Spikard optimization

[daremetoidareyo]

I'm building a lieutenant and after gently playing with spikard in my mind for a bit, I figured that I'd put it out here for the playground to optimize the behayzeus out of.

So here is my short list of ideas, all of which need some unbiased eyes.

Here is the weird weapon:

Spear Spikard: A spear spikard resembles a thicker-than-normal shortspear. In fact, it can be wielded as if it were a shortspear even by a character who is not proficient with the spear spikard, though such a character cannot access the weapon’s significant added function.

A spear spikard is actually a hollow weapon capable of delivering a bolt as part of a melee strike. Along the rear third of the shaft is a miniature spring-driven firing mechanism, as well as a channel into which a bolt can be loaded.

Loading a spear spikard is equivalent to loading a light crossbow (a move action that provokes attacks of opportunity). A character with Rapid Reload (light crossbow) can reload a spear spikard as a free action, though this still provokes attacks of opportunity.

A spear spikard cannot fire bolts at range or when the weapon is thrown— instead, it discharges a bolt in conjunction with a successful melee attack. If you have the Exotic Weapon Proficiency (spear spikard) feat, any time you hit a foe in melee with a loaded spear spikard, the mechanism automatically triggers, discharging the bolt directly into the target of the attack. The target takes piercing damage equal to the base damage of the weapon (1d4 points of damage for a Small spear spikard or 1d6 points of damage for a Medium spear spikard) in addition to the damage dealt by the initial attack. No additional attack roll is required. This extra damage is not multiplied as part of a critical hit.

Creating a spear spikard requires a DC 20 Craft (weaponsmithing) check.

Characters who take Exotic Weapon Proficiency (spear spikard) can treat the spear spikard as a shortspear for the purpose of any feat or ability that affects the character’s ability to use a shortspear (such as Weapon Focus:shortspear).

How does the spear spikard interact with the skewer foe (CoR) feat?
PreRequisite: Str 15, BAB + 6, proficient with piercing weapon. Benefit: If you hit the same enemy more than once in a single round with a piercing melee weapon, you deal an extra 1d6 points of piercing damage with each hit after the first. Special:A fighter can select this feat as one of his fighter bonus feats.

How does the spear spikard interact with the haft strike (dr. comp) feat?
Prerequisite: Two-Weapon Fighting. Benefit: When wielding a pole arm two-handed you may choose to attack with the haft of the weapon. You may only perform this attack as part of a full-attack action. This additional attack is at your highest attack bonus and deals damage like a club of the same size as the pole arm. Although the haft does not possess any of the bonuses associated with the weapon (such as flaming), it does count as magic for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction if the weapon is enchanted. When using this feat, each attack you make in that round (the extra one and the normal ones) suffers a -2 penalty. You only receive half your Strength bonus on damage rolls with this attack. This feat cannot be used with a double weapon. Special:A fighter may select Haft Strike as one of his fighter bonus feats. Normal: The haft of a non-double weapon is considered an improvised weapon and cannot be used as part of a full-attack action.

Although illogical, RAW seems to imply that you can get an extra bout of damage in this way.

How can we abuse the ability of the spear spikard with its additional damage disbursement?
Ideas:
Enchant the bolts separate from the spikard (what enchantments)
Kensai? other prestige classes?
TOB Maneuvers?

Just closely read that text and came up with another question. Does the bolt damage trigger on a trip attack?

[Flickerdart]

How does the spear spikard interact with the skewer foe (CoR) feat?
It doesn't - the bonus damage from the bolt is not a separate attack. Even if it were, the bolt is not a melee weapon, nor the same weapon as the spikard.



How does the spear spikard interact with the haft strike (dr. comp) feat?

By RAW, even a haft strike deals damage from the bolt.



Enchant the bolts separate from the spikard (what enchantments)
Kensai? other prestige classes?
TOB Maneuvers?

None of this does anything - the bolt always deals the base damage of the spikard (1d6 for medium) regardless of the enchantments on the bolt or the spikard.

[daremetoidareyo]

None of this does anything - the bolt always deals the base damage of the spikard (1d6 for medium) regardless of the enchantments on the bolt or the spikard.

Surely there are effects that trigger off of damage itself i.e. bolts of wounding. In effect, enchanting 10 bolts is probably a cheap way to stack more and more effects on the weapon.

[Flickerdart]

RAW, the bolt would not activate any of its magic enhancements. It discharges into the target, deals 1d6 damage, and that's it.

[ExLibrisMortis]

Surely there are effects that trigger off of damage itself i.e. bolts of wounding. In effect, enchanting 10 bolts is probably a cheap way to stack more and more effects on the weapon.
It's neither an attack nor ammunition fired from a ranged weapon, so it's unlikely to have any stacking enhancement rules anywhere. It's just a weapon that deals +weapon die damage if you have EWP and Rapid Reload. You should be able to scale up that damage by getting a colossal spikard and a few effective size increases.

