Another way to think about this, btw, is that a "shillelagh" in the real world is a stick with a knob on one end. So a quarterstaff-turned-shillelagh would have a knob on only one end --- a knob that increases in size as the shillelagh die increases.
I mean, sure, but that line of reasoning turns into shillelagh reducing a quarterstaff into a club and clubs don't work with Polearm Master. I don't like the Sage Advice ruling, but it is what it is. I can change it if I feel like it and may do so if it ever comes up at my table. If I do, I will probably simply say that it does not change the weapon die of a quarterstaff, period.
Technically, the spell ends as soon as you let go of the weapon, so it's just 1d4 without proficiency. (I've seen at least one DM ignore that and let Shillelagh be thrown, but we're talking RAW.)
There's still substituting Pact of the Blade for Shillelagh. I presume Pact of the Blade plus Polearm Master would overwrite both the damage type of the original weapon and prevent Pact of the Blade from changing the damage type. Then we could get into the question of Improvised Weapons.
I feel like the Shillelagh ruling in Sage Advice is written for balance but defended as if quarterstaffs had only one striking end. Every part of a quarterstaff is a striking surface. Some may have reinforced ends, but they remain weapons you can use to strike with ends or thrust with.
Polestrike seems to me like a Soul Knife's psychic blade, an independent weapon created by the Polearm Master feature. I don't know if that was their reasoning, but perhaps it makes sense mechanically that way. If Polestrike is an independent weapon (just exploring the possibility), then Pact Weapon, Shillelagh and +X bonuses would not apply.
IMO, this is another way of ruling it, and frankly, it is on par with the SAC answer: when you hit using PAM, the damage type (bludgeoning) and damage die (1d4) are always the same, overriding the damage type, damage die, extra damage, or other bonuses the weapon has at that moment.
A second option is the one Plague is explaining: you only use the SAC ruling for PAM + Shillelagh .
A third option could be based on Simultaneous Effects:
If two or more things happen at the same time on a turn, the person at the game table—player or DM—whose turn it is decides the order in which those things happen. For example, if two effects occur at the start of a player character’s turn, the player decides which of the effects happens first.
PS. Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season or whatever special time you celebrate (maybe on Faerûn, Khorvaire or Krynn) ❤️
I guess it depend how you interpret this Sage Advice, by applying the first answer's pĥrase to other context, such as Martial Arts or simply to the context posed in the question about shillelagh specifically.
This would mean wether you can roll 1d6 in place of the normal damage of your quarterstaff or not because it always uses a d4 for damage.
If I cast shillelagh on my quarterstaff and have the Polearm Master feat, does the bonus attack use a d4 or a d8 for damage?
The benefit from Polearm Master applies to the opposite end of the weapon and always uses a d4 for damage rather than the weapon’s normal damage die. This is true for a quarterstaff enhanced with shillelagh just as it is for a normal one.
Another way to think about this, btw, is that a "shillelagh" in the real world is a stick with a knob on one end. So a quarterstaff-turned-shillelagh would have a knob on only one end --- a knob that increases in size as the shillelagh die increases.
I mean, sure, but that line of reasoning turns into shillelagh reducing a quarterstaff into a club and clubs don't work with Polearm Master.
Think of it as a versatile, blunt glaive.
Though really, the spell doesn't change the weapon type. I'm just suggesting that it, in a RAI / natural language / historical sense, only changes the damage of one end. Perhaps the SA ruling has nothing to do with precedence or specificity.
I mean, sure, but that line of reasoning turns into shillelagh reducing a quarterstaff into a club and clubs don't work with Polearm Master. I don't like the Sage Advice ruling, but it is what it is. I can change it if I feel like it and may do so if it ever comes up at my table. If I do, I will probably simply say that it does not change the weapon die of a quarterstaff, period.
Edit: Happy Holidays if you are celebrating. :)
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My houserulings.
IMO, this is another way of ruling it, and frankly, it is on par with the SAC answer: when you hit using PAM, the damage type (bludgeoning) and damage die (1d4) are always the same, overriding the damage type, damage die, extra damage, or other bonuses the weapon has at that moment.
A second option is the one Plague is explaining: you only use the SAC ruling for PAM + Shillelagh .
A third option could be based on Simultaneous Effects:
PS. Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season or whatever special time you celebrate (maybe on Faerûn, Khorvaire or Krynn) ❤️
I guess it depend how you interpret this Sage Advice, by applying the first answer's pĥrase to other context, such as Martial Arts or simply to the context posed in the question about shillelagh specifically.
This would mean wether you can roll 1d6 in place of the normal damage of your quarterstaff or not because it always uses a d4 for damage.
Think of it as a versatile, blunt glaive.
Though really, the spell doesn't change the weapon type. I'm just suggesting that it, in a RAI / natural language / historical sense, only changes the damage of one end. Perhaps the SA ruling has nothing to do with precedence or specificity.