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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mistwell" data-source="post: 7213459" data-attributes="member: 2525">I have a third level dwarven fighter (Battle Master). I've been fighting with a glaive, intending to take Polearm Master at 4th level (and possibly sentinel and great weapon mastery at higher levels).  I am the tank of the group, and also the one who most often is trying to focus foes on himself to protect the Warlock and Bard in the back ranks.However, I just received a magic sword. I assume it is +1, and it also likely does something else (not sure what - it's from Sunken Citadel, but I don't want to spoil whatever it is, and my PC hasn't discovered what it is yet). I am the only PC in the entire party that could use a long sword. The other front line melee combatant is a half orc druid who uses shillelagh.  We have a warlock and a bard as well, but the warlock cannot use a longsword and the bard does not want to use one (I think he is a dex fighter when not casting spells).  So it's my fighter, or we sell it.I am not really opposed to the idea of using a londsword and shield. I took Defense as my Fighting Style, and wear heavy armor (currently splint mail). I believe my average damage will remain the same (going from 1d10 for the glaive to 1d8+1 for the longsword, which means both have an average of 5.5). And I'd have one of the only magic items in the whole party, so I could do full damage to foes who resist non-magic weapons that we are likely to encounter in the future. However I lose the flexibility of the reach of the glaive, and the extra attack from Polearm Master, and the ability to make opportunity attacks when foes enter my reach from Polearm Master.I could of course take a different feat, like Shield Master.  That allows a bonus action to shove a foe, which is nice as I have an 20 strength and athletics training. Once they are on the ground, I'd get advantage attacking them, as would my melee ally. And the benefits to Dex saves will be helpful, as my Dex bonus is +0.And of course I'd have a shield, which would bump my AC up to 20 - a very respectable AC, and also the opportunity to get a magical shield some day maybe. But I am not sure it's worth the trade-off from Polearm Mastery and the flexibility of reach. I only have a 25 foot move, and so if I drop a foe with my first attack, once I have a second attack (with Extra Attack or Action Surge or Bonus Action Attack) it's often difficult to actually make it to another foe with my remaining movement. Using a polearm often allowed me to reach two targets in a single turn when otherwise I wouldn't have been able to. Particularly if there is difficult terrain involved.So my question is to those of you who have used a sword & board approach in 5e. How did it work out? What do you think the trade offs are between polearm use and a sword and board? What other feats did you choose for your sword and board? Any interesting combinations with Battle Master maneuvers? Other things I should be aware of?</blockquote>

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