Polearm Master 5e D&D Guide

The feat Polearm Master helps you to keep your enemies away with long-reaching weapons.

The polearm can be used with the quarterstaff, halberd, and glaive. You get a bonus action when you use one of these D&D weapons and make an attack. 

This bonus action lets you attack again with the weapon’s other end.

This bonus attack does very little damage but deals severe damage. To determine the damage that your bonus attack does, you must roll a d4. You can also add your attribute modifiers to any (melee-based) attack.

Another benefit to having the Polearm Master feat is the ability to create an opportunity for you when creatures are within your reach. 

This is only true if you have a weapon such as a pike, the halberd, or the quarterstaff. The long sword, for instance, is not compatible.

How to get the most out of a Polearm Fighter?

Few people use polearm weapons for fighting. Many of the warriors that you see are carrying hammers, swords, or axes. A polearm is a unique way to combat melee battles.

Most people consider polearm weapons such as the quarterstaff and halberd to be good weapons. But, they are not great weapons. They are not the best of the pack in terms of damage output.

When you’re making a polearm fighter, and especially when you’re trying to make a great one, the most important thing is how 5e DnD works. 

One of the best ways you can optimize the action economy is to be able to fight and use the polearm master. You receive your action, bonus action, and movement actions.

To get the best build, you must think about where your ability points will go, which race you will choose, and what class you should be in. 

You don’t need to know how it all works. I will show you how to build a strong polearm fighter in 5e.

Which Race is Best for Polearm Mastering?

There are two races I believe are ideal for this purpose. The human race is the all-arounder in DnD. The other is the half-orcs. 

You can choose the variant human as your choice for the feat. Or you can go with the half-orc, which deals additional damage if you hit critical due to Savage Attacks. 

Due to their Relentless Endurance ability, they are a great tank. The half-orc race is recommended for optimal polearm build, making the most of the Polearm master abilities.

You get the dark vision perk when you choose the half-orc race. This perk is very useful when using a polearm. You can perform a variety of attacks with the Savage Attack.

Half-orcs have to wait longer to gain access to the Polearm Master feat, and the additional feats which are a great combination with it.

The polearm master is the best person to do the first feat.

Now that you’ve decided on your race, let’s say you chose either a human orc. This guide is for polearm masters. It will explain how to use the feat, and when it should be chosen.

It seems obvious that you will use the polearm master feat when you make a polearm fighter. 

This feat should be taken as soon as possible. This feat will allow us to increase the damage that we deal per turn. It stacks quite well.

You will be able to access the feat immediately at the first level if you’ve chosen the human race as your starting race. 

You will need to wait until the fourth level if you choose to pick the half-orc to gain polearm master.

It is a good idea to get a polearm fighter as soon as possible. This feat is possible when you have a glaive and a halberd.

Both of these have a nice base damage output, a d10 dice. The bonus attack action adds d4 to the damage. 

These two actions benefit from your strength modifier which increases the damage you do. The polearm master feat effectively does 40% more damage per attack.

An extra d4 damage is available at the beginning levels. This can be increased by your strength modifier. 

When you add all the bonus attacks, the damage that the bonus action causes in battle is equivalent to an attack.

What is the best way to combine polearm master with?

Sentinel

Sentinel, in my opinion, is the best feat to use with Polearm Master. Sentinel is great if you’re making a melee build with some martial elements.

What is it that makes the Polearm Master and Sentinel combo so special? It becomes quite clear when you see what the sentinel does. 

If you strike an enemy with a glaive or a sword, they will be stopped within a 10-foot radius. Their movement will be halted if they are stopped.

This allows your party to avoid close-range melee attacks quite effectively. You also benefit from being away from harm for many attacks that your enemies (and certainly at lower levels) can throw at you.

Great Weapon Master

This was a difficult one to choose and how to combine it. 

A great weapon master can make an attack action a bonus act if your enemies score critical hits or get their hit points to zero. 

This sounds like it wouldn’t be very beneficial, but you can always use the Polearm master d4 bonus. 

The great weapon master feat can transform a d4 into a d10.

Another interesting perk is that you can choose to take an attack of -5 and do another +10 damage. 

This is great for when your d4 attack fails by a small margin. 

If everything goes according to plan, the Great Weapon Master feat and the feat of Polearm Master combined with this precision attack can deal approximately 35 hit points of additional damage every round.

The disadvantages of a Polearm (master), built in 5e

Your weapon’s length is the main problem. This is a matter of personal preference. You have bad luck if I am your Dungeon Master.

If I am not around, you will be called out when the weapon is being used in tight spaces. The weapon’s length can be a disadvantage. 

It is difficult to put away a weapon like a bow or a dagger. It’s terrible when you have to cross a wall or use your hands for other purposes.

The disadvantage to using polearm weapons for your main weapon is the fact that not many of them are magic-imbued. The books have a very short list of magical weapons, including glaives and Halberds.

Nothing is stopping you from making a Homebrew weapon. This would be a great option if you are looking for a unique weapon to use. 

It is important to remember that the polearm build can be used well and still provide a balanced weapon.

Additional Tips to Get the Best Out of the Polearm Master Feat

• Combine it– In order to make the best use of Polearm Master you must always combine it with at minimum a reach weapon or Sentinel. A Great Weapon Master makes the Polearm Master even more powerful.
• The main benefit of the feat is the bonus action Polearm Master grants you. You can increase your damage by increasing your strength or making sure you hit multiplayer with a critical hit multiplayer.
• Inform your DM– Polearm weapons aren’t used a lot. He will need your assistance with some things. You might need to help him with some of his complicated weapon combinations. You need to make sure that he is aware of the disadvantages and drawbacks that polearm master and all polearms have. It’s more fun for everyone.
• Think about your weapon– Some weapons are two-handed. This means you don’t need a shield to increase your AC. Either you must kill your enemies first before they can kill yourself, or you need to keep them away so they cannot reach you. If you have a Halberd, the second option is excellent.
• Fighting defensively– It pays to be defensive when you combine the Polearm master feat with sentinel. Your tactical advantage of being able keep the distance is negated by going on the offensive. You will find that you are less likely to need to be on defense if you don’t have a sentinel. Your tanking ability will be noticeably lower if you don’t have one.

FAQs

Conclusion: If you plan strategically, the polearm master is a great choice.

Polearm weapons are not very exciting for many people. Most people who enjoy melee will choose to stick with the more traditional options like a sword and an ax.

However, polearms offer unique gameplay. Due to the bonus attack that you receive every attack, you will do serious damage. You will also be able to keep your enemies away from you with this amazing feature.

As you can see from the Polearm master 5e guide, planning is essential. Only two races are viable polearm masters. 

The half-orcs and the humans are these two races. You lose a lot of this feat’s raw power if you don’t choose one of these two.