D&D 5E Shadow Sorcerer + Warcaster + Polearm Master + Eye of Darkness = Is It insane?

[Hohige]

It is really good. There are some negatives though. Darkness is a problem for your allies. The AOO uses your reaction so it only works against 1 enemy per round, after the 1st enemy the rest will walk up and attack you unmolested (albeit with disadvantage). And because it uses your reaction you won't be able to use shield. Finally the hound can not see through the darkness either, so it does not see your enemies (assuming they are in the darkness) and does not have advantage on attacks. Like your enemies it does not get an attack of opportunity on an enemy that moves away from it to attack you. Finally if the hound knocks an enemy down you no longer have advantage to attack the enemy if it is more than 5 feet away (prone gives the attacks from outside 5' disadvantage which cancels the unseen advantage).

Thanks.
The Sorcerer just hit and run. The Darkness moves with him, the hound (with advantage) and allies can attack normally without disadvantage. It's not 100%, but It just move out and your friends will do their job normally.
If the enemy is prone because your hound does, just cast a saving throw spell (applying disadvantage). It's so flexible.

If the enemy doesn't come close enough, just cast firebolt or empowered fireball like a standard sorcerer does, but with advantage on attack rolls and applying disadvantage against your spells.
The idea here is, if the threatining enemy tries come close enough, It's dead.

"Finally they can also grapple you and then move you out of the darkness. All of these things involve wasted turns for the enemy, so it is not ideal for them, but they will try to counter your power base."

It doesnt work, because the darkness moves with the weapon. Also, Sorcerer's Magical Guidance helps him on skills checks. It isn't a good idea.
The Sorcerer can dash, move to a better position or just "bye" and still cast quicken empowered fireball.
It isn't unkillable, but It isn't easy to defeat.

 

[Benjamin Olson]

Lances don't work with Polearm master. The build works basically the same with any reach polearm though so that shouldn't be a problem. If possible you might as well grab a racial weapon proficiency so you could actually be proficient in the weapon.

The rest of it is pretty cool if your table allows Polearm Master Warcaster synergy which I guess both Crawford and Mearls have tweeted doesn't work, but if they didn't want it to work like a normal attack of opportunity than they should have just called the polearm master attack "a melee attack using your reaction" or some such rather than specifically naming it an "attack of opportunity".

How powerful is it? Probably not ultimately as powerful as spending those ASIs on boosting charisma and/or getting metamagic adept, but it might be more satisfying to play, particularly if you get polearm master as a level 1 feat and are able to spend the first tier of play making more attacks than the martial characters while you're waiting for that quadratic magic progression to happen.

 

[Hohige]

Lances don't work with Polearm master. The build works basically the same with any reach polearm though so that shouldn't be a problem. If possible you might as well grab a racial weapon proficiency so you could actually be proficient in the weapon.

The rest of it is pretty cool if your table allows Polearm Master Warcaster synergy which I guess both Crawford and Mearls have tweeted doesn't work, but if they didn't want it to work like a normal attack of opportunity than they should have just called the polearm master attack "a melee attack using your reaction" or some such rather than specifically naming it an "attack of opportunity".

How powerful is it? Probably not ultimately as powerful as spending those ASIs on boosting charisma and/or getting metamagic adept, but it might be more satisfying to play, particularly if you get polearm master as a level 1 feat and are able to spend the first tier of play making more attacks than the martial characters while you're waiting for that quadratic magic progression to happen.

Lance is a skin of table. (It's a glaive weapon).
PAM and Warcaster works by RAW and RAI.

I already play with Metamagic Adept and Boosting Cha.
But, Quicken and Empower is enough to a shadow sorcerer, It has already the hound that is an improved heighten spell.
It's effectively Quicken, Empower and Improved Heightein Spell that all works together. It's enough. yes you can combo all of them on same spell.
You can cast a spell as bonus action, your damage is boosted and apply disadvantage against your spell.

Disadvantage on saving throw and advantage on attack rolls is already enough to defeat enemies with almost 100% of chance.

