Let's Maximize the Sentinel Feat

Just an a honorable mention, if your DM allows UA material, the Tunnel Fighter Fighting style from Unearthed  Arcana: Light,  Dark, Underdark! (Oct 2016) has amazing synergy. You take a bonus action during your turn to enter a defensive stance, and it allows you to make Opportunity Attacks without using your reaction. It also allows you to use your reaction to make a melee attack against a creature that moves more than 5' while within your reach.

I vote for Battlemaster/Rogue since you can pretty reliably use your Sneak Attack with your reaction every round. Sentinel + Riposte is very strong. Bonus points for using Shadowblade.


A few years ago, I played in a one-shot where I was a Tempest Cleric with Warcaster, Magic Initiate for Booming Blade, and Sentinel. We found out later that we were doing many things here very wrong, but I was not only using Booming Blade with my Sentinel reaction attack, but I was also using Divine Strike. I was hitting for like 5d8 damage with my reaction attack each turn lol

The Vengeance Paladin's ability Relentless Avenger combines extremely well with Sentinel and Polearm Master:

If an enemy walks into your (10-foot) reach, you get an opportunity attack. You swing with your polearm, and if you hit, the target's speed is reduced to 0 and you can move your speed without provoking opportunity attacks. If the target doesn't have any way to attack at range, you can lock them down like this.

Blue said:

It seems you'd either want a very high AC to discourage people from attacking you and the Sentinel feat, or a low AC and/or Reckless plus the Battlemaster Riposte maneuver.

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Right, but if you use riposte and have low ac then all sentinel is doing is ensuring the enemy attacks you instead of your ally. Without extra survivability being the primary focused target every combat takes quite a toll. Are you really helping your team if you are incentivizing everything to attack you because you are doing very high damage but have limited survivability? I find that to be a questionable tactic.

IMO instead of counterattacking your enemy when he attacks you are better off with a big defensive buff like rage provides. Now if enemies focus on you then you have the survivability to take it and not worry. If enemies focus on your allies instead because of your defensive capabilities then you are actually getting to use the sentinel feat and do tons of damage. That's a better no win situation, because the enemy doesn't have a correct answer and not all enemy answers will be the same. No one should consistently get focused. You should have plenty of turns utilizing both your primary benefits, the damage reduction and the sentinel attack.

CTurbo said:

I vote for Battlemaster/Rogue since you can pretty reliably use your Sneak Attack with your reaction every round. Sentinel + Riposte is very strong. Bonus points for using Shadowblade.


A few years ago, I played in a one-shot where I was a Tempest Cleric with Warcaster, Magic Initiate for Booming Blade, and Sentinel. We found out later that we were doing many things here very wrong, but I was not only using Booming Blade with my Sentinel reaction attack, but I was also using Divine Strike. I was hitting for like 5d8 damage with my reaction attack each turn lol

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Are you not afraid of being focused to much since after a round or so it will be obvious you are one of the most damaging combatants no matter what the enemy does?

I could see a monk rogue do pretty good this way to. Bonus action dodge could be quite strong.

A cleric / rogue with shield of faith could be promising as well, be an arcane trickster for more spell slots and to eventually get blue. All that's really needed is a single level dip of cleric. Forge Cleric seems like it would be great for this.

Is there any rogue subclass that would be particurarly helpful for this concept? Mastermind or Arcane trickster (with familiar maybe) are the top two IMO.

FrogReaver said:

Is there any rogue subclass that would be particurarly helpful for this concept? Mastermind or Arcane trickster (with familiar maybe) are the top two IMO.

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Swashbuckler to be able to move out of their attack range an position yourself to trigger Sentinel on their action?