Huh, I didn't realize that it specified "when they leave your reach." Although I'm not entirely sure if it's supposed to be attacks when they leave your reach out just any opportunity attacks RAI or not.
Although because of Sentinel you can still hit enemies even when they disengage
Only when they leave your reach, not when they enter it (from PAM).
I'm not sure that Sentinel's "even when they Disengage" clause only applies when leaving reach. It depends on whether you read it as
Creatures provoke opportunity attacks from you COMMA even if they take the Disengage action COMMA before leaving your reach.
this is how you're reading it: you can take AoO when they leave reach, even if they disengaged
Creatures provoke opportunity attacks from you COMMA even if they take the Disengage action before leaving your reach
this is how Demo is reading it: you can take AoO, even if they take Disengage at some point before leaving your reach
In the past I've always read it as Demo has. If I were to plot out the General -> Specific hierarchy of what's allowed, it would go something like...
Movement does not generally provoke attacks of opportunity
"Yes" conditions: none
Movement out of a foe's reach provokes attacks of opportunity, but into or within does not
[none][only movement taking you out of reach]
Movement while unseen does not provoke attacks of opportunity
[only movement taking you out of reach] + [while seen]
Movement while not hostile does not provoke attacks of opportunity
[ only movement taking you out of reach] + [while seen] + [while hostile]
Non-movement Movement (pulling, pushing, etc) does not provoke attacks of opportunity
[only movement taking you out of reach] + [that uses movement] + [while seen] + [while hostile]
If you take the Disengage action, your movement doesn't provoke opportunity attacks for the rest of the turn
[only movement taking you out of reach] + [that uses movement] + [while seen] + [while hostile] + [while not having taken Disengage Action]
Polearm Master: While you are wielding a glaive, halberd, pike, quarterstaff, or spear, other creatures provoke an opportunity attack from you when they enter your reach.
[only movement taking you out of reach][movement that takes you into or out of (but not within) reach] + [that uses movement] + [while seen] + [while hostile] + [while not having taken Disengage Action]
Sentinel: Creatures provoke opportunity attacks from you even if they take the Disengage action before leaving your reach.
[movement that takes you into or out of (but not within) reach] + [that uses movement] + [while seen] + [while hostile] [while not having taken Disengage Action]
Cavalier 10: Creatures provoke an opportunity attack from you when they move 5 feet or more while within your reach
[movement that takes you into or out of (but not within) reach] [creatures that move out of, into, or within reach] + [that uses movement] + [while seen] + [while hostile]
Punctuation analysis aside, I'm trying to think of a circumstance where someone would take the disengage action and not also leave melee range.
They might, to prevent Opportunity Attacks when entering the range of a creature wielding a polearm with Polearm Master and Sentinel. Maybe a Rogue would use their bonus action to Disengage, close in, then sneak attack. Or a Fighter would Disengage, close in, then Action Surge and attack. They'd want to stay in melee range, for subsequent melee attacks, presumably.
Also, is Polearm Master/ Great Weapon Master a good combo? I was thinking of a Battle Master Fighter with three levels of Swashbuckler Rogue, at ninth level, three attacks per turn with an average of 20 damage with one end of the Halberd, and like 18 with the other. (He has 20 Strength)
Also, is Polearm Master/ Great Weapon Master a good combo? I was thinking of a Battle Master Fighter with three levels of Swashbuckler Rogue, at ninth level, three attacks per turn with an average of 20 damage with one end of the Halberd, and like 18 with the other. (He has 20 Strength)
Edit: Plus 2d6 sneak attack
None of the polearms listed have the finesse property and unless the weapon has the finesse property cannot be used for sneak attack.
The sentinel feat only works on one enemy per turn and that enemy is frozen in place for 6 seconds only. As the do not re-enter threat range they can not be targeted for another oppotunity attack. Sentinel/Polearm is basically a great way to make sure you can use reaction/action/bonus action each turn and conflicts with most battlemaster maneuvers. Yes it can be powerful against a small number of foes, but is prone to being swarmed, spells and ranged combat. That seems to be a fair use of two feats that could be AS I's giving you +2 to hit/Damage/AC and initiative.
"Basically... if you love the combat. and don't really care about any other aspect of D&D. "
Having powerful feats and caring about other aspects of D&D, are NOT mutually exclusive. A lesser man than myself would call that a snobbish viewpoint.
Quick clarification on polearm master...1) you gain a extra 1d4 attack on top of you regular attack(s) plus attack and damage modification 1d4+3 dmg. 2) you gain extra attacks every time opponents engage and or disengage you ie. Fighter is ready position 3 goblins move 15 feet to attack and come in range I get a bonus opportunity attack on each of them plus what ever attacks i have? 3) spear is listed as weapon no explicit restrictions on one or two handed use of spear. Could pair spear technically with shield and get all of the above bonuses from this feat?
