Post/Author/DateTime	Post
technodemon 02-01-05, 02:20 AM	Which base and prestige classes is best suited for the useage of spears, halbred, tridents and all other polearms?
danielinthewolvesden 02-01-05, 03:06 AM	Fighter. Of course! :P :D But a cleric with a glaive- standing right behind the "tank"- is a good bet also.
Thorak 02-01-05, 08:31 AM	Yep, Fighter. You need a lot of feats to maximize it's potential. The whole Spring Attack tree, and once you've got Spring Attack, you may as well add Whirlwind Attack. Plus, the Weapon Focus and Specializations help, and if you're using a guisarme, Improved Trip is juicy. Once you've gotten all the feats you think you need, multiclass into whatever PrC you like.
ClementWillowbreaker 02-01-05, 09:24 AM	Fighter with a Rogue mix-in is always fun- you get a start on a lot of movement-related skills, and can utilize a light-fighting style and reach to cover lots of the battlefield. But that's my dream. The heavily armored polearm user is also very effective as a fighter, or a little barbarian mix-in for more mobility...but that's me again :) Don't ever forget about Combat Reflexes. And Enlarge Person potions. Controlling 625 square feet of the battlefield (less annoying pillars and such that provide cover, which is what Improved Sunder is for :)) should never be underestimated.
technodemon 02-01-05, 12:36 PM	Would multiclassing into another class work as well? Like a barabarian or a monk? Ok but are there any good prestige classes for the polearm use?
Nyferto 02-01-05, 12:43 PM	Possibly Knight Protector (who gets a bonus to CR) or a Dwarven Deffender. The later choice isn't so hot, but if you plan on standing still - it could work. WWA isn't so hot with a Reach weapon that isn't a Spiked Chain, as people next to you will grant those behind cover (and you won't be able to hurt them).
lion93 02-01-05, 01:00 PM	Fighter with a Rogue mix-in is always fun- you get a start on a lot of movement-related skills, and can utilize a light-fighting style and reach to cover lots of the battlefield. My rogue can sneak attack with a halberd. It's a lovely thing to do when reaching over dwarven fighters.
the_narrator 02-01-05, 01:31 PM	i once had a dragonstalker who used a glaive, but really, aside from killing dragons, not too useful.... you could go favored soul, and choose a god who's weapon is a polearm. free focus/ specialization. but what you really wanna do is get some trippage going on. so i'd say go fighter/ rogue and maybe barbarian. fighter gives you bunches of feats to spend on stuff, rogue gives sneak attack, and barbarian gives you a healthy dose of rage and HP. i can't really think of such a hot PrC for polearms specifically. this actually interests me, though, as i use polearms alot when i play. i think i'm gonna go draw one up now.
Mirror, Mirror 02-01-05, 01:47 PM	Get enlarged, use a large sized polearm, and take dwarven defender. Nobody can get close and your presence may be enough to stop them from attacking the rest of the party if they are behind you and you are in a corrodor less than 40' across!
Tony Vargas 02-01-05, 02:09 PM	'Pole-arm' covers a lot of territory, and if you want to take good advantage of a wider variety of them, fighter is certainly the best bet, or, at least, a large component of any good 'build.' Good points have already been made about reach weapons. You want Combat Reflexes, and feats that complement your choice of pole-arm (Ransuer: Improved Disarm; Guisarme: Improved Trip; Glaive: Power Attack/Cleave). Spring Attack can be good for forcing melee opponents to close and grant you AoOs, and WWA also makes good use of your larger threatened area. That's 7 feats, minimum, making fighter levels a virtual must. That's not all the polearms, though. Halberds don't have reach, but they're versatile, doing two kinds of damage, and having both the trip and set-vs-charge specials (and you can make them double-weapons with the CW spinning halberd feat). Again, this cries out for the feat-heavy fighter. Tridents and shortspears can be used one-handed and thrown and set vs charge. Power attack can be good to maximize the damage you do when recieving a charge, and quickdraw and ranged feats make you better at throwing. Javelins can also technically be considered polearms, and they're excellent thrown weapons, even compared to throwable martial weapons, spears also stack up pretty well in the throwable category, in spite of being simple weapons. Lognspears, in spite of thier set-vs-charge special, are deservedly simple weapons, but might do for a non-warrior-type polearm build. Since many polarms aren't useable against adjacent foes, an since all are, by definition, somewhat vulnerable to being sundered (compared to harder metal weapons), backup weapons (and quickdraw to get them out quickly) are a good idea. Light weapons can be a good choice since they can be used in a grapple, and some of them can also be thrown. A pair of light weapons can also be good for TWF, which is a reasonable backup, since you're unlikely to be using a shield. A two-handed melee backup is also a good idea, of course. Again, fighter feats help. Finally, there's the lance (also a pole-arm), which calls for the whole mounted combat chain (and a good mount), in addition to any feats to take advantage of it's reach. Paladin and Fighter are the obvious candidates. Other classes can also be valuable for a pole-arm-using character. Monk gives you an excellent built-in backup weapon (d6 damage, can't be disarmed or sundered, can flurry - the equivalent of TWF without halving STR damage), and gets Combat Reflexes and Improved Trip as bonus feats. Barbarian rage gives you more STR (particularly good because most pole-arms are two-handed). Though thier odd weapons for a rogue, reach pole-arms do make it a little easier to set up flanking. Obviously, you have to be careful about taking Monk or Rogue levels, because you lose BAB.
