"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."
Can the shove, disarm or similar optional actions be taken with this feature? Meaning; say I 'strike with my halberd across my foes chest' as to open up defenses, then 'knock their weapon out of their grip' with the BA? And if so, is the damage die (d4) rolled as well?
The Shove attack is a special attack which must be used during the Attack Action - replacing one of your normal weapon attacks. You cannot use it during your bonus action.
The Bonus Action attack from Polearm Master is just that a Bonus Action attack that specifically uses a D4 for weapon damage. You can't swap it out for anything else unless that other thing also uses a Bonus Action - in which case having Polearm Master didn't contribute anything.
Ps. You mention disarming. That's not an action available to everyone. A few class abilities add that (a Fighter's Battlemaster manoeuvre for example) and they will specify explicitly when you're able to do it.
I think there might be some confusion on the question here. I believe that OP could be asking about two different things, though he doesn't seem to recognize it.
One question is what he asked first: "Can the features work together?" This question isn't really what the example asks, if you really want to know if you can make an attack different than just a melee weapon attack (with a glaive, halberd, quarterstaff, or spear) and still be able to take the BA attack provided by PAM. When you use your attack action to shove a creature (etc) is that an attack with one of those weapons that would allow the bonus action attack? I think that might be DM dependent. I would probably say that it depends on how you flavor it. If you say you shove him with the haft of your spear, sure. If you put your spear down, no. PAM doesn't say you have to make a melee weapon attack, just an attack using one of the listed weapons. A shove (disarm, etc) is an attack, the question is whether it uses the weapon and qualifies to allow the BA attack.
The question the OP actually asked is "Can I replace my bonus action melee weapon attack with another type of attack?" This depends on the wording of the other attack. Shove? No. It says "Using the attack action..." so it must be part of your action, and not bonus action. Disarm? Yes. As DxJxC says, it doesn't say that it is part of your action. Others? Depends on their wording whether they are attacks as (part of) your action or just any attack.
Edit: I'm not sure on my answer on the second question now. As Emmber says, the feat says exactly what you can do with the bonus action. On the other hand, disarm says that a weapon attack could be replaced by a disarm attempt. I'm not really sure which rule takes precedence here.
I might simply split the difference and say that if you'd like to disarm the opponent and also make a weapon attack, you can use your action to disarm and make the d4 bonus action attack.
Disarming as a combat option is an optional rule only used at a DM's discretion, so the standard RAW answer is a flat out "no" to disarming as either the action or bonus action.
If a DM does allow the disarming combat option as written, then it's a flat "yes". Without other modifications, regardless of the type of action used, the disarm simply substitutes itself in place of a weapon attack. It could be used in place of the weapon attack from taking an attack of opportunity as well.
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So the Pole Arm Master feat states:
"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."
Can the shove, disarm or similar optional actions be taken with this feature? Meaning; say I 'strike with my halberd across my foes chest' as to open up defenses, then 'knock their weapon out of their grip' with the BA? And if so, is the damage die (d4) rolled as well?
The Shove attack is a special attack which must be used during the Attack Action - replacing one of your normal weapon attacks. You cannot use it during your bonus action.
The Bonus Action attack from Polearm Master is just that a Bonus Action attack that specifically uses a D4 for weapon damage. You can't swap it out for anything else unless that other thing also uses a Bonus Action - in which case having Polearm Master didn't contribute anything.
Ps. You mention disarming. That's not an action available to everyone. A few class abilities add that (a Fighter's Battlemaster manoeuvre for example) and they will specify explicitly when you're able to do it.
Mega Yahtzee Thread:
Highest 41: brocker2001 (#11,285).
Yahtzee of 2's: Emmber (#36,161).
Lowest 9: JoeltheWalrus (#312), Emmber (#12,505) and Dertinus (#20,953).
Disarming is an optional rule in the DMG, but assuming it's allowed at all, it is allowed for everyone.
Aside from that, as Emmber said, the feat tells you what you can do with that bonus action. You can't use it for anything else.
If you mean the disarm option in the DMG, I think you can replace any weapon attack with it, but it doesn't do damage.
I think there might be some confusion on the question here. I believe that OP could be asking about two different things, though he doesn't seem to recognize it.
One question is what he asked first: "Can the features work together?" This question isn't really what the example asks, if you really want to know if you can make an attack different than just a melee weapon attack (with a glaive, halberd, quarterstaff, or spear) and still be able to take the BA attack provided by PAM. When you use your attack action to shove a creature (etc) is that an attack with one of those weapons that would allow the bonus action attack? I think that might be DM dependent. I would probably say that it depends on how you flavor it. If you say you shove him with the haft of your spear, sure. If you put your spear down, no. PAM doesn't say you have to make a melee weapon attack, just an attack using one of the listed weapons. A shove (disarm, etc) is an attack, the question is whether it uses the weapon and qualifies to allow the BA attack.
The question the OP actually asked is "Can I replace my bonus action melee weapon attack with another type of attack?" This depends on the wording of the other attack. Shove? No. It says "Using the attack action..." so it must be part of your action, and not bonus action. Disarm? Yes. As DxJxC says, it doesn't say that it is part of your action. Others? Depends on their wording whether they are attacks as (part of) your action or just any attack.
Edit: I'm not sure on my answer on the second question now. As Emmber says, the feat says exactly what you can do with the bonus action. On the other hand, disarm says that a weapon attack could be replaced by a disarm attempt. I'm not really sure which rule takes precedence here.
I might simply split the difference and say that if you'd like to disarm the opponent and also make a weapon attack, you can use your action to disarm and make the d4 bonus action attack.
Disarming as a combat option is an optional rule only used at a DM's discretion, so the standard RAW answer is a flat out "no" to disarming as either the action or bonus action.
If a DM does allow the disarming combat option as written, then it's a flat "yes". Without other modifications, regardless of the type of action used, the disarm simply substitutes itself in place of a weapon attack. It could be used in place of the weapon attack from taking an attack of opportunity as well.
You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.