[daremetoidareyo]

RAW, the bolt would not activate any of its magic enhancements. It discharges into the target, deals 1d6 damage, and that's it.

I disagree on that point. Perhaps the table text which specifies that crossbow bolts can be used interchangeably. A Use activated magic enchanted crossbow bolt would function as normal despite the text of the spikard that gets explicit about how it deals damage. It strikes me that the text is so explicit so that players don't cheese hard on how the weapon presents itself as a bridge between melee and ranged weaponry

But you do bring up a good point, what if the bolts are masterwork? That's where the close reading you approach with seems the clearest. However, looking over the magic item enchantments in the SRD, it appears that simply a close reading of the abilities is necessary to determine whether or not it triggers additional things to happen. For example, the bane property does "an extra 2d6 damage against the foe." That's an additive effect to the limitation stipulated in the weapon description, it isn't subsumed entirely by the close reading that is being presented. The enhancement bonus, however, may not apply to the bolt's damage, unless we can find text that the enhancement bonus to ammunition is a use activated effect.

[daremetoidareyo]

Skewer foe: does it stack with itself per attack that hits? So if I have 4 iterative attacks and they all hit, does the 2nd attack have +1d6, the 3rd attack have +2d6 and the fourth +3d6? If you then have combat reflexes, do attacks of opportunity further the progression?

If this is the case, a war spikard with skewer foe and pulverize foe would be hellish (+2d6 damage for each hit after the first!)

Assuming that we proceed with the stupid idea that haft strike sends a bolt out somehow, (maybe you smack them in the head with the butt of your spikard and thus trigger the button and it shoots them in the foot?) does that bludgeoning attack plus the piercing damage from the bolt further the progression of skewer foe?

[Necroticplague]

Skewer foe: does it stack with itself per attack that hits? So if I have 4 iterative attacks and they all hit, does the 2nd attack have +1d6, the 3rd attack have +2d6 and the fourth +3d6? If you then have combat reflexes, do attacks of opportunity further the progression?
Nope. It only does 1d6 damage. The feat is boolean. IF you've hit them, THEN you do extra d6 damage. The only valid inputs are "yes"->1d6 damage or "no"->no extra damage. There isn't any form of analogue nature.



SAssuming that we proceed with the stupid idea that haft strike sends a bolt out somehow, (maybe you smack them in the head with the butt of your spikard and thus trigger the button and it shoots them in the foot?) does that bludgeoning attack plus the piercing damage from the bolt further the progression of skewer foe?
This doesn't work on several levels.

Benefit: When wielding a pole arm two-handed you may choose to attack with the haft of the weapon. You may only perform this attack as part of a full-attack action. This additional attack is at your highest attack bonus and deals damage like a club of the same size as the pole arm. Although the haft does not possess any of the bonuses associated with the weapon (such as flaming), it does count as magic for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction if the weapon is enchanted. When using this feat, each attack you make in that round (the extra one and the normal ones) suffers a -2 penalty. You only receive half your Strength bonus on damage rolls with this attack. This feat cannot be used with a double weapon. Special:A fighter may select Haft Strike as one of his fighter bonus feats. Normal: The haft of a non-double weapon is considered an improvised weapon and cannot be used as part of a full-attack action. Thus, the haft doesn't trigger the bonus damage of the spikard.

[daremetoidareyo]

Nope. It only does 1d6 damage. The feat is boolean. IF you've hit them, THEN you do extra d6 damage. The only valid inputs are "yes"->1d6 damage or "no"->no extra damage. There isn't any form of analogue nature.

Dagnabbit. I was afraid that they accidentally made something good.




Thus, the haft doesn't trigger the bonus damage of the spikard.

That is one way to read it. But if you look at the text for the spikard itself, the damage isn't a bonus and it triggers on a successful melee attack. The bolt isn't a bonus associated with the weapon, it is the weapon, or at least a functional and inseparable part of how it delivers damage...assuming it is loaded of course. That said, we can both agree that haft strike shouldn't work with the bolts. I'm just not convinced that it doesn't work with those bolts, RAW.

[Necroticplague]

That is one way to read it. But if you look at the text for the spikard itself, the damage isn't a bonus and it triggers on a successful melee attack. The bolt isn't a bonus associated with the weapon, it is the weapon, or at least a functional and inseparable part of how it delivers damage...assuming it is loaded of course. That said, we can both agree that haft strike shouldn't work with the bolts. I'm just not convinced that it doesn't work with those bolts, RAW.Hmmm....looking closely, you appear to be right, but the reason for it could cause further drawbacks. It isn't a bonus because it's an entirely seperate instance of damage (as oppossed to increasing the amount of damage of the spear, like Sneak Attack). However, this means that DR will effect it seperately from the spear blow itself.