Using a 20′ long weapon in combat?

A simpler solution is to just ban the sweeping strike\\pike combo. I’d be fine with such a ban if the rules allowed a 10 ft spear.
That’s not the simpler solution. It’s bad game mechanics to make this one exception. And sweeping plus pike isn’t that bad considering the penalties. Whirldwind plus pike is a little much though.

No one would question an Undir with a Trident, and it making an Undir a standard bearer in the Legion of the Watchful Hunter makes perfect sense. With a slight rebuild after the first adventure, I think I can make most people happy and add color to my PC as well.

I’m not sure I follow the logic. Carrying a standard in a Legion is a high honor. The personal choice of weapons would have nothing to do with it. That isn’t to say that you couldn’t have been a standard bearer. The two are just not connected.

If you wanted to keep stick with the Legionnaire theme, the short spear works. You’d take glaive rather than trident and need to take Adapt Weapon Trick. It lets you stay thematically with legion weapons that way.

If you don’t want to use a legion weapon, that’s fine too. You’ll stand out a bit more, not sure if that’s what you want or not.

With a sweep of his hat,

Paul

Do remember,

a weapon as long as a long spear.. a GM could require the hero to have a “clear sweep path” to use Sweeping Strike…. there is a long shaft between the hero and the point of the spear.

just saying….

Do remember,

a weapon as long as a long spear.. a GM could require the hero to have a “clear sweep path” to use Sweeping Strike…. there is a long shaft between the hero and the point of the spear.

just saying….
Now see, that’s the problem. (I mentioned this point earlier.) Once you introduce realism into the weapon, it breaks down. A Pike is not a viable melee weapon except in formation fighting. It’s just too unwieldy to be used by a lone warrior.
This goes for just about any two-handed pole-arm. Once you get out beyond about 10′ of weapon, it becomes near useless outside of group tactics.

Do remember,

a weapon as long as a long spear.. a GM could require the hero to have a “clear sweep path” to use Sweeping Strike…. there is a long shaft between the hero and the point of the spear.

just saying….

Personally I am fine with that Pedro. But that isn’t the way you wrote it.

because we don’t want this game to become gurps where we need special rules for everything.

common sense, its a long pole.. you can’t attack around objects or corners

…common sense, its a long pole.. you can’t attack around objects or corners
Okay then. I’m perfectly fine with the common sense approach. But as with other things, expect table variation. (I plan to use the optimum range guideline. YMMV.)

Scott

I’m ok with table variation.. GM’s are not robots who run each game the same.. some GM’s are more cinematic then others, some encourage more RP and get more into character, while others are more tactical…

3.X conditioned people to think of GMs as automatons…. the GM is the story teller as well as the judge… and a judge they are expected to make rulings.

for example, Henry will input more logic into games then I would.. I’m very “big cinematic” and hand out tactical edge when players do anything cool..

Table variation should exist for “one off” once in a blue moon situations. But there should not be variation in how the rules as written are played. It is reasonable to expect that they be played as written – Until changed. Right now Sweeping Strike and Whirlwind expressly allow “Any Melee Weapon or Unarmed”. I propose changing that to be “Any Melee weapon or unarmed except for Longspear/Pike or other weapons whose reach exceed 10′.”

If there is not time to put that in this edition of the Errata, then put it into the Campaign Rulings thread.

The alternative of table variation discourages players from playing outside their local group, and tends to push players away from the game. This is the flip side of the problem with allowing loose interpretations at local tables, and then disallowing grey area rules at convention. Either way you are just inviting argument, heartache, and displeasure from the player and GM base.

Any Errata should adjust the Reach Weapon Trait and not specific weapons.

Suggested wording:

Weapon Traits: Reach (pg239). Add “You can not use a Martial Technique against an enemy with a Reach penalty to hit unless specifically allowed by the Technique.”

Quick and easy and allows the creation of new Martial Techniques for weapons with the trait.

And you just made it unusable with every technique in the game…