Two New Martial Weapons for PAM

[KOLE]

Doru
Martial Melee Weapon
Cost: 10gp
Damage: 1d8 Piercing
Weight: 6lb
Properties: Thrown (range 20/60), versatile (1d10)
Eligible for the Polearm Master feat.

Warspear
Martial Melee Weapon
Cost: 10gp
Damage: 1d8 Piercing
Weight: 8lb
Properties: Reach
Eligible for the Polearm Master feat.


I like hoplite characters. I dislike how Spear 'n' Board isn't as valid an option for characters as most other styles. Is this unbalancing, do you think? Does it make going spear and shield too good to have weapons like these as an option?

[Zhorn]

I dislike how Spear 'n' Board isn't as valid an option for characters as most other styles.

Just a small side question on this. What do you mean by 'isn't as valid'?
I'd assume (thanks to the errata change to Polearm Master), that spear and shield would be a solid choice.
While it is a 1d6 weapon as opposed to a martial weapon's 1d8 for sword'n'board builds, the Bonus Action attack and the increased opportunity for Opportunity Attacks would already let it pull ahead slightly.
Or was it something else that you meant was holding it back?

[BlueHairedKat]

Generally, if a new option is strictly better than another option, it's probably overpowered.

The Warspear is very obviously this. If I'm fighting sword-and-board, and I can have 1d8 damage or 1d8 damage and Reach, I'm going to take Reach eight days a week. The only other one-handed weapon with reach is a whip, which deals a handsome d4 of damage. Maybe, maybe you could use the removal of finesse from it as a justification for allowing it to do 1d6 damage, but given it's also getting PAM access I wouldn't allow it.

The Doru is also a bit off, being strictly better than the Trident. The trident's a bit of a lame duck though, so consider that you would be introducing the game's only way to do 1d8 damage with a one-handed ranged attack. That requires some kind of downside, which the Doru just doesn't have, also getting max one-handed damage and PAM access.

[Potato_Priest]

Other people's comments pretty accurately summarize the fact that these weapons are better than what's currently available. Therefore, I'd just like to point out that if you want spears to be the dominant weapon in combat, congrats. These are the houserules to use. However, if you want spears to be strictly balanced with other weapons, I'd tone them down a little.

By the way, here's my homebrew version of the doru.

Martial Melee Weapon
1d8 Piercing Damage
Properties: Reach, Versatile(1d10), Special*
Eligible for the Polearm Master Feat.

Special: While wielding the Doru with one hand, you have disadvantage on attacks made against opponents within five feet of you.

[KOLE]

So full disclaimer, I wrote this up about 3am when I was fairly exhausted, this is... pretty far from my best work, and had I been in a clearer head I feel like the answers offered here would have come to me had I thought about it a second longer.

All the points raised are valid and I'll go ahead and call this a pretty solid failure on my part.

I will, however, make the case that I think there should be a d6 one handed reach weapon, without the PAM eligibility. I always assumed whips were d4 to keep it from being the Rogues go-to weapon. I think you'd see a huge amount of fighter-rogue dips to get a weapon that would save them having the bonus-action disengage, get sneak attack, and still do d6. But that's a discussion for another topic, another day.

I will also say this has given me a new respect for all the balancing that's in 5e. Thank you all for your frank answers, they've helped me screw my head back on straight.