Reach Weapons

[Demiurge]

This might be covered somewhere, but I'm away from my books...

1) Is the halbred a reach weapon?

2)When using a reach weapon and attacking from the second rank, say behind 2 fighter-types, should the reach weapon weilder incur any penaties to-hit?

[alcyone]

Reach weapons are the heavy lance, pike, and some pole-axes, going by the lengths in the Arms and Armor. Halberds are 5-6 feet long. It's your call if you want to include halberds as having reach for the purposes of first strike in a round; if they have an exceptionally long haft. For any other interpretation of reach, such as reaching over allies to attack, that's not in the rules afaik and is something you need to decide.

I would say that your mobility and visibility would be severely penalized if you had to attack between two fighters. However, in the first round I'd assess no penalties if someone was charging those fighters in front; in that case a reach weapon would be in optimal position. in subsequent rounds I might assess a cover penalty unless there is a favorable size difference between the second and first rank.

[serleran]

Hell, I allow two-handed swords to be reach weapons... basically, anything longer than your (character's) arm. I don't like modifiers for this, modifiers for that when I'm actually playing but I do like to think about them and argue about them. To that end, I'd probably assign a 'cover' modifier, which I think is somewhere in the PHB. If not, I'd just make something up like now, like

Cover % / Penalty to Hit (Bonus to AC)
0 / --
1 - 10 / -0
11 - 25 / -1
26 - 50 / -3
51 - 75 / -5
76 - 95 / -8
96+ / -10

[Arduin]

I allow a "reach weapons 1st strike" when using anything as long as a Broadsword vs. unarmed opponent (Monks excepted of course). This makes delivering touch spells more challenging.

[Lurker]

I allow a "reach weapons 1st strike" when using anything as long as a Broadsword vs. unarmed opponent (Monks excepted of course). This makes delivering touch spells more challenging.

Rgr on that, plus once I can start playing CKing again (stupid MA work ...) I plan to expand it to spears 2 handed swords/axes & Pole arms vs shorter weapons, and even "pike" type spears vs even 2 handed swords etc.

However, I will also say the character must be a fighter type for this (fighter, ranger, knight, possible Paladin and Barbarian).

I actually will encourage a fighter type (with an int prime) to think through combat and plan out things like using reach weapons from behind 2 other characters, or moving back so they will be half way up a hill and the monsters will be attacking from a disadvantage etc.