So a player wants to run a character with an absurdly long and unwieldy lance. My thought was to give him a reach of 20ft, but he does not threaten squares 5 or 10ft away.
With that in mind, I think it would be fun and reasonable to offer him a feat that gives him the option of attacking foes at close range, but less effectively.
Since this weapon will be a hindrance at least as often as it is useful, and since he'll be incurring not-insubstantial penalties for trying to wield it in a variety of situations, I was thinking this feat should be at least fairly solid. Like...it let's you attack anyone within 5-10ft (no attacks of opportunity) as if the lance was a two-handed bludgeoning weapon at a -2 penalty that dealt 1d6 ×2, and you get to make a free bullrush or trip attempt any time the attack is successful? Something like that.
I am aware that there are multiple options out there for this sort of thing, but since I don't use much in the way of supplemental material, I don't know exactly what it all is.
This game would be very light-hearted and silly, if that makes a difference to anyone. This character doesn't actually want to be a knight and doesn't enjoy fighting. So everything they do is sort of reluctant/clumsy/by accident, rather than by dedicated training and supreme might.
There's a sarissa which is a very long spear which threatens in a cone at 15' range, and weapon trick (polearm) which lets you use a polearm close up at a penalty or with a combat maneuver. Not saying you have to use those, but if you want examples written up they're there.
Hm...yes. The "skypiercer lance" I have written up is like a standard one except it deals 1d12 and quadruples your reach, but you can't attack within 5 or 10ft.
There's also the possibility of a shield that grants +3 AC and has a massive check penalty.
The feat as I'm currently imagining it would be something like:
Bumbling Sweep
Prerequisites: base attack +1
Benefit: when wielding a skypiercer lance, as an immediate action, shift your grip to make attacks against foes within 5 to 10ft at a -2 penalty, as if the lance were a two-handed bludgeoning weapon that dealt damage as a club.
If you make a successful attack in this fashion, you may make a free bullrush or trip maneuver against that target. You cannot make attacks of opportunity with the lance when used in this fashion.
You could add a second haft that comes out of the side of the lance about 1/4 the way up where the handguard is, sticking out of the side almost like a nightstick "billy club" that police use, like a "second grip" that can help facilitate using it at 5-10ft. In custom weapon rules, there's a weapon property called "Spring-loaded" that can be added for 2DP that allows for switching between 5ft range and 10ft range as a swift action. But instead of this lance being actually spring-loaded per se, you can give it the "Spring-loaded" property but just make the switch between grips as a swift action by adding this extra haft but charge the weapon 2DP for this feature.
second
haft...> ||
________||____________________________________________
-----------||-------------------------------------------------------------- -
^----normal haft.......................... lance tip---^
So you could have two modes of using the weapon, lance form (15-20ft) and nightstick form (5-10ft).
I'd like to keep it as simple as possible. And given that a lance is by and large a long wooden haft, "choking up" doesn't seem terribly unreasonable. I imagine him grabbing hold of it where it's balance is even more awkward and cumbersome and staggering about with it, swinging in wide, clumsy arcs that (1) aren't terribly dangerous, (2) are more easily avoided and (3) stand a chance to knock you down or back if they do manage to connect.
Though to deviate a bit, it looks like he might be more comfortable dropping this immense lance and pulling out a short spear/sword/what-have-you instead. So, what would you think of a shield that works like a tower shield but grants +3 AC, just regular cover and confers a -1 to attacks? Considering the mobile bulwark feat line and such.