User blog comment:Sinthorion/Polearms/@comment-26149161-20150827002212/@comment-27723099-20150827121725

Just in theory you could also stab someone with an arrow or dart. And you can use ranged weapons in a melee if you are not in the first rank of the formation.

About the use of the pilum as melee weapon, that depends on the type of pilum. The ones with the thin bending spearhead can't be used in melee, only those with a broader head.