Reach
Adds 5 feet to melee reach (attack at 10 ft). Extends opportunity attack range. Key for Polearm Master and Sentinel combos.
Reach (Weapon Property)
A reach weapon extends your melee range by 5 feet beyond normal, allowing you to attack targets 10 feet away.
Mechanical effect: This weapon adds 5 feet to your reach when you attack with it, and when determining your reach for opportunity attacks.
Reach weapons in the SRD:
| Weapon | Damage | Other Properties |
|---|---|---|
| Glaive | 1d10 slashing | Heavy, two-handed |
| Halberd | 1d10 slashing | Heavy, two-handed |
| Lance | 1d10 piercing | Special |
| Pike | 1d10 piercing | Heavy, two-handed |
| Whip | 1d4 slashing | Finesse |
Opportunity attacks with reach: Your opportunity attack range extends to 10 feet. A creature provokes an opportunity attack when it moves out of your 10-foot reach. This means a creature can enter your reach, approach within 5 feet, and eventually move away — but only triggers the opportunity attack when leaving your reach.
Polearm Master feat interaction: This feat lets you make an opportunity attack when a creature enters your reach (normally opportunity attacks only trigger when a creature leaves your reach). Combined with reach, this triggers at 10 feet — before most creatures can reach you.
Sentinel + Polearm Master: When a creature enters your 10-foot reach, you make an opportunity attack. If it hits, the Sentinel feat reduces the creature's speed to 0, stopping it 10 feet away where it can't hit you with a standard melee weapon. This is a powerful defensive combo.
Lance special rule: A lance has disadvantage when used against targets within 5 feet. It also requires two hands when not mounted.