Defender build: Polearm vs Sword and Board

[HiveStriker]

I do now that you make me notice it. Tho it's mainly because I am "new" to 5e so I am trying to get a good grasp of the machanical part of the game so I don't waste everyone's time at the table, and I also deeply love optimization (if everyone bring broken things or underpowered ones I want to be able to be on a similar level). But yes I am also stacking some backup characters: the "Tank", a goliath rune warrior and a SAD Sorcadinlock (A sorcadin with a dip in hexblade to avoid Str and Dex dependance)



It is the point of the thread, PAM (and possibly GWM) are on another level in terms of DPR.

I kind of prefer Blade Mastery over PAM to keep an enemy locked in position but I like to ask this sort of things to the playground.

Also having multiple choices for the reaction is great.
You get 3 uses:
+1 to AC perfect against hordes of when an enemy is actively trying to kill you and not the mage;
Getting a use of 3.5 evasion;
The good old opportunity attack for when an enemy really need to stay in place (Blade Mastery+Sentinel is probably an almost guaranteed success).

Well, in the context of a Defender, while PAM does have benefit (namely because it incites the use of a reach weapon) I really prefer just Sentinel or Sentinel + that Blade Mastery for the following reasons.

1. Bonus attack with quarterstaff while wielding a shield is perfectly RAW, but kinda immersion-breaking and cheesy to me.
2. PAM locks you up in a specific array of weapons, whereas without you're free to switch and use whatever weapon suits situation the most (or simply whatever "best current" magic weapon you get).
Of course, Blade Mastery has the same drawback, so the same heh? Well, not quite imo...
- While I'm far from knowledgeable in magic weapons, my feeling is that magic swords ("standard" or "unique") are far more common in variety and availability than quarterstaffs and spears.
- Technically Blade Mastery works with Flame Blade (sadly it's not a good spell) and Shadow Blade (luckly it's a great spell).
- Blade Mastery also means you could, should you wish so, pick up Defensive Duelist at late levels (although if you stack everything you're investing quite much into creating heavy competition on reaction use, possibly overkill).
- Blade Mastery also means you could (and possibly should) be a DEX Elf or Half-Elf so you can pick Elven Accuracy, elevating you in the top five of all martial defenders when combined with either Booming Blade, War caster or Sentinel (or two of them).
Bringing to the other drawbacks of PAM to me:
3. If you want to use it with Elven Accuracy, you have to either dip into Monk (which has big limitations of its own AC-wise and does not really profit from PAM anyways since he has many bonus actions of its own) or grab Shillelagh (which implies going WIS main or going even further away as a Warlock/Bard to get it CHA-based).
4. Bonus action should really not happen that often:
- If you have Shield Master, whehter you're allowed to use it before or after an Attack, it will usually be better to Shove an enemy prone: as a defender your priority is reduce threat: whether you have melee pals around to gang it or only backliners, unless the latter can finish creature off, by putting it prone you reduce its range of action AND weakens risk of being damage if you move away for whatever reason.
- If you want to use Booming Blade (preferably paired with Shadow Blade), both Shield Master and PAM bonus action become moot.
- If you want to be a great defender, chances are you'll get either some Healing Words/Sanctuary/Shield of Faith/Healing Spirit, or Dash (Rogue/Barbarian), or Help (Mastermind Rogue), or Heal (Thief + Healer), or Caltraps (Thief) as bonus action.
And I probably forgot 60% of all you can do as a bonus action.