Is there a way to make polearms as main weapon in AD&D game?

[Astralia123]

Sure, DMG says it is "silly, if not futile" to use pole arms in individual fight. But we all know that a spear could be deadly in a great martial artist's hands. （Actually it is said that the spear can be more powerful than other types of weapon in a martial artist's hands.) I also have got the feeling that a pole arm is quite stylish weapon.

So is there a way to reflect a weapon master's prowess on a spear in AD&D game? I'm feeling that if martial art is introduced into the game, then weapon proficiency and combat styles are not impressive enough.


Thus I'm asking, if anyone get some brilliant ideas on how to make a pole arm character/how to make a game with such a character impressive?

[Khedrac]

I don't believe I am going to suggest this, as it is onle of my least favorite bits of BECM D&D - but you could look at importing the Weapon Mastery rules (with modifications) from Master D&D/Rules Compendium.

These rules allow characters as they advance to get better with specific weapons - doing more damage and potentially getting special effects.
For example:
Some weapons at higher skill levels do double damage on a roll of 20, 19-20 or 18-20 as you gain skill with them. E.g. daggers
Some weapons allow the user to deflect (i.e. parry) income melee weapon attacks a limited number of times a round (up to 4). E.g. staves

Then there is the voulge - damage as pole axe +2 (i.e. highest in game), can impale (double damage) as dagger - the most damaging weapon in the game.
At Grand Master skill the base weapon damage is 1d8+16 (or is it +18?).
I think spears get (or should get) some deflect and impale.

Adapt and enjoy.

[Thrudd]

There is nothing stopping a character from using a polearm as their weapon, and being good with it, a fighter or monk can use polearms, they will hit with it as well as they do with any weapon they are proficient with. Like all weapons, there are strengths and drawbacks. The benefit is having length- you will almost always get first attack when charging or being charged. The drawback of the very long polearms is they are hard to carry and use in small spaces, such as one finds in a dungeon. That has nothing to do with how skilled you are, it's just a fact. You can't shrink your weapon or make a corridor larger.

Spears, specifically, don't really count as a polearm in 1e, this is meant to be the shorter variety which can be thrown or wielded one-handed with a shield. The pike is the polearm similar to a spear. There is no penalty using a spear in small spaces, that I recall. You still get the benefit of being able to set it against a charge and having a fairly long weapon (6ft or so).

1e unearthed arcana has weapon mastery optional rules that allow you to devote multiple weapon proficiencies to a single weapon in order to get bonuses for using it.

[Knaight]

Sure, DMG says it is "silly, if not futile" to use pole arms in individual fight. But we all know that a spear could be deadly in a great martial artist's hands. （Actually it is said that the spear can be more powerful than other types of weapon in a martial artist's hands.) I also have got the feeling that a pole arm is quite stylish weapon.

They work decently mechanically. That DMG line is Gygax attempting to insert some realism, with the understanding prevalent in the 1970's. Ironically, in the last 40 years the conventional wisdom has turned the other way, with polearms being understood as very good weapons in an individual fight as well as in formation fighting, so it's basically a matter of inserting wrong information when the rules alone are fine.

[Mutazoia]

They work decently mechanically. That DMG line is Gygax attempting to insert some realism, with the understanding prevalent in the 1970's. Ironically, in the last 40 years the conventional wisdom has turned the other way, with polearms being understood as very good weapons in an individual fight as well as in formation fighting, so it's basically a matter of inserting wrong information when the rules alone are fine.

Having done live fighting (ala SCA and other LARPS), I can tell you that a lone polearm is not a good idea in a 1 on 1 fight when your opponent is using anything other than another polearm (with the exception of maybe a single sword and no shield). Polearms are just too slow in a 1 on 1 fight...they get knocked aside, and in real fight, the haft would get lopped off, leaving you swinging a stick around.

That being said, using a pole arm in formation, with others covering you from being charged is fine. But, as it has already been pointed out, not so much indoors.

