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Am I correct in thinking that javelins are exclusively ranged weapons (unlike spears)? They don't show up in B/X, so I consulted the PHB, which has them as being only on the "Hurled Weapons and Missiles" table.

I use them as smaller lighter spears. Combat & thrown.

I would say ranged only to mimic how they were used in warfare. They were to be thrown, Romans used them in this way and switched to short swords for melee.

aspiringlich wrote:Am I correct in thinking that javelins are exclusively ranged weapons (unlike spears)? They don't show up in B/X, so I consulted the PHB, which has them as being only on the "Hurled Weapons and Missiles" table.

3rd has the javelin as " a light flexible spear intended for throwing. It can be used in melee, but not well. Since it is not designed for combat, all characters are treated as non-proficient and suffer a -4 on attack rolls"

Id have it do -2 hit.

If you can hit someone with a stick, rock, broken bottle, etc a javelin is still a real weapon and has a metal tip. The picture has it look like a short spear.

If I recall correctly the pilum was designed with long soft steel shank so that once it was thrown the weight of the wooden shaft would cause it to bend. Which in design was supposed to render shields useless. Hard to maneuver a shield with a couple of ten pound poles wagging around on it. It is kind of a good idea to build in weakness to a missile weapon anyway. If it breaks when you use it they can't pick it up and use it against you.

So with that in mind why not make it a one shot weapon whether thrown or jabbed? Same could work for arrows, bolts, darts. Damn I just put a recovery rule in for missile weapons. Now I am rethinking it.

For KISS purposes, I make it ranged-only. The shaft is too light to be used in parrying and stabbing, etc. This isn't necessarily based on historical facts, it's just a game conceit.

That said, if a javelin was the only thing a character had to defend themselves with in a melee, I'd allow it as an improvised weapon with maybe 1d4 damage.

I make the distinction in reach. Characters with spears can attack over the shoulder of people in the "first rank". Characters with javelins can't.