Man. I get really tired of browsing the forums, seeing what looks like an interesting discussion to chime in on, then reading a bit and realizing "Oh, this is from two years ago. Damnit -_-"
Every single class forum is eighty percent meaningless threads from 2018 or earlier. Was looking at this one, realized there's no point in talking about Polearm Master in it because it's old. There should really be some kind of warning when somebody's trying to post in a thread like this that flashes "WARNING: THIS THREAD IS 6+ MONTHS OLD; NOBODY CARES WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY IN IT ANYMORE"
Quick clarification on polearm master...1) you gain a extra 1d4 attack on top of you regular attack(s) plus attack and damage modification 1d4+3 dmg. 2) you gain extra attacks every time opponents engage and or disengage you ie. Fighter is ready position 3 goblins move 15 feet to attack and come in range I get a bonus opportunity attack on each of them plus what ever attacks i have? 3) spear is listed as weapon no explicit restrictions on one or two handed use of spear. Could pair spear technically with shield and get all of the above bonuses from this feat?
1) Not true. You gain the option of using your one bonus action to make a weapon attack dealing 1d4+Str bludgeoning damage. It is not an extra attack on top of the attack(s) you might have when taking the Attack action.
2) Not true. You only have one reaction per round of combat, and PAM does not grant you additional reactions. It only alters the conditions in which a creature can provoke an attack of opportunity from the PAM character. 3 goblins move into your threatened range. They all provoke AoOs, but you can only actually make an AoO against one of them. One attack; nothing else.
3) True (sorta)! You absolutely get all of the bonuses PAM grants while wielding a Spear one-handed, two-handed, or one-handed + shield.
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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.
Was curious about why PAM + Sentinel combo was so highly regarded. But man, people in this post just happen to forget ranged attacks and spells exist. Yes, you stop an enemy from moving when they enter/leave you reach, but they're not stuck there forever: since disengage doesn't work they use the dodge action and move away, cuz if they're going to be attacked by an opportunity attack, their enemy might as well do it at disadvantage. Then they blast from afar with their ranged weapon. If there are casters there, you're pretty much f'cked anyways cuz they're just going to throw magic at you. One of them might go "hmmm, this adventurer is too much trouble" and take you out of the fight entirely without killing you.
I like Polearm Master as it gives you a way to attack with your reaction and bonus action, let it even be used with some one-handed weapons, the Dueling Fighting Style and a shield.
PAM is good because it opens your character up to different build options.
Duellist fighting style while wielding shield + Spear gives your Action: atk 1d6+(atk mod) +2 and Bonus action: 1d4+(atk mod)+2 . All while having and +2 to AC from the shield
Add Barbarian levels to add a flat Rage damage bonus across all hits that lands
Use of Two handed reach weapons open up to GWM + Sentinel combo at later levels, giving you more chances to utilize your reaction each round
Pair PAM with Mobile or Swashbuckler Rogue to maximize your chances to use reactions each round without receiving opp atks from your target.
Pam pairs well with the crusher feat which allows you to move targets around each turn when the bonus atk lands. Useful if your party runs AOE spells and effects.
Paladin with Pam gets another chance to smite when your bonus atk. lands.
Blood Hunter adds an additional Hemocraft Die worth of damage for each atk that lands including your bonus atks.
There'd probably be more crazy examples when you dive into subclasses so I'll stop here
Was curious about why PAM + Sentinel combo was so highly regarded. But man, people in this post just happen to forget ranged attacks and spells exist. Yes, you stop an enemy from moving when they enter/leave you reach, but they're not stuck there forever: since disengage doesn't work they use the dodge action and move away, cuz if they're going to be attacked by an opportunity attack, their enemy might as well do it at disadvantage. Then they blast from afar with their ranged weapon. If there are casters there, you're pretty much f'cked anyways cuz they're just going to throw magic at you. One of them might go "hmmm, this adventurer is too much trouble" and take you out of the fight entirely without killing you.
The thing is that very few creatures have reliable ranged options. At least the monsters that you want to engage in melee and it will probably suffer the effects of PAM + Sentinel most likely won’t even have a ranged attack option.
Of course you will fight against enemies’ archers, spellcasters, etc. But the value of locking down a dragon who entered your reach is insanely good.
It's good because it gives opportunity attacks when you are approached at reach (10') and because you get a bonus action to attack with the butt of the weapon. It works well with sentinel.
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Huh, I didn't realize that it specified "when they leave your reach." Although I'm not entirely sure if it's supposed to be attacks when they leave your reach out just any opportunity attacks RAI or not.
I'm not sure that Sentinel's "even when they Disengage" clause only applies when leaving reach. It depends on whether you read it as
In the past I've always read it as Demo has. If I were to plot out the General -> Specific hierarchy of what's allowed, it would go something like...
[none][only movement taking you out of reach][only movement taking you out of reach][movement that takes you into or out of (but not within) reach] + [that uses movement] + [while seen] + [while hostile] + [while not having taken Disengage Action][while not having taken Disengage Action][movement that takes you into or out of (but not within) reach][creatures that move out of, into, or within reach] + [that uses movement] + [while seen] + [while hostile]dndbeyond.com forum tags
I'm going to make this way harder than it needs to be.