BTW setting a polearm againts a charge assumes a mounted charge that can't turn quickly, or simply knock the tip of your spear to one side with a shield, run up and slice-n-dice you.

[Yora]

No. Spears are crazy fast and chopping through them with a sword or axe is almost impossible. They can be pushed aside, but so does every weapon.

[Mutazoia]

No. Spears are crazy fast and chopping through them with a sword or axe is almost impossible. They can be pushed aside, but so does every weapon.

Spears are crazy fast on if you are "pool queing" with them, and then their target area is rather small and easy to deflect. I can't tell you how many spear users I've seen jab their spear out and then wind up running backwards, spear extended in one hand, as the guy with the shield charges in when the tip of the spear slides wildly off the shield to one side.

In general, though, pole arms are slow and unwieldly, and next to useless in anything other than mass formation.

[Astralia123]

I don't believe I am going to suggest this, as it is onle of my least favorite bits of BECM D&D - but you could look at importing the Weapon Mastery rules (with modifications) from Master D&D/Rules Compendium.

These rules allow characters as they advance to get better with specific weapons - doing more damage and potentially getting special effects.
For example:
Some weapons at higher skill levels do double damage on a roll of 20, 19-20 or 18-20 as you gain skill with them. E.g. daggers
Some weapons allow the user to deflect (i.e. parry) income melee weapon attacks a limited number of times a round (up to 4). E.g. staves

Then there is the voulge - damage as pole axe +2 (i.e. highest in game), can impale (double damage) as dagger - the most damaging weapon in the game.
At Grand Master skill the base weapon damage is 1d8+16 (or is it +18?).
I think spears get (or should get) some deflect and impale.

Adapt and enjoy.

Ohhh that sounds very impressive.
I guess I could understand why it is not recommended though. Such things be a little difficult to handle, just like how Armory breaks an NWoD 1e game.

They work decently mechanically. That DMG line is Gygax attempting to insert some realism, with the understanding prevalent in the 1970's. Ironically, in the last 40 years the conventional wisdom has turned the other way, with polearms being understood as very good weapons in an individual fight as well as in formation fighting, so it's basically a matter of inserting wrong information when the rules alone are fine.

Well, thanks for that, but would you tell me where to see to check for this renewed conventional wisdom?

[Knaight]

Well, thanks for that, but would you tell me where to see to check for this renewed conventional wisdom?

The HEMA people are decent for this, although you have other options if you have ways to bypass academic paywalls.

[Jay R]

No. Spears are crazy fast and chopping through them with a sword or axe is almost impossible. They can be pushed aside, but so does every weapon.

The difference is that once it's pushed aside by the shield, it's out of the fight, until the spearman can get the point back in front of the swordsman.

My experience is that sword and shield is *far* better than single spear. The single spear gets the first shot, virtually always blocked by the shield. Then the swordsman gets the next 17 shots. Once I get past his spearpoint, the fight's over, unless the spearman can run backwards faster than the swordsman can run forwards.

Ironically, in the last 40 years the conventional wisdom has turned the other way, with polearms being understood as very good weapons in an individual fight as well as in formation fighting, so it's basically a matter of inserting wrong information when the rules alone are fine.

Could you document this "conventional wisdom"? Certainly the makers of Game of Thrones seem to believe this, but I don't know anybody who actually fights with the weapons who agrees.

I've seen a truly great spearman win a tourney with a spear, but he'd won many tourneys before, and everybody, including the spearman, knew that he was using the spear as a handicap, because it was more challenging.

[Knaight]

My experience is that sword and shield is *far* better than single spear. The single spear gets the first shot, virtually always blocked by the shield. Then the swordsman gets the next 17 shots. Once I get past his spearpoint, the fight's over, unless the spearman can run backwards faster than the swordsman can run forwards.

This is contradicted by most contemporary (usually 1400-1600) fighting manuals, and there are some major quirks of the SCA that throw things off, particularly related to targeting of the lower legs.

