[RPG] 5e equivalent of the mounted lancers in 3.5

dnd-5emounted-combat

I'm porting some content from 3.5e to 5e, and I've come to a part that has a group of npc paladins doing mounted combat with lances. Checking the 5e rules for lances, I don't see anything about doing double damage on a charge. Are lances just not any good in 5e?

Is there a reasonable 5e equivalent of mounted lancers that I can use for these paladins, or do I have to houserule everything?

Best Answer

The benefits of a lance are built into its properties:

  • Lances have the second-highest raw, average damage output of the weapons in the SRD*
  • Lances grant reach, though they also grant disadvantage when attacking targets within 5ft
  • Lances are not two-handed when mounted, making them the only SRD reach weapon that can be wielded alongside a shield other than a whip (1d4)
  • Lances are not heavy, but most weapons in the 1d10+ damage class are

If your DM allows it** lances synergize well with the Charger feat, which grants bonuses for charging and may make the lance feel more 3.5e-ish.

Note that the mounted/reach combo is quite powerful if leveraged well. On a proper mount you can attack something mid-move, and then finish your move a fair distance away without incurring (most) attacks of opportunity from your target.

* Statistically only 2d6 is superior to 1d12

** It has been pointed out that the Charger feat is not activated when a mount uses dash according to a tweet by Jeremy Crawford