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DnD's Spiked Chain


arcady

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Re: DnD's Spiked Chain

 

It's not how I would handle it (I would prefer something along the line of allowing an "abort"' date=' as Arcady suggested), and I'm not sure the problem it was created to address was really that much of a problem, but it's not intrinsically unplayable. My main complaint is that it's too complex:[/quote']Yeah, the Spiked Chain is the only weapon in DnD3.5 that is routinely problematic when mixed with the Attack Of Opportunity rules. Most other weapons and situations for the mechanic work out well enough, although it is more complex than most DnD rules tend to be.

 

Given the nature of DnD, that's not all that bad of a track record. DnD's biggest flaw is that there are unique mechanics for so many things, and in that sort of situation you are bound to have issues pop up as the different elements come into interaction with each other.

 

That said, the spiked chain is an obvious interaction that should have been foreseen and addressed. And again, that noted, many DnD fans think it has been addressed by the simple requirement of needing a feat to be able to use the weapon. However the loss of one feat is not that major comparred to how much you gain, in my opinion.

 

That said, I don't do anything when I run DnD to address it. Part of the appeal of DnD is exploiting the flaws... Sit around a DnD table and the 'fanboys' will rant and rave about 'special combos' they have unlocked, mush as you might do when sitting around a 'Magic: the Gathering' table...

 

Spiked Chain is just the 'freebie combo' for the newbies. It's so obviously there, and it sort of 'wets the appetite' to novices to let them know that if they really 'get into it' with their DnD geekdom, they will unlock even more easter eggs that might prove even better than the Spiked Chain.

 

So if you agree with that logic, you might come away thinking Spiked Chain is unbalanced on purpose - to draw you in to what DnD 3e's authors like to call 'mastery of the game'... :smoke:

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