[Astralia123]

Could you document this "conventional wisdom"? Certainly the makers of Game of Thrones seem to believe this, but I don't know anybody who actually fights with the weapons who agrees.

I've seen a truly great spearman win a tourney with a spear, but he'd won many tourneys before, and everybody, including the spearman, knew that he was using the spear as a handicap, because it was more challenging.

I‘m not sure if I should add it, but there are old texts in Chinese that suggest a spear can be extremely powerful. I myself have not read it, though, and there might be no English translations as long as I know.

https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%90%B3%E6%AE%B3
I just post this to show I actually have got some reference.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Shuwen
One of the most well-known spear martial artists. Records on him tend to be inaccurate though, and his feats have been boasted a lot. It was very sensitive to actually compare martial artists' prowess back to his era.

However in AD&D game, characters is allowed to at least get close to his (possibly exaggerated) legends, so I think it should not be inappropriate if there is some way to make up for or even overcome a polearm's shortcomings at mid-to-higher levels.

[Mutazoia]

This is contradicted by most contemporary (usually 1400-1600) fighting manuals, and there are some major quirks of the SCA that throw things off, particularly related to targeting of the lower legs.

I've fought SCA and live combat LARP...the LARP has no restrictions about targeting lower legs...only head shots are off limits. I've seen one of the best fighters I've ever known...a man who could be considered a surgeon with a pole arm, lose to a man using double daggers, simply because his opponent got inside is strike area before he could recover and repost.

Remember that the "contemporary fighting manuals" were simply basic training guides, a written form of boot camp, that taught basics, and were written in such a way that it was implied that they were the end-all be-all of information, usually leaving out a lot of detrimental information.

[Thrudd]

I‘m not sure if I should add it, but there are old texts in Chinese that suggest a spear can be extremely powerful. I myself have not read it, though, and there might be no English translations as long as I know.

https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%90%B3%E6%AE%B3
I just post this to show I actually have got some reference.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Shuwen
One of the most well-known spear martial artists. Records on him tend to be inaccurate though, and his feats have been boasted a lot. It was very sensitive to actually compare martial artists' prowess back to his era.

However in AD&D game, characters is allowed to at least get close to his (possibly exaggerated) legends, so I think it should not be inappropriate if there is some way to make up for or even overcome a polearm's shortcomings at mid-to-higher levels.

In individual terms, the fighter matters much more than the weapon in terms of who is superior. As Jay's anecdote suggests, a very skilled fighter can use even a weapon that might normally seem to have a disadvantage, and still overcome those less skilled. Shaolin was originally famous for their warrior monks' spear fighting skills. This (mainly distilled through the lens of 1970's kung fu movies) is why the monk class in 1e has access to the various weapons that it does.

In D&D terms, all of this is very abstract. The fighter's strength and level are the only thing that really matters in how well they do, the mechanical difference in weapons is negligible compared to the level of the character using it.
You don't need any special rules to make a high level fighter good with a spear. They are equally good with any weapon they are proficient with, and better than anyone of lower level.
The only time you will have difficulty is if you are in a tiny room, trying to use a very long weapon. And even then, it is really up to the DM to make the judgment, I've seen many totally ignore or forget about such things.

There is no actual rule in the game that says a polearm isn't as good as other weapons. You are worried about nothing, the game already does what you want it to do (have a fighter that is good with a spear or polearms).

[Thrudd]

Having done live fighting (ala SCA and other LARPS), I can tell you that a lone polearm is not a good idea in a 1 on 1 fight when your opponent is using anything other than another polearm (with the exception of maybe a single sword and no shield). Polearms are just too slow in a 1 on 1 fight...they get knocked aside, and in real fight, the haft would get lopped off, leaving you swinging a stick around.

That being said, using a pole arm in formation, with others covering you from being charged is fine. But, as it has already been pointed out, not so much indoors.