mercurywyrm 02-01-05, 02:31 PM	MONK! Take the ebberon feat "serpent strike" (you will need to be a human to take longspear proficiency as well) and you use the longspear at a distance and unarmed close up as only the monk can. This is because weilding even a two handed weapon doesn't impede the monk's unarmed strikes, and with serpent strike, you can flurry with your longspear! XD
Melpomene 02-01-05, 03:44 PM	Don't forget, too, that polearms are as two-handed as any greatax, and great cleave can often do what whirlwind attack, etc. can do. You can go more power than finesse, and, as an added bonus, it works better with a barbarian (less feats, more power.) A good power attack, and a few potions of enlarge for bosses, and you can really start carving. Just a thought, anyway. If you're into psionics, Psychic Warriors make decent polearmers. Good feats and a few nifty power tricks can quickly own a battle, but you need to have nearly all of your stats be good, like a paladin (which is really, really hard.)
PhaedrusXY 02-01-05, 04:04 PM	I'm going to interpret polearm to mean reach weapon. I agree that both monks and rogues are very good choices for reach weapon use, especially if you're multiclassing them with fighter levels (or other martial classes). Fighter/mages should also consider using a reach weapon, as they often have lower hit points and (sometimes) armor classes than a more focused melee character. Using a reach weapon gives them a bit of "buffer room" between themselves and their enemies. This is especially true once they start using Polymorph and/or Enlarge Person to increase their size, which also increases their reach. They can maintain a pretty healthy distance between themselves and their enemies in this way, allowing them to avoid drawing attacks of opportunity for casting spells, and also to potentially receive fewer full attacks from their enemies.
preacher of nothing 02-01-05, 04:55 PM	Get enlarged, use a large sized polearm, and take dwarven defender. Nobody can get close and your presence may be enough to stop them from attacking the rest of the party if they are behind you and you are in a corrodor less than 40' across! Two words: RANGED ATTACKS ;)
ssvegeta555 02-01-05, 05:22 PM	It's a shame there is no PrC really dedicated to polearm fighting (I'll probably create one for my world). I like polearms a lot and this thread is great for such information.
IceFractal 02-01-05, 06:05 PM	If you can be large size, the combination of the Large and in Charge feat with a reach weapon is not to be underestimated. I was able to just stand in front of the party and prevent any melee attackers getting close by using this tactic (as a Half-Minotaur Fighter/War Hulk with Monkey Grip). Also, while some people argue that in the RAW Monkey Grip doesn't change your reach, holding a spear that's twice as long should at least increase your reach a little (I use the average between the two sizes, so a human with a Monkey Gripped longspear has 15' reach w/ it). You can be heavily armored too because being Large will generally boost your speed enough to compensate. Otherwise, for a lighter, faster build, try a combination of Monk and Rogue, perhaps with a couple of Fighter levels for the feats or a Barbarian level for even faster movement. If you've got Spring Attack (and preferably Boots of Speed) you can jump in and strike without even being in danger.
technodemon 02-01-05, 09:54 PM	Possibly Knight Protector (who gets a bonus to CR) or a Dwarven Deffender. The later choice isn't so hot, but if you plan on standing still - it could work. WWA isn't so hot with a Reach weapon that isn't a Spiked Chain, as people next to you will grant those behind cover (and you won't be able to hurt them). The thing is I know I do not want to do the whole defender or knight thing. Not real keen with the heavy armor as well since it be done the defense of the polearm. What is WWA?
