Post/Author/DateTime	Post
gixanthrax 01-20-08, 06:22 PM	Sorry, this may sound stupid, but what does the " Reach" in "within reach" mean? a.)Melee reach? so only the fields I threaten? b.)Or does it mean: Any oponed who is within a circle with the center on the field you were standing at the beginning of your turn and the radius of your move speed in fields plus your melee reach? or does it mean: c.)that the total amound of movement must not exceed my normal move speed? I mean I'm using a rogue who uses spring attack HIPS and SA generally and is only able to do one attack per round at the moment and i try to improve my battlefield effectivity. If it was a.), the feat is more or less worthless for me, because i will hardly survive to face more than one foe face to face. It also renders the required feats quite useless, because you don`t move at all( mobility, spring attack...) and is only suitable for people who do massive damage within one hit and are surrounded by weak opponents... b.) would be quite devastating because i have a reach of 5 feet and a speed of 75... so i would be able to attack anything in an area containing 200 fields... so my vote goes to c( simply logically) becaause it allows you to utilize your mobiliy and spring attack and flavours the thought of a guy who is running and whirling around attacking quite some people while doing so...
InkBlot 01-20-08, 06:34 PM	"Reach" is five feet for medium characters. It does not include how far you could possibly move. Whirlwind Attack requires a full-attack, which takes up your entire turn. You can't use a move action and do a Whirlwind Attack on the same turn. You can, however, take a five-foot-step before, durring, or after your full attack.
gixanthrax 01-20-08, 06:49 PM	Ah, ok, thank you. So i will skip that feat. I my now try to retrain my char( with the DMs allowance) and pretige Class into Dervish, that sounds like fun. But still i don`t understand whymobility and spring attack are required to gain access to whirlwind attack. If i want to attack all fields around me i rather take the warhulk PrC...
StevenO 01-20-08, 06:51 PM	Whirlwind allows you to take one attack on each target within melee reach when you begin the action. As noted it replaces a Full Attack so movement beyond your 5' set doesn't help. Some DMs may allow you to take your 5' step during the Whirlwind but that does NOT give you more targets even if some would now be within reach. Whirlwind attack is often a useless feat unless you often get swarmed. That said, a rogue can make good use of WW provided they can catch everyone in a SA legal situation; that is easier said than done however.
Suspect_Unusual 01-20-08, 07:01 PM	Whirlwind allows you to take one attack on each target within melee reach when you begin the action. As noted it replaces a Full Attack so movement beyond your 5' set doesn't help. Some DMs may allow you to take your 5' step during the Whirlwind but that does NOT give you more targets even if some would now be within reach. Whirlwind attack is often a useless feat unless you often get swarmed. That said, a rogue can make good use of WW provided they can catch everyone in a SA legal situation; that is easier said than done however. A single level dip into Swordsage at 5th or higher level gets you a once-per-encounter swift action Greater Invisibility for a round - perfect for use with Whirlwind.
InkBlot 01-21-08, 11:56 AM	But still i don`t understand whymobility and spring attack are required to gain access to whirlwind attack. Whirlwind Attack is Great Cleave for people who don't want to climb two feat trees at once. Thematically, Whirlwind Attack involves quickly darting between opponents while avoiding their counterattacks. It's not just a great big swing. That's why it works with rapiers as well as it does with axes. Mark out a five-foot-wide square on your floor. You can be quite mobile in that square, and there is enough room to dodge.
Tordak 01-21-08, 01:33 PM	It could also help character who qualify for one feat tree but not the other, for example a rogue with high dex but less then 13 str who could not get power attack and cleave.
JamesMaissen 01-21-08, 01:42 PM	Whirlwind allows you to take one attack on each target within melee reach when you begin the action. Some DMs may allow you to take your 5' step during the Whirlwind but that does NOT give you more targets even if some would now be within reach. It don't see the requirement on 'when you begin the action'. Consider the following: Badguy1 starts a whirlwind adjacent to PCA and PCB. PCA is hit by Badguy1, this triggers PCB's action to 5 ft step away and cast a spell. Can Badguy1 attack PCB with his whirlwind? Can he do so without taking a 5' step. For the scenario assume that Badguy1 is medium sized with a longsword. You get to attack everyone within reach. When you go to attack them they need to be within reach. Simple. Can you 5' step during a whirlwind? Yes, just as much as you can 5' step during any full attack action. Do you only attack those within 5' of you? No. You attack at your reach. For example if you are whirlwinding with a longspear you would (without moving) get to attack each opponent that was exactly 10' away from you, but you could not attack adjacent squares (as your weapon doesn't threaten there). Whirlwind is a situational feat that requires a lot to get into it. -James