D&D 5E (2014) Just how long is the D&D Pike supposed to be?

[KahlessNestor]

I have a Fighter that uses a longspear (reflavored pike). He has the Mobile feat. Unfortunately I can't use Polearm Master with the pike

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[Hriston]

Magic net?

 

[Satyrn]

I was also gonna throw in a magic whip, and possibly a magic blowgun. Any other suggestions?

Flail.

It's far more normal than what you're going with, but it's so rarely taken I find. I'm thinking that by being more normal than a whip or pike, it might be more likely that one of your players latches onto it as a preference.

 

[CTurbo]

I wish the Flail, War Pick, and Morningstar would get more love. One of my players currently has a character in a different campaign that uses a Flail exclusively so it is relatively common to a few of us.

I've considered using a magic net, but I'm not sure how to enhance it make it not terrible. It's even worse that you have to have a feat to not have disadvantage with it every time. I could see making a tougher net. Maybe raise the DC to get out and/or raise it's AC to cut out of.

I'm going to give the Monk a pair of magic sai eventually but he'll love those so they wouldn't work here.

I'm thinking about a magic Scythe. That would be a fun change from the norm.

 

[Greenstone.Walker]

I think a clue to "how long is a pike?" can be found in the Polearm Master feat. You can't make a butt attack with a pike, so I think the designers intend the pike to be more than just a long spear - it is so long that you can't actually swing it around and use the other end.

I think there the longspear is actually missing from D&D 5E. I give it the same statistics as a glaive and halberd, including feat use, but just make it piercing instead of slashing.

 

[Hriston]

I've considered using a magic net, but I'm not sure how to enhance it make it not terrible. It's even worse that you have to have a feat to not have disadvantage with it every time. I could see making a tougher net. Maybe raise the DC to get out and/or raise it's AC to cut out of.

Does anyone in your group like to turn invisible, lurk in darkness, or attack from hiding? They won't have disadvantage if the target and any other hostile creature within 5 feet can't see them, and the target's within a normal range of 5 feet. Imposing the Restrained condition is a powerful ability. Personally, I'd give a magic net a +1 to hit, but raising its DC, AC, and hit points sounds good too.

I think a clue to "how long is a pike?" can be found in the Polearm Master feat. You can't make a butt attack with a pike, so I think the designers intend the pike to be more than just a long spear - it is so long that you can't actually swing it around and use the other end.

Good point! Jeremy Crawford has tweeted that the pike was considered "too unwieldy" for the feat's benefits.

I think there the longspear is actually missing from D&D 5E. I give it the same statistics as a glaive and halberd, including feat use, but just make it piercing instead of slashing.

There was a longspear in the play-test. It did 1d8, was two-handed, and had reach. The spear, on the other hand, lacked the versatile property and only did 1d6. By adding versatile to the spear, I believe the intent was to combine it with a slightly shorter longspear while reserving reach for the heavier pike.

 

[dropbear8mybaby]

You can't make a butt attack with a pike...

Yes you can.

 

[Coroc]

[MENTION=6855234]CTurbo[/MENTION] Although your idea is quite funny, you might get disappointed Players unless they do not mind a highly unrealistic playstyle.

A spear ends to be a useful 1 on 1 weapon at about 9 feet and even at that length you cannot realistically throw it anymore or use it one handed.


A pike (at least in my games) is ONLY usable in Formation. A pike does not have 12 feet or is a Long spear but it stars at 14 and goes up to 18 feet. It has to be with used 2 Hands (and a foot in the case of setting it)


It often is set against a charge of cavalry. It is extremely effective for that purpose, unless you take the highly trained polish cavalry who used Specialtrained horses, high attack Speed and Lances of 24 ft length to Counter pike formations

In my game the enemy ork hordes have pike formations, a pike is mostly a npc weapon.

 

[KahlessNestor]

I think a clue to "how long is a pike?" can be found in the Polearm Master feat. You can't make a butt attack with a pike, so I think the designers intend the pike to be more than just a long spear - it is so long that you can't actually swing it around and use the other end.

I think there the longspear is actually missing from D&D 5E. I give it the same statistics as a glaive and halberd, including feat use, but just make it piercing instead of slashing.

That's what I wanted to do, but unfortunately it is an AL character, so I don't have that kind of freedom.

 

[CTurbo]

[MENTION=6855234]CTurbo[/MENTION] Although your idea is quite funny, you might get disappointed Players unless they do not mind a highly unrealistic playstyle.

A spear ends to be a useful 1 on 1 weapon at about 9 feet and even at that length you cannot realistically throw it anymore or use it one handed.


A pike (at least in my games) is ONLY usable in Formation. A pike does not have 12 feet or is a Long spear but it stars at 14 and goes up to 18 feet. It has to be with used 2 Hands (and a foot in the case of setting it)


It often is set against a charge of cavalry. It is extremely effective for that purpose, unless you take the highly trained polish cavalry who used Specialtrained horses, high attack Speed and Lances of 24 ft length to Counter pike formations

In my game the enemy ork hordes have pike formations, a pike is mostly a npc weapon.

Ah they just hit level 2. They'll be excited about their first magic weapons no matter what they are. haha

I won't make them use the odd weapons for too long. Of course they don't HAVE to use them at all. I wouldn't normally introduce magic weapons so soon though so they are still getting off better IMO.