If I’m a PC who casts this spell a lot, I find a workaround that doesn’t require me to spend a round fumbling for the same components every time. Maybe I attach the mistletoe and shamrock to my staff so they are always there when I need them.
You shouldn't need your DM to accept it. RAW, a Wooden Staff is also a Quarterstaff, so you can cast it Shillelagh on your wooden staff, using it as both your spellcasting focus and the target of the spell.
Unless a staff's description says otherwise, a staff can be used as a quarterstaff.
A DM could rule otherwise, but that's be like a DM ruling that rogues can't get sneak attacks with a dagger.
If I were to interpret the rules of these two very literally, POM says you may make an additional attack with the other end of the weapon using a bonus action, if shillelagh is in effect, it states that the damage dice of that attack BECOMES a D8 on ALL melee weapon attacks.
So attack is made with POM, the damage die is D4, it is a melee weapon attack with the shillelaghed weapon, so then it BECOMES a D8 because of shillelagh.
Obviously this is a very literal interpretation of the rules and it is up to the DM ultimately if this works. At least in my campaign the literal interpretation is what the rules state so therefore that is what I will be using.
If I were to interpret the rules of these two very literally, POM says you may make an additional attack with the other end of the weapon using a bonus action, if shillelagh is in effect, it states that the damage dice of that attack BECOMES a D8 on ALL melee weapon attacks.
So attack is made with POM, the damage die is D4, it is a melee weapon attack with the shillelaghed weapon, so then it BECOMES a D8 because of shillelagh.
Obviously this is a very literal interpretation of the rules and it is up to the DM ultimately if this works. At least in my campaign the literal interpretation is what the rules state so therefore that is what I will be using.
Per the official ruling in Sage Advice Compendium it's still a d4.
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.
if shillelagh is in effect, it states that the damage dice of that attack BECOMES a D8 on ALL melee weapon attacks.
No, that's not what it says exactly. The relevant text for Shillelagh simply:
the weapon’s damage die becomes a d8.
This is no different than saying the damage die for a quarterstaff "becomes" a d8 when taking advantage of the "Versatile" property. It's just specifying a (potentially modified) statistic for the weapon. When applying the Polearm Master feat we do this:
When you take the Attack action and attack with only a glaive, halberd, or quarterstaff, you can use a bonus action to make a melee attack with the opposite end of the weapon. The weapon's damage die for this attack is a d4, and the attack deals bludgeoning damage.
This effect of this feat is applied when triggered. The trigger is "When you take the Attack action". At that point, the damage die statistic for the weapon is already set. If you had already cast Shillelagh that would have had to be done previously as a Bonus Action (presumably on a previous turn or prior to combat unless you somehow have more than one Bonus Action) before taking the Attack action. When the effect of the feat is applied, it specifically states that the weapon's damage die for "this [additional] attack" is a d4. Specific beats General and this overrides the current value of the weapon's damage die.
It's no different than if you had attacked with a glaive which uses a d10 damage die. The feat allows an additional attack with that glaive that uses a d4 damage die. It works the same way.
If I were to interpret the rules of these two very literally, POM says you may make an additional attack with the other end of the weapon using a bonus action, if shillelagh is in effect, it states that the damage dice of that attack BECOMES a D8 on ALL melee weapon attacks.
So attack is made with POM, the damage die is D4, it is a melee weapon attack with the shillelaghed weapon, so then it BECOMES a D8 because of shillelagh.
Obviously this is a very literal interpretation of the rules and it is up to the DM ultimately if this works. At least in my campaign the literal interpretation is what the rules state so therefore that is what I will be using.
Per the official ruling in Sage Advice Compendium it's still a d4.
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.
That's so dumb, though: 'No, you only enchant one end of the weapon!'
I'm not disagreeing with you, or anything. Just commenting that sage advice is often laughable. Fighting with a quarterstaff absolutely uses both ends - and a quarterstaff isn't usable 1-handed. I mean, not that I'm any sort of medieval weapons expert, but I watched an hourlong quarterstaff fighting ... thing. Tutorial, maybe? It was fascinating, but I admit my expertise is superficial at best =D
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Blanket disclaimer: I only ever state opinion. But I can sound terribly dogmatic - so if you feel I'm trying to tell you what to think, I'm really not, I swear. I'm telling you what I think, that's all.
