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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dausuul" data-source="post: 5348284" data-attributes="member: 58197">Indeed. There were a heap of different types of spear, from the light javelins of the Roman legions to the massive sarissae of the Macedonian phalanges to the lance of a medieval knight, and each one could be used in various ways.I'm not sure D&D needs to have better spear mechanics, though. The spear really shines when you're fighting in formation, with a hundred other guys next to you; because spears don't need much horizontal space to use, you can pack a lot of spearmen close together and create a very formidable front. But when was the last time your D&D fighter went into battle with a hundred allies?Generally speaking, D&D characters are fighting in a much more chaotic, small-scale environment. It's rare that a party has more than two or three front-line fighters, and they're seldom in a position to lock shields and hold the line together. You're facing a wide variety of enemies, everything from tiny goblins to lumbering twelve-foot-tall giants to airborne enemies like wyverns, and you're fighting in an equally wide variety of environments.What all of this means is that a D&D fighter will be using much looser, more duel-like combat techniques. You'll need a versatile weapon, suited to a variety of maneuvers, and balanced for a quick change in direction. You'll want the ability to deal wide sweeping strokes to keep numerous small foes at bay, and deep stabbing blows to pierce the vitals of big foes. At the same time, you'll usually have more room to move around and swing your weapon than if you were a spearman in phalanx.What's the logical weapon for a guy in that situation? Well... a sword is a pretty darn good choice. Historically, the sword was your go-to weapon for when the battle lines had broken down and the fight had devolved into a chaotic melee. Not that a spear would be useless, but the prevalence of the sword is not unreasonable given the situations D&D fighters often find themselves in.</blockquote>

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