BTW setting a polearm againts a charge assumes a mounted charge that can't turn quickly, or simply knock the tip of your spear to one side with a shield, run up and slice-n-dice you.

Note: I was discussing the advantage and disadvantages in terms of the game mechanics, not real combat. In AD&D, charging is an action you can take that lets you move and attack in the same round. Doing so causes the normal initiative order to be ignored for that round, and attack order is instead dictated by weapon length. It also confers a bonus to hit, and penalty to AC for that round for the charging character. So if you charge with a weapon longer than your target's, you will get to attack first, but will be more vulnerable if you do not take them out in that first attack. If you are the target of a charging enemy, you will be able to attack first if your weapon is longer than theirs, and you can set a spear or polearm weapon against them, and will do double damage if you hit. This works for people on foot as well as mounted charges, even though the defending against the mounted charge is really what the mechanic is meant to simulate, the rules do not make a distinction.

So the lesson for AD&D tactics is: don't charge at a formation of spears or polearms, on foot or on horseback, unless you have longer weapons than theirs. Advance to melee range at the normal speed, and there will be no advantage for the formation.

[Jay R]

This is contradicted by most contemporary (usually 1400-1600) fighting manuals, ....

Could you please document this, as I asked before? I can't find it in Fiore, Liechtenauer, Marozzo, or Di Grassi. [Also, Sainct-Didier, Agrippa, Capo Ferro, or Saviolo, but they don't even discuss spears.]

But there are plenty of manuals I haven't read. Please share the quotes you've found.

Pike units can be quite effective in a massed battle, but I don't know of a period source suggesting single spear is better than sword & shield in a one-on-one fight.

Spears are more common, of course, but that's because they cheaper and easier to make.

... and there are some major quirks of the SCA that throw things off, particularly related to targeting of the lower legs.

True, But I've also fought where legs are legal. Glaives and greatswords are much more useful then (but still inferior to sword & shield), but spears, not so much. The leg is a lousy target for a thrust.

The SCA also doesn't allow tripping, wrestling and grappling. In a real fight with spear vs. sword & shield, I'd try to trip him - primarily in order to take away the swordsman's advantage.

[Lord Torath]

In The Wheel of Time (obviously a Super Accurate and Unimpeachable Source^TM) Mat takes on two swordsmen (no shields) with a quarterstaff. The best swordsman of legend said his only loss was to a farmer with a staff. And anything you can do with a staff, you can do with a spear. (You may note that I have not cited any personal experience. There's a very good reason for this, so don't take anything I say here as anything more than heresay).

But in the game, any weapon is pretty much just as effective as any other weapon, with a slight difference in damage. So just pick a polearm, pour a handful of Weapon Proficiencies into it, and have fun!

Edit: If you are the DM, replace all the magic swords with magic polearms in the treasure piles. That will probably have a greater effect than anything else.

[LibraryOgre]

In 2e?

I'd say you can do a lot by taking your Opening weapon proficiencies and spending them thusly:

Halberd (specialization)
Two-handed Style Specialization

Your halberd is now a d10+2/2d6+2 weapon, with a speed factor of only 6. You've got a fast weapon that does significant damage.

If you want to get a little exotic, check out the Sang kauwh, in Combat and Tactics, and go like this at first level

Sang kauwh (Specialized)
Two-handed Style Specialization
Martial Arts D

You have a weapon that does d8+2/d6+2, with a speed factor of 4... about on par with a short sword specialist, especially when you count in the +1 AC that the sang kauwh's small shield gives you. Taking Martial Arts style D (from Combat and Tactics) gives you a free block every round (which you can use because the Sang kauwh is a martial arts weapon).

As you advance, you'd want to include Martial Arts A (to take advantage of the ability to pummel any creature) and Martial Arts B (to take advantage of the free kick per round.. and the +2 to AC if you're unarmored). You can expand with various martial arts talents... Missile Deflection, Spring, and Backward Kick would all be appropriate.

