered that precise situation in-game quite a few times.
Your other comments are well taken. I mostly concur. I wasn't proposing this as a 'build', just as something that reach weapon users might consider as an occasional enhancement.
Again it isn't so much that this build doesn't do what you say it does, so much as it is hugely resource intensive. Just look at the cost list.
Ahh, here you are partially incorrect. Those costs can mostly be eliminated or reduced. The improved action economy from this sort of PC has worked out very well for me, but YMMW.
1st level Spell Slot
Use a wand or scroll
Standard Action to cast the 1st level spell
It would rarely be worth a standard action in melee to cast Enlarge Person. Instead, if your scout warns you of large foes nearby, pre-buff before the fight starts. Teamwork is key. Also, a Cleric with the Plant[Growth] sub-domain gets Enlarge Person as a Swift Action, on a per-round basis.
Combat Reflexes Feat
If you've chosen a martial build with a reach weapon then you already want Combat Reflexes, whatever size you are. It's a good feat. IMHO, getting AoOs while flatfooted is more important than the extra AoOs.
Reach Weapon (which has to be enchanted/spelled up)
Non Reach Weapon (which has to be enchanted/spelled up)
Most martial PCs try to get a primary magic weapon. Regarding the secondary weapon, I find it only comes out once every few sessions, so I haven't bothered. An ordinary club has worked pretty well. If it is a concern, the various Greater Magic Weapon spells serve well.
18 Dexterity (for the 3 AoO, it will drop down to 16 when Enlarged)
Incorrect. DEX 14 gives 3 Medium Sized AoOs, or only 2 when Enlarged. Higher DEX only matters if you face three incoming large foes at once, which is, as you say, very situational. My PC keeps a Potion of Cats Grace handy, but has never used it.
Occasionally a move action to draw the 2nd weapon or Quick Draw Feat
Rarely an issue, especially if your group has good teamwork. Usually you can either ignore the nearby foe, else 5' step away and full attack with your primary weapon. Acrobatics also work well in this situation. Agreed, the occasional need to switch weapons in combat is the biggest downside to using a reach weapon.
-2 AC penalty (-1 for size, -1 for the dexterity penalty)
Agreed. This one hurts the most! Still, -2 AC is often worth it for a hard-hitting 2nd-ranker to get iterative extra attacks early in the fight.
On the original topic, here is a link to a thread where two of the developers comment on vital strike:
http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2juak?Charging-with-a-Vital-Strike#23
and one where Jason says it is probably too weak:
http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2mh5h?Has-there-been-an-official-discussion-on- why#14