WYour point was legitimate though, wthout this official ruling, i think there would be a case for RAW since Polearm Master says the weapon's damage die for this attack is a d4 and Shillelagh says the weapon's damage die becomes a d8 but this Sage Advice clarifieaàs their intentions.
If I were to interpret the rules of these two very literally, POM says you may make an additional attack with the other end of the weapon using a bonus action, if shillelagh is in effect, it states that the damage dice of that attack BECOMES a D8 on ALL melee weapon attacks.
So attack is made with POM, the damage die is D4, it is a melee weapon attack with the shillelaghed weapon, so then it BECOMES a D8 because of shillelagh.
Obviously this is a very literal interpretation of the rules and it is up to the DM ultimately if this works. At least in my campaign the literal interpretation is what the rules state so therefore that is what I will be using.
Per the official ruling in Sage Advice Compendium it's still a d4.
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.
That's so dumb, though: 'No, you only enchant one end of the weapon!'
I'm not disagreeing with you, or anything. Just commenting that sage advice is often laughable. Fighting with a quarterstaff absolutely uses both ends - and a quarterstaff isn't usable 1-handed. I mean, not that I'm any sort of medieval weapons expert, but I watched an hourlong quarterstaff fighting ... thing. Tutorial, maybe? It was fascinating, but I admit my expertise is superficial at best =D
A couple of points here: a quarterstaff is a versatile weapon so can be used 1 handed. Of course I don't know what video you watched but I do know this is reflected in reality in a good number of kung fu styles. As well, in previous editions at least, each end of a double weapon is enchanted separately. While there are no more double weapons, the sage advice may be a tip of the hat to legacy.
A couple of points here: a quarterstaff is a versatile weapon so can be used 1 handed. Of course I don't know what video you watched but I do know this is reflected in reality in a good number of kung fu styles. As well, in previous editions at least, each end of a double weapon is enchanted separately. While there are no more double weapons, the sage advice may be a tip of the hat to legacy.
The only 5E version of double weapon i know is the Double-Bladed Scimitar and it doesn't say if each end can be enchanted seperately or not but without saying otherwisem it should be enchanted the same way any other weapon can.
Think of it this way; Shillelagh changes the damage die of the weapon to a d8, but polearm master does not use the damage die of the weapon it uses its own special damage die regardless of the weapon being used. so the quarterstaff damage die would change to a d8, but the extra d4 attack would be unaffected by the change.
Here is the wording for Shillelagh. The wood of a club or quarterstaff you are holding is imbued with nature's power. For the duration, you can use your spellcasting ability instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of melee attacks using that weapon, and the weapon's damage die becomes a d8. Making up the term "special damage die" doesn't make you right. The "JC source" is wrong. Now I see why he isn't a credible source anymore or was ever credible in the first place. You are making a melee attack with the bonus action of PAM and it is with the QS. It now uses a d8. I've always said that there is a ton of clarification needed for feats and spells, but this one is clear. Attacking a DM for a house rule, saying it's overpowered, and then bringing up the rogue, @Lostwhilefishing, is laughable. You can, as a DM, make a house rule that does not make PAM and Shillelagh combine correctly. You can also force your player to use their WIS bonus instead of STR...
Think of it this way; Shillelagh changes the damage die of the weapon to a d8, but polearm master does not use the damage die of the weapon it uses its own special damage die regardless of the weapon being used. so the quarterstaff damage die would change to a d8, but the extra d4 attack would be unaffected by the change.
Here is the wording for Shillelagh. The wood of a club or quarterstaff you are holding is imbued with nature's power. For the duration, you can use your spellcasting ability instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of melee attacks using that weapon, and the weapon's damage die becomes a d8. Making up the term "special damage die" doesn't make you right. The "JC source" is wrong. Now I see why he isn't a credible source anymore or was ever credible in the first place. You are making a melee attack with the bonus action of PAM and it is with the QS. It now uses a d8. I've always said that there is a ton of clarification needed for feats and spells, but this one is clear. Attacking a DM for a house rule, saying it's overpowered, and then bringing up the rogue, @Lostwhilefishing, is laughable. You can, as a DM, make a house rule that does not make PAM and Shillelagh combine correctly. You can also force your player to use their WIS bonus instead of STR...
