[RPG] Can a Hexblade warlock choose a lance for his Hex Warrior weapon

class-featurednd-5ewarlockweapons

The lance description says:

a lance requires two hands to wield when you aren't mounted.

Note that the lance lacks the two handed property but still need 2 hands to wield.

The Hexblade warlock's Hex Warrior feature description (Xanathar's Guide to Everything, p. 55) says:

Whenever you finish a long rest, you can touch one weapon that you are proficient with and that lacks the two-handed property.

Can I use the Hex Warrior feature with a lance?

Best Answer

Yes

In D&D 5e, a rule means what it says and no more (unless the DM rules otherwise, which they are always entitled to do). Per the Hex Warrior description in the question:

Whenever you finish a long rest, you can touch one weapon that you are proficient with and that lacks the two-handed property.

A lance lacks the two-handed property, and qualifies for this requirement, even though you must wield it in two hands when not mounted.

Jeremy Crawford has ruled similarly in the related situation of the monk wielding a quarterstaff in two hands, despite weapons with the two-handed property being prohibited from the category of monk weapons:

Yep! The prohibition is against a weapon with the two-handed property, not against using a weapon with two hands.

Crawford is clear here in his intent: wielding a weapon with the two-handed property and wielding a weapon in two hands are not functionally equivalent in the rules.

The DM, of course, is always free to rule otherwise, particularly in situations like this where it may make sense to do so.