Simple RAW for 5e V: The Disadvantage Strikes Back

[Chronos]

A 321:

A spell upcast to 2nd level is a 2nd-level spell, so yes, you could store one as such.

[Entessa]

Q323: If I'm playing Paladin, I have:

Saving Throws: Wisdom, Charisma

Am I wrong by saying that Resilient: Wisdom would be "useless" and I should probably go for Res: con?

[Segev]

Q323: If I'm playing Paladin, I have:

Saving Throws: Wisdom, Charisma

Am I wrong by saying that Resilient: Wisdom would be "useless" and I should probably go for Res: con?

A323: You cannot get double proficiency in Wisdom. So you would be better served by any other Resilient feat or by a feat that adds +1 wisdom and something else (e.g. Telekinetic, Telepathic, Skill Expert – which would give expertise in a skill – or chef or the like).

There is no reason to take Resilient in a stat you already have save proficiency for.

[Entessa]

Segev, thank you for the help.

Q324: is there a list of feats that actually add proficiency to saving throws?
Resilient can be any TS
Each Classes have theirs.

I'm looking for STR, DEX, CON, INT TS proficiency.

[Segev]

Segev, thank you for the help.

Q324: is there a list of feats that actually add proficiency to saving throws?
Resilient can be any TS
Each Classes have theirs.

I'm looking for STR, DEX, CON, INT TS proficiency.

A324: There is no feat other than Resilient that gives proficiency in saving throws. But as you say, it can give proficiency in any of them.

[Entessa]

Thanks Segev.

Q325: Is there a feat equivalent (meaning for equivalent "as strong as") to polearm master for other type of weapons? Polearm master is very strong, but I hate (visually, in my mind) seeing my character fighting with halberds and the other weapons suggested by this feat.

Q326: Apart from "skill expertise", are there other feats that grants expertise for skills ? And what about expertise for TS?

[Psyren]

A325: Polearm Master does two things:

1) Enemies entering your reach immediately provoke an OA instead of needing to leave it.
2) You can make a bonus action attack with your polearm.

No other feat does both of these things, therefore no other is truly "equivalent" - but if what you're more concerned about is ability to attack wtih your bonus action attack and have it scale with your other attack(s), you can get that in a couple of ways:

a) Crossbow Expert
b) Fighting Initiate: TWF Style (using two weapons)
c) Races that give a bonus action attack like Shifter
d) Various class features e.g. Monk's Martial Arts or Berserker Barb's Frenzy
e) Various spells like Spiritual Weapon

Leaving 326 unanswered because I'm not aware of ways to get expertise to saving throws but they probably exist.

[Entessa]

Thanks Psyren.

Q327: for greatsword (two handed weapon sword), is there only GWM being a decent feat? Are there other feats worth taking a look at?

[Chronos]

"Decent feats" isn't really a RAW question. Perhaps you should start a new thread.

[Entessa]

"Decent feats" isn't really a RAW question. Perhaps you should start a new thread.

eh you are right. Then only my question about expertise on saving throws remains.

[LtPowers]

eh you are right. Then only my question about expertise on saving throws remains.

A326: The Prodigy feat also grants expertise in a skill. I'm not aware of any way to get expertise in saving throws, as it throws off the math badly. (Same reason there's no way to get expertise in attack rolls.)


Powers &8^]

[Vaern]

Q328

How do multipliers stack?
3.5 ruled that two doublings resulted in a tripling, and so forth. Does 5e follow a similar rule? and, if so, where can the rule be found?

[PhoenixPhyre]

Q328

How do multipliers stack?
3.5 ruled that two doublings resulted in a tripling, and so forth. Does 5e follow a similar rule? and, if so, where can the rule be found?

A328
I do not believe there is any such default rule, so two doublings == quadrupling.