Debonair 02-01-05, 11:18 PM	WhirlWind Attack
L'agent5 02-05-05, 08:27 AM	Quote:It's a shame there is no PrC really dedicated to polearm fighting (I'll probably create one for my world). I like polearms a lot and this thread is great for such information. Yeah, me too, I'm gonna make one for my own.
CaoSlayer 02-05-05, 01:48 PM	the ones who gets the best advantage of the polearms are basicly as noted the fighter because the feats and the barbarian because polearms are (usually) two handed weapons and the rage works wonders. but there is another kind of guys who gets a great advantage of polearms, the bards and rogues (and maybe cleric) who have a poor dice dice or armor class to stand close to a tought foe, so now with a polearm they can fight standing behind the party´s tanks without worring about being carnaged.
fractal 02-05-05, 05:24 PM	but there is another kind of guys who gets a great advantage of polearms, the bards and rogues (and maybe cleric) who have a poor dice dice or armor class to stand close to a tought foe, so now with a polearm they can fight standing behind the party´s tanks without worring about being carnaged. I've been having fun using a longspear as a low-level Sorcerer. If I ready an action, I get two swings with a d8 weapon before the enemy gets a chance to try to hit me.
Ranevan 02-05-05, 05:55 PM	Psychic warrior is my pick because they get feats almost as often as a fighter, and they can gain the ability to enlarge themselves 2 size classes so that's a lot of damage and a huge threatened area for people to be walking through
ssvegeta555 02-05-05, 06:46 PM	What kind od abilities would make a polearm PrC cool? The only one I can think of is have them hit adjacent foes with reach weapons.
fractal 02-06-05, 02:56 AM	What kind od abilities would make a polearm PrC cool? The only one I can think of is have them hit adjacent foes with reach weapons. Well, the Exotic Weapon Master ability of ignoring cover with a reach weapon for attacks of opportunity, particularly soft cover, would be good. Similarly, an ability to pierce through one foe to the guy directly behind him could be neat. Spit a foe on the end and then toss him over your shoulder? You see that in video games sometimes. Perhaps holding a polearm sideways could allow you to make a bull-rush attempt against two opponents at once?
Arae'Kol Da'Ato 02-07-05, 03:43 PM	Try this. Take one fighter of large size or medium creature with powerful build. Now equip him with a Sugliin from Frostburn. Now use a new Prestige class (that you're thinking of making) and give him adjacent reach with pole-arms. Now if you use this technique and you've got a kickAss pole-arm fighter. I think it would work best on a Half-Giant or Goliath or Half-Ogre since they all have LA +1 so at a low level 1 half-giant can deal 3d8 damage (and that's without magic:))
ssvegeta555 02-07-05, 05:46 PM	Well, the Exotic Weapon Master ability of ignoring cover with a reach weapon for attacks of opportunity, particularly soft cover, would be good. Similarly, an ability to pierce through one foe to the guy directly behind him could be neat. Spit a foe on the end and then toss him over your shoulder? You see that in video games sometimes. Perhaps holding a polearm sideways could allow you to make a bull-rush attempt against two opponents at once? Very intresting ideas. I'll incoperate them all into the PrC. Thanks.
Lexarius 02-07-05, 06:26 PM	Hmm. Try a Warlock, maybe. Hideous Blow to channel that damage into your melee attack. Don't bother with mental scores, just get the invocations that don't give saves and focus abilities into Strength, Dex, and Con. Focus skill points into Concentration, Use Magic Device, Intimidate, Bluff, Disguise. Remember to get Improved Toughness. Hmm, a melee warlock who can fly all the time and deliver lots of d6's with a decent attack bonus, a decent reach weapon, etc. Oh, and probably take a level of fighter for weapon/armor proficiencies. Then get the feat to get you past ASF in Medium armor and get a suit of Mithril Fullplate.
SmiloDan 02-07-05, 10:00 PM	Check this out! Reach Warrior (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?p=5407618#post5407618)
technodemon 02-07-05, 10:15 PM	Well I Like to see more where multiclass takes advantage to giv a prestige class be unique like the Spellsword, spelldagger mage/shaper, Dervish and a few others have done something similar.
