Reach Weapons 5e (Updated for the 2024 Rules) | Arcane Eye

Reach Weapons Updates in 2024 Rules

Reach weapons function similarly in the 2024 Player’s Handbook compared to their previous incarnations. The biggest change to these tactical weapons can be found in the Weapon Mastery feature, which drastically impacts the way weapons work in D&D. Which Reach weapons have been made even better? Read on to learn more!

Free Printable Weapon Cards

Want to keep your weapon close at hand? Check out the free, printable weapon reference cards for each weapon in the Basic Rules!

What is Reach?

Reach is a property seen on certain Melee weapons and natural attacks of larger (or long-limbed) creatures. It allows a creature to extend their attack range by beyond the typical melee 5-foot attack distance. Reach weapons, however, allow you to attack from 10 feet or more away, providing a crucial advantage in combat.

Reach Weapons: From Polearms to Whips

Only a handful of weapons in D&D 5e possess the Reach property. These are primarily polearms like the Halberd, Pike, and Glaive. These are two-handed weapons that typically deal significant damage. Whips, although outputting less damage, are Finesse weapons, allowing characters to use their Dexterity instead of Strength for attack rolls.

Tactical Advantages of Reach

Reach weapons let you hit from 10 feet away, giving you room to maneuver without risking Opportunity Attacks. This is huge for skirmish tactics—get in, strike, and slip back without getting whacked.

They also control space better than regular melee weapons. You can lock down choke points, keep enemies at bay, or pivot between multiple targets without burning extra movement.

Optimizing Your Reach Build

Fighters, Barbarians, and Paladins are the top contenders for Reach weapon builds. Fighters excel with multiple attacks and a steady flow of feats, making them masters of battlefield control. Barbarians ramp up the damage with Rage and are tanky enough to stand their ground. Paladins, meanwhile, can combine Reach with their devastating Smites, striking hard while keeping foes at arm’s length.

If you’re looking to improve on these baseline abilites, here are some feats or subclasses to look into:

• Polearm Master: Make Opportunity Attacks against creatures entering your Reach and gain a bonus attack with the weapon’s butt end.
• Sentinel: Stop enemies in their tracks when they provoke an Opportunity Attack. Combines extremely well with Polearm Master, as you can lock enemies down before they get within attack distance.
• Great Weapon Master: Output more damage with Heavy weapons and gain extra attack when you crit or reduce a creature to 0 Hit Points making heavy-hitting Reach weapons like the Glaive or Halberd even deadlier.
• Rune Knight Fighter: Activate Runes to increase your size and Reach, turning you into a battlefield juggernaut.
• Path of the Giant Barbarian: Enlarge yourself to boost your Reach and deal extra damage, perfect for sweeping through multiple enemies.
• Mounted Builds (Cavalier Fighter): With a Lance and a mount, you can dominate open terrain and wield a Shield to boost your AC.

The 3 Best Reach Weapons

Reach weapons thrive in the hands of martial characters who want to keep enemies at bay while dishing out serious damage. Here are the standout options for Reach builds:

1. Glaive

The Glaive is a Heavy, Two-Handed slasher that gets a major boost in the 2024 Player’s Handbook with the Graze mastery property. When you miss with a Graze weapon, you can still deal damage equal to your Strength modifier, making every swing count. This is perfect for Fighters and Barbarians who want to maintain constant pressure on multiple foes.

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 of one another with a single attack (though you have to roll another attack roll against the second target), dealing an amount of damage equal to your weapon’s dice to the second target.  This makes it a powerhouse for dealing with clusters of weaker foes or when surrounded.

3. Lance

Though it’s similarly unwieldy as these other Reach weapons on foot, the Lance shines in mounted combat. It deals 1d12 Piercing damage and gains the Topple mastery property in the 2024 Player’s Handbook, allowing you to knock a target Prone with a successful attack.

Disadvantages and Limitations of Reach

While Reach weapons have notable advantages, they come with a few drawbacks. They are often two-handed, preventing the use of a Shield for added defense. Notably, some Reach weapons, like the Pike, are Heavy and while that allows them to be used with Great Weapon Master, it no longer gives Disadvantage when used by Small creatures in the 2024 Player’s Handbook.

It’s also worth noting that enemies will be able to move more easily within your Reach without provoking Opportunity Attacks.

Reach in Monsters

In the Monster Manual, many Large, Huge, and Gargantuan creatures (like giants or dragons) naturally have Reach, reflecting their larger stature or long appendages. When designing encounters, Dungeon Masters (DMs) should consider how Reach changes the threat radius of these creatures, as players often underestimate the distance at which they can be attacked.