The Sage Advice Twitter rulings JC makes aren't necessarily binding as rules, but the Sage Advice Compendium (which can be found here on Beyond) IS considered to be RAW. That's where this ruling comes from. So no matter how you look at it, if you rule against PAM dealing 1d4 with Shillelagh, you're not using RAW.
Think of it this way; Shillelagh changes the damage die of the weapon to a d8, but polearm master does not use the damage die of the weapon it uses its own special damage die regardless of the weapon being used. so the quarterstaff damage die would change to a d8, but the extra d4 attack would be unaffected by the change.
Here is the wording for Shillelagh. The wood of a club or quarterstaff you are holding is imbued with nature's power. For the duration, you can use your spellcasting ability instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of melee attacks using that weapon, and the weapon's damage die becomes a d8. Making up the term "special damage die" doesn't make you right. The "JC source" is wrong. Now I see why he isn't a credible source anymore or was ever credible in the first place. You are making a melee attack with the bonus action of PAM and it is with the QS. It now uses a d8. I've always said that there is a ton of clarification needed for feats and spells, but this one is clear. Attacking a DM for a house rule, saying it's overpowered, and then bringing up the rogue, @Lostwhilefishing, is laughable. You can, as a DM, make a house rule that does not make PAM and Shillelagh combine correctly. You can also force your player to use their WIS bonus instead of STR...
The Sage Advice Twitter rulings JC makes aren't necessarily binding as rules, but the Sage Advice Compendium (which can be found here on Beyond) IS considered to be RAW. That's where this ruling comes from. So no matter how you look at it, if you rule against PAM dealing 1d4 with Shillelagh, you're not using RAW.
Just to clarify .. the SAC is considered RAI and not RAW. RAW is Rules as Written and the SAC is not rules, it is official rulings or clarifications that define what the rules are intended to say and are thus RAI (Rules As Intended). The difference between RAW and RAI is explained at the start of the SAC.
That said, RAW is relatively clear in this case (in my opinion :) ) if one reads the Shillelagh and Polearm Master text.
1) Shillelagh: "For the duration, you can use your spellcasting ability instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of melee attacks using that weapon, and the weapon’s damage die becomes a d8".
This explicitly states that the weapons damage die becomes a d8. It does not state that ALL attacks with the weapon use a d8 .. it simply changes the normal d6 for a one handed quarterstaff to a d8. It has no effect on the damage die of a quarterstaff wielded two handed since it is already a d8.
2) Polearm Master: "When you take the Attack action and attack with only a glaive, halberd, quarterstaff, or spear, you can use a bonus action to make a melee attack with the opposite end of the weapon. This attack uses the same ability modifier as the primary attack. The weapon’s damage die for this attack is a d4, and it deals bludgeoning damage."
This explicitly states that the weapon's damage die for this specific attack is a d4 and over rides whatever the weapon's normal damage die would be ... either a d6 from a single handed QS, a d8 from a single hand Shillelagh QS or a d8 from a two handed QS with or without Shillelagh. Polearm Master is arguably a more specific rule than Shillelagh since it applies to only a specific bonus action attack with the weapon granted by the feat while Shillelagh changes the base damage die of the weapon when resolving other attacks.
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Anyway, it is ultimately a DM call on how they want to run it but the PAM bonus action attack should always be a d4 bludgeoning from the base weapon damage because that is what PAM states.
I think I agree with David. We're only talking about 2 points of damage after all. But it seems like PAM was written with Shillelagh in mind -- the listed weapons can only be used with STR yet the feat calls out that you use the same stat used by the main attack and its structure implies that the d4 supersedes whatever might allow you to use a stat other than STR. Is there any other way in the PHB to attack with one of the listed weapons with a stat other than STR?
