D&D 5E Warcaster, polearm master and learning to love the optimizing?

[PnPgamer]

Ummm... Can the player then choose to provoke at 10ft for polearm or 5ft for spell? Said beforehand? Said on the spot?

 

[DaveDash]

8 enemies + Disengage action. Lets see how good in melee he is then. Medium AC, medium hitpoints, +2 Con at most.

Even better use Goblins (disengage as a bonus). Nothing says they have to disengage away from him.

 

[Leatherhead]

If you do run this, remember that ranged attacks within 5' suffer from disadvantage.

 

[redrick]

Ummm... Can the player then choose to provoke at 10ft for polearm or 5ft for spell? Said beforehand? Said on the spot?

As written, polearm mastery allows the oa so long as the polearm is wielded. It is the assertion of the player that warcaster would transfer this weapon attack to a spell attack. (Basically, he is using his polearm as a spell focus and somatic component.) Strict raw supports this claim. Strict RAI overturns it (see mearls above.)

 

[PnPgamer]

As written, polearm mastery allows the oa so long as the polearm is wielded. It is the assertion of the player that warcaster would transfer this weapon attack to a spell attack. (Basically, he is using his polearm as a spell focus and somatic component.) Strict raw supports this claim. Strict RAI overturns it (see mearls above.)

No i meant that can the player use warcaster granted spell aoo whenever he wishes, by forfeiting his 10ft reach?

 

[pemerton]

When you have to start modifying your adventures to deal with one character, that is the definition of overpowered.

I modify my adventures to deal with all the characters

Modifying for the individual choices of parties I think we all do, but being forced to modify to challenge one player is no fun as a DM.

I can see where Celtavian is coming from but on this one I think I'm closer to Paraxis. For instance, when the PCs in my 4e game started to get access to flight (around mid-Paragon: a flying carpet at 15th level and an at-will power at 16th), I started working harder on the vertical aspect of my encounter terrain design.

For me, the issue is more one of over-shadowing - does taking account of one character mean that I have to design something that will eclipse the others?

 

[Paraxis]

Ummm... Can the player then choose to provoke at 10ft for polearm or 5ft for spell? Said beforehand? Said on the spot?

From my understanding of the feat polearm master, the AoO happens when "they enter your reach", according to Sage Advice that happens at 10'. The warcaster feat allows you to replace that AoO with a spell, so that would also happen at 10'.

Now although we have sage advice answers to some of these issues there is ambiguity because the rules as written don't mash with the sage answers being rules as intended. For example there is confusion about the whole reach thing, because reach says "Reach. This weapon adds 5 feet to your reach when you attack with it.", its the when you attack with part that is of concern, because are you attacking with it when it isn't your turn? some people don't/didn't think so and that would mean for things like polearm master the attack wouldn't trigger until they come within 5' of you. But then Mike stated on Sage Advice what I linked earlier that in fact the attack should happen at 10'.

The idea of letting him only get in one eldritch blast during an AoO with this combo seems to me to be a fine compromise. I don't know if I would rule that way but if it became an issue I think that would be my first recourse instead of disallowing the combination to work at all. But to each their own.

Sometimes I miss the clearly spelled out RAW of 4e, and then I remember the fact my groups are having more fun in 5e and all is well again, vague rules or no, fun is fun.

 

[pemerton]

I will probably let him run with it as is for the next session, but make it clear that the ability is on a trial.

That sounds like a good approach. If he's a reasonable guy (and your posts make him sound like one) then he should understand this.

 

[pemerton]

Sometimes I miss the clearly spelled out RAW of 4e

Don't get too nostalgic! 4e has plenty of vague or poorly-worded rules. Like your reach example, several of them turn on the meaning of the word "attack", which is used a lot in the rules but never defined as a term of art.

 

[Kikuras]

The build seems a bit MAD to me, which can go a long way as a self-imposed limitation by the player. It may also be a bit conceptually hard to swallow, from a rules point of view, but when all is said and done, it's not really doing so much more damage than other optimized builds, and may simply keep pace at best.