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Hey everybody! Gm'ing an upcoming game, and I gave a player who has this strategy set up: take out a scythe with anchoring weapon, use hamatula strike to impale/grapple, trip, pull out main damage weapon, melee them to shreds as they are helplessly prone and anchored. I think this will be a beautiful strategy, and I am all for creative players. However, I do feel that the opponent should have some method of escape, as a DC 30 strength check is a bit much. What are ways an opponent might escape this strategy?
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First off, Grappled and prone is not helpless.
Secondly, when using hamatula strike, both you and your target are grappled. This will give a penalty to the trip attempt, and will prevent using the weapon for the trip.
Third, if you activate the anchoring weapon, they are no longer grappled because the weapon is not usable to attack, and thus hamatula stirke no longer applies. The victim still can't move without destroying the weapon or making the str check, and they are still prone if they were tripped, but the grapple would end.
I wouldn't penalize this combo too much. For one, he has to start the grapple with the scythe in his hand (that's a -4 to start, not to mention the extra 18,000 he needs to spend on the scythe) for hamatula strike.
Now, assuming the grapple succeeds and he anchors his opponent, he can't actually use the scythe to trip because of the Anchoring quality. So it's one or the other.
Keep in mind that the character being grappled can still make attacks (without two hands), cast spells (with a concentration check), etc. Once he releases the grapple they are even less restricted. They are hardly helpless.
Additionally, what if this guy has lots of allies? What if he's a capable grappler himself? What if he's really good at sundering weapons?
So, best case scenario, he just has a stuck, angry opponent in front of him and he disarmed himself.
-edit-
Imbicatus hit the highlights while I was typing.
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Yeah,I knew all of that. No, the target is not helpless, and I didn't mean to imply that they would obtain the helpless condition. I was aware of the penalty, but as a fighter with trip feats as well as a high strength, his trip is very possible. Depending on who/what he is fighting.
And for third, he has two weapons: one for anchor and one that primarily does damage. He lets go if anchored weapon and unleashes hell.
My question is, if this was followed through and you were gm'ing a tough beast that just got unlucky, how would you fight the anchored weapon and fighter?
If the attacker lets go of the anchoring weapon, nothing is stopping the impaled/anchored target from grasping the anchoring weapon himself and releasing the anchoring effect. Now he's got it and you don't.