However, the number of multipliers that can stack (ie unlike Expertise, which explicitly does not stack with any other such thing) is fairly small and innocuous. I can think of ones to jump distance (the jump spell, which doesn't stack with itself, and a few racial traits come to mind) and speed (tabaxi + longstrider). The general policy of 5e is to reduce the number of stacking bonuses available.

The other category is resistance + something like "passed saving throw, so half damage". Those explicitly stack as normal, so saving vs a fireball + being a tiefling (fire resistance) means taking 1/4 damage.

[Eriol]

Q329:
When a Cleric with the Divine Strike ability (level 8) who also has access to Green Flame Blade (via Magic Initiate, or a High Elf cantrip, multiclassing, or any number of other methods) casts Green Flame Blade, does the Divine Strike damage apply?

From Xanathar's, Forge Cleric's printing of Divine Strike:

At 8th level, you gain the ability to infuse your weapon strikes with the fiery power of the forge. Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can cause the attack to deal an extra 1d8 fire damage to the target. When you reach 14th level, the extra damage increases to 2d8.

Note "with a weapon attack" here.
From Tasha's printing of Green Flame Blade:

You brandish the weapon used in the spell's casting and make a melee attack with it against one creature within 5 feet of you. On a hit, the target suffers the weapon attack's normal effects, and you can cause green fire to leap from the target ...

Note "the weapon attack's normal effects" there.

My reading is that they interact that you get the damage of both, per RAW. If Divine Strike had said "Attack action" or related, then no, but that's not it. Obviously Green Flame Blade is the "Cast a Spell" action, but it definitely involves a "weapon attack", which is the same words from Divine Strike. So at 8th (and because of cantrip progression), on a hit a Forge Cleric hitting with a Mace (1d6) would do (1d6+strength) blunt, +1d8 fire (divine strike) + 1d8 fire (GFB at 5+), and 1d8+INT (if from wizard, etc) to an adjacent mob. And at 14, it would be 2d8 on divine strike, and 2d8 fire from GFB due to cantrip progression, plus regular melee damage.

[Chaos Jackal]

Q329:
When a Cleric with the Divine Strike ability (level 8) who also has access to Green Flame Blade (via Magic Initiate, or a High Elf cantrip, multiclassing, or any number of other methods) casts Green Flame Blade, does the Divine Strike damage apply?

From Xanathar's, Forge Cleric's printing of Divine Strike:

Note "with a weapon attack" here.
From Tasha's printing of Green Flame Blade:

Note "the weapon attack's normal effects" there.

My reading is that they interact that you get the damage of both, per RAW. If Divine Strike had said "Attack action" or related, then no, but that's not it. Obviously Green Flame Blade is the "Cast a Spell" action, but it definitely involves a "weapon attack", which is the same words from Divine Strike. So at 8th (and because of cantrip progression), on a hit a Forge Cleric hitting with a Mace (1d6) would do (1d6+strength) blunt, +1d8 fire (divine strike) + 1d8 fire (GFB at 5+), and 1d8+INT (if from wizard, etc) to an adjacent mob. And at 14, it would be 2d8 on divine strike, and 2d8 fire from GFB due to cantrip progression, plus regular melee damage.

A329 As long as you make a weapon attack, you add Divine Strike. The cantrip involves a weapon attack.

[Chronos]

A 329 addendum:

If you cast the Green Flame Blade on someone else's turn (as a readied action, or using Warcaster as an opportunity attack, say), then the Divine Strike damage won't apply, since it's "once on each of your turns".

Other than that, sure, it works.

[Eriol]

A329 As long as you make a weapon attack, you add Divine Strike. The cantrip involves a weapon attack.

Thanks.

A 329 addendum:

If you cast the Green Flame Blade on someone else's turn (as a readied action, or using Warcaster as an opportunity attack, say), then the Divine Strike damage won't apply, since it's "once on each of your turns".

Other than that, sure, it works.

Thank you both for that. I hadn't thought of that caveat Chronos, and I think most DMs would allow it anytime, but I absolutely agree that what you say is a correct RAW interpretation, that it does not occur off-turn

[No brains]

Q 330

Does Action Surge allow a fighter to take an additional action on their turn when under the effect of Tasha's Mind Whip?

