Stuff to do with a polearm.

[Elric VIII]

So I'm thinking about taking Pole Fighter on a standard Tahalatora Monk build, but I'm wondering if there's anything interesting to do aside from having a bit of reach.

Other than Standstill and/or tripping are there any interesting options for one that wields a polearm?

[Lonely Tylenol]

You could use Linked Synchronicity (and other) to ready ALL the actions against everyone who will ever charge at you.

[mattie_p]

What is your psionic class? If it is wis-based, I enjoy Stunning Master feat (found right above Tashalatora in Secrets of Sarlona).

[panaikhan]

You can always tie flasks of Alchemist's Fire to the blade (you're out of splash range)

[Darrin]

Other than Standstill and/or tripping are there any interesting options for one that wields a polearm?

Feats:

Pole Fighter (Dragon Compendium). Select a pole-arm, treat it as a special monk weapon.

Serpent Strike (Eberron Campaign Setting). Treat a longspear as a special monk weapon.

Shorten Grip (Dragon Compendium). When wielding a reach weapon, attack adjacent targets with a -2 penalty. Unlike Short Haft (PHBII), does not require a swift action to use.

Weapons:

Duom (Dragon Compendium). Same text as what appeared in the A&EG (March 2003), but the Dragon Compendium (October 2005) lists this as a martial, not exotic, weapon. Polearm with reach, but you can attack adjacent opponents with it as well. Text says there's a -2 penalty if you attack a second adjacent opponent on the same turn as another opponent, but it says nothing about a penalty if you only attack one adjacent opponent the entire turn.

Longstaff (Complete Adventurer). Exotic, if you use Combat Expertise to shift at least 2 points of your attack bonus to AC, you cannot be flanked.

Sugliin (Frostburn). Polearm with 2d8 damage, requires Sugliin Mastery feat to get standard/multiple attacks.

[Jigokuro]

Sugliin (Frostburn). Polearm with 2d8 damage, requires Sugliin Mastery feat to get standard/multiple attacks.

Question: can you make attacks of opportunity with a sugliin? I feel like the answer should be no, but I've read every entry about it and there is simply no word on it. Just that you can't make full round attacks and to make a normal (standard) attack takes a full round. A 'due to its slow attack, a sugliin cannot be use to make AoOs' (until you have mastery) would have been really easy to add, and has been used on other things before iirc...
It would be really cool to use one of these on my stand still build instead of the Lucerne hammar I was going for, and I won't have to worry about breaking it by using it as martial because stand still stops it from dealing damage...:smallbiggrin:
It would be no more effective, just neat. It is a neat weapon.

[Fouredged Sword]

The ability to take the focused attack monk ACF and the style that grants power attack as a full round action makes a powerful single hit character. I would dip and then go into fighter or paladin. A focused attack smite would be interesting.

[Darrin]

Question: can you make attacks of opportunity with a sugliin? I feel like the answer should be no, but I've read every entry about it and there is simply no word on it. Just that you can't make full round attacks and to make a normal (standard) attack takes a full round.

Oddly enough, there are no explicit rules that specify which weapons can or can't be used on AoOs. You can ask a similar question about natural weapons, which are generally restricted to one attack per turn.

The best rule I can find is in the PHB p. 137: "You threaten all squares into which you can make a melee attack, even when it is not your action." This, then, gives us somewhat of a rationale for what weapons can be used on an AoO: if you have a weapon that threatens a square, then it can attack into that square during an AoO.

In the case of the sugliin, there isn't any text in the description which says anything about not threatening. So I'd have to say by RAW that you can make AoOs with a sugliin, even if you don't have the Sugliin Mastery feat.

[The Viscount]

If you're going the AoO route, 3 levels of knight allows you to treat your threatened area as difficult terrain.

If you like TWF, haft strike can allow you to use a polearm as a double weapon for TWF purposes.

[Fouredged Sword]

Focused attack allows you to make all your AOO's as double damage with monk weapons. Take monk 2 / knight 18. Wield a good polearm with reach and unarmed strikes close in.

[Person_Man]

Keep in mind that the Sugliin is an Exotic weapon, which then also requires a second Feat to use for full attack actions. So while you could just use it for AoO, you'd still be wasting a Feat on Exotic weapon proficiency for a net average increase in damage of +2. So it's not really worth using, unless you happen to be a low level Master of Masks or have some other way of ignoring Exotic weapon penalties.

[Twilightwyrm]

Focused attack allows you to make all your AOO's as double damage with monk weapons. Take monk 2 / knight 18. Wield a good polearm with reach and unarmed strikes close in.

I cannot seem to find this feat/ability. Where is it from?

[Jigokuro]

Keep in mind that the Sugliin is an Exotic weapon, which then also requires a second Feat to use for full attack actions. So while you could just use it for AoO, you'd still be wasting a Feat on Exotic weapon proficiency for a net average increase in damage of +2. So it's not really worth using, unless you happen to be a low level Master of Masks or have some other way of ignoring Exotic weapon penalties.

Yeh, I had always hated that they put such a huge cost on using a weapon that was only a little better because it is so cool. However I noticed looking for info on AoOs that you can treat a sugliin (and many other FrB exotics) like a martial weapon at no penalty except that it might brake if you hit hard with it. That is still quite restrictive, but can be used with stand still quite nicely.

[Jigokuro]

I cannot seem to find this feat/ability. Where is it from?
It is actually Decisive Stike.
It is an AFC from PHBII that replaces flurry.

[Greenish]

Having reach and a two-handed weapon is an excellent opportunity to get Steadfast Boots (MIC), the Intercepting weapon property (FoW), and Hold the Line feat (CW). Charging you will hurt.

[Elric VIII]

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. I think I can make this guy into a very interesting melee CC character.

[Vaz]

If you're going the AoO route, 3 levels of knight allows you to treat your threatened area as difficult terrain.
Useless for a Trip-build; can't take advantage of denied dex without inordinate penalties. Sure unless they have 5 Balance ranks, they're looking likely to be on the floor and hence not charging you, but if you attack someone on the ground as with a Chaingun Tripper (typical with a Tash-Monk Expansionist), then your Knight's Vow's going to kick in and be angry.

[Elric VIII]

Useless for a Trip-build; can't take advantage of denied dex without inordinate penalties. Sure unless they have 5 Balance ranks, they're looking likely to be on the floor and hence not charging you, but if you attack someone on the ground as with a Chaingun Tripper (typical with a Tash-Monk Expansionist), then your Knight's Vow's going to kick in and be angry.

I was considering just taking Martial Stance for Thicket of Blades at 12.

[The Viscount]

Useless for a Trip-build; can't take advantage of denied dex without inordinate penalties. Sure unless they have 5 Balance ranks, they're looking likely to be on the floor and hence not charging you, but if you attack someone on the ground as with a Chaingun Tripper (typical with a Tash-Monk Expansionist), then your Knight's Vow's going to kick in and be angry.

If you go nonlawful you lose knights challenge, but you are no longer bound by knight's vow.

[Vaz]

How Did I Miss This This Is Awesome.