I think I agree with David. We're only talking about 2 points of damage after all. But it seems like PAM was written with Shillelagh in mind -- the listed weapons can only be used with STR yet the feat calls out that you use the same stat used by the main attack and its structure implies that the d4 supersedes whatever might allow you to use a stat other than STR. Is there any other way in the PHB to attack with one of the listed weapons with a stat other than STR?
A hexblade could use Charisma with their pact weapon or hex weapon. A battle smith artificer could use intelligence with a magical staff. Neither of these were in the PHB though when PAM was originally written so it is likely that the main consideration at that time was Shillelagh.
Does SAC have permission to make RAI decisions? Maybe SAC or Wizards of the coast should go through the actual spells and feats and clarify things. I now understand why people would think Shillelagh wouldn't work with PAM, thank you @David42. All it would take is an additional phrase like " The d4 dice cannot be changed". I guess none of it matters because, as said before, the DM rules.
I did not add the QS to PAM. Shillelagh does say, the weapon's damage die becomes a d8. @David42, you said, "It does not state that ALL attacks with the weapon use a d8" They are melee attacks, not all attacks. The QS is also imbued with nature's power, magical. Are you saying that magic cannot add damage to attacks? Does "becomes" override "is a d4" in PAM's description? It does not say the damage dice goes from a d6 to a d8. A club does d4 damage and changes to a d8 using Shillelagh. I still think SAC and RAI is wrong. I'm not sure, but I think Shillelagh is the only spell that alters the damage dice itself. Lastly, every single attack uses a dice or die to calculate damage. In that case, Shillelagh couldn't change the damage dice from d6 to d8. If it can then it can change the d4 from PAM. It's only telling you it's a d4 because you're not using Shillelagh. That's what everything in D&D does. It gives you dice to roll.
Does SAC have permission to make RAI decisions? Maybe SAC or Wizards of the coast should go through the actual spells and feats and clarify things. I now understand why people would think Shillelagh wouldn't work with PAM, thank you @David42. All it would take is an additional phrase like " The d4 dice cannot be changed". I guess none of it matters because, as said before, the DM rules.
I did not add the QS to PAM. Shillelagh does say, the weapon's damage die becomes a d8. @David42, you said, "It does not state that ALL attacks with the weapon use a d8" They are melee attacks, not all attacks. The QS is also imbued with nature's power, magical. Are you saying that magic cannot add damage to attacks? Does "becomes" override "is a d4" in PAM's description? It does not say the damage dice goes from a d6 to a d8. A club does d4 damage and changes to a d8 using Shillelagh. I still think SAC and RAI is wrong. I'm not sure, but I think Shillelagh is the only spell that alters the damage dice itself. Lastly, every single attack uses a dice or die to calculate damage. In that case, Shillelagh couldn't change the damage dice from d6 to d8. If it can then it can change the d4 from PAM. It's only telling you it's a d4 because you're not using Shillelagh. That's what everything in D&D does. It gives you dice to roll.
The SAC is official rulings. Not just the account of one of the designers, but a series of statements the company has published to cover issues listed within. So yes, they absolutely have that power to issue such rulings.
Also, looking into the interactions, Shillelagh adjusts the base damage die of the weapon. Polearm Master is a more specific rule in that it changes the damage of the attack made with that feat, regardless of the weapon or effects on it. Effects that add damage are still valid, such as the Dragon's Wrath Weapons.
Does SAC have permission to make RAI decisions? Maybe SAC or Wizards of the coast should go through the actual spells and feats and clarify things. I now understand why people would think Shillelagh wouldn't work with PAM, thank you @David42. All it would take is an additional phrase like " The d4 dice cannot be changed". I guess none of it matters because, as said before, the DM rules.
I did not add the QS to PAM. Shillelagh does say, the weapon's damage die becomes a d8. @David42, you said, "It does not state that ALL attacks with the weapon use a d8" They are melee attacks, not all attacks. The QS is also imbued with nature's power, magical. Are you saying that magic cannot add damage to attacks? Does "becomes" override "is a d4" in PAM's description? It does not say the damage dice goes from a d6 to a d8. A club does d4 damage and changes to a d8 using Shillelagh. I still think SAC and RAI is wrong. I'm not sure, but I think Shillelagh is the only spell that alters the damage dice itself. Lastly, every single attack uses a dice or die to calculate damage. In that case, Shillelagh couldn't change the damage dice from d6 to d8. If it can then it can change the d4 from PAM. It's only telling you it's a d4 because you're not using Shillelagh. That's what everything in D&D does. It gives you dice to roll.
