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Does a cavalier's banner being attached to a spear or lance make sense to you? It feels to me like if you attacked things with that spear or lance you'd get your banner covered in blood and stuff. While some characters might go for that image, I tended to feel like standard bearers in real warfare didn't poke things so much as stand there and try not to get hit.
(This is so very much NOT a candidate for a FAQ)
Ideally, you don't put it at the very end where the pokey part is. Put your banner back about 4 feet down the shaft and it will get very little blood on it.
Sounds better than carrying two spears or worse, dropping the banner to the ground so you can fight.
Yes, armies had standard bearers who did not attack enemies with their standards. If it came to fighting, they would jab their standard into the ground and fight with a sword. Armies also put standard bearers back out of harm's way so those guys never really had to fight unless the battle went very, very badly - they were usually in full retreat along with the rest of the army before they actually had to engage an enemy with a weapon.
Cavaliers have no such protection. It's actually a silly class in the first place, and the banners don't help it be less silly.
I suggest if you're really worried about it, have your favorite Arcane Caster keep Prestidigitation handy for the after-slaughter cleanup.
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My favourite standard-bearer is actually a bard PC of a friend of mine with the feat, saving up for the banner of the ancient kings.
After some undercover stuff it's not a Open Road flag anymore though; we now have to pledge allegiance to the Doggy Flag. (As you may have guessed, it's a halfling bard. And all the things they say about halflings being perverts are true.)
Cavaliers get pets to comfort them so your opinion on them being silly doesn't hurt so much.
That's my favorite bit about cavaliers. And druids, and summoners. Eating one of them is like getting two snacks for the price of one.
I don't like familiars though. They just get stuck in my teeth. Then I have to use a cavalier's lance to pick the familiar out my armored gums. And when I do, those pesky banners get in my way.
So I chomp the banner.
So long story short, don't put your banner on your lance or spear. Your local tarrasque will thank you in the end.
Does a cavalier's banner being attached to a spear or lance make sense to you? It feels to me like if you attacked things with that spear or lance you'd get your banner covered in blood and stuff. While some characters might go for that image, I tended to feel like standard bearers in real warfare didn't poke things so much as stand there and try not to get hit.
It doesn't matter if it makes sense: the rules specifically allow it. Feel free to change the rule in your home games, but it's not an FAQ because there is no question about what the rules say. (There are numerous other examples, like "fitting 5 arrows in a wrist sheath" and "reloading a flint lock pistol as a free action".)
Also, you can't apply "warfare" strategies and standard operating procedure to "groups of 4-7 individuals": it's a completely different world. A single squad would never have a standard bearer, especially if they were trying to sneak around or do any kind of covert mission.