Questions for DMs out there

[BrusLi]

What are your thoughts on the following...

Would you allow Polearm Master Ft. to work with a Greatsword type of weapon reskinned to be d10 instead of 2d6, instead of using butt end as blunt attack to be piercing d4?

Argument could be something like this,you need 10ft reach around 3m for PAM to work,right?
Well,many Greatswords like Claymore,Zweihander or Nodachi are very long combined with arm length of average human exceeding 2,5 meters easily, maybe even more, making it somewhat close to 3m.
Could work as a semi polearm,reach weapon

[Unoriginal]

D&D greatswords aren't historical greatsword. They're far shorter.

An historical greatsword could indeed be used similarly to a polearm (at least in principle), but I don't think weapon length is what the person who wrote Polearm Master cared about, in the first place

[mephnick]

At that point you're just refluffing a polearm into a sword so there shouldn't be any problems.

[Wryte]

You might be able to make an argument for reaching 10 feet with the tip of the blade, but you're sure not gonna be able to for the pommel.

[BrusLi]

D&D greatswords aren't historical greatsword. They're far shorter.

An historical greatsword could indeed be used similarly to a polearm (at least in principle), but I don't think weapon length is what the person who wrote Polearm Master cared about, in the first place

Understandable,but even so they are based on reality and historical weapons..polearms were 6-7 ft long,not much longer than the historical greatswords.

Thank you for replying ^_^

[BrusLi]

You might be able to make an argument for reaching 10 feet with the tip of the blade, but you're sure not gonna be able to for the pommel.

Tip is the substitute for pummel,same function different fluff @_@

[DeTess]

Okay, correct me if I'm misunderstanding, but you basically want to change the polearm master bonus damage from blunt to piercing without changing anything else, right?

Yeah, I see absolutely no problems with that, so if you're the DM, go ahead and approve it if you think it would be fitting.

[Davrix]

I don't see a problem with this. "Depending on the player" if you know there not going to power game with this you could even leave the GS at 2D6 for its normal attack.

What I would probably do if the player wanted this and say GWM with a GS, I would turn them into stances he could selected at the start of each of his turns. Gaining the benefits from either or for the round duration which I think makes the most sense if your trying to come off as using different fighting styles.

[BrusLi]

I don't see a problem with this. "Depending on the player" if you know there not going to power game with this you could even leave the GS at 2D6 for its normal attack.

What I would probably do if the player wanted this and say GWM with a GS, I would turn them into stances he could selected at the start of each of his turns. Gaining the benefits from either or for the round duration which I think makes the most sense if your trying to come off as using different fighting styles.

Ooh,I really love this idea.
Correct me if I am wrong..but did you mean something like this, two stances :
2d6 withouth using reach GWM/GS and
d10, PAM/GWM as other style ?
Interesting dynamic

[Davrix]

Ooh,I really love this idea.
Correct me if I am wrong..but did you mean something like this, two stances :
2d6 withouth using reach GWM/GS and
d10, PAM/GWM as other style ?
Interesting dynamic


Basically I was only half thinking of it but here is a write up for you.


Greatsword - 2D6+str

Thunder stance (GWM)

Damage 2D6+str - Range melee
On your turn, when you score a critical hit with a greatsword or reduce a creature to 0 hit points with one, you can make one melee weapon attack as a bonus action.
Before you make a melee attack with a Greatsword that you are proficient with, you can choose to take a -5 penalty to the attack roll. If the attack hits, you add 4-10 to the attack's damage.


Lighting Stance (PAM)

Damage 1D10+str on hit and you gain the reach property while in this stance.
When you take the Attack action and attack , you can use a bonus action to grip the blunt base of your greatsword and make a melee lunge attack with the tip of the weapon. The weapon's damage die for this attack is a d4, and the attack deals piercing damage.
While you are wielding a greatsword in this stance, other creatures provoke an opportunity attack from you when they enter your reach.