Punctuation analysis aside, I'm trying to think of a circumstance where someone would take the disengage action and not also leave melee range.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
They might, to prevent Opportunity Attacks when entering the range of a creature wielding a polearm with Polearm Master and Sentinel. Maybe a Rogue would use their bonus action to Disengage, close in, then sneak attack. Or a Fighter would Disengage, close in, then Action Surge and attack. They'd want to stay in melee range, for subsequent melee attacks, presumably.
My bad for focusing my response on the Sentinel feat and not on Polearm Master, which is the purpose of this thread.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
You can be such a good frontliner, stopping enemies from running past you to the casters behind. 10/10
Also, is Polearm Master/ Great Weapon Master a good combo? I was thinking of a Battle Master Fighter with three levels of Swashbuckler Rogue, at ninth level, three attacks per turn with an average of 20 damage with one end of the Halberd, and like 18 with the other. (He has 20 Strength)
Edit: Plus 2d6 sneak attack
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None of the polearms listed have the finesse property and unless the weapon has the finesse property cannot be used for sneak attack.
The sentinel feat only works on one enemy per turn and that enemy is frozen in place for 6 seconds only. As the do not re-enter threat range they can not be targeted for another oppotunity attack. Sentinel/Polearm is basically a great way to make sure you can use reaction/action/bonus action each turn and conflicts with most battlemaster maneuvers. Yes it can be powerful against a small number of foes, but is prone to being swarmed, spells and ranged combat. That seems to be a fair use of two feats that could be AS I's giving you +2 to hit/Damage/AC and initiative.
"Basically... if you love the combat. and don't really care about any other aspect of D&D. "
Having powerful feats and caring about other aspects of D&D, are NOT mutually exclusive. A lesser man than myself would call that a snobbish viewpoint.
Quick clarification on polearm master...1) you gain a extra 1d4 attack on top of you regular attack(s) plus attack and damage modification 1d4+3 dmg. 2) you gain extra attacks every time opponents engage and or disengage you ie. Fighter is ready position 3 goblins move 15 feet to attack and come in range I get a bonus opportunity attack on each of them plus what ever attacks i have? 3) spear is listed as weapon no explicit restrictions on one or two handed use of spear. Could pair spear technically with shield and get all of the above bonuses from this feat?
Both the PAM “coming into range” attack and the normal opportunity attacks use your reaction, of which you only get one.
Speak instead of Quarterstaff, sure I guess, for some reason I prefer quarterstaff, more innocuous.
Man. I get really tired of browsing the forums, seeing what looks like an interesting discussion to chime in on, then reading a bit and realizing "Oh, this is from two years ago. Damnit -_-"
Every single class forum is eighty percent meaningless threads from 2018 or earlier. Was looking at this one, realized there's no point in talking about Polearm Master in it because it's old. There should really be some kind of warning when somebody's trying to post in a thread like this that flashes "WARNING: THIS THREAD IS 6+ MONTHS OLD; NOBODY CARES WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY IN IT ANYMORE"
Please do not contact or message me.
1) Not true. You gain the option of using your one bonus action to make a weapon attack dealing 1d4+Str bludgeoning damage. It is not an extra attack on top of the attack(s) you might have when taking the Attack action.
2) Not true. You only have one reaction per round of combat, and PAM does not grant you additional reactions. It only alters the conditions in which a creature can provoke an attack of opportunity from the PAM character. 3 goblins move into your threatened range. They all provoke AoOs, but you can only actually make an AoO against one of them. One attack; nothing else.
3) True (sorta)! You absolutely get all of the bonuses PAM grants while wielding a Spear one-handed, two-handed, or one-handed + shield.
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.
The info in old threads is relevant to new players.
Was curious about why PAM + Sentinel combo was so highly regarded. But man, people in this post just happen to forget ranged attacks and spells exist. Yes, you stop an enemy from moving when they enter/leave you reach, but they're not stuck there forever: since disengage doesn't work they use the dodge action and move away, cuz if they're going to be attacked by an opportunity attack, their enemy might as well do it at disadvantage. Then they blast from afar with their ranged weapon. If there are casters there, you're pretty much f'cked anyways cuz they're just going to throw magic at you. One of them might go "hmmm, this adventurer is too much trouble" and take you out of the fight entirely without killing you.
I like Polearm Master as it gives you a way to attack with your reaction and bonus action, let it even be used with some one-handed weapons, the Dueling Fighting Style and a shield.
PAM is good because it opens your character up to different build options.
There'd probably be more crazy examples when you dive into subclasses so I'll stop here
The thing is that very few creatures have reliable ranged options. At least the monsters that you want to engage in melee and it will probably suffer the effects of PAM + Sentinel most likely won’t even have a ranged attack option.
Of course you will fight against enemies’ archers, spellcasters, etc. But the value of locking down a dragon who entered your reach is insanely good.
It's good because it gives opportunity attacks when you are approached at reach (10') and because you get a bonus action to attack with the butt of the weapon. It works well with sentinel.
Food, Scifi/fantasy, anime, DND 5E and OSR geek.