The pike was a long weapon, varying considerably in size, from 3 to 7.5 metres (10 to 25 feet) long. It is a common mistake to refer to a bladed polearm as a pike; such weapons are more generally halberds, glaives or voulges.
Why does polearm master not include pike?
Pikes are very cumbersome Jeremy Crawford confirms in this tweet that pikes are not meant to be included as they are too unwieldy. It makes sense: pikes were often twice or thrice as long as their wielder, and as such it would be impossible to swing it around as a part of a chain of attacks.
Can you throw a pike?
Unlike many similar weapons, the pike is not intended to be thrown. Pikes were used regularly in European warfare from the early Middle Ages until around 1700, and wielded by foot soldiers deployed in close order.
When do you use a bonus action in polearm Master?
Polearm Master: […] When you take the Attack action and attack with only a glaive, halberd, or quarterstaff, you can use a bonus action to make a melee attack with the opposite end of the weapon. This attack uses the same ability modifier as the primary attack.
Is there a reason polearm Masters can’t use a pike?
Pikes are typically 12′ to 18′ long, and are not wieldy enough to do that with. Yes, it’s a fantasy game, but part of the idea is to make a plausible world for the characters to interact with. Of course, if this rankles you too much, the DM at the table is free to decide that you can whip around a 12′ pike like nun-chucks.
Do you have to have two weapons for polearm Master?
It is not a two-weapon fighting situation, as the character has only one weapon. In this case, the feat is the specific rule and you do not need anything else. The feat that you get a melee weapon attack and the attack deals 1d4 points of damage. So, you apply proficiency and ability modifier as you would for any other weapon attack.
What makes a pike different from other polearms?
Look at the damage type. A pike is different than the other polearms in that its damage type is piercing. The others all do slashing or bludgeoning. Glaives, halberds, and quarterstaffs are swung (rotated) by the wielder, making a back end bludgeoning feasible by a master between swings.