[Knaight]

Could you please document this, as I asked before? I can't find it in Fiore, Liechtenauer, Marozzo, or Di Grassi. [Also, Sainct-Didier, Agrippa, Capo Ferro, or Saviolo, but they don't even discuss spears.

Silver has some stuff. Honestly though, it would be easier to skip the middleman here and hit up the Real World Weapons and Armor thread.

[Lacco]

Silver has some stuff. Honestly though, it would be easier to skip the middleman here and hit up the Real World Weapons and Armor thread.

I'd second this advice. The guys there are very helpful.

As for manuals, Meyer has a chapter on polearms (I remember seeing a chapter on halberd in the manuscript I had, but at home I have only the translation that discusses longsword), Silver too.

[Xuc Xac]

A lot of the objections to spears being effective that I can see in this thread seem to be based on the idea that a spear is a dagger that floats 6 feet in front of you. The point is not the only dangerous part and it does more than just stab. That's how it's used in formations, because you don't have room to do anything else in a tight formation. That's not how it should be used in a one-on-one fight.

The SCA is a terrible example of how combat would really work because you're not allowed to do so many things that make a spear useful as a weapon. They only let you thrust with the tip! That's such a ridiculous limitation. That's like saying shields can only be used as cover against incoming arrows but you're not allowed to block melee weapons with them. (Shields have their own ridiculous restrictions, but not to that extent.)

In a real fight, if someone charges past the tip of a spear, the spear wielder doesn't have to back up to use the point. He can just turn the spear and strike with the butt. He could hook a knee to trip, swing up into the groin, swing sideways into the ribs or head depending on where the swordsman is holding his sword, or a variety of other options.

A spear is not a dagger that floats 6 feet away from you. It's a dagger that can reach out up to 6 feet or more. It's a quarterstaff. It's a two-handed sword with a really long ricasso. You can choke up on it to stab close. You can extend it to stab far. You can swing it to cut with the tip. You can jab or bash with the blunt end. Whichever end you're swinging, it will be very fast because a longer lever arm amplifies the movement of your hands and the tip moves farther in the same time. You can use it as a lever to trip an opponent. You can parry with the shaft. But in the SCA, you can only thrust with the tip.

[Knaight]

A spear is not a dagger that floats 6 feet away from you. It's a dagger that can reach out up to 6 feet or more. It's a quarterstaff. It's a two-handed sword with a really long ricasso. You can choke up on it to stab close. You can extend it to stab far. You can swing it to cut with the tip. You can jab or bash with the blunt end. Whichever end you're swinging, it will be very fast because a longer lever arm amplifies the movement of your hands and the tip moves farther in the same time. You can use it as a lever to trip an opponent. You can parry with the shaft. But in the SCA, you can only thrust with the tip.

The SCA absolutely lets you parry with the shaft, although it does curtail a number of other options, the biggest of which is leg strikes, which are useful even if only stabbing and even more useful with any of a number of spears and polearms which do have reasonable cutting capbility.

[Mutazoia]

In a real fight, if someone charges past the tip of a spear, the spear wielder doesn't have to back up to use the point. He can just turn the spear and strike with the butt. He could hook a knee to trip, swing up into the groin, swing sideways into the ribs or head depending on where the swordsman is holding his sword, or a variety of other options.

A spear is not a dagger that floats 6 feet away from you. It's a dagger that can reach out up to 6 feet or more. It's a quarterstaff. It's a two-handed sword with a really long ricasso. You can choke up on it to stab close. You can extend it to stab far. You can swing it to cut with the tip. You can jab or bash with the blunt end. Whichever end you're swinging, it will be very fast because a longer lever arm amplifies the movement of your hands and the tip moves farther in the same time. You can use it as a lever to trip an opponent. You can parry with the shaft. But in the SCA, you can only thrust with the tip.