This Sorcerer with PAM and Warcaster is too impactful and his melee burst does a lot of damage (Really really) and better on concentration spells. (It's really useful).
The enemy though... "Take care, It isn't a fragile mage. It's a Shadow Sorcerer with a Glaive that can explode your head instantly" It's really fun to play.

 

[Benjamin Olson]

PAM and Warcaster works by RAW and RAI.

Not to nitpick too much, but when the lead designers have said they didn't intend for something to work, it is clearly, almost by definition, not RAI (Rules As Intended).

 

[Hohige]

Not to nitpick too much, but when the lead designers have said they didn't intend for something to work, it is clearly, almost by definition, not RAI (Rules As Intended).

The only official rulling is Jeremy that allows booming blade and other spells working including Eldritch Blast at level 5.

 

[abirdcall]

The only official rulling is Jeremy that allows booming blade and other spells working including Eldritch Blast at level 5.

The intention is that the OA is to be done with the polearm that enables it through the feat.

I would give serious side eye to a player who tried this and wouldn't allow it.

 

[Hohige]

The intention is that the OA is to be done with the polearm that enables it through the feat.

I would give serious side eye to a player who tried this and wouldn't allow it.

It's clearly RAW, RAI I don't know. Whatever, the DM allows it as RAW.

 

[Benjamin Olson]

The only official rulling is Jeremy that allows booming blade and other spells working.

I'm not debating official rulings, I'm saying that RAI has a particular meaning of "what the designers were intending for the rules to do". It's not just a tag to throw on things to emphasize that they are super-extra rules legal. This seems fine by RAW, I think many people would allow it at their tables, I'd allow it at mine. But the idea of the PAM feat is pretty clearly that the reach of the pole-weapon (whether it has more than 5 foot reach or not) makes it easy to offend approaching enemies with the weapon, not that it somehow increases your general ability to make opportunity attacks in other ways. And we have the statement:


Which indicates that at least one major designer's understanding of the intent of the rules was not that this should work.

Once again, I think its fine (probably) at most tables and I'd argue that the designers should not have used the phrase "attack of opportunity" in polearm master if they didn't want to connect it to all other uses of the phrase in the rules, which it seems they evidently didn't. My objection was only that you proclaimed it "RAI", when it seems to be anything but.

 

[ECMO3]

Lance is a skin of table. (It's a glaive weapon).
PAM and Warcaster works by RAW and RAI.

I already play with Metamagic Adept and Boosting Cha.

If you have warcaster, polearm master and metamagic adept you can't boost charisma until 16th level, or 12th if you are a variant human or custom. At this point you are playing against many enemies with true sight or devils sight, both of which mean they will see as good as you in the magical darkness.

 

[Hohige]

I'm not debating official rulings, I'm saying that RAI has a particular meaning of "what the designers were intending for the rules to do". It's not just a tag to throw on things to emphasize that they are super-extra rules legal. This seems fine by RAW, I think many people would allow it at their tables, I'd allow it at mine. But the idea of the PAM feat is pretty clearly that the reach of the pole-weapon (whether it has more than 5 foot reach or not) makes it easy to offend approaching enemies with the weapon, not that it somehow increases your general ability to make opportunity attacks in other ways. And we have the statement:


Which indicates that at least one major designer's understanding of the intent of the rules was not that this should work.

Once again, I think its fine (probably) at most tables and I'd argue that the designers should not have used the phrase "attack of opportunity" in polearm master if they didn't want to connect it to all other uses of the phrase in the rules, which it seems they evidently didn't. My objection was only that you proclaimed it "RAI", when it seems to be anything but.

I couldn't agree more. the RAW about it is clear. Most tables will allows It as RAW.

If you have warcaster, polearm master and metamagic adept you can't boost charisma until 16th level, or 12th if you are a variant human or custom. At this point you are playing against many enemies with true sight or devils sight, both of which mean they will see as good as you in the magical darkness.

Metamagic adept and boost was another Character.
The PAM and Warcaster Shadow Sorcerer is level 7.