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


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I think by RAW both interpretations are valid. One is the OA never happens with the polearm and thus you don't get it at 10ft, the other is by virtue of having a polearm and the polearm master feat you trigger an OA regardless, and whether you attack with it or not is moot.

And this is the maddening thing with 5e for those of us who like RAW. You get a different answer every time you read a set of rules.
 

As a player, I'd accept that. Heck, when I first saw the Polearm Master feat, I would have gladly taken the AoO ability only at 5', and still would if the DM wanted it that way. The problem, however, is with the War Caster feat. As I have stated before, the RAW is that it doesn't matter where or why there's an AoO, the origins of the AoO are NOT in question, as long as there's an AoO, it can be replaced with a reaction spell.

I'd accept it as a player too but since I'm not DM, I'm going to stay quiet. :D
 


Step 1: foe moves, provoking OA from polearm mastery
Step 2: warcaster lets you cast a spell in place of taking the OA granted by movement

I don't see where the issue is here. Apparently eejits flow is:

Step 1: foe moves, provoking OA from polearm mastery
Step 2: warcaster lets you cast a spell in place of OA
Step 3: go back to step 1 and claim that the OA never happened in the first place because suddenly you're not wielding a polearm?

So... does a vengeance paladin with relentless avenger always have to stay within reach of his target, lest the OA triggering it evaporate?
 

Step 1: foe moves, provoking OA from polearm mastery
Step 2: warcaster lets you cast a spell in place of taking the OA granted by movement

I don't see where the issue is here. Apparently eejits flow is:

Step 1: foe moves, provoking OA from polearm mastery
Step 2: warcaster lets you cast a spell in place of OA
Step 3: go back to step 1 and claim that the OA never happened in the first place because suddenly you're not wielding a polearm?
A Reaction isn't generally a series of steps, Reactions are a single immediate response. They aren't Actions. No Extra Attack, no movement or object interaction.

So you can generally replace an OA caused by movement with a spell as a War Caster. However if an OA has very specific limitations then that may not be possible. A 10' Reach OA can only be carried out with a Reach weapon. The specificity here on how you can use such an OA prevents replacement.

So... does a vengeance paladin with relentless avenger always have to stay within reach of his target, lest the OA triggering it evaporate?

No, because Relentless Avenger specifically overrides how a normal OA reaction works by adding to it.
 


*peeks inside* Didn't the developers flat out say that Polearm Mastery's Attack of Opportunity needs to be made with the polearm in question? What's the argument about? If you want it house ruled to a different way, then why not just house rule it? If you're not the DM, then ask them. If they don't like it that way, then they're entitled to have the game run the way they wish.


Personally, I prefer to have Sentinel + Warcaster with a Fiend Blade Warlock, and run up into their face. Armor of Aragys/Fire Shield and Hellish Rebuke if you attack me, get smacked by eldritch blast if you run away, slash you with the pact blade if you try attacking someone else. No good options for the enemy there.
 

Hiya!

I didn't read the whole 12+ pages, but did some quick skimming.

No matter how you slice it, here's my 2¢.

First, I always look at the name of the Feat (so far; our next campaign isn't going to use them, and the current one may even nix them retroactively...but that's neither here nor there). The Feat is called "Polearm Mastery". So, that means, as far as I am concerned, that the benefits of the Feat are only applied when actually using the Polearm. Casting a spell is not using the polearm...and therefor would not be allowed in my game. You have "Polearm Mastery", not "Polarm-Spellcasting Mastery". With this basis for interpretation, all of us are stomaching the whole Feat thing better.

Second, I totally respect power-gamer/optimizer's right to play the game however they want. However, and this is talking from experience with some pretty major optimizer's over an array of different RPG's over the decades I've been DM'ing, optimizing is an "all or nothing" thing. That is, everyone at the table has to be doing it and into it. If even one person at the table doesn't want to or doesn't like it, it will end in tears. I have one player who enjoys "optimized-specialty". He enjoys creating one-trick-ponies, basically. He doesn't care how effective (overall) his character is most of the time, as long as he can do the "cool stuff" he built his character to do at least once in a session, he's happy. I have two other players who could give an osquips behind about optimizing. We have, mostly in the past, had some, uh, "sour feels" arise over the course of a campaign. The Opt'ed PC was mostly useless, most of the time...but when he could, for example, fight in his element (whatever he was optimized for), ALL the other PC's were mostly useless. Over time, the optimizer has really, really tonned down his optimization to the point I don't really consider him a powergamer/optimizer anymore (unless he's in one of his moods again... ;) ).

Anyway...sorry for the rambling. The point is this: To the OP, don't decide by yourself. Make it a group thing. Explain that if this is allowed to fly, then everyone should optimize their characters and he (the DM) will do likewise for specific NPC's and monsters. If anyone in the group says "I don't really like doing that...I'd rather have a more balanced character", then you should enforce a more "if it smells like limburger or havaarti, then no...you can't". Powergamers and non-powergamers simply do not mix, I'm sorry to say. :(

^_^

Paul L. Ming
 


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