Master the art of battlefield control with D&D 5E reach weapon guide, featuring optimization tips for fighter jets, wild bars and paladins.
Jason Felix – Coast Wizard – Skilled Charge
Reach weapon updates with rules for 2024
Reach Weapons works similarly in the 2024 Player's Handbook compared to its previous incarnations. The biggest change to these tactical weapons is in the weapons mastery function. This has a major impact on how weapons work in D&D. Which weapons have been improved? Read more!
Free Printable Weapon Cards
Do you want to keep your weapon on hand? Check out the free printable weapon reference cards for each weapon in the Basic Rules!
What is Reach?
Reach is a property found in the natural attacks of certain melee weapons and larger (or longer, slimy) creatures. Creatures can extend their attack range beyond the typical melee 5-foot attack range. However, reaching the weapon allows you to attack from more than 10 feet away, offering important advantages in combat.
Weapons to reach: from polar regions to whip
Only a handful of weapons in the D&D 5E own Reach properties. These are mainly Polearms like Halberd, Pike, and Glaive. These are usually two-handed weapons that deal significant damage. Whips are a finesse weapon, although less damage, allowing you to use dexterity instead of strength in your attack roll.
Weapon Cost Damage Weight Property Type Glaive 10 GP 1D10 Thrashing 6 lb, Reach, Reach, Two-Handed Martial Arts Halbed10 GP 1D10 Thrashing 6 lb. Heavy, Reach, Reach, Laech, Both Martial Arts Lance 10 GP 1D12 Earrings 6 lb. Reach Multi-Mary Pike 1D4 Thrashing 3 lb. Finesse, Reach, Martial Arts
Tactical Benefits of Reach
By reaching the weapon, you can hit from 10 feet away and have room to pilot it without risking an attack of opportunity. This is a huge thing for skirmish tactics.
It also controls space better than regular melee weapons. You can pivot without locking down chokepoints, bringing enemies at bay, or turning between multiple targets, without burning any extra movement.
Optimize reach builds
Fighter jets, wild bars, and paladins are top candidates for weapon builds. Fighters excel with multiple attacks and a steady stream of feats, and become masters of battlefield control. The wild bars increase their damage with anger and are tanky enough to stand on the ground. Paladins, on the other hand, can combine reach with catastrophic smee, allowing them to hit hard while keeping the enemy's length.
If you are considering improving these baseline avilites, here are the feats and subclasses to consider:
Pole Arm Master: Makes an attack of opportunity against creatures that enter your reach and earns a bonus attack on the edge of the weapon's ass. Sentinel: Stops enemies with a truck when triggering an attack of opportunity. It's very well combined with the Pole Arm Master, as it allows you to lock down enemies before they get within attack range. Great Weapon Master: deal more damage with heavy weapons and reduce creatures to 0 hit points to gain extra attacks. Rune Knight Fighter: Activate Runes to increase size and reach, and turn it into a battlefield juggernaut. The Way of the Giant Wild Man: Perfect for expanding yourself, boosting your reach, dealing extra damage, and cleaning multiple enemies. Mounted Build (Cavalier Fighter): Lance and Mount allow you to dominate open terrain and increase AC using Shield.
3 Best Reach Weapons
The weapons that reach the target thrive in martial arts, which want to keep the enemy at bay while dealing serious damage. Here are some outstanding options for Reach Builds:
1. Glaive
Glaive is a heavy two-handed slash that gives a big boost in the 2024 player handbook using Graze Mastery Property. If you miss a Graze Weapon, you can still do damage equal to the strength modifier, and all swings are counted. This is perfect for fighters and wild bars who want to maintain constant pressure on multiple enemies.
2. Halberd
The Halberd is another heavy two-handed weapon, but with a more aggressive edge. With the Cleave Mastery property, you can target two enemies within 5 feet with one attack (although you need to roll another attack roll against the second target), dealing damage equal to the weapon's dice on the second target. This will make you a great power to deal with when enemy clusters or surrounded.
3. Lance
Similarly, while these other reach weapons are awkward on foot, the Lance shines in mounted combat. You can deal 1D12 piercing damage and acquire fallen mastery properties in the 2024 player handbook, and successfully attack and knock on targets.
20gp6 pounds
Damage: 1d10 + str mod (thrashing)
Glaive
Graze: If missed, the target will be damaged equal to the ability modifier.
Heavy: If your strength or dexterity is less than 13, you will have a disadvantage in attacking.
Reach: Adds 5 feet to reach for attacks and attacks of opportunity.
Both hands: You need both hands to attack
Martial arts weapons
20gp6 pounds
Damage: 1d10 + str mod (thrashing)
Halberd
Cleave: On hit, performs an extra melee attack against another nearby creature. The damage from the second attack is not an ability modifier.
Heavy: If your strength or dexterity is less than 13, you will have a disadvantage in attacking.
Reach: Adds 5 feet to reach for attacks and attacks of opportunity.
Both hands: You need both hands to attack
Martial arts weapons
10gp6 pounds
Damage: 1d10 + str mod (pierced)
Lance
Heavy: If your strength or dexterity is less than 13, you will have a disadvantage in attacking.
Reach: Adds 5 feet to reach for attacks and attacks of opportunity.
Fall: On hit, the target must succeed in the constitution.
Both hands: You need both hands to attack
Both hands (unless they are attached)
Martial arts weapons
Cons and limitations of reach
While reach weapons have notable advantages, they have some drawbacks. They are often two-handed, preventing the use of shields to enhance defense. In particular, some reach weapons like Pike are heavy, which allows them to be used with excellent weapon masters, but when small creatures use them in the 2024 player handbook, it no longer gives them a disadvantage.
It is also worth noting that enemies can move more easily out of your reach without causing attacks of opportunity.
Reach the monster
In the Monster Manual, many large, giant, giant creatures (such as giants and dragons) reach nature, reflecting their larger heights and longer appendages. When designing encounters, dungeon masters (DMS) often underestimate the range that players can attack, so you should consider how to reach these creatures' threat radius.