Perhaps think of it this way.
A halberd or glaive does d10 damage, a spear or quarterstaff does d6 damage with one hand or d8 damage with two hands. Shillelagh changes the damage die of a quarterstaff from a d6 with one hand to a d8 and allows the user to make attacks using wisdom instead of strength. That is all Shillelagh does. Clubs and other weapons that Shillelagh can be cast on are irrelevant because they can't be used with Polearm Master which is the specific feat being discussed.
Polearm Master allows a bonus action attack using the butt end of the weapon. This SPECIFIC attack uses a d4 for damage. This is completely independent of the damage die of the weapon. A halberd or glaive with d10 damage die does NOT do more damage when making a Polearm Master attack - it uses the same d4 for that attack. A spear or quarterstaff that does d6 or d8 damage ALSO uses a d4 for damage when attacking with the butt end of the weapon as allowed by the Polearm Master feat. Any effect from Shillelagh is irrelevant. Just because it changes the base damage die of the weapon to a d8 doesn't mean that every attack with that weapon would also use a d8 over riding other rules. That is not what Shillelagh does. It specifically just changes the damage die of the weapon, it doesn't say every possible attack with that weapon uses a d8.
As a result, Polearm Master will use a d4 for damage for attacks with the butt end of a staff/spear/glaive or halberd no matter what the base damage die of the weapon might be. I'm sorry you don't like the way the rules work but the difference is an average of at most 2 damage on every round of combat so it isn't really a big deal.
P.S. The Sage Advice Compendium is "Official Rulings" made and vetted by Wizards of the Coast to help clarify what is intended in the rules as written. Any DM can feel free to ignore it but other than errata (which actually become RAW - Rules As Written), it is as close as you will get to clarification of what the intent is for various rules.
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If I’m a PC who casts this spell a lot, I find a workaround that doesn’t require me to spend a round fumbling for the same components every time. Maybe I attach the mistletoe and shamrock to my staff so they are always there when I need them.
You shouldn't need your DM to accept it. RAW, a Wooden Staff is also a Quarterstaff, so you can cast it Shillelagh on your wooden staff, using it as both your spellcasting focus and the target of the spell.
A DM could rule otherwise, but that's be like a DM ruling that rogues can't get sneak attacks with a dagger.
"For the duration, you can use your spellcasting ability instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of melee attacks using that weapon."
The key word there is CAN. Don't nerf my STR based Fighter / Cleric dueling PaM if he wants to goodberry for 4HP a berry and Shillelagh it up. 😆
If I were to interpret the rules of these two very literally, POM says you may make an additional attack with the other end of the weapon using a bonus action, if shillelagh is in effect, it states that the damage dice of that attack BECOMES a D8 on ALL melee weapon attacks.
So attack is made with POM, the damage die is D4, it is a melee weapon attack with the shillelaghed weapon, so then it BECOMES a D8 because of shillelagh.
Obviously this is a very literal interpretation of the rules and it is up to the DM ultimately if this works. At least in my campaign the literal interpretation is what the rules state so therefore that is what I will be using.
Per the official ruling in Sage Advice Compendium it's still a d4.
No, that's not what it says exactly. The relevant text for Shillelagh simply:
This is no different than saying the damage die for a quarterstaff "becomes" a d8 when taking advantage of the "Versatile" property. It's just specifying a (potentially modified) statistic for the weapon. When applying the Polearm Master feat we do this:
This effect of this feat is applied when triggered. The trigger is "When you take the Attack action". At that point, the damage die statistic for the weapon is already set. If you had already cast Shillelagh that would have had to be done previously as a Bonus Action (presumably on a previous turn or prior to combat unless you somehow have more than one Bonus Action) before taking the Attack action. When the effect of the feat is applied, it specifically states that the weapon's damage die for "this [additional] attack" is a d4. Specific beats General and this overrides the current value of the weapon's damage die.
