Halberd Fighter - What order feats?

[Blue]

So perhaps something like this:

v.Human feat: Polearm Master
3rd level Maneuvers: Precision Attack, Pushing Attack, Trip Attack
4th level: Sentinel
6th level: +2 Str.
8th level: GWM or +2 Str.
12th level: whichever I didn't take at 8th
14th level: Tough

Don't lock yourself in. If you see that your party is good on buffing (or debuffing) then between that and Precision Attack go for GWM @ 4th. If not, see the types of terrain your DM likes - wide open, tight, complex, full of hazards - and if justified pick up Sentinel. If you're missing a lot or neither of the others are true, go +2 STR. You're not advancing your character in a vaccuum, but rather at a specific table. Play to that.

 

[FrogReaver]

For Maneuvers, I recommend menacing. If an enemy is frightened of you they can't move closer to you. If you reaction hit with PAM then using menacing can also prevent them from getting close. It allows you some freedom to still perform your tactic even if you chose GWM or +2 Str at level 4.

 

[Esker]

The focus isn't that you can prevent an enemy from ever attacking. You won't. You'll eventually miss. They'll go around you. You will get swarmed etc.

What the combo works great for is often keeping an enemy out of combat for a turn. It's great passive control. Denying even 1-2 actions in a combat is a very powerful ability.

Yes, this exactly. It's fun to think about the extreme case, but you don't need the perfect circumstances for this to be a powerful interaction. You can think of it as a 1st level command spell (using "halt") that triggers on a successful attack instead of a failed save, comes along with an attack's worth of damage, and happens on someone else's turn. And instead of using a spell slot or an action, you can use it on any round that someone comes within 10' of you.

And the other choices you'd want to make to maximize this interaction are the same whether you're able to avoid getting hit completely (which you usually won't) or not: pushing attack and precision attack are still great. I'd take defense fighting style rather than GWF, personally, since you're trying to make yourself the target. Menacing, goading, or maneuvering would probably be my third choice of maneuver at 3rd.

 

[Esker]

You're not advancing your character in a vaccuum, but rather at a specific table. Play to that.

Except that since this is an AL character, his ability to plan around a specific party composition or DM style is limited. The character will presumably be hopping from party to party, and DM to DM.

 

[Blue]

Except that since this is an AL character, his ability to plan around a specific party composition or DM style is limited. The character will presumably be hopping from party to party, and DM to DM.

Thanks, I didn't catch that. My experience with AL is that the groups are mostly regular at a FLGS. I haven't done any at conventions.

 

[Esker]

I think, by the way, if going all in on the "keep away" game, it probably doesn't make sense to take GWM before your STR is maxed out. The bonus action attack isn't worth much at all when you have PAM, and the power attack option is really a -6/+9 trade if you're foregoing a STR boost to get access to it, and that's more or less a wash for average damage against typical ACs unless you spend superiority dice to boost your chance to hit, but you likely won't have enough dice to both do this regularly and augment your control capability. And a wash on average may be a loss in reality, especially when your attacks are doing more than just damage, since (a) it's usually better to consistently get damage near the average than to have swingy damage, and (b) the riders will happen less often when you're hitting less often.

 

[FrogReaver]

I think it would be worth taking the mobile feat over GWM. That way when your turn comes around you will be able to move without taking OA's to reposition yourself for another potential OA.

 

[FrogReaver]

I think it would be worth taking the mobile feat over GWM. That way when your turn comes around you will be able to move without taking OA's to reposition yourself for another potential OA.

To optimze with mobile feat I would take maneuvering. That allows you and one ally to get away from something to set up your combo again the next turn.

 

[Not a Hobbit]

I think part of my problem is that I want to be two things, Damage Dealer and Protector of the Casters. Perhaps I should just leave the second part to the real Tanks, and concentrate on dealing as much damage as possible. Just get in there and hack away at anything within 10' of me, Attack(s), Bonus attack, Reaction attack. Do PAM, Sentinel, GWM and 2 Strength increases by level 8, Precision attack, Trip (to set up advantage), and maybe Commander's Strike (to not totally neglect my Paladin and Rogue friends).

I will probably only be playing AL at cons, since I have enough regular home games to keep me busy. It looks like this weekend's games are heavy on Clerics/Support types, so I'll hope for Blesses/Cures and see what happens.

Thanks for all the good advice everyone.

--Scott