Flail's Fair in
Love and War
Flails. I’m not really sure what it is about flails, but I think they’re pretty neat. Maybe it was that early boss in A Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (which I enjoyed so much as a child), who could extend the chain on his flail out to almost anywhere in the room. Or maybe it was Baldur’s Gate II’s crazy elemental-headed flail. Whatever the case, I think flails are awesome, and wish that there was a reason to use one in Pathfinder. So, I thought, in the now-ongoing tradition I have of making feats to highlight specific weapons, I would go ahead and make a few reasons to wield a flail. Here they are.
Entangling Flail (Combat)
You know how to wrap the chains of your flail around your target’s weapons in order to disable them.
Prerequisite: Improved Disarm, Weapon Focus (dire flail, flail, or heavy flail).
Benefit: Whenever you make a disarm combat maneuver with a dire flail, flail, or heavy flail, if you fail by less than 5, you may choose to wrap the chain of your flail around the target’s weapon. If you do, then the flail and the other weapon become entangled. While entangled, neither weapon may be used to make an attack, but either can be used in an attempt to disarm the other weapon. Additionally, neither you nor the character holding the entangled weapon can move more than 5 feet away from the other. Either you or the other character can attempt to pull the other by succeeding on an opposed Strength check. Success indicates the other character is pulled 5 feet, plus an additional 5 feet for every 5 points by which you beat them, to a maximum of your movement speed. Doing so is a move action.
Either you or the other weapon’s wielder may disentangle the two weapons as a move action that provokes attacks of opportunity (neither entangled weapon may be used for this attack of opportunity). Alternatively, either character may simply drop the weapon they are holding, in which case the weapons are automatically disentangled and the dropped weapon lands on the ground in the square of whoever dropped it.
Finally, you gain a +4 bonus on any disarm checks made to disarm a weapon that you have entangled with your flail.
Erratic Swing (Combat)
You swing your flail with wild abandon, endangering not only your enemies, but yourself as well.
Prerequisite: Weapon Focus (dire flail, flail, or heavy flail).
Benefit: Whenever you make a full attack action while wielding a dire flail, flail, or heavy flail, you may choose to swing it erratically. If you do, you suffer a -4 penalty on all attack and damage rolls made with the flail until the beginning of your next turn. However, whenever you make an attack or damage roll with a flail during that time, you may roll 1d8 and add the result to the total. Apply the -4 penalty after adding the result of the dice.
If you ever roll a natural 1 on an attack roll made with a flail while swinging it erratically, however, not only do you automatically miss the target, but you automatically hit yourself, dealing damage as appropriate (including the additional 1d8).
Flailing Strike (Combat)
You swing your flail for power, not accuracy.
Prerequisite: Power Attack, Weapon Focus (dire flail, flail, or heavy flail).
Benefit: Whenever you use the Power Attack feat while wielding a dire flail, flail, or heavy flail, you may choose to increase the amount of damage further, though you take an additional penalty to accuracy. If you do, roll a d6, and apply the result as an additional penalty on all attack rolls made for the round. Then, roll 1d12+1 and apply the result as an additional bonus on all damage rolls made for the round.
Flailing Sweep (Combat)
You know how to use your flail to knock your opponent’s legs out from under him and hurt him at the same time.
Prerequisite: Improved Trip, Weapon Focus (dire flail, flail, or heavy flail).
Benefit: Whenever you successfully trip a character using a dire flail, flail, or heavy flail, you deal an amount of damage to the target equal to the weapon’s damage dice (1d8 for a Medium-sized flail, 1d10 for a Medium-sized heavy flail, or 1d8 for a Medium-sized dire flail). Do not add your Strength bonus or any other modifiers to this damage.
Piercing Flail (Combat)
You know how to use a flail’s sharp spikes to the best advantage.
Prerequisite: Weapon Focus (dire flail, flail, or heavy flail).
Benefit: Whenever you deal damage with a dire flail, flail, or heavy flail, you may choose to have it deal half its damage as piercing damage, rather than bludgeoning damage. Additionally, gain a +1 bonus on all damage rolls made with a dire flail, flail, or heavy flail.