Spear seems a solid choice. The one reason to prefer a staff that people haven't mentioned is really a role-play reason. A traveler with a spear is an armed man, and a threat. A traveler with a staff may be only a traveler, and might, like Gandalf, be allowed to take it into situations where a weapon per se would not be allowed. But that's not game mechanics, and your typical party stereotypically wanders around armed cap a pie anyway. Side note: as a DM I've many times made clear that characters who wander around town in plate with greatsword, crossbow, and otherwise full kit, especially strangers in town, will get approximately the same reaction as modern people wandering down the street in full tactical gear with M-16 and night-vision goggles. Depending on cultural context Knights and such may carry a sword (and might even be expected to!), but anyone in full armor is obviously looking for trouble in most civilized places. Even if not actually illegal, it may make people very nervous indeed. Same thing for mages - anything that's obvious war gear. Theoden had, as it happened, very good reason for his policy, even if it worked out well in the end.
There has been a monk at almost every table I have played at and I have never seen one not have a spear. A spear is like a quarterstaff, but better in every single way.
Well, to be fair, angels (Maiar) probably have a pretty high charisma.
Yeah especially since he was probably a Bard/Paladin multiclass.
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I'm probably laughing.
It is apparently so hard to program Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul spell-swapping into dndbeyond they had to remake the game without it rather than implement it.
Hide the spearhead in your pocket until the fight then attach it on when the fight starts because that is totally how it works. (this is magic world anyway and you can have it be a custom screw on head) Then you get the best of both worlds.
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[roll]7d6[/roll]
Every post these dice roll increasing my chances of winning the yahtzee thread (I wish (wait not the twist the wish threa-!))
Hide the spearhead in your pocket until the fight then attach it on when the fight starts because that is totally how it works. (this is magic world anyway and you can have it be a custom screw on head) Then you get the best of both worlds.
Really powerful magnets.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I'm probably laughing.
It is apparently so hard to program Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul spell-swapping into dndbeyond they had to remake the game without it rather than implement it.
Enemies immune/resistant to piercing damage are much more common than bludgeoning. Also the spear costs more gold to buy. Staff is probably more common in popular media. Monks can pretend to be unarmed while using the staff as a walking stick. Javelins and darts are less expensive and thus easier to throw when retrieval is uncertain. It doesn't take an action to draw and use an item, so there is no need to have a spear equipped to have the option of throwing or fighting in melee.
Enemies immune/resistant to piercing damage are much more common than bludgeoning. Also the spear costs more gold to buy. Staff is probably more common in popular media. Monks can pretend to be unarmed while using the staff as a walking stick. Javelins and darts are less expensive and thus easier to throw when retrieval is uncertain. It doesn't take an action to draw and use an item, so there is no need to have a spear equipped to have the option of throwing or fighting in melee.
You can hit them with the blunt end when those monsters arrive
While many DMs may rule that a spear's blunt end can be used as a staff, or at least a club, RAW is improvised weapon. Much like the damage done by a pole arm master using the blunt end of a pike.
While many DMs may rule that a spear's blunt end can be used as a staff, or at least a club, RAW is improvised weapon. Much like the damage done by a pole arm master using the blunt end of a pike.
While many DMs may rule that a spear's blunt end can be used as a staff, or at least a club, RAW is improvised weapon. Much like the damage done by a pole arm master using the blunt end of a pike.
An improvised weapon that is similar enough to anouther weapon (dm discretion) can be used as that weapon. That's what improvised rules tell us.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I'm probably laughing.
It is apparently so hard to program Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul spell-swapping into dndbeyond they had to remake the game without it rather than implement it.
Spears must use two hands to do the most damage. That means you can't use your unarmed punches, but kicks would be allowed. If you want to be able to punch, have a spear-like weapon that is as good if not better than a normal spear, and want a unique weapon, I recommend the Yklwa. It is a one handed weapon that has the thrown property, and does 1d8 piercing damage. It looks like a smaller hand held spear, and yklwa is a great battlecry. My dragonborn monk way of mercy wielded a yklwa that he spent tons of money on to enchant it with vampiric powers. His yklwa was called Bloodbiter and that yklwa was probably the best weapon any of my characters have ever used. It also held sentimental value because he crafted it from the bones of a mammoth he killed and was taught how to use it by his father who he was searching for. That character was one of my favorite characters to play, but sadly the campaign that he was in sort of died.
If the staff and spear are "similar enough" can I throw my staff the same distance as a spear to do 1d6 bludgeon damage?
Why doesn't the spear damage type say P/B, rather than only listing P as a damage type?
If someone playing a monk wanted to create a martial art weapon that combined all the best attributes of a spear and staff, I would probably approve it. For anyone not a monk it would be an exotic weapon that they are not proficient in.
I have no idea. I haven't seen it in any book but it is on dndbeyond. I didn't know about it until I was making my character on dndbeyond and was looking at the weapon options it gave me and a yklwa was there.
