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View Full Version : Warlock Warcaster Polearm Madness!



Mr. C
2015-09-11, 03:32 AM
So the Warlock isn't proficient with glaives, pikes, etc etc.. but they can still wield them. Just kind of terribly. Nevertheless there's an interesting usage of the Polearm Master feat and the Warcaster feat.

The Polearm Master feat allows you to perform an opportunity attack against anyone that enters melee range and Warcaster allows you to cast a spell as your reaction rather than make a melee attack.

The warlock, for their part, can get both agonizing blast and repelling blast early on.

By fifth level (with a human variant), when you combine all three of these you have a kind of bubble around the warlock that makes it decidedly difficult for anything to get within melee range as the moment anything gets within melee range you can blast it back twenty feet (assuming you make both your rolls) and you'll do an average of a little under 20 damage each time. Whether it's an ancient red dragon or your buddy frank, so long as you connect it'll go back 10 feet per beam.

Granted you can only do this once per round and it consumes your action (and two feats!), but keeping selected enemies out of melee can be tremendously beneficial to the health and well being of the party.

Further, you don't *have* to cast a cantrip. You could just as easily cast "Power Word: Kill" to the first thing that got in melee (assuming you were high enough level).

tl;dr Once per round you create a trigger zone that activates any spell you want, at any level you like, so long as it targets the creature that activates the trigger for the cost of two feats.

Shaofoo
2015-09-11, 04:19 AM
A Warlock can make a polearm pact weapon and he'll be proficient in that.

Also you are wrong with Warcaster, you can only cast a spell to the creature that provoked the OA, you can't change targets around. Just like you can't use a creature's provoke to attack another adjacent creature. Also only enemies can provoke OAs, allies cannot do anything to provoke.

Malifice
2015-09-11, 04:54 AM
It was ruled the OA from PM must be with the PM as well.

Mr. C
2015-09-11, 04:56 AM
The warlock doesn't need to be proficient with the polearm for this to work and in fact there's virtually no benefit to him being proficient with the polearm anyway.

That being said I didn't really comment on anyone forcing an opportunity attack so much as stating that players are allowed to make one if an enemy comes within reach of their polearm and Warcaster allows you to cast a spell instead of make an opportunity attack.

Mr. C
2015-09-11, 04:57 AM
It was ruled the OA from PM must be with the PM as well.

Where can I find this ruling?

Kryx
2015-09-11, 05:04 AM
You can find the ruling here:

The intent is that any OA triggered because you're wielding a polearm is then made with that polearm.

or here:

No - polearm master applies only if you use the weapons it lists to make the attack

Malifice
2015-09-11, 05:16 AM
Where can I find this ruling?

See above mate.

Steampunkette
2015-09-11, 06:09 AM
Warcaster and Sentinel, though, make for a nifty bladelock basis...

Malifice
2015-09-11, 06:53 AM
I like sentinel plus warcaster. Particularly on a lock/ BM with riposte.

Attack someone else? AoO (EB). Attack me and miss? Riposte. Attack me and hit? Hellish rebuke, fire shield, armor of agathys.

D.U.P.A.
2015-09-11, 06:57 AM
Warcaster and Sentinel, though, make for a nifty bladelock basis...

Not even need for bladelock, you can just blast it away, although with disadvantage. However not sure if it works that way, because Warcaster demands in single target cantrip, while with Eldritch blast on 5+ levels you can target multiple targets.

Aetol
2015-09-11, 08:59 AM
I like sentinel plus warcaster. Particularly on a lock/ BM with riposte.

Attack someone else? AoO (EB). Attack me and miss? Riposte. Attack me and hit? Hellish rebuke, fire shield, armor of agathys.

The third benefit of Sentinel lets you make a reaction melee weapon attack, not an AoO.

Steampunkette
2015-09-11, 08:50 PM
Not even need for bladelock, you can just blast it away, although with disadvantage. However not sure if it works that way, because Warcaster demands in single target cantrip, while with Eldritch blast on 5+ levels you can target multiple targets.

Oh, you don't NEED to be a Bladelock. But being a bladelock gives you an excuse to be up on the front lines next to the fighter-type who is using the polearm and sentinel to lock down the first person to try and move past by knocking their speed to 0 before you blast someone away -AND- reduce their speed to 0.