D&D 5E Great Weapon Mastery - once more into the breach! (with math)

[Yunru]

You have to use your action to either: Attack, or continue to move an other 30 feet.

This bit... isn't actually a thing. You can move the other 30 feet without any action usage.

 

[Helldritch]

1. A solid point. Though keep in mind most of those abilities are relatively low level and you can power precision attack for a whole adventuring day pretty easily without retreating to rest and without taking up high level spell slots. Haste is a bit of an outlier as it's a level 3 spell. But I don't see many GWM comparisons utilizing haste in their comparison any more. So there is a small power boost to GWM fighters with more rests I agree but it's not as pronounced as you are making it out to be.

There definitely is a problem with the 5mwd though. It's just a minor influence on GWM though.

Thank you for giving me that point. We're getting common grounds in here.

2. There was no corridor in your knight example as the rest of the party went right by him to engage the other enemies. Once the fighter realized he was dodging like that he could easily have done the same for the price of a single OA attack. So incompetent player? He's attacking a creature that is clearly trying to keep him tied up with a very high AC (which negates the benefits of GWM on its own) and is dodging him to further decrease his DPS and he doesn't notice that he should be attacking something else when he clearly can?

Two eladrin from the DMG. They used misty steps to bypass the barrage... So no. Please do not assume bad play. Assume some things were missing as I was not trying to recap a whole fight but highlight some of what was going on. Give them a bit credits on their play. Had they been so blatantly inept, I would not have brought that up.

Though this may have had something to do with your incorrect OA rules (or did you just homebrew them that way)?

My read of the rules are quite correct on that one. It's yours that is flawed. But to your credit, it is a common mistake. See my earlier post on that comment.

4. I'm not nearly as concerned about modifying ac as long as you factor that into the xp and aren't simply doing it to negate a players chosen feat choice (which is usually the case). Even then an occasional challenge where you negate the feat with modified AC's is fine. But it shouldn't happen often.

I wholeheartedly agree with you. Players are the heroes of our games. They should feel like they are heroes. But sometimes, it's hard to be a hero... Yep, I do it, but not often. After all, These feats are present in my games and I really want to see every characters/players having a chance to be spotlight of the session.

 

[FrogReaver]

Wow to you. Opportunity stop declared movement p.195 of the PHB. Sentinel feat reduces your movement to zero. Top right side paragraph just under the boxed text.

Meaning: I move to the archer, leaving the dodger in the dust. I need 20 feet to reach the archer. The dodger hit with OA. Bang! You lost 20 feet to your movement. You have to use your action to either: Attack, or continue to move an other 30 feet. Which could be interrupted by an other OA if an other foe is in range. Then when your action is over; you move the rest of your movement that is 10 feet.

With the sentinel feat, your movement is reduced to zero, forcing you to attack or dodge. You wouldn't be able to use your action to move as your movement is now zero.

You should re read some of the mechanics of the game... But it is a common mistakes that I have often seen.

That doesn't mean what you think it means. "The attack interrupts the provoking creature's movement" is a statement about timing not about stopping the movement.

 

[Helldritch]

This bit... isn't actually a thing. You can move the other 30 feet without any action usage.

Hem... Unless you're a rogue, but here we were talking about a GWM. You have to take the dash action to move again.
Movement can be seperated between your attacks. If you do not attack you can not continue to move. Otherwise it would be assumed that you were moving your full movement. You have to do something. Like casting a spell, make an attack and move away for the rest of your movement, which, in that case would have been 10 feet. Unless I read the movement rule incorectly on that one.

It said you can move, attack, move again, attack again and move again. Not move, get stopped by OA. continue to move. It is there to force you to use your action to attack the opportunist. Once you have used your action, you can move the rest of your move after the first attack if you so desire, make all your attacks on the dodging annoyance and move the rest of your move.

Otherwise it would not have been specified that the OA prevented the declared movement.
But if I am wrong, please point me where it is so said, so that I may improve myself.

 

[Helldritch]

From the PHB: "The attack interrupts the provoking creature's movement, occuring right before it leaves your reach."

If that does not stop the declared movement... nothing will. Read the interupt entry in the dictionnary. For the dictionary, something that is interupted has been stop. Be it momentarily, or permanently. In that case, it is only temporary. With the sentinel feat. It is permanent (for the round that means.)

 

[Ancalagon]

My edition of the PHB does not state that the movement is interrupted. I am not quite sure what version I have, but it does mention having correction added to the fist printing so...

 

[Caliban]

therwise it would not have been specified that the OA prevented the declared movement.
But if I am wrong, please point me where it is so said, so that I may improve myself.

Nowhere does it specify that a normal Opportunity Attack prevents movement. It interrupts (as in "takes place during") the movement, but doesn't stop it. That is what the Sentinel feat does.

[Edit] After doing some checking, the part where it says "The attack interrupts the provoking creatures movement, occurring right before the creature leaves your reach." has been removed in subsequent printings. It doesn't seem to be mentioned in the errata, but it's a definite change (of wording, if not of meaning).

It's in my 1st printing PHB, but not in a newer printing I purchased after the binding on the first one fell apart.

Now it simply says "The attack occurs right before the creature leaves your reach."

 

[FrogReaver]

Hem... Unless you're a rogue, but here we were talking about a GWM. You have to take the dash action to move again.
Movement can be seperated between your attacks. If you do not attack you can not continue to move. Otherwise it would be assumed that you were moving your full movement. You have to do something. Like casting a spell, make an attack and move away for the rest of your movement, which, in that case would have been 10 feet. Unless I read the movement rule incorectly on that one.

It said you can move, attack, move again, attack again and move again. Not move, get stopped by OA. continue to move. It is there to force you to use your action to attack the opportunist. Once you have used your action, you can move the rest of your move after the first attack if you so desire, make all your attacks on the dodging annoyance and move the rest of your move.

Otherwise it would not have been specified that the OA prevented the declared movement.
But if I am wrong, please point me where it is so said, so that I may improve myself.

I'm going to be nice because I know you believe you are right. So I won't be belligerent.

Do you believe you can move 15ft west to your sword that's lying on the ground. Pick up the sword and then move 10ft north and then finally attack something?

 

[Helldritch]

I have the first printing of the PHB and the errata. It is written as I have written it.
The errata does not mention anything about a change in wording.

I just phone to a friend, who has the 3rd or 4th printing. The interupting of movement by OA isn't there anymore. It was not errata in anyway on the sage advice on Wizard's site... Which one is the correct way?

 

[FrogReaver]

From the PHB: "The attack interrupts the provoking creature's movement, occuring right before it leaves your reach."

If that does not stop the declared movement... nothing will. Read the interupt entry in the dictionnary. For the dictionary, something that is interupted has been stop. Be it momentarily, or permanently. In that case, it is only temporary. With the sentinel feat. It is permanent (for the round that means.)

I think the issue is a couple of other minor points.

There is no move action. I simply move until I am satisfied with where I am or am out of movement. So suppose you are right and the opportunity attack really does stop the movement. What is to prevent me from starting my movement again? What rule says that being interrupted while I am moving prevents me from continuing to move?