D&D 5E Fixing the polearm and taking back its seat as generally best nonprojectile weapon from the sword.

[Coroc]

I feel like thays partly my fault

Nope, that would be Ed's fault

 

[Son of the Serpent]

Id also like to mention just how good spears (and other polearms) can be for assisting in the task of disarming (especially when adapted for it) or tripping you oponent. At which point the fight is usually over.

 

[Son of the Serpent]

Phones are so typo prone i stopped bothering except in the most egregious cases years ago @Coroc

Now pc on the other hand is entirely different. But this is from my phone. I apologize for the special ed typing.

 

[Coroc]

Id also like to mention just how good spears (and other polearms) can be for assisting in the task of disarming (especially when adapted for it) or tripping you oponent. At which point the fight is usually over.

Except in modern RL, when assaulted by a group of thugs, after you are prone the real fighting begins by kicking you while helpless. Well maybe back in the days they would have had even more drastic ways to have "fun" with you, so maybe not complain to much...

 

[Coroc]

Phones are so typo prone i stopped bothering except in the most egregious cases years ago @Coroc

Now pc on the other hand is entirely different. But this is from my phone. I apologize for the special ed typing.

Nah don't you gave me a good laugh. Not necessary to apologize for typos, and only people not intelligent enough to interpret the real meaning which is possible 9 out of ten times, sometimes by simply looking on your keyboard which keys might surround the possible wrong letter, complain about it.

I mean this is a chat forum, not a legal binding contract or the freakin constitution

 

[Son of the Serpent]

So, about that enhanced critical.

I have a few ideas.

How about after critt'ing, roll another d20 and if you hit your crit range again you can hobble and cause bleed as a swift action, reflex save against it? This represents something polearms and especially spears excel at which is sticking the head in someone and wrenching it before removal.

 

[Son of the Serpent]

Nah don't you gave me a good laugh. Not necessary to apologize for typos, and only people not intelligent enough to interpret the real meaning which is possible 9 out of ten times, sometimes by simply looking on your keyboard which keys might surround the possible wrong letter, complain about it.

I mean this is a chat forum, not a legal binding contract or the freakin constitution

Hense why the last couple days when people whined at me about it i laughed. (Because i knew i was speaking to people whom ive been told by a mod cannot be described accurately without breaking da'rulez). Always happened with the same couple individuals. Asking if i knew how to speak proper english.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

I have actually trained with them for actual martial arts. Does that count?

It certainly can do. However a lot of martial arts use polearms for forms and display flourishing rather than sparring, and of those that do spar, many end the fight after the first touch.

Do not trigger the fan boys I beg you

Do we still even have any katana fan boys left? I don't know how many migrated from the WotC boards, but I'm pretty sure we've fumigated since then.

Sure, but I am more interested in the untrained for this discussion, or at least the equally trained.

I am trained in martially arts too, but never took weapon classes, just unarmed. However, I have seen many demonstrations of martial arts (beyond just the LARPing I have participated in or witnessed) and from my observation, people of the same skill the sword is better. If the spear user is more skill, however, they typical "win."

FYI, i am skilled enough unarmed that I can beat an unskilled spear wielder fairly frequently, but almost never a an unskilled sword user.

Did you find that the issue was that the spear is only dangerous for a bit of its length, but the sword is dangerous throughout its length?

It might actually be the LARPers who are our best guide here: they sometimes fight in formation, and they have to carry on fighting someone wearing armour even after they have hit them once with their spear.

 

[Son of the Serpent]

It certainly can do. However a lot of martial arts use polearms for forms and display flourishing rather than sparring, and of those that do spar, many end the fight after the first touch.

Do we still even have any katana fan boys left? I don't know how many migrated from the WotC boards, but I'm pretty sure we've fumigated since then.

Did you find that the issue was that the spear is only dangerous for a bit of its length, but the sword is dangerous throughout its length?

It might actually be the LARPers who are our best guide here: they sometimes fight in formation, and they have to carry on fighting someone wearing armour even after they have hit them once with their spear.

The number of hits to someone in armor matters far less than how and where you hit them. Just an fyi.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

So, about that enhanced critical.

I have a few ideas.

How about after critt'ing, roll another d20 and if you hit your crit range again you can hobble and cause bleed as a swift action, reflex save against it? This represents something polearms and especially spears excel at which is sticking the head in someone and wrenching it before removal.

I don't think that 5e does bleed damage or similar - its an extra level of complexity that can be folded in with the general hitpoint system.
You could just up the damage. Currently they do the same damage as a battleaxe used in both hands. You could up that to Greatsword/Greataxe damage (2d6 or 1d12), or even beyond (2d8)?