[Gurgeh]

A 330: Yes. The spell does not mention any additional restrictions beyond forcing the target to choose one of their normal allowance of movement, action, and bonus action. It's therefore possible for a Fighter to use their action surge to get any of the following: two actions, an action and a bonus action, or movement and an action.

[LtPowers]

A330

I'm going to disagree. The spell clearly says the target gets only one of (movement / action / bonus action). Using action surge gives a second action which is disallowed by the spell.


Powers &8^]

[Eriol]

A330
I'm going to disagree. The spell clearly says the target gets only one of (movement / action / bonus action). Using action surge gives a second action which is disallowed by the spell

I agree. This is similar to using Slow on a Hydra, or other things to constrain their action economy. Action Surge will not help versus Mind Whip.

[No brains]

I guess my question wasn't simple after all. Somebody else start a thread, I'm out of spoon-slots for this spell.

[Entessa]

Q331

Great Weapon Master: On your turn, when you score a critical hit with a melee weapon or reduce a creature to 0 hit points with one, you can make one melee weapon attack as a bonus action.

Is the "with one" referring to a critical hit or to any melee attack?

[Chaos Jackal]

Q331

Great Weapon Master: On your turn, when you score a critical hit with a melee weapon or reduce a creature to 0 hit points with one, you can make one melee weapon attack as a bonus action.

Is the "with one" referring to a critical hit or to any melee attack?

A 331 It refers to melee weapons.

[Entessa]

A 331 It refers to melee weapons.

I believe you, but I have to justify it for my DM - is there anywhere a place where this question was asked and got conclusive/solid proof ?

[Psyren]

I believe you, but I have to justify it for my DM - is there anywhere a place where this question was asked and got conclusive/solid proof ?

It's based on logic. If it only referred to crits, the second clause would be pointless, because any crit that reduces an enemy to zero is already a crit.

[Entessa]

Thank you both Chaos Jackal and Psyren.

[Jervis]

Q332 is there any rule about holding a horse’s reigns that stops you from holding a shield, arcane focus, or second weapon while riding a horse with a Lance in hand?

Q333 If this is a unaddressed RAW ambiguity, is there any standing ruling for AL or Sage Advice that refers to it?

I’m making a homebrew and I want to know if a feature i’m making would be useless or even a anti-feature

[PhoenixPhyre]

Q332 is there any rule about holding a horse’s reigns that stops you from holding a shield, arcane focus, or second weapon while riding a horse with a Lance in hand?

Q333 If this is a unaddressed RAW ambiguity, is there any standing ruling for AL or Sage Advice that refers to it?

I’m making a homebrew and I want to know if a feature i’m making would be useless or even a anti-feature

A332/A333 There is no explicit rule and no statement from AL or SA that I know of. But as holding reins requires the use of a hand, and holding a lance requires a hand and manipulating a shield/focus/weapon requires a free hand...this DM would say no. Put one down. At least if you want to benefit from it (ie gain the AC from the shield, wield the lance in an attack, use the focus for a spell, make an attack with the other weapon). If you're just holding it, I'd not care.

[Eriol]

A332/A333 There is no explicit rule and no statement from AL or SA that I know of. But as holding reins requires the use of a hand, and holding a lance requires a hand and manipulating a shield/focus/weapon requires a free hand...this DM would say no. Put one down. At least if you want to benefit from it (ie gain the AC from the shield, wield the lance in an attack, use the focus for a spell, make an attack with the other weapon). If you're just holding it, I'd not care.

A332/A333: Note IRL: Jousting. You're on a horse, with a shield, and a lance. You are controlling the horse, because the shield is strapped to your arm not "held" by your hand.

What effect this has on the OP's question is unknown, and outside of RAW, but worth noting when talking about mounted combatants. Further discussion should be outside of this thread IMO.