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ShortQuests -- Pocket Sized Adventures! An all-new collection of digest-sized D&D adventures designed for 1-2 game sessions.

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tilla the Hun (work)" data-source="post: 1453118" data-attributes="member: 14214">Spearmen, even en masse, were not commonly deployed as an offensive troop on the medieval battlefield.  Their most common use was to anchor a line in a defensive fashion.  They could hold their own against anything short of archers and/or heavy cavalry charges - provided they were only holding the line instead of advancing.  I would be interested in references where the Romans advanced a spear line against a foe.DnD accurately reflects this if you stack two rows of 2 to 4 spearmen in a confined space.  Any attacker finds themselves fighting 1 on 4 if the spearmen are fighting from a defensive position.However, PC's tend to be skirmishers, not line holders.  Archers, swordsmen, and the like are what you drift toward as a PC fighter, not halberd, long spear, guisarme types unless it's a specific character concept.  Who wants to go hiking through the woods with a 8-10' spear sticking up???Your mention of hunting with a spear is in reference to the short spear or hunting spear or boar spear, right?  None of those exceeded 6' in reach.Ever see paintings of a spearman company on the march?  They've got those long wooden poles sticking up about twice as tall as themselves.The Romans proved that spearmen were relatively ineffective against ranged attackers and decently trained infantry men who stepped up to the 10' range and hacked the steel tips of the spears.In medieval armys, spearmen were upgraded to pikemen whenever possible due to improved performance vs infantry and cavalry.  Spear and Shield tactics, even en masse, were relatively rare by the end of the medieval period.Spears serve a purpose in DnD, however, for the tactically minded party advancing down a corridor.  Similar to equipping everyone with a ranged wpn for open area combat, it simply improves net performance if your front rank has swords, your second rank has spears (or halberds, pikes, etc), and your third rank has bows.  Anything trying to close has to fight everyone at the same time.  When your party, even at 3rd level, gets 6 attacks per round on one creature, it makes a huge difference.Bottom line:  I don't see anything wrong with the spear rules as written.  Perhaps someone could enlighten me as to what you precisely see wrong with them?</blockquote>

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