[RPG] Are lances in 5e a one-use item

dnd-5eweapons

I cannot find a single bit of info on this subject. My group shares around the DMing between our three different on-going and concurrent campaigns, and twice now this issue has come up.

Granted there is the DM fiat which I always abide by, even though if grudgingly. So without any RAW or RAI that I can point to, it has been ruled that "…historically, lances in combat were mainly used as a mass calvary charge weapon designed to disrupt a phalanx of infantry, knocking prone most that are hit and with only a few taking some serious injury, due to the oft breakage of the lance upon forceful contact", as happens during jousting and thus renders the weapon useless. So another lance is then taken up from a squire, for another "run".

But here's my misgivings on said breakage. It is also historically known that lances designed for jousting had the metal piercing tip removed and were purposefully blunted, then capped with carved wooden or pourly cast (read as brittle) iron fists, balls and even small hand-sized shields. This was done to remove the armor-piercing possible death. Thus, when the blunt force of the lances in jousting made full contact, it could more easily bend and break.

So, in our game, after the initial charge attack (w/ or w/o my using the Charger feat), and upon landing a hit, it is my lance has deeply impaled the creature and I this must drop it or back my mount away to pull the lance out. And if my roll was a miss, it's a d2 roll that instead the lance broke upon impact to their armor.

I know of no other weapon in 5e that has such a cost, in both the heat of battle and at the armory. My only hope of salvaging these two costs are to [1] always hit, then 'No-Action' drop it, followed by a Free Action to pull my Warhammer, 1 and [2] always roll a 2 on the d2.

I need help folks, are lances supposed to be single use?


1: I play a Human Cleric (War Domain) Noble (Knight Variant) designed to be riding a Warhorse into most battles, or on foot if inside or underground, hence the Warhammer.

Best Answer

They are not single-use

The only thing close to something being 'single use' is if it is concerned ammunition such as arrows. But even those have rules around recovery.

The lance is simply another weapon, like a longsword, longbow, or spear and follows the same rules regarding it's ability to be used more than once.

There are even some weapons, like the net, which can be destroyed as a means of removing them from a creature who has been attacked with it. The lance does not have language like this.

DM ruling single-use would be a house rule

This makes the RAW indicate that the lance is usable again and again, just like longswords, javelins, or spears.

If your DM wants to houserule that they are single-use, that is well within their power to do so, but it is adding a mechanic that doesn't actually exist within the rules around those weapons.

There really aren't any hidden rules, so if your DM is coming up with a rule, it's a houserule.