[RPG] When is a lance’s 10 feet reach helpful

dnd-5emounted-combatreachtacticsweapons

The lance is unique among weapons with similar damage dice by having a 10-ft. reach and being one-handed when mounted. But the 10-ft. reach comes with disadvantage when your target is within 5 feet, which makes it a little worse than other weapons.

The trouble I see is that you're regularly going to be suffering that disadvantage. If you're a paladin on a charging horse, your first attack is a 10-ft. reach attack with one hand, but your opponent will instantly get closer to you after your first attack, making the second attack always from 5 feet and therefore with disadvantage.

I don't see this a very good.

Under what circumstances do the unique benefits of the lance outweigh its unique drawbacks? What tactics maximize those circumstances?

Best Answer

During a cavalry charge, the mounted combatant will strike its target and keep on riding.

This works in D&D too.

The controlled mount can dash for generally > 100' of movement (depending on the mount), and the rider can attack with the lance any time during that movement. Reach allows the rider to do so without provoking an attack of opportunity from the target, and a sufficiently fast mount can prevent the target from closing to melee on its own turn as well.

If the target does somehow manage to close to melee, on the rider's next turn the mount can disengage to move its full speed away from the target without provoking an opportunity attack. The rider can safely attack when it is precisely 10' away from the target during this movement. This should put the rider outside the target's reach, ready for another charge.