Please help a new guy with weapon choices

[Dramoth]

Hello Giants I am a long time fan of dnd 3.5 who has unfortunatly never been able to find a group or a game. I have been frequenting this forum for sometime now to try and get some more knowledge on the game and hopefully try and get a bit more involved. Then I spotted the PBP section. Over the next few weeks I will be trying to get myself in a game to get a proper feel but I don't want to be a dead weight so here finally is the questions.

To make my first times easier I was hoping to go a melee class going a full run as one class to reduce complication (Warblade if I can else Barbarian, game permitting of course.) Going with power attack 2h weapon combination with an animated shield thrown in. When it comes to the 2 hand weapons I like the idea of a scythe but wonder if it would be better to start off with a great axe (allow level damage bonuses will be low) and later on pick up the scythe?

So please oh great giants help a noob take his first steps.

[Duboris]

Get the biggest 2 handed sword you can get your hands around.

[Morbis Meh]

Get the biggest 2 handed sword you can get your hands around.

This isn't very helpful... since he was asking for specific weapons.

It really depends what you want from the melee character to be honest, if you want pure damage then you're going ubercharging across the wilderness and the general selection is a greatsword or a lance (since it has sick bonus damage to charging). If you want a mix of damage a battlefield control go spiked chain, yes it is worth the feat 100% especially if you go the stormguard warrior route; however, if you don't want to waste the feat get a guisarme since you can trip and still have good range. If you want to be a crit fisher then go Falchion.

[Gavinfoxx]

Good weapons in 3.5e are things like...

-Spiked Chain
-Falchion
-Greatsword
-Guisarme
-Spiked Heavy Shield
-Armor Spikes

Don't go for Large weapons unless you have the bracers that remove the penalty.

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=127026

[Dusk Eclipse]

Past the first few levels, weapon base damage is almost negligable (barring size increase abuse ala King of Smack) so generally you can go with whatever weapon strikes you fancy. However keep in mind that reach is king in melee so you usually want a reach weapon, then you want special abilities like tripping and then you want to look at crit range. With this in mind a guisarme your best bet unless you can spare a feat on EWP spiked chain which gives you all the benefit of a Guisarme plus allowing you to strike adjacent targets.

[Duboris]

One thing in particular I like to slap on certain fighters is this thing called a

"Man Catcher"

Needs both hands to hold, works with power attack, and has the added bonus of being able to trap the majority of the things you hit. Not only that, but the beauty of it is that it's a ranged grapple, using the weapons to-hit bonus, if I'm correct.

Downside is the damage for a medium creature using one is a 1d2. Upside is you get the full strength modifier.

[Dramoth]

Thanks guys, from what I had read I thought spiked chain would come up. I will definatly make sure I focus a bit more around there. I will also have to brush up on the trip and grapple rules thanks!

The man catcher sounds really interesting, reminds me back a little to my warhammer days.

[Gavinfoxx]

Thanks guys, from what I had read I thought spiked chain would come up. I will definatly make sure I focus a bit more around there. I will also have to brush up on the trip and grapple rules thanks!

The man catcher sounds really interesting, reminds me back a little to my warhammer days.

Spiked Chain and Guisarme are really what technical fighters use, generally...

Sometimes Duom.

[Dr.Epic]

To make my first times easier I was hoping to go a melee class going a full run as one class to reduce complication (Warblade if I can else Barbarian, game permitting of course.) Going with power attack 2h weapon combination with an animated shield thrown in. When it comes to the 2 hand weapons I like the idea of a scythe but wonder if it would be better to start off with a great axe (allow level damage bonuses will be low) and later on pick up the scythe?

Here's what you do: take exotic weapon proficiency so you can wield a goliath greathammer. It has the same crit modifier as a scythe (times 4) but deals more damage (2d6). Then what you do is take monkey grip so you're wielding a weapon that does 3d6 damage with a crit modifier of times 4.:smallbiggrin:

[Keld Denar]

No love for the Glaive? Sometimes you want reach, but you don't feel like being a tripper. A Glaive is a good, non-exotic reach weapon for the non-control dps minded.

[Gavinfoxx]

Here's what you do: take exotic weapon proficiency so you can wield a goliath greathammer. It has the same crit modifier as a scythe (times 4) but deals more damage (2d6). Then what you do is take monkey grip so you're wielding a weapon that does 3d6 damage with a crit modifier of times 4.:smallbiggrin:

Except you never take monkey grip, and you use an item to do the job of Monkey Grip instead.

[Dr.Epic]

Except you never take monkey grip, and you use an item to do the job of Monkey Grip instead.

Dr.Epic smack Gavinfoxx with large goliath greathammer! Crit! Take 12d6 damage!:smalltongue:

[Dusk Eclipse]

Here's what you do: take exotic weapon proficiency so you can wield a goliath greathammer. It has the same crit modifier as a scythe (times 4) but deals more damage (2d6). Then what you do is take monkey grip so you're wielding a weapon that does 3d6 damage with a crit modifier of times 4.:smallbiggrin:

3.5 average extra damage for a -2 is not worth a feat slot, monke Grip is a poor feat and there is a cheap-ish magic tem that do the same without a penalty.

The glaive is good; but I feel the option to trip, even if you don't focus on it, is worth the loss of roughly 1 or 2 points of damage.

[Gavinfoxx]

Dr.Epic smack Gavinfoxx with large goliath greathammer! Crit! Take 12d6 damage!:smalltongue:

How, precisely, did you confirm that crit when you are taking penalties to hit like that? And oh no ~42 damage! Whatever shall I do??

[Dr.Epic]

How, precisely, did you confirm that crit when you are taking penalties to hit like that?

Because I have a PhD in Epicness!:smalltongue:


And oh no ~42 damage! Whatever shall I do??

How did you confirm it was only 42 damage? I didn't even add in my strength modifier.

[Medic!]

If you're going for an over-sized weapon, might as well talk your DM into a Hammer of Thunderbolts and go for the gold!

[Dramoth]

Thanks again guys, this has been really helpful :) I think a human warblade with the human feat being spiked chain will be a good start for me!

[Keld Denar]

The glaive is good; but I feel the option to trip, even if you don't focus on it, is worth the loss of roughly 1 or 2 points of damage.

Without a fair bit of size + str optimization, the d20 looms too great a swing over a trip roll even against normally easily tripable opponents. 2 bad d20 rolls in a row and you've just disarmed yourself. I'd rather just deal the damage 9/10 times, if I'm not focused on tripping.

[Dusk Eclipse]

Right, I forgot it was an opposed roll and the defender had the option to use Dex, so my plan of tripping low strength opponents doesn't work as well as I thought it would.

[Dramoth]

Right, I forgot it was an opposed roll and the defender had the option to use Dex, so my plan of tripping low strength opponents doesn't work as well as I thought it would.

I'll let you off I am sure, if I get warblade I can always change to a Minotaur great hammer anyway

[Kelb_Panthera]

How, precisely, did you confirm that crit when you are taking penalties to hit like that? And oh no ~42 damage! Whatever shall I do??

up until about 5th or so level, die. At least with anything that's not sporting a d12 HD. 42 isn't massive by the standards set by your typical charger, but it's nothing to sneeze at before mid-levels.

[nedz]

up until about 5th or so level, die. At least with anything that's not sporting a d12 HD. 42 isn't massive by the standards set by your typical charger, but it's nothing to sneeze at before mid-levels.

But we know that he is over 20th level :smalltongue:

[Kelb_Panthera]

But we know that he is over 20th level :smalltongue:

Thanks for making me facepalm when I have a headache. Ow.