It's no different than if you had attacked with a glaive which uses a d10 damage die. The feat allows an additional attack with that glaive that uses a d4 damage die. It works the same way.
That's so dumb, though: 'No, you only enchant one end of the weapon!'
I'm not disagreeing with you, or anything. Just commenting that sage advice is often laughable. Fighting with a quarterstaff absolutely uses both ends - and a quarterstaff isn't usable 1-handed. I mean, not that I'm any sort of medieval weapons expert, but I watched an hourlong quarterstaff fighting ... thing. Tutorial, maybe? It was fascinating, but I admit my expertise is superficial at best =D
Blanket disclaimer: I only ever state opinion. But I can sound terribly dogmatic - so if you feel I'm trying to tell you what to think, I'm really not, I swear. I'm telling you what I think, that's all.
WYour point was legitimate though, wthout this official ruling, i think there would be a case for RAW since Polearm Master says the weapon's damage die for this attack is a d4 and Shillelagh says the weapon's damage die becomes a d8 but this Sage Advice clarifieaàs their intentions.
A couple of points here: a quarterstaff is a versatile weapon so can be used 1 handed. Of course I don't know what video you watched but I do know this is reflected in reality in a good number of kung fu styles. As well, in previous editions at least, each end of a double weapon is enchanted separately. While there are no more double weapons, the sage advice may be a tip of the hat to legacy.
The only 5E version of double weapon i know is the Double-Bladed Scimitar and it doesn't say if each end can be enchanted seperately or not but without saying otherwisem it should be enchanted the same way any other weapon can.
Here is the wording for Shillelagh. The wood of a club or quarterstaff you are holding is imbued with nature's power. For the duration, you can use your spellcasting ability instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of melee attacks using that weapon, and the weapon's damage die becomes a d8. Making up the term "special damage die" doesn't make you right. The "JC source" is wrong. Now I see why he isn't a credible source anymore or was ever credible in the first place. You are making a melee attack with the bonus action of PAM and it is with the QS. It now uses a d8. I've always said that there is a ton of clarification needed for feats and spells, but this one is clear. Attacking a DM for a house rule, saying it's overpowered, and then bringing up the rogue, @Lostwhilefishing, is laughable. You can, as a DM, make a house rule that does not make PAM and Shillelagh combine correctly. You can also force your player to use their WIS bonus instead of STR...
We are all in danger!
The Sage Advice Twitter rulings JC makes aren't necessarily binding as rules, but the Sage Advice Compendium (which can be found here on Beyond) IS considered to be RAW. That's where this ruling comes from. So no matter how you look at it, if you rule against PAM dealing 1d4 with Shillelagh, you're not using RAW.
Just to clarify .. the SAC is considered RAI and not RAW. RAW is Rules as Written and the SAC is not rules, it is official rulings or clarifications that define what the rules are intended to say and are thus RAI (Rules As Intended). The difference between RAW and RAI is explained at the start of the SAC.
That said, RAW is relatively clear in this case (in my opinion :) ) if one reads the Shillelagh and Polearm Master text.
1) Shillelagh: "For the duration, you can use your spellcasting ability instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of melee attacks using that weapon, and the weapon’s damage die becomes a d8".
This explicitly states that the weapons damage die becomes a d8. It does not state that ALL attacks with the weapon use a d8 .. it simply changes the normal d6 for a one handed quarterstaff to a d8. It has no effect on the damage die of a quarterstaff wielded two handed since it is already a d8.
2) Polearm Master: "When you take the Attack action and attack with only a glaive, halberd, quarterstaff, or spear, you can use a bonus action to make a melee attack with the opposite end of the weapon. This attack uses the same ability modifier as the primary attack. The weapon’s damage die for this attack is a d4![]()
, and it deals bludgeoning damage."
This explicitly states that the weapon's damage die for this specific attack is a d4 and over rides whatever the weapon's normal damage die would be ... either a d6 from a single handed QS, a d8 from a single hand Shillelagh QS or a d8 from a two handed QS with or without Shillelagh. Polearm Master is arguably a more specific rule than Shillelagh since it applies to only a specific bonus action attack with the weapon granted by the feat while Shillelagh changes the base damage die of the weapon when resolving other attacks.
