Inevitability
2015-10-06, 03:51 AM
I had this idea for a character which I thought was pretty interesting, so I wanted to get some feedback.
If you have, say, a battlemaster fighter with a 1-level dip in rogue (for athletics expertise) and the Tavern Brawler feat, who is wielding a shield and a hooked shortspear, could you make an attack with a hooked shortspear to trip your target (with Trip Attack added to it if necessary), drop the shortspear, punch the target with your next attack and attempt a grapple (through Tavern Brawler)? You'd end up with your target grappled and prone, which is a bad situation to be in.
How good is this strategy? Are there better ways to use a hooked shortspear?
The derro wield special weapons. They use a hooked shortspear, which is a martial melee weapon that deals 1d4 piercing damage, weighs 2 pounds, and has the light weapon property (see chapter 5, “Equipment,” of the Player’s Handbook). It doesn’t possess the thrown or versatile weapon properties of a normal spear. On a hit with this weapon, the wielder can forgo dealing damage and attempt to trip the target, in which case the target must succeed on a Strength saving throw or fall prone. The DC is 8 + the wielder’s Strength modifier + the wielder’sproficiency bonus.
If you have, say, a battlemaster fighter with a 1-level dip in rogue (for athletics expertise) and the Tavern Brawler feat, who is wielding a shield and a hooked shortspear, could you make an attack with a hooked shortspear to trip your target (with Trip Attack added to it if necessary), drop the shortspear, punch the target with your next attack and attempt a grapple (through Tavern Brawler)? You'd end up with your target grappled and prone, which is a bad situation to be in.
How good is this strategy? Are there better ways to use a hooked shortspear?
The derro wield special weapons. They use a hooked shortspear, which is a martial melee weapon that deals 1d4 piercing damage, weighs 2 pounds, and has the light weapon property (see chapter 5, “Equipment,” of the Player’s Handbook). It doesn’t possess the thrown or versatile weapon properties of a normal spear. On a hit with this weapon, the wielder can forgo dealing damage and attempt to trip the target, in which case the target must succeed on a Strength saving throw or fall prone. The DC is 8 + the wielder’s Strength modifier + the wielder’sproficiency bonus.