What type of pike/spear is listed as it's own thing in the PHB? [closed]

Question

After searching what defines many of the kinds of weapons in the PHB, I have found that the definition of pike and spear tends to be a placeholder for "pointed polearm" with their size being the only difference between the two. As defined, a pike would include all heavy pointed sticks unable to be thrown (such as halberds, glaives, etc) and spears would be any polearm that keeps the ability to be thrown (such as trident and arguably javelin).

That said, there are still many kinds of pikes and spears left unlisted in the PHB, leaving the definition, to me, as broad as saying "single-handed sword" or "two-handed sword."

What I would like to know from the community is if there are any specified differences, such as tip shape or size, that would single these out as "a pike" or "a spear"? Or is this liberty left specifically to the player's imagination?

Answer 1

There are several differences between a Pike and a Spear in D&D 5e.

1. A pike has the two-handed property, while a spear has the versatile property. This means that a spear can be wielded with one or two hands, while a pike must be wielded with 2 hands.
2. A pike has the heavy property, which means that small characters like Halflings or Gnomes have disadvantage on attack rolls with the pike.
3. A spear has the thrown property (20/60). This means that a spear can be thrown at a target up to 20 feet away, or 60 feet away with disadvantage. Attempting to throw a pike would treat the pike as an improvised weapon.
4. A pike deals 1d10 piercing damage, while a spear deals 1d6 piercing damage if wielded with one hand, or 1d8 piercing damage if wielded with 2 hands.
5. A pike has the reach property, which means that it can be used to make melee attacks against targets up to 10 feet away from the wielder. A spear can only make melee attacks against targets within 5 feet of the wielder.
6. A pike is a martial weapon, while a spear is a simple weapon. This means that many more classes gain proficiency with the spear than the pike.

So what about the Ranseur?

A ranseur is not an official weapon in D&D 5e, as it is not listed in the weapons table in the Player's Handbook (as seen here). It would be up to the Dungeon Master to decide whether a ranseur would use a spear's statistics, a pike's, or if it warranted creating a new custom weapon with its own statistics. If I were the Dungeon Master, I would simply rule that the ranseur would use the same statistics as the spear.