can a reach weapon hit an adjacent target?

[FabulousFizban]

can i get a rules quote?

[Tiadoppler]

PHB 147 definition of Reach: Reach adds 5 feet to your melee weapon's attack range

PHB 195 how range of melee weapons works: You can make melee attacks against targets if they are within range (less than or equal to the attack range of the weapon).


Most weapons have a 5-foot reach, so they can be used to make attacks against targets within 5 feet.

Some weapons have 10-foot reach, so they can be used to make attacks against targets within 10 feet.

The lance is a special case, as a 10-foot reach weapon that is difficult to use against creatures within 5 feet.

[Ventruenox]

Reach. This weapon adds 5 feet to your reach when you attack with it, as well as when determining your reach for opportunity attacks with it.

The reach property adds one additional 5' square to the existing adjacent square when making a melee attack. So yes, you may attack the adjacent square with a reach weapon.

[nickl_2000]

There isn't an exact quote, but combined together you should be good.

Pg 147: Reach. This weapon adds 5 feet to your reach when you attack with it.

Pg. 195: Most creatures have a 5-foot reach and can thus attack targets within 5 feet of them when making a melee attack. Certain creatures (typically those larger than Medium) have melee attacks with a greater reach than 5 feet, as noted in their descriptions.



So, the last quote says that a 5 foot reach can attack any target within 5 feet of them. Within meaning 5 feet or less. A reach weapon add 5 feet to the reach (per first quote). So, combined together you can attack anything within a 10 foot reach of you. So, 10 foot or less.

[CorporateSlave]

can i get a rules quote?

Shall I assume you mean can a Reach weapon hit a target that is within 5'?

If so, the exact rules quote you are looking for probably doesn't exist as such (there is no place it explicitly says, a Reach of greater than 5' can also hit a target only 5' away).

However, the PHB does say, under Melee Attacks: "Used in hand-to-hand combat, a melee attack allows you to attack a foe within your reach. "

You can certainly extrapolate that here "within" implies "anywhere within," as that is a more reasonable interpretation than "only within the farthest area of."

Another way of looking at it; many creatures have a Reach of grater than 5', but it is doubtful that anyone would argue they are unable to attack a foe that is standing right next to them.

[nickl_2000]

Shall I assume you mean can a Reach weapon hit a target that is within 5'?

If so, the exact rules quote you are looking for probably doesn't exist as such (there is no place it explicitly says, a Reach of greater than 5' can also hit a target only 5' away).

However, the PHB does say, under Melee Attacks: "Used in hand-to-hand combat, a melee attack allows you to attack a foe within your reach. "

You can certainly extrapolate that here "within" implies "anywhere within," as that is a more reasonable interpretation than "only within the farthest area of."

Another way of looking at it; many creatures have a Reach of grater than 5', but it is doubtful that anyone would argue they are unable to attack a foe that is standing right next to them.

Don't forget to add onto that the Lance which has the reach property. Lance. You have disadvantage when you use a lance to attack a target within 5 feet of you...

It would be really hard to argue that other reach weapons can't hit within 5 feet of you when a lance spells out that you attack with disadvantage when you do exactly that.

[PhoenixPhyre]

can i get a rules quote?

Here's the definition of the Reach property:


Reach: This weapon adds 5 feet to your reach when you attack with it, as well as when determining your reach for opportunity attacks with it.

Now turning to chapter 9, like it directs, we find



Used in hand-to-hand combat, a melee attack allows you to attack a foe within your reach....

Most creatures have a 5-foot reach and can thus attack targets within 5 feet of them when making a melee attack.


Note the wording "within 5 feet". Mathematically, that's the open set [0,5ft]. Combine with the Reach special property, and you get now that the weapon can be used to make attacks against targets in the open set [0,10ft]. A creature 5ft away is within 10 ft, so it is a valid target.

The same goes for opportunity attacks, which are just melee weapon attacks triggered by certain circumstances.

[Chronos]

Nitpick: Those are closed sets.

[PhoenixPhyre]

Nitpick: Those are closed sets.

Derp. You're right, and I'm low blood sugar.

[Chad.e.clark]

I would argue this: "within" your reach reach means anything up to and including your max reach of the weapon, otherwise how would you be able to attack a swarm that has the ability to occupy your character's square, a distance of 0 ft?

[Laserlight]

Personal experience: a guy with a 6ft halberd can be pretty close to you, like 18" away, and still clobber you.

[nickl_2000]

Personal experience: a guy with a 6ft halberd can be pretty close to you, like 18" away, and still clobber you.

Umm, what are you doing? SCA?