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Message: <blockquote data-quote="loverdrive" data-source="post: 9767412" data-attributes="member: 7027139">Have we've been playing the same D&D? Polearm master + Sentinel seems to be a popular fighter build. It's strong, even more so with GWM, if you have feat budget for that -- a lot of attacks, a lot of damage, pretty strong zoning....also have no one ever brought you a Greek warrior? A Zulu warrior? In forty years? I find that hard to believe.There is plenty of historical evidence of spears being commonly used for hunting and warfare. Not much about them being everyday objects used outside those two context.Spears (and polearms even more so) have three inherent issues when it comes to anything other than warfare (and hunting, for spears):<ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">They are weapons. There's not much use to thrusts for any task that isn't about killing things, and most of what you are going to be doing in life are going to be much more mundane. A long knife or an axe are versatile tools that can be an effective weapon in a pinch. I guess a spear can double as a walking stick?</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">They are annoying to carry around. And most of what you are doing in an adventure is walking, which tends to be easier with something that can nicely be supported by your core muscles and tucked away. Not a long stick (although someone probably should carry a long stick, it's a very useful thing to have -- and I guess spearhead can be in the backpack and used as a small knife)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">People are gonna look at you funny if you roll up to the bar with a halberd.</li> </ol>All those downsides are logistical, and if we handwave them and don't model day-to-day life and attrition, long weapons become overpowered.Why are spears in D&D not as good as they are in real life? Because they must. Most people can't be bothered with modeling survival, so spears must be nerfed some other way -- and a game that does model survival can get away with having busted strong polearms in their full glory.</blockquote>

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