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D&D 5E Shield Mastery Feat

Plaguescarred

D&D Playtester for WoTC since 2012
I don't know if it will change anyone's view of this, but merging both the Attack action and Shield Mastery texts togheter comes to this;

"The most common action to take in combat is the Attack action, whether you are swinging a sword, firing an arrow from a bow, or brawling with your fists. With this action;

- you make one melee or ranged attack

- you can use a bonus action to try to shove a creature within 5 feet of you with your shield"


[sblock]PHB170 Shield Master: If you take the Attack action on your turn, you can use a bonus action to try to shove a creature within 5 feet of you with your shield.

PHB192 Attack: The most common action to take in combat is the Attack action, whether you are swinging a sword, firing an arrow from a bow, or brawling with your fists. With this action, you make one melee or ranged attack. See the “Making an Attack” section for the rules that govern attacks. Certain features, such as the Extra Attack feature of the fighter, allow you to make more than one attack with this action.[/sblock]
 

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Quartz

Hero
I don't see the problem here. You get the shield shove as a bonus action. If you choose the Attack action and only choose to shield shove, then that's your choice to forfeit your attacks. You don't get to do anything else. Also note that you only get one bonus action, so if you use the shield shove, you can't use any other bonus actions.
 


Aurick

First Post
Can't it just as easily be argued that the shove bonus action MUST happen before the actual attack takes place if the player chooses to use it's bonus action? One could say that initiating the attack action TRIGGERS the bonus action as an interrupt before the actual attack resolves based off of the wording of the feat.
 

Grondsmash

Explorer
As per RAW, a bonus action can be taken before or after actions.
if you declare you are attacking, there is nothing to stop you from using your bonus action first, and shoving the opponent or knocking him prone (if successful). By RAW you are correct in your tactics. But you are stuck, shoving then attacking the opponent, as this is your declared set of actions. After your first attack, if it dies, you discover it is an illusion, or that it is your long lost father in black plastic armor & breathing apparatus (and don't REALLY want to kill him), you can then change targets with your next action, like your Extra Attack.

Anyone using 4E rules/anything to this discussion, please stop, this isn't 4E (thank God!).
 


Hawk Diesel

Adventurer
I would allow a player to take the bonus action to shove before, in between, or after the attack action. However, if they do it before and for some reason attempt to use their action for something other than attack, as a DM they would just lose their action.
 


Yardiff

Adventurer
You can shove with any of your attacks during your normal action, Shield Mastery just allows you do so with your shield instead of using one of your attacks.
 

Quartz

Hero
You can shove with any of your attacks during your normal action, Shield Mastery just allows you do so with your shield instead of using one of your attacks.

Yes, but the point of Shove and run away is that you get to make a double move. You use your Bonus Action to shove, then you use your Action to move.
 

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