It's a lot harder to simply "turn the spear and strike with the butt" in a split second, when the spear is extended and you have some one waving a sword in your face. Swinging a spear like a two handed sword is asking for the haft to get chopped.....basically any kind of "swinging" motion (such as try ing to sweep the legs for a trip) is a very slow strike, that will most likely land well after you have 3 feet of steel between your ribs. Also a spear is not balanced for anything other than thrusting, so using it like a quarter staff is a desperation move at best.

The best you are going to get in single combat, is to use a Zulu type short spear, with a short haft and a broad blade...which will be akin to swinging a sharpened shovel.....and you'll be using a shield yourself.

Now keep in mind, everybody is focusing on spears here....the OP was about Pole Arms in general (such as a halberd or pole-axe) which means that all this spear talk is almost completely moot.

[Jay R]

The straightforward answer is the obvious one. Take the weapon you want, and accept the difficulties as additional challenges.

In 3.5 there are specific Feats that would help, like Short Haft. You might ask your DM if you can do that. (The fact that the feat doesn't exist in AD&D doesn't mean you can't do it; it means you can try it without having the feat.)

[Jigawatts]

In 2e?

I'd say you can do a lot by taking your Opening weapon proficiencies and spending them thusly:

Halberd (specialization)
Two-handed Style Specialization

Your halberd is now a d10+2/2d6+2 weapon, with a speed factor of only 6. You've got a fast weapon that does significant damage.

What he said.

I have a buddy who played a human fighter in 2E exactly like this and he loved it, had a whole backstory surrounding his use of the halberd too, it really nice also as he rolled an 18 in his stat set and put it in strength to get exceptional strength (rolled like a 50 or 60-something, it was second tier IIRC).

Real world questionable tactics aside, theres no reason you cant play a good ol' polearm fighter in D&D. Play it and enjoy it I say.

[Xuc Xac]

It's a lot harder to simply "turn the spear and strike with the butt" in a split second, when the spear is extended and you have some one waving a sword in your face.

Actual combat is not a turn based experience where you say "I make my thrust move. What does he do? Oh, really? I guess I have to reset to try a different move." You train and plan for that. Every move leads into another because the fight doesn't stop while the other guy takes his turn.

Swinging a spear like a two handed sword is asking for the haft to get chopped...

It's a lot harder to cut through than you think. It's not like a piece of firewood braced against a chopping block. It's being held in a flexible grip that can absorb the shock. It would generally take several deliberate blows to the same spot to get through and while your opponent is focusing on that, he's not trying to cut you! A spear shaft is more easily fixed than a limb.

..basically any kind of "swinging" motion (such as try ing to sweep the legs for a trip) is a very slow strike, that will most likely land well after you have 3 feet of steel between your ribs.

It's as slow as swinging a two handed sword. There are a lot of videos on Youtube that show how fast that actually is.

Also a spear is not balanced for anything other than thrusting, so using it like a quarter staff is a desperation move at best.

"A spear is not balanced...?" It's a stick! What the hell are you talking about? It has the same "balance" as a quarter staff. Unless the head of the spear is really huge and the shaft is really short, the center of balance isn't going to move far enough to be very noticeable.

[Mutazoia]

Actual combat is not a turn based experience where you say "I make my thrust move. What does he do? Oh, really? I guess I have to reset to try a different move." You train and plan for that. Every move leads into another because the fight doesn't stop while the other guy takes his turn.



It's a lot harder to cut through than you think. It's not like a piece of firewood braced against a chopping block. It's being held in a flexible grip that can absorb the shock. It would generally take several deliberate blows to the same spot to get through and while your opponent is focusing on that, he's not trying to cut you! A spear shaft is more easily fixed than a limb.



It's as slow as swinging a two handed sword. There are a lot of videos on Youtube that show how fast that actually is.



"A spear is not balanced...?" It's a stick! What the hell are you talking about? It has the same "balance" as a quarter staff. Unless the head of the spear is really huge and the shaft is really short, the center of balance isn't going to move far enough to be very noticeable.