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Anyway, it is ultimately a DM call on how they want to run it but the PAM bonus action attack should always be a d4 bludgeoning from the base weapon damage because that is what PAM states.
I think I agree with David. We're only talking about 2 points of damage after all. But it seems like PAM was written with Shillelagh in mind -- the listed weapons can only be used with STR yet the feat calls out that you use the same stat used by the main attack and its structure implies that the d4 supersedes whatever might allow you to use a stat other than STR. Is there any other way in the PHB to attack with one of the listed weapons with a stat other than STR?
A hexblade could use Charisma with their pact weapon or hex weapon. A battle smith artificer could use intelligence with a magical staff. Neither of these were in the PHB though when PAM was originally written so it is likely that the main consideration at that time was Shillelagh.
Does SAC have permission to make RAI decisions? Maybe SAC or Wizards of the coast should go through the actual spells and feats and clarify things. I now understand why people would think Shillelagh wouldn't work with PAM, thank you @David42. All it would take is an additional phrase like " The d4 dice cannot be changed". I guess none of it matters because, as said before, the DM rules.
I did not add the QS to PAM. Shillelagh does say, the weapon's damage die becomes a d8. @David42, you said, "It does not state that ALL attacks with the weapon use a d8" They are melee attacks, not all attacks. The QS is also imbued with nature's power, magical. Are you saying that magic cannot add damage to attacks? Does "becomes" override "is a d4" in PAM's description? It does not say the damage dice goes from a d6 to a d8. A club does d4 damage and changes to a d8 using Shillelagh. I still think SAC and RAI is wrong. I'm not sure, but I think Shillelagh is the only spell that alters the damage dice itself. Lastly, every single attack uses a dice or die to calculate damage. In that case, Shillelagh couldn't change the damage dice from d6 to d8. If it can then it can change the d4 from PAM. It's only telling you it's a d4 because you're not using Shillelagh. That's what everything in D&D does. It gives you dice to roll.
We are all in danger!
The SAC is official rulings. Not just the account of one of the designers, but a series of statements the company has published to cover issues listed within. So yes, they absolutely have that power to issue such rulings.
Also, looking into the interactions, Shillelagh adjusts the base damage die of the weapon. Polearm Master is a more specific rule in that it changes the damage of the attack made with that feat, regardless of the weapon or effects on it. Effects that add damage are still valid, such as the Dragon's Wrath Weapons.
Perhaps think of it this way.
A halberd or glaive does d10 damage, a spear or quarterstaff does d6 damage with one hand or d8 damage with two hands. Shillelagh changes the damage die of a quarterstaff from a d6 with one hand to a d8 and allows the user to make attacks using wisdom instead of strength. That is all Shillelagh does. Clubs and other weapons that Shillelagh can be cast on are irrelevant because they can't be used with Polearm Master which is the specific feat being discussed.
Polearm Master allows a bonus action attack using the butt end of the weapon. This SPECIFIC attack uses a d4 for damage. This is completely independent of the damage die of the weapon. A halberd or glaive with d10 damage die does NOT do more damage when making a Polearm Master attack - it uses the same d4 for that attack. A spear or quarterstaff that does d6 or d8 damage ALSO uses a d4 for damage when attacking with the butt end of the weapon as allowed by the Polearm Master feat. Any effect from Shillelagh is irrelevant. Just because it changes the base damage die of the weapon to a d8 doesn't mean that every attack with that weapon would also use a d8 over riding other rules. That is not what Shillelagh does. It specifically just changes the damage die of the weapon, it doesn't say every possible attack with that weapon uses a d8.
As a result, Polearm Master will use a d4 for damage for attacks with the butt end of a staff/spear/glaive or halberd no matter what the base damage die of the weapon might be. I'm sorry you don't like the way the rules work but the difference is an average of at most 2 damage on every round of combat so it isn't really a big deal.
P.S. The Sage Advice Compendium is "Official Rulings" made and vetted by Wizards of the Coast to help clarify what is intended in the rules as written. Any DM can feel free to ignore it but other than errata (which actually become RAW - Rules As Written), it is as close as you will get to clarification of what the intent is for various rules.