Shield Master and Polearm Master Feats

[halarin]

So, it's not really a change that is needed because both feats are quite powerful as they currently are (shield master less so since the last ruling), but I thought of something the other day that I would like a little input on. Historically, shields were used quite often for bashing attacks and polearms were used quite often to trip opponents. As the feats currently are, you can use your bonus action to knock down enemies with a shield or strike for some extra damage with a polearm.

However, I was wondering if anyone had tried to reverse the wording of these two feats to swap the bonus actions or to allow their players a choice. Does anyone think that it would cause issues to swap the bonus actions between the two feats or to allow the players that want to take one of them a choice between the two?

[ReaperChaos]

As far as shield bashing goes, you don't really need a feat for that. Just allow the character to attack using the shield as an improvised weapon. Sure, it may not do ridiculous damage (1d4), but while bashing hurts it generally wouldn't do a lot of direct damage to an opponent either, usually give an opportunity to attack, which is what shove can do. Alternatively, you could have the shove bonus action of the shield deal some damage too, your choice.

As far as polearms go, that depended on their use actually. Polearms became quite widespread because they were cheap to make and originally started as weapons of peasants. One of their main use was for a group of soldiers to form a line and make an effective and deadly barricade. Another popular use was to attack an armored knight or soldier on horseback. Some variations allowed to hook the rider and pull him down. Which is the part I am getting at. True, some polearms were able to trip opponents, but not every single one of them. If you want, you can potentially do it, but I would personally only allow it with a polearm that would smoothly enable such use. On the other hand, this would make the Battlemaster's Trip Attack, one of the best manouevres in my opinion, less popular amongst Polearm users, as they would be able to do it without wasting a superiority dice, at least in my eyes.

[sophontteks]

From what I've seen the real strength of a shield offensively was using it to set up your attack. You can push the opponents blade away, put him off balance, or even hide the telegraph of your attack.

I don't know how that would be represented though...