I could continue to debate this, giving years of live combat experience in counterpoint to your video watching experience, but it's pretty much de-railing the thread as it is. We'll just have to agree to disagree.

[Straybow]

Sure, DMG says it is "silly, if not futile" to use pole arms in individual fight. But we all know that a spear could be deadly in a great martial artist's hands. （Actually it is said that the spear can be more powerful than other types of weapon in a martial artist's hands.) I also have got the feeling that a pole arm is quite stylish weapon.

So is there a way to reflect a weapon master's prowess on a spear in AD&D game? I'm feeling that if martial art is introduced into the game, then weapon proficiency and combat styles are not impressive enough.


Thus I'm asking, if anyone get some brilliant ideas on how to make a pole arm character/how to make a game with such a character impressive?

By "pole arms" the DMG means reach weapons, which by definition cannot threaten or attack at 5'. The DMG's admonition is based on the combat mechanics.

Second to this, in the SRD magic weapon tables swords have a great variety of magical versions and halberds and other nonsword weapons don't.

[Thrudd]

By "pole arms" the DMG means reach weapons, which by definition cannot threaten or attack at 5'. The DMG's admonition is based on the combat mechanics.

Second to this, in the SRD magic weapon tables swords have a great variety of magical versions and halberds and other nonsword weapons don't.

Wrong edition. SRD is 3e, not AD&D. There is no restriction on attacking adjacent targets. AD&D mostly works in 10' (1") increments. There is no such thing as "reach", only weapon length measured in feet, which comes into play during a charge. Long weapons provide an advantage when charging or facing a charge. Otherwise, they operate like any other weapon.

[Jay R]

Actual combat is not a turn based experience where you say "I make my thrust move. What does he do? Oh, really? I guess I have to reset to try a different move." You train and plan for that. Every move leads into another because the fight doesn't stop while the other guy takes his turn.

This is entirely correct, and explains why his point is correct; switching from stabbing with the point of a spear to whacking with the butt end is indeed harder than whacking with both ends of a quarterstaff that is almost never held for a long thrust, and the fact that combat isn't turn-based makes this more important, not less.

It's a lot harder to cut through than you think. It's not like a piece of firewood braced against a chopping block. It's being held in a flexible grip that can absorb the shock. It would generally take several deliberate blows to the same spot to get through and while your opponent is focusing on that, he's not trying to cut you! A spear shaft is more easily fixed than a limb.

When you are swinging it to attack with the back end, you are adding your force to it. And it's not being chopped through; it's breaking when the middle is stopped and the other end is still trying to move. Haven't you ever broken a stick by beating it against a tree?

It's as slow as swinging a two handed sword. There are a lot of videos on Youtube that show how fast that actually is.

I swing a 2-handed sword with my hands on one end, and they stay on that end, I don't reverse the weapon and grab the other end. Swinging a spear from a thrusting grip involves moving my hands away from the butt of the spear. It is indeed, at least in my hands, significantly slower than swinging a 2-handed sword.

"A spear is not balanced...?" It's a stick! What the hell are you talking about? It has the same "balance" as a quarter staff. Unless the head of the spear is really huge and the shaft is really short, the center of balance isn't going to move far enough to be very noticeable.

It is not merely a stick. It is a stick with a steel head on one end. And it's usually longer than a quarterstaff. A quarterstaff is symmetric. I can hold either end like I hold the other. A spear is asymmetric. The center of gravity is not necessarily in the exact middle. Yes, it's balanced differently. When I am holding it to thrust, and I quickly swing it to smash with the back end, I can't just grasp the front end as it comes around; there's a point and possibly two edges.

Furthermore, it's usually longer than a quarterstaff, and so twirling it in front of me like a quarterstaff means holding it higher up, not in front of my belly. That changes the balance.

Have you ever actually held a spear, a quarterstaff, and a two-handed sword?