Reach Weapon + Spiked Gauntlet...

[Akennedy]

While wielding a longspear (any reach weapon), would wearing a spiked gauntlet also threaten the spaces right beside you? I guess what I'm asking is am I allowed to use the spiked gauntlet if I'm wielding something in the same hand? Or an unarmed strike if I'm holding a sword in that hand.
If so, with combat expertise, a lot of AoO's could be pulled off if someone decided to run through your threatened area.... Right?

[Miles Invictus]

I believe that's how it works, although all movement during a turn counts as a single action for provoking attacks of opportunity. So you won't get more than two AoOs against any target (one for movement, one for whatever stupid action they try to do), unless there's some obscure rule or feat I haven't heard of.

Source: http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/attacksOfOpportunity.htm

[Roderick_BR]

Yes, that's how it works. As Miles said, you can get only one AoO from the same enemy every round, for every kind of effect (running, casting, shooting).
The polerm/gauntlet combo has been comented a few times around here.

[Jack_Simth]

A DM could quite reasonably rule that you can't properly bring your spiked gauntlet to bear (it's busy with the reach weapon) to take the AoO.

Armor Spikes are, fortunately, a Martial weapon...

[ajkkjjk52]

ACTUALLY:

While you can weild another weapon while wearing a spiked gauntlet, you can't strike with the gauntlet while weilding the weapon. That means you can't make those AoOs, because you can't make the free action to drop the spear.

[Zakama]

But if your DM vetoes that, you can always just get a spiked chain. Not as much damage though.

[I_Got_This_Name]

The call I made when this came up in my game was that the character had two ways he could hold the spear (he used a Longspear), and could switch between the two as a free action. If he has both hands on the spear, his spiked gauntlet hand is too busy to smack anyone. If he has his spiked gauntlet hand free, he can't bring the spear to bear. However, since he's a highly-trained warrior, he can grab the spear, make a thrust with it, then drop back into guarding with his gauntlet, or get his gauntlet hand off his spear and punch someone, then return it to the spear; he just had to wait for his turn to do those.

The result, basically, is that he has full choice between the two on his turn, but had to pick one every turn to make AoOs with.

[levi]

IGTN's variant sounds a lot better than the RAW, which, as far as I know, allows for this sort of cheese. (Don't get me started on armor spikes...)

[Akennedy]

Okay, So could you use armor spikes WITH a spear? Would it be dual wielding?
Damn you RaW!!!!

[Peregrine]

The call I made when this came up in my game was that the character had two ways he could hold the spear (he used a Longspear), and could switch between the two as a free action. If he has both hands on the spear, his spiked gauntlet hand is too busy to smack anyone. If he has his spiked gauntlet hand free, he can't bring the spear to bear. However, since he's a highly-trained warrior, he can grab the spear, make a thrust with it, then drop back into guarding with his gauntlet, or get his gauntlet hand off his spear and punch someone, then return it to the spear; he just had to wait for his turn to do those.

The result, basically, is that he has full choice between the two on his turn, but had to pick one every turn to make AoOs with.

This is exactly how the rules are meant to work (I'm positive it was discussed in an article on the Wizards site, but don't ask me which one!) So good call. :smallsmile:

As for armour spikes... yeah... I would hazard a guess that they count as dual-wielding. But does this mean (a) that you can start using them any time, but as soon as you do, you take dual-wielding penalties for the next round, or (b) that you must declare yourself ready to use them, and be taking dual-wielding penalties on all attacks, in order to be able to make AoOs with them?

[Umarth]

I'd argue that your not actually duel weilding when you use armor spikes + a reach weapon.

Two-Weapon fighting allows you to make extra attacks with your secondary weapon. I'd argue though that if your not making those extra attacks then you arn't subjected to the TWF penalties.

Two-Weapon fighting penalties seem to be very specifically directed at when your gaining extra attacks not just because you have two weapons your using.

If someone weilding a long sword and short sword made a normal itterative attack with his longsword only (no TWF) and then wanted to use the short sword for an AOO would you disallow that or apply penalties?

What if they wanted to switch between what ends of a quarterstaff they where hitting something with. Would that be a problem?

If they don't make extra attacks in a round (per TWF) then let them swap back and forth freely between any weapon they have readied to make itterative attacks and AOO.

[Peregrine]

Good point: what does happen when you're dual-wielding in the ordinary sense (one in each hand), you make attacks on your turn with only one of the weapons, and then you make an AoO with the other? What penalties, if any, apply? Then we can apply that to spikes and spears.

(It would seem that, by RAW, there are no penalties. Maybe.)

[Matthew]

As I understand it, it works like this:

If you have Improved Unarmed Strike or Armour Spikes you can threaten the area around you whilst holding a Two Handed Reach Weapon. During your round you have the normal combat options, including Two Weapon Fighting. If you use Two Weapon Fighting, all penalties apply during any Attack of Opportunity afterwards (just like with Combat Expertise or Power Attack). If you do not use Two Weapon Fighting during your Action, you are still free to strike with any weapon you are holding during an Attack of Opportunity (this does not include Spiked Gauntlets when holding a Long Spear Two Handed, but does include Armour Spikes and Unamred Strikes in the same circumstances). Stupid? Yeah, but there you go.

Remember, according to the Rules of the Game, a character may nominate his Off Hand between Attacks. What this effectively means is that for the purposes of Attacks of Opportunity a character need never take Off Hand penalties.