Spear seems a solid choice. The one reason to prefer a staff that people haven't mentioned is really a role-play reason. A traveler with a spear is an armed man, and a threat. A traveler with a staff may be only a traveler, and might, like Gandalf, be allowed to take it into situations where a weapon per se would not be allowed. But that's not game mechanics, and your typical party stereotypically wanders around armed cap a pie anyway. Side note: as a DM I've many times made clear that characters who wander around town in plate with greatsword, crossbow, and otherwise full kit, especially strangers in town, will get approximately the same reaction as modern people wandering down the street in full tactical gear with M-16 and night-vision goggles. Depending on cultural context Knights and such may carry a sword (and might even be expected to!), but anyone in full armor is obviously looking for trouble in most civilized places. Even if not actually illegal, it may make people very nervous indeed. Same thing for mages - anything that's obvious war gear. Theoden had, as it happened, very good reason for his policy, even if it worked out well in the end.
Gandalf rolled pretty high on his Charisma check when he insisted you shouldn't deprive an old man of his walking stick.
There has been a monk at almost every table I have played at and I have never seen one not have a spear. A spear is like a quarterstaff, but better in every single way.
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Well, to be fair, angels (Maiar) probably have a pretty high charisma.
Yeah especially since he was probably a Bard/Paladin multiclass.
I'm probably laughing.
It is apparently so hard to program Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul spell-swapping into dndbeyond they had to remake the game without it rather than implement it.
Hide the spearhead in your pocket until the fight then attach it on when the fight starts because that is totally how it works. (this is magic world anyway and you can have it be a custom screw on head) Then you get the best of both worlds.
[roll]7d6[/roll]
Every post these dice roll increasing my chances of winning the yahtzee thread (I wish (wait not the twist the wish threa-!))
Drummer Generated Title
After having been invited to include both here, I now combine the "PM me CHEESE 🧀 and tomato into PM me "PIZZA🍕"
Monks can use spears. Though when I play a monk I prefer to go with martial arts types of weapons like Yklwa or a sickle or a quarterstaff
Really powerful magnets.
I'm probably laughing.
It is apparently so hard to program Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul spell-swapping into dndbeyond they had to remake the game without it rather than implement it.
Enemies immune/resistant to piercing damage are much more common than bludgeoning. Also the spear costs more gold to buy. Staff is probably more common in popular media. Monks can pretend to be unarmed while using the staff as a walking stick. Javelins and darts are less expensive and thus easier to throw when retrieval is uncertain. It doesn't take an action to draw and use an item, so there is no need to have a spear equipped to have the option of throwing or fighting in melee.
They probably would. And so would Istari, which is what Gandalf was.
Paladin main who spends most of his D&D time worldbuilding or DMing, not Paladin-ing.
You can hit them with the blunt end when those monsters arrive
While many DMs may rule that a spear's blunt end can be used as a staff, or at least a club, RAW is improvised weapon. Much like the damage done by a pole arm master using the blunt end of a pike.
Source?
An improvised weapon that is similar enough to anouther weapon (dm discretion) can be used as that weapon. That's what improvised rules tell us.
I'm probably laughing.
It is apparently so hard to program Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul spell-swapping into dndbeyond they had to remake the game without it rather than implement it.
The DM's discretion is the key thing here.
If you're a Monk and you can't find a source of bludgeoning damage, though, then I really feel like you're doing something wrong.
Yeah, y'all gotta remember that you can still shoulder-ram people 4 times in well under 6 seconds.
Paladin main who spends most of his D&D time worldbuilding or DMing, not Paladin-ing.
Spears must use two hands to do the most damage. That means you can't use your unarmed punches, but kicks would be allowed. If you want to be able to punch, have a spear-like weapon that is as good if not better than a normal spear, and want a unique weapon, I recommend the Yklwa. It is a one handed weapon that has the thrown property, and does 1d8 piercing damage. It looks like a smaller hand held spear, and yklwa is a great battlecry. My dragonborn monk way of mercy wielded a yklwa that he spent tons of money on to enchant it with vampiric powers. His yklwa was called Bloodbiter and that yklwa was probably the best weapon any of my characters have ever used. It also held sentimental value because he crafted it from the bones of a mammoth he killed and was taught how to use it by his father who he was searching for. That character was one of my favorite characters to play, but sadly the campaign that he was in sort of died.
Which 5e book provided statistics for the yklwa?
If the staff and spear are "similar enough" can I throw my staff the same distance as a spear to do 1d6 bludgeon damage?
Why doesn't the spear damage type say P/B, rather than only listing P as a damage type?
If someone playing a monk wanted to create a martial art weapon that combined all the best attributes of a spear and staff, I would probably approve it. For anyone not a monk it would be an exotic weapon that they are not proficient in.
I have no idea. I haven't seen it in any book but it is on dndbeyond. I didn't know about it until I was making my character on dndbeyond and was looking at the weapon options it gave me and a yklwa was there.