Troll Lord Games

Page 116 on Charging -- "if the defender attacks first due to size or weapon length ..." I found in the equipment section that spears can do double damage while setting a charge, but nothing further about these two factors pre-empting a charge.

Yes, if you charge a creature that has greater reach than you do, whether due to a weapon or just natural reach, you get attacked by them first. Exactly like an Attack of Opportunity from 3E, if you've played it.

Being set to recieve a charge for spear weapons, and similiar, does damage as described.

Basically, you do not charge an opponent armed with a pike. You will be skewered before you can get to hit him. Its an element of "realism," but by no means intended to be a combat simulation... its also to give polearms (mostly) and very large weapons and advantage in combat, making them more than "really big weapons."

I understood the concept, but couldn't find the rules for it. What page are they on?

You have to be difficult, don't you?
I'll see if I can find it. Do you have the second printing or the first?

Like I said, I was looking for the rule. Anyone put together an index for CnC yet?
I have the 2nd printing and I found it. It's under Initiative since this pre-emptive attack is in the first round of combat (or the first time someone goes within something with a 10 foot reach.)

Glad you found it. A comprehensive index sure would be nice. I spent about 10 minutes reading through the PH last night looking for this particular rule and couldn't find it.

How would someone even start to put together such an index? Just start listing stuff and what page # they are on?

Unless someone has the PDF and strip out the text so it can be formatted into a table of contents. The latest versions of word can create a TOC if you formated the text right.

Otherwise it sounds like a message board project.