Halberd Monk TWF

[Morth]

Okay, this came up a while ago, and building for a campaign, how would you rule towards a Monk with Polefighter attacking? Would you allow unarmed off-hand strikes as part of a two weapon flurry attack? Main attacks with the halberd and off-hands from two-weapon fighting as unarmed strikes? Yes? No?

[Flickerdart]

A Monk cannot flurry with a Halberd, but there's no reason you couldn't TWF a halberd and an unarmed strike, just like you can TWF a halberd and armour spikes.

[Morth]

A Monk cannot flurry with a Halberd, but there's no reason you couldn't TWF a halberd and an unarmed strike, just like you can TWF a halberd and armour spikes.

Polefighter from Dragon Compendium. It adds halberd to the list of flurry weapons.

[Divide by Zero]

I'd let it work. They're already playing a monk, they need all the help they can get.

[Emmerask]

Why not, unarmed strikes can be done with any bodypart anyway so maybe he is using the halberd es a pole and swing-kicks or somesuch during the flurry ^^

[Divide by Zero]

Why not, unarmed strikes can be done with any bodypart anyway so maybe he is using the halberd es a pole and swing-kicks or somesuch during the flurry ^^

I played a monk once. His attack of choice was the pelvic thrust.

[Emmerask]

Okay maybe I should say any reasonable body part

[Flickerdart]

Polefighter from Dragon Compendium. It adds halberd to the list of flurry weapons.

Ah. Then yes, after you have taken the feats Martial Weapon Proficiency (halberd), Weapon Focus (halberd) and Pole Fighter (halberd), you would be able to make this attack.

Note however that without feats that increase reach, you will never be able to strike a target with the Halberd and your Unarmed Strike at the same time, rendering the "combo" rather pointless.

[Emmerask]

I think there is a feat in CW with which you can attack with reach weapons a square next to you which gives you atleast another option besides getting reach somehow. Still you have to invest some feats thats quite right.

[Morth]

Ah. Then yes, after you have taken the feats Martial Weapon Proficiency (halberd), Weapon Focus (halberd) and Pole Fighter (halberd), you would be able to make this attack.

Note however that without feats that increase reach, you will never be able to strike a target with the Halberd and your Unarmed Strike at the same time, rendering the "combo" rather pointless.

I think there is a feat in CW with which you can attack with reach weapons a square next to you which gives you atleast another option besides getting reach somehow. Still you have to invest some feats thats quite right.

If you are both referring to the same problem, and sorry if not, but the halberd isn't a reach weapon.

[Flickerdart]

I think there is a feat in CW with which you can attack with reach weapons a square next to you which gives you atleast another option besides getting reach somehow. Still you have to invest some feats thats quite right.

Such a feat does exist but it's an action (move or standard, I don't recall) to switch between reach and adjacent, which is worthless.

And yes, I forgot. The Halberd is retarded. Never mind me then.

[Emmerask]

ditto the great halberd has reach not the normal one, sry

[Greenish]

And yes, I forgot. The Halberd is retarded. Never mind me then.

Why is it retarded? You're not actually holding the very end of the halberd (well, not with both hands), so it makes sense to me that you won't be routinely hitting people farther than 5 feet with a weapon that's 5-6 feet long in total.

[Flickerdart]

Why is it retarded? You're not actually holding the very end of the halberd (well, not with both hands), so it makes sense to me that you won't be routinely hitting people farther than 5 feet with a weapon that's 5-6 feet long in total.

When I have an axe, I expect to have to waddle up to people before relieving them of their head. When I have something longer than an axe, I expect to be able to whack 'em from the comfort of my 5ft square. When my expectations are subverted, I become cross.

[Morth]

After calculations, a monk12/fighter8 using GTWF, Spinning Halberd, and Polefighter... you achieve 10 attacks in a full round action at the following:
+15/+15/+15/+15**/+10*/+10/+10**/+5/+5**/+0 (* indicates Halberd haft, ** for unarmed strike)

[Yuki Akuma]

Too bad half those attacks will miss and none will do much damage, huh?

[Morth]

Too bad half those attacks will miss and none will do much damage, huh?

Always at least 5% success chance!

[Pluto]

Okay, this came up a while ago, and building for a campaign, how would you rule towards a Monk with Polefighter attacking? Would you allow unarmed off-hand strikes as part of a two weapon flurry attack? Main attacks with the halberd and off-hands from two-weapon fighting as unarmed strikes? Yes? No?

Yes.

This is the same principle as the Fighter TWFing a Greatsword and Armor Spikes. Or a Ranger TWFing a Halberd and Unarmed strikes. Both have been surprisingly common in my experience.

[The Rabbler]

go chaos monk if you really want to be a monk. it's from a dragon magazine, which one, though, I forget. it allows you to make extra attacks based on a roll. at level 5, you roll 1d4 and do that many extra attacks at no attack penalty.

i'm tired of people using monks simply for flurry when there's a better alternative readily available.

[herrhauptmann]

Why is it retarded? You're not actually holding the very end of the halberd (well, not with both hands), so it makes sense to me that you won't be routinely hitting people farther than 5 feet with a weapon that's 5-6 feet long in total.

The problem really is that people see the halberd as a reach weapon, and I'd swear that it was a reach weapon in AD&D. In 3.5, it doesn't have reach despite being a 6ft polearm.

The problem with short haft (lets you choke up on a reach polearm to hit adjacent) is that your weapon is no longer a reach weapon. And it takes an action of some sort to choke up, and another action (same type) to go back to using range. It's either a move or standard action to do so.
Remember how important it is for a barbarian or fighter to get a movement AND full attack rather than full attack and 5ft step? What about when you don't even get that move, just a single attack and 5ft step?
The action economy for Short Haft is just plain terrible.
And both smart random encounters, and recurring villains, will make sure to punish you for it.

[Krazddndfreek]

Actually Short Haft only requires a swift action. And its from PHB2.

[herrhauptmann]

Only a swift? I coulda sworn it was something higher. Does what I described sound like a different 3.5 feat then?

[gdiddy]

It's still kind of a silly feat. I always house rule that if you have Weapon Specialization with a reach weapon, you always threaten every square between your maximum reach and adjacent squares.