Feat advice needed...

[samcifer]

So we hit lv. 9 on our characters last session, but I'm a bit torn on which way to go for my 4th level of Fighter. I know I ant a feat rather than a stat bump, but WHICH feat to go with is the problem.

I'm playing a Half-Orc Totem (bear) barbarian 5 / Battlemaster Fighter 4 using a +1 Glaive with the GWM feat and +1 Half-Plate Armor.

My stats are: STR: 20, DEX: 14, CON: 18, INT: 10, WIS: 12, CHA: 10

Theis is a homebrew campaign based off of the Dresden Files series of Novels (we're working as paranormal investigators for Dresden) and the difficulty is pretty high with very tough battles featuring foes with high accuracy and damage, above average hp and we've lost 2 characters already in this campaign after only 6 sessions. (I nearly died in the last session along with our fighter, but passed my death saves long enough for another player to use a healing potion on me. The fighter died in that same encounter before anyone could save him. And yes, I was dropped WHILE raging due to the massive damage we were taking.)

My feat choices are (in order of preference):

- Toughness (might be helpful as CON saves haven't happened much and I already have pretty good CON)

- Moble (+10 ft. of movement for 50ft per turn and the ability to retreat safely after attacking someone)

- Polearm Master (AOps when approached - which came up during the fight I nearly died in - plus a 3rd attack per turn to up my damage. In our group, Action Surge grants a second bonus action as well, making for up to 6 Reckles Attacks with GWM in a turn for serious damage.)

[Quoz]

Even without the house rules PAM would be my go-to choice. With them it's close to a no-brainer. Sentinel is also really strong with this, stopping opponents before they can reach you.

Another possible strong option for later on would be Prodigy. Expertise in Athletics, +5 Str, plus Advantage on strength checks while raging will make you a ridiculous grappler. It won't always be the best choice, but against a single high-power opponent sometimes the best option is just to grab them, hold their face in the dirt, and let your party wail on them.

[NaughtyTiger]

PAM hands down.

[Keravath]

I would also say PAM.

Your attack stat is maxed and PAM will give you an extra bonus action attack every round which you can use with GWM. In addition, if you get a crit or kill something you can upgrade the weapon damage from d4 to d10 for the bonus action attack so that aspect of GWM isn't wasted either.

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As for expertise in athletics ...

Grappling is pretty useless since the only thing it does is prevent the grappled creature from moving. On the other hand, shoving a target prone could be useful if you have a lot of adjacent attackers and it uses the same strength(athletics) sort of check, but this is pretty situational compared to the extra attack guaranteed by PAM.


"GRAPPLED
• A grappled creature's speed becomes 0, and it can't benefit from any bonus to its speed.
• The condition ends if the grappler is incapacitated (see the condition). The condition also ends if an effect removes the grappled creature from the reach of the grappler or grappling effect, such as when a creature is hurled away by the thunderwave spell."

Grappled doesn't give advantage to attack the grappled creature, it doesn't give the grappled creature disadvantage on its attacks. ALL grappled does is prevent the target from moving away and if it wants to be there to hit you then all you are doing is using an attack to keep the target where it wants to be anyway.

[samcifer]

I would also say PAM.

Your attack stat is maxed and PAM will give you an extra bonus action attack every round which you can use with GWM. In addition, if you get a crit or kill something you can upgrade the weapon damage from d4 to d10 for the bonus action attack so that aspect of GWM isn't wasted either.

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As for expertise in athletics ...

Grappling is pretty useless since the only thing it does is prevent the grappled creature from moving. On the other hand, shoving a target prone could be useful if you have a lot of adjacent attackers and it uses the same strength(athletics) sort of check, but this is pretty situational compared to the extra attack guaranteed by PAM.


"GRAPPLED
• A grappled creature's speed becomes 0, and it can't benefit from any bonus to its speed.
• The condition ends if the grappler is incapacitated (see the condition). The condition also ends if an effect removes the grappled creature from the reach of the grappler or grappling effect, such as when a creature is hurled away by the thunderwave spell."

Grappled doesn't give advantage to attack the grappled creature, it doesn't give the grappled creature disadvantage on its attacks. ALL grappled does is prevent the target from moving away and if it wants to be there to hit you then all you are doing is using an attack to keep the target where it wants to be anyway.

Eh, there's an archery-focused rogue, a life cleric and a hexblade in the party who prefers ranged combat, leaving only me and the former fighter who will be playing another barbarian, so there aren't a lot of melee-focused characters to make proning a target worth much.

[Keravath]

Eh, there's an archery-focused rogue, a life cleric and a hexblade in the party who prefers ranged combat, leaving only me and the former fighter who will be playing another barbarian, so there aren't a lot of melee-focused characters to make proning a target worth much.

Yep :) which is why I said grappling is pretty useless and shoving too situational to be worthwhile when compared to PAM.

Anyway, Tough gives you a few more hit points ... 18 at level 9 ... which is useful for a barbarian but probably not worth as much as doing the same ~18 damage EVERY round by using PAM.

Mobile is best on a skirmisher who runs in and runs away ... less useful on a tanky barbarian who wants to be in melee.