SmiloDan 02-07-05, 10:51 PM	Oh, so are you looking for something like an acrobatic warrior that uses his polearm to enhance his mobility on the battlefield? I was picturing more of a heavily armed and armored tank. Maybe... Polevaulter PrC. Requirements: BAB: +6 Feats: Dodge, Improved Unarmed Strike, Mobility, Spring Attack, Weapon Focus--any polearm. Skills: Intimidate, Jump, and Tumble--10 ranks. Class Features: BAB: +1. Good Saves: Reflex. Hit Dice: 1d10. Class Skills: Balance (Dex)*, Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str)*, Escape Artist (Dex)*, Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str)*, Sense Motive (Wis), Swim (Str)**, Tumble (Dex)* Skill Points Per Level: 4 + Int modifier. No new weapons or armor. LEVEL ABILITY 1. Shove, Vaulting Leap 2. Vaulting Strike 3. Fiercesome Display 4. Piercing Strike 5. Powerful Blow Shove (Ex). Reach Warriors can initiate a Bull Rush without entering the space of the foe they are threatening. Vaulting Leap (Ex). The Polevaulter can use his polearm to give him a +8 circumstance bonus on running Jump skill checks. Vaulting Strike (Ex). As a full round action, you can make a special charge action by planting the tip of your polearm in the ground and vaulting into the air and then kicking an opponent. Make a Jump skill check. For every 10 points of the Jump check (rounded down), you do an additional 1d6 points of damage with your unarmed strike. Fearsome Display (Ex). The Reach Warrior can use the Intimidate skill to Demoralize an opponent as a Move Equivalent action by spinning his polearm around like a maniac. Piercing Swing (Ex). If the Reach Warrior scores a critical hit, he can swing an opponent of his size or smaller over his head and slam them down on the ground. The Reach Warrior must make an opposed Strength check with his opponent to do this. The Reach Warrior receives a +4 bonus on this check. If he succeeds, this does an additional 1d6 points of damage and the opponent is left prone on the ground in any space within the reach of the Reach Warrior. Powerful Blow (Ex). The Reach Warrior adds twice his Strength bonus when using a polearm two handed. This is instead of adding 1-1/2 his Strength bonus when using a polearm two handed. Monks can freely multiclass with the Polevaulter PrC.
Twylyght 02-07-05, 11:36 PM	if you rolled the stats to do it, dervish with a slashing pole arm could be something to see. Dervish dance and thousand cuts with 10 feet of reach sounds fun. Monk levels would be good, as you would still threaten the squares next to you, and stunning fist, improved trip, and improved disarm all work well with a reach weapon, specially if you wouldnt qualify otherwise. with the release of complete adventurer, a scout might make a impressive reach fighter, combining skirmish with spring attack and fast movement. remeber those bonuses are till your next turn, so step in attack with the skirmish damage bonus, then back up 10 feet, if the close with you, the bonus damage still applies to those AoOs :)
technodemon 02-10-05, 03:29 AM	I would to see a variant class similar to hexblade, swashbuckler or the scout but with polearm theme. Some more of a mystical (not totally magical) flavor in abilities.
CaoSlayer 02-10-05, 09:51 AM	ummm, giving some ideas about a pole-arm weapon speciallist... there is three kinds of prestige classes, the 3 level deep, the 5 one and the 10 one... the three level one usually would be good bab, good fort save and for each level the character can get a "feat" from a list of powerful tricks, examples of this can be the exotic weapon master and there is was a exalted warrior that gave one exalted feat per level in the class. This gives the advantage that dont cripple too much the character advance, allowing a great plus to fighters who can get another level 5 prc and greater weapon spec. (would be something like fighter 12 / pole master 3 / 5 level prc) a 5 level prc deep class would be similar would get two special features similar to the feats of the 3 level one at levels 1 and 3, a scalling feat that will start at level 2 and improve at level 4 and a final powerful feature at level 5... I would say that the scalling feature would be something like dealing x3 and x4 damage when preparing to recibe a charge. and finally a deep level 10 prc would be almost every feat from the 3 level prc scalling in power... the bad point it is that would be too restrictive and can have not useful feats with all the polearm weapons such like the ones that cant be prepared against a charge. So I would recomend a 3 level one that allows to have 3 polearms weapons tricks. some tricks ideas: Greek´s phalanx style: Req: Piercing weapon. (aka bastard spear) you can hold and fight with a piercing using one hand if you are holding a prepared big or large shield the other one. Spining style: Req: Slashing or blunt pole weapon, two weapon fighting. you have a special fighting style consisting in spinning fastly being able to hit the enemy with the two edges of the weapon; the pole weapon it is now considered a double weapon, if the weapon only had one head, the shaft will considered like a light weapon dealing 1d6 x20 damage, if you decide to add another head to the weapon, then will be considered like wielding two normal weapons. Push them back: (the weapon must be able to be prepared against charges) If you are able to damage a charging enemy with a prepared piercing pole weapon, you can try a bull rush against him, if you sucess, you will stop the enemy charge being this unable to advance anymore, if you fail, you can chose between droping the pole and staying in place or to step back by the enemy´s bull rush result. Also if you charge against a enemy and you are able to deal damage, you can start a bull rush as a free action, you will advance as much as him if succeful. Tactical Counter-charge: (the weapon must be able to be prepared against charges) int 13+ you know how to prepare the spear to cause the most damage, you get your int bonus to damage when preparing against a charge.
