D&D 5E Polearm Master Feat

[Barolo]

You actually don't swing a halberd in reality.

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I do swing a halberd in real life. The fact that I am doing it wrong has no bearing on my ability to do so.

 

[Horwath]

WotC just want us to know that pike is not an adventuring weapon.

You don't go around dungeons and scaling cliffs with a 15ft spear.

You do not.

18lb of weight is dumb also, but that is another topic about D&D and dumbarse weapon weights and shapes...

 

[FitzTheRuke]

WotC just want us to know that pike is not an adventuring weapon.

You don't go around dungeons and scaling cliffs with a 15ft spear.

You do not.

18lb of weight is dumb also, but that is another topic about D&D and dumbarse weapon weights and shapes...

That brings up a funny point. If D&D were real life, even with all the equipment D&D has ever offered were available, certain weapons and armours would quickly be found to be "the best" for adventuring, and all (or nearly all) adventurers would be wearing and wielding the same sorts of things.



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[jaelis]

18lb of weight is dumb also, but that is another topic about D&D and dumbarse weapon weights and shapes...

They are better about the weights in 5e than previous editions, I think. During the playtest I posted a long, overly researched article about it on the WotC boards and went on about it in my survey responses. In my brain I believe they followed some (but not all) of my suggestions.

The pike, maul, greatclub and heavy crossbow stand out as way too heavy. The others aren't too ridiculous I think. I should try to find that old post...

 

[Greenstone.Walker]

I think the more fun question is why a staff (a roughly 5-6 feet stick) is on the list while a spear (a 5-6 feet stick with point) is ommitted from the list.

Why do you think the D&D spear is the same length as a staff? It does, after all, weigh 3/4 that of a staff.

Looking at the weights of the weapons, I think the spear in the weapon table is 2 to 3 feet long, something more like an assegai than a boar spear. Or, to put it another way, a spear (3lb) is just a club (2lb) with a dagger (1lb) on the end.

What I would do is add a piercing damage polearm to the weapon table, and call it a longspear. Identical to the glaive and halberd (including reach and the Polearm Master feat) but piercing damage.

A lance can be considered a more-damaging, longer, longspear, so long that it can't be used effectively on foot.

Pike is weird. 3 times the weight of a halberd but the same damage? I think it needs double-reach and a minimum attack range, to model a 15-20ft long weapon. Or just remove it entirely.

 

[KahlessNestor]

That's exactly what I thought when I made my Oberyn character.

Another speat-wielder (using a shorter spear, but still polearm master) is Kaladin from the Stormlight Archives.

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[i_dont_meta]

WotC just want us to know that pike is not an adventuring weapon.

You don't go around dungeons and scaling cliffs with a 15ft spear.

You do not.

18lb of weight is dumb also, but that is another topic about D&D and dumbarse weapon weights and shapes...

I totally hear your tongue-in-cheek approach here, but doesn't the Pike actually make the MOST sense to use in a dungeon corridor (as far as polearms are concerned) as a thrusting weapon? The glaive, halberd, and quarterstaff all seem less effective in tight quarters...


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[Horwath]

I totally hear your tongue-in-cheek approach here, but doesn't the Pike actually make the MOST sense to use in a dungeon corridor (as far as polearms are concerned) as a thrusting weapon? The glaive, halberd, and quarterstaff all seem less effective in tight quarters...


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Yes and no.

Pike is very long. 15+ feet. so if you miss with it it is hard to "shorten" it like a spear and fight at shorter distances.

If you can stuff 3 pikemen in 5 ft corridor that is almost impassable for melee monsters, but maneuverability is an issue. you cannot rotate it in a narrow corridor to strike with back end.

 

[i_dont_meta]

Yes and no.

Pike is very long. 15+ feet. so if you miss with it it is hard to "shorten" it like a spear and fight at shorter distances.

If you can stuff 3 pikemen in 5 ft corridor that is almost impassable for melee monsters, but maneuverability is an issue. you cannot rotate it in a narrow corridor to strike with back end.

Only to play Devils Advocate here because I know you're literally correct on the length of the Pike in historical terms, but in 5E D&D it's technically 10'. So why the ridiculous weight and PM omission?! I request answers, damnit!!


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[i_dont_meta]

Increase the Reach another 5' and I'm sold.


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