Spears

A mere shaft of wood with a spike protruding from one end around 1.8 to 2.4 meters long, a spear is the commonest weapon in the Swords of Wrath world. This is because it is both economical (it requires less metal than virtually any other weapon and can be used by an untrained militia) and because it is good in combat (it can deliver unparryable thrusts from a greater ranger than any weapon other than a polearm or a pike).

The only real disadvantage is that it is useless against a shield wall. As spear forces only fight three ranks deep a determined shield wall will rush the layer of spear spikes and force the spearmen to draw secondary weapons which will be relatively ineffective against the shield protected opponents. To get around this spears either have to become shorter and one-handed or much thicker to fight in ranks many ranks deep (most pikes fight in at least 4 and as many as a dozen.

Ahlspiess
This spear has a much shorter staff (1.6-1.8 meters) but an almost comedically long spearhead (around a meter).