Huge Aklys, Huge Penalties

[Axoren]

Under oversized weapon rules, a Huge Aklys can be wielded by a medium creature as a two-handed weapon. However, given that it's two tiers above the appropriate size for the creature, that gives it a -4 penalty.

On top of that, there's very few races and classes proficient in this exotic weapon (if any at all), so the wielder likely incurs another -4 penalty to hit with it.

To mitigate the -8 penalty to use, a character would need at least the following:

Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Aklys)
Weapon Focus (Aklys)
Point-Blank Shot

So far, that brings the penalties down to -2 Thrown, -3 Melee.

What else can be done to reduce these penalties?

[Inlaa]

So, it's a REALLY big club with a rope attached to it. Huh.

Okay:

Play a Tiefling. Either ask the DM to allow you to choose a special ability OR take the Fiendish Heritage feat. Get #16, the oversized limbs. You can now wield Large weapons without penalty.

Now, at most tables you can probably reduce the penalty for Huge weapons by 2 now. But RAW you're still stuck with a -4 penalty. That'll vary from table to table. At the very least, though, you have an easy option to wield a Large Aklys, and that would be a one-handed weapon which means you can wield it as if it were a two-handed weapon. Worst comes to worst, that might be usable for your concept.

But let's look at archetypes. Namely, Titan Mauler.

6 levels of Titan Mauler = you lose the -2 penalty for using weapons too large for your size. So, that'd reduce the penalty for the huge Aklys by 2. If your GM allows Oversized Limbs to reduce Huge penalties (because why not reduce them if you ignore the Large penalties?), then you COULD potentially remove the -4 entirely.

But either way: 6 levels of Titan Mauler is a good start. Wield a huge-sized Aklys and ignore 2 of the -4 penalty.

[Chess Pwn]

The issue with these penalty reductions is that you're normally picking up PBS and WF for when you have no penalties. You don't say at lv5 that a +8 is good accuracy, you say that +12 is good accuracy. 5 bab, 1 WT, 1 WF, 1 PBS, +4str/dex
A 3/4 bab is looking at 3bab+4str+1wf+1pbs = +9
So are you really okay with being almost as good as an unbuffed 3/4 bab? And this is assuming you're taking a full-bab class that has accuracy boosters.

[Cavall]

Weapon proficiency to drop the -4 and effortless lace for -2 more.

[Chess Pwn]

So since you're fighting a huge deficit, you need classes with bonuses. Barb can get you +2 to your accuracy, arsenal chaplain war priest scales up to getting some majorly nice attack bonuses.

[James Risner]

Axoren wrote:

So far, that brings the penalties down to -2 Thrown, -3 Melee.

Which translates to -10 damage on a CR appropriate monster.

Why not just use a normal Aklys and use Piranha Strike?

[Inlaa]

Quote:

Weapon proficiency to drop the -4 and effortless lace for -2 more.

Say, there's an idea.

Effortless Lace + Titan Mauler 6 OR Effortless Lace + Tiefling with Oversized Limbs = barely any investment and should work. But there's one caveat:

Quote:

When wrapped around the grip of a one-handed piercing or slashing melee weapon for 24 hours, the ribbon’s magic permanently merges with the weapon, reducing the attack roll penalty incurred by a wielder who is smaller than the weapon’s intended wielder by 2 (to a minimum penalty of 0).

Might take some convincing to let your GM waive that. And the Tiefling idea might take some convincing ("see, it's now counting as if it's a size smaller due to Effortless Lace EFFECTIVELY, so my Tiefling can wield this with no penalty now").

[Axoren]

Inlaa wrote:

Play a Tiefling. Either ask the DM to allow you to choose a special ability OR take the Fiendish Heritage feat. Get #16, the oversized limbs. You can now wield Large weapons without penalty.

Except that it's Huge, not Large. Tiefling wouldn't work as written.

Also, Titan Mauler/Fighter doesn't work because they specify weapons which are one size too large. Huge Aklys are two sizes too big.