SmiloDan 02-10-05, 04:31 PM	The Polearmist (gosh, this needs a better name!) This is a base class for those that want to specialize in Polearms. Why? Because I'm bored. The Polearmist is often hired by nobility to act as guards and elite bodyguards. BAB: +1 (as a fighter). Good Saves: Fortitude. Hit Dice: 1d10. Class Skills: Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str)*, Knowledge (history) (Int), Knowledge (nobility and royality) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str)*. Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + Int modifier) x 4. Skill Points at each additional Level: 4 + Int modifier. Polearmists (still need a better name!) are proficient in all Simple and Martial Weapons, and with All Armors. They are not proficient with Shields. LEVEL ABILITY 1. Weapon Focus 2. Bonus Feat 3. 4. The Haft 5. Bonus Feat 6. 7. Fearsome Display 8. Bonus Feat 9. 10. Barricade 11. Bonus Feat 12. 13. Always Ready 14. Bonus Feat 15. 16. Ever Vigilant 17. Bonus Feat 18. 19. Powerful Blow 20. Bonus Feat At first level, the Polearmist gains Weapon Focus in the polearm of his choice as a bonus feat. Bonus Feats: Alertness, Combat Expertise (Improved Disarm, Improved Trip), Combat Reflexes, Dodge (Mobility, Spring Attack, Whirlwind Attack), Improved Critical, Improved Initiative, Negotiator, Power Attack (Cleave, Great Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Overrun, Improved Sunder), Toughness, Weapon Focus (Weapon Specialization, Greater Weapon Focus, Greater Weapon Specialization). Any feat that applies to a specific weapon must be applied to a polearm. The Haft (Ex). When the Polearmist is using a polearm with reach, he threatens opponents adjacent to him with the haft of his weapon. It is considered an exotic weapon that causes 1d6 + 1-1/2 the Polearmist's Strength bonus of damage. It is considered a light, bludgeoning weapon. Fearsome Display (Ex). The Polearmist can use the Intimidate skill check to Demoralize an opponent as a move action by spinning his polearm around like a crazy person. Barricade (Ex). The Polearmist is adept at using his polearm to reinforce himself. The Polearmist gains a +4 bonus on opposed checks to avoid being Bull Rushed, Disarmed, Overrun, Sundered, or Tripped. In addition, he can use the Bull Rush combat manuver without entering his opponent's space, and he can use the leverage of the polearm to push the opponent back more than 5 feet as if he were actually moving with his opponent. Furthermore, he increases the Tumbling DC to pass through his space, or any space he threatens, by +10. Always Ready (Ex). The Polearmist is always considered to have an action readied against a charge. The attack against the charging opponent is considered a free action, and occurs just prior to the charging opponent's action. This does not reset the Polearm's initiative. Ever Vigilant (Ex). The Polearmist can always take 10 on Listen, Sense Motive, and Spot skill checks. Powerful Blow (Ex). The Polearmist adds twice his Strength bonus to weapon damage rolls when wielding a polearm two-handed.
GreyLord 02-10-05, 04:45 PM	This is from 3e and not 3.5, but the Psychic Warrior used to be able to use a feat (Still or something like that) which when given an AoO I think, or a partial action, could strike a creature and it wouldn't be able to move out of the threat area. With a PoleArm's Reach, I think that would work well. In fact if I recall, we did have one person play a Psychic Warrior who used a Glaive if I recall correctly.
ssvegeta555 02-20-05, 08:09 PM	I made tow pole arm PrCs if any of you are intrested. The desert warrior, and desert skirmisher (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=382610)
saankiip 02-20-05, 08:37 PM	I made a Sorcerer who uses a longspear. Maybe not what you are looking for, but it may help you think outside the box and come up with something unique. Check it out http://www.rpgline.com/gassik.html SaanKiip