D&D 5E Feat combo: Polearm Master + Shield Master?

[Quartz]

Now that PAM is allowed for the spear, how does it work in combo with the Shield Master feat?

 

[Blue]

Both want your bonus action. I don't really see any synergy between them.

 

[Dessert Nomad]

You have to pick one or the other to use your bonus action on each round. You might want to have both 'extra damage', 'knock prone' and 'knock back' as options on your bonus action, but they don't combine with each other at all. You would be able to get the saving throw benefits of shield master while using polearm master on a spear, but you could have done that before with a quarterstaff.

 

[Quartz]

Yes, one of the drawbacks of Action Surge is that you don't get two Bonus Actions. But I wonder if the combo might give a reaction attack?

 

[Dessert Nomad]

No, neither ability gives a reaction attack, just something you can use a bonus action to do. Having two feats that give a possible bonus action doesn't give an additional reaction or additional option on your reaction. And I'm really not clear on what you think is different about using those abilities with a spear now that the errata is out vs using them with a quarterstaff before the errata came out, why would using a spear now give a reaction when using a quarterstaff before wouldn't?

 

[BookBarbarian]

No, neither ability gives a reaction attack, just something you can use a bonus action to do. Having two feats that give a possible bonus action doesn't give an additional reaction or additional option on your reaction. And I'm really not clear on what you think is different about using those abilities with a spear now that the errata is out vs using them with a quarterstaff before the errata came out, why would using a spear now give a reaction when using a quarterstaff before wouldn't?

Polearm Master has always given a Reaction attack with the Quarterstaff. From the first printing of the PHB page 1658:

While you are wielding a glaive, halberd, pike, or quarterstaff,
other creatures provoke an opportunity attack
from you when they enter your reach.

Spear now works with it too.

It is however much easier to get someone to trigger that opportunity attack with a reach polearm however.

 

[Dessert Nomad]

Polearm Master has always given a Reaction attack with the Quarterstaff. From the first printing of the PHB page 1658:

Oh right, I forgot that one. But it still does that on it's own, it doesn't have anything to do with shield mastery, or being combined with shield mastery. I'm still perplexed by what the OP expects to happen by involving shield mastery.

 

[BookBarbarian]

Oh right, I forgot that one. But it still does that on it's own, it doesn't have anything to do with shield mastery, or being combined with shield mastery. I'm still perplexed by what the OP expects to happen by involving shield mastery.

I imagine they are trying to make a hoplite. Or at least thinking about it. Still PAM and UA Spear Mastery would probably do it better.

 

[Quartz]

No, neither ability gives a reaction attack, just something you can use a bonus action to do. Having two feats that give a possible bonus action doesn't give an additional reaction

I never said that they did.

or additional option on your reaction.

Then the answer to that question is, "No, they don't"

And I'm really not clear on what you think is different about using those abilities with a spear now that the errata is out vs using them with a quarterstaff before the errata came out, why would using a spear now give a reaction when using a quarterstaff before wouldn't?

You're jumping to a conclusion there. I don't know if anything is different, hence the question. Though I'm guessing that if you have the Duellist fighting style you can apply the +2 damage to the spear's butt strike.

 

[BookBarbarian]

I'm guessing that if you have the Duellist fighting style you can apply the +2 damage to the spear's butt strike.

Yup. Should work fine.