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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Helldritch" data-source="post: 7914336" data-attributes="member: 6855114">The PAM has the rule of cool but not the historical one. Pole arm wielders are great in great numbers. Pole arms were made for two thing. Blocking walls of infantry so that archers could shoot them. Second use was against cavalry (especially the Awl Pike). Pole arm users always had a back up weapon for the dreaded case when an infantrymen would get inside the reach of the pole arm. As long as the enemy is in the far reach of the pole arm, everything is fine. As soon as he gets inside the inner reach, drop the pole arm, get your short sword (or long dagger) and pray. Reach weapon should be effective when the enemy is further than 5 feet of you. If the enemy is close enough to you, then you should attack at disadvantage as the length of the pole arm becomes detrimental to its user. Even then, a pole arm needs room to use with the wuxian martial art in mind. A 10 foot glaive guisarm/bardiche/halberd/bec de corbin/ranseur or whatever will require at least 10 foot clearance on all sides. This mean that a pole arm user will use a 10 feet radius about him self or a 5 square by 5 square area to use his "art" properly. Some pole arms were longer than 10 feet. Think of the Awl Pike! The Two handed sword user might not have reach but needs about 5 feet clearance to use properly or about the size of a dungeon corridor...Of course doing that would eliminate the use of pole arms in D&D and the rule of cool. 5ed ignores the historical usage of pole arm and it is not bad. But I, for one, if you don't have the clearance to use your weapon properly then you are at disadvantage. Maybe it is why I have so few GWM and PM...</blockquote>

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