Do make it clear to the player they must declare what stance they assume at the start of each of their turns and it cannot be changed after that point. Until the start his or her's next turn. Switching is free I don't see a need to penalize them for this.

[Unoriginal]

Understandable,but even so they are based on reality and historical weapons.

In principle, yes, but D&D greatsword are actually historical longswords with a different name, and D&D longswords are actually historical arming swords.

What I'm saying is: don't mix the historic reality and D&D, because the latter isn't trying to emulate the former.


polearms were 6-7 ft long,not much longer than the historical greatswords.

Yes, that's my point. Historical greatswords are basically sword-shaped polearms. The D&D greatsword is an historical longsword, which couldn't really be used like that.


Thank you for replying ^_^

Sorry I couldn't help, but I feel like my advice wasn't clear: it wouldn't break anything if you did that, and there is no reason to not do that if you want to, because Polearm Master doesn't care about the length of the weapon. You can use it with a quarterstaff, which is not longer than a D&D greatsword in principle.

[BrusLi]

Basically I was only half thinking of it but here is a write up for you.


Greatsword - 2D6+str

Thunder stance (GWM)

Damage 2D6+str - Range melee
On your turn, when you score a critical hit with a greatsword or reduce a creature to 0 hit points with one, you can make one melee weapon attack as a bonus action.
Before you make a melee attack with a Greatsword that you are proficient with, you can choose to take a -5 penalty to the attack roll. If the attack hits, you add 4-10 to the attack's damage.


Lighting Stance (PAM)

Damage 1D10+str on hit and you gain the reach property while in this stance.
When you take the Attack action and attack , you can use a bonus action to grip the blunt base of your greatsword and make a melee lunge attack with the tip of the weapon. The weapon's damage die for this attack is a d4, and the attack deals piercing damage.
While you are wielding a greatsword in this stance, other creatures provoke an opportunity attack from you when they enter your reach.



Do make it clear to the player they must declare what stance they assume at the start of each of their turns and it cannot be changed after that point. Until the start his or her's next turn. Switching is free I don't see a need to penalize them for this.

Thank you so much for write up,I had that in mind even tho I haven't expressed my thoughts accordingly.
But I understood yours perfectly !

[BrusLi]

In principle, yes, but D&D greatsword are actually historical longswords with a different name, and D&D longswords are actually historical arming swords.

What I'm saying is: don't mix the historic reality and D&D, because the latter isn't trying to emulate the former.



Yes, that's my point. Historical greatswords are basically sword-shaped polearms. The D&D greatsword is an historical longsword, which couldn't really be used like that.



Sorry I couldn't help, but I feel like my advice wasn't clear: it wouldn't break anything if you did that, and there is no reason to not do that if you want to, because Polearm Master doesn't care about the length of the weapon. You can use it with a quarterstaff, which is not longer than a D&D greatsword in principle.

No,no..your replies were insightful as well, I really do appreciate them,thank you kindly ! ^_^

I am always open minded to different views and thoughts,opinions .

[JNAProductions]

Okay, correct me if I'm misunderstanding, but you basically want to change the polearm master bonus damage from blunt to piercing without changing anything else, right?

Yeah, I see absolutely no problems with that, so if you're the DM, go ahead and approve it if you think it would be fitting.

Same here. That's basically just a refluff that barely touches mechanics, so I hardly see it being an issue.

[Tanarii]

Same here. That's basically just a refluff that barely touches mechanics, so I hardly see it being an issue.One mechanical side-effect is the player will be able to use PAM with magical Greatswords.

[Finlam]

You might be able to make an argument for reaching 10 feet with the tip of the blade, but you're sure not gonna be able to for the pommel.

Ah yes... the "just the tip (https://youtu.be/jS4w5S-Jdb4)" argument.

[Malifice]

Id just let you re fluff your halberd as a (whatever).

You can change the damage type of the bonus action attack to whatever as well. The pointy bit of a (whatever).