Pike (weapon)

From DwarfFortressWiki

A very long spear. Does more damage than the normal spear, and still has the same critical boost. Only humans can wield them in fortress mode and, even then, it uses both hands. It is possible to use a pike as a dwarven adventurer.

This weapon trains the pikeman skill when used in adventure mode.

In real life, the pike was used as a great defensive weapon and was at its best against fast moving units such as cavalry or knights. When defending against a charge of mounted attackers, the back of the pike was often placed on the ground or against an obstacle to keep the weapon straight and absorb the hits.

Contrary to the game mechanics, real life pikemen were usually not using their pike as their primary weapon but as a first line of defense. Pikes were known to get stuck or break easily because of the physical nature of the weapon itself, and thus were often used in conjunction with a shield or buckler and a more conventional melee weapon (see image to the right).

For unknown reasons all two-handed weapons, including pikes, can be used one-handed, even by creatures who are smaller than the minimum size needed to use the weapon two-handed.