D&D 5E DEX-based spear wielding Fighter

[Dargrimm]

I don't know if it has been discussed elsewhere, so sorry if this is a duplicate.

I'm looking to build a DEX-based spear wielding Fighter with light armor and high mobility (you can think something similar to Oberyn Martell or Balsa from Moribito).

A battle-master with Polearm Master was my first thought, but the spear is not considered a polearm (I don't understand why) and you can't use Dexterity with it (I don't understand that either).

So seeing that the spear has gotten little love in 5e, how would you go to build such a fighter?

 

[Celtavian]

Given the way the combat system works, I don't see any problem house ruling a spear can be used with Dex. As far as RAW, it doesn't work like that. As far as balance goes, I see zero problems with it.

 

[Kobold Stew]

I agree that they've under-thought the way spear combat works, but that doesn't need to stop you.

The two easiest fixes would be:
a. talk to your DM, and ask if you can have a q-staff that does piercing damage instead of bludgeoning (i.e. a hand-separ) -- that's still a STR weapon (which is reasonable, and a 14-str dex-based fighter is still perfectly viable in the 5e system.

b. talk to your DM, and re-skin the rapier. All the mechanics stay the same, but in your head and the narration you provide it's a spear. You then have a 1d8 finesse weapon allowing you to use DEX for attacks, combinable with a shield, but not throwable (so a "hand-spear" or whatever)-- but no pole arm feat.

 

[Rune]

I'm away from my books, but I'm pretty sure spears are simple weapons. That being the case, if you're willing to forgo all armor and a shield, taking one level of monk will get you most of the way where you want to go. You will get to use dexterity with the spear and you will get a bonus attack (that uses dexterity to hit and damage) that can be fluffed as a hit with the butt end of the spear. What you won't get is the reaction attack when someone closes to engage with you.

The only way around that is by getting your DM to extend Polearm Master to spears. Or create some home-brew feat that pretty much does the same thing.

 

[PnPgamer]

Monks can use any simple weapon with dexterity or strength, so you could go multiclassing if your dm is not too keen on houseruling.

 

[Taronkov]

Not sure who came up with this feat. It's on the site here though...

Fighting Style (Fighter, Ranger, Paladin)
While wielding a spear, you may treat it as though it had the Finesse property. If you wield a spear two handed, you may treat it as though it had the Heavy and Reach properties.

 

[Rune]

Not sure who came up with this feat. It's on the site here though...

Fighting Style (Fighter, Ranger, Paladin)
While wielding a spear, you may treat it as though it had the Finesse property. If you wield a spear two handed, you may treat it as though it had the Heavy and Reach properties.

Whoa. That would easily be the most powerful melee feat in the game because of its synergistic qualities with the rogue multiclass. Sneak Atrack + Great Weapon Master + Polearm Master (specifically it's off-turn qualities) is a combo that the designers went out of their way to prevent for very good reason.

Yes, I realize this feat doesn't allow Polearm Master, but Sneak Attack + Great Weapon Master + Sentinel isn't much better. Either way, you're probably getting two instances of sneak attack per round on top of your already top-tier melee damage. That's far more damage than any other fighting style can contribute. And if you pick up a second fighting style, Great Weapon Fighting's rerolls would work on sneak attack damage, as well.

 

[JWO]

I've often wondered why spears didn't have the DEX option. It seems like there's a pretty strong archetype for the dancey, flippy, acrobatic spear-wielder, like Prince Oberyn in GoT and Prince Nuada in Hellboy 2 (I guess Princes have a thing for spears?).

 

[Baumi]

Whats wrong with playing a Monk? Thats a light/no Armor Wielding, high mobility Fighter that can use Dex for Spears.

 

[CapnZapp]

None of the archetypes are "monk-y" so the silence is probably because of that.

I would say there's nothing wise, ascetic, eastern about using a spear, so I would agree the monk suggestion doesn't fit when it is a spear fighter you want.