@henryhiggins47if I have the war caster feat and a reach weapon can I use a spell instead of the weapon if they move to 15 ft? The intent is that any OA triggered because you're wielding a polearm is then made with that polearm. @mikemearls
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) March 23, 2015
@andy_striemerwhy invoke intent with polearm master but not on previous answer-Crossbow Expert 2nd bullet applying to not just crossbows? Crossbow Expert works as intended.
— Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) September 16, 2016
Really wondering if Repelling Blast, War Caster, and Sentinel (or Polearm Master) allow opponents movement to be halted and pushed back with an Opportunity Action? I had read the posts, but cannot find the full 3 piece combination clarified. It seems to allow this as it can use a reaction, allows for the Spell instead of melee, and triggers from 5′-10′ depending on 3rd option (feats: Sentinel or Polemaster) Great for 1 on 1 but, but mobs will render Warlock a bit heavy, if he starts acting invulnerable. Am I correct in this?
Because here is the proposed order that seems to allow it. Warlock (12th) or Human Warlock (8th) has the following. Repelling Blast invocation. Polearm Mastery (and is wielding a Quarterstaff), War Caster, & Sentinel.
So if a creature enters 5′ of you, he triggers an AoO (PM), so using the Qstaff still in your hand(s) WAR CASTER (allowing for wielding, and casting) grants AoO due to creature’s movement that triggered AoO (thru PM) may use REACTION (1/end) to cast spell. (EB w Repelling Blast invocation, if hits successful pushing creature 30 -40 feat. SENTINEL allows AoO if hostile creature within 5′ leaves your reach, even with disengage action. Thereby triggering SENTINEL (when hit a creature w/ AoO, creature’s movement and becomes 0 (zero) ) While this can, depending on actually hitting the target, Force back and STOP their movement for the round, it seems logical and unless in a bottle neck doesn’t seem OP. As missile attacks, AoE attacks, mob rushes, etc.. cannot be stopped. So I am thinking of allowing it as I cannot see a rule infraction, and I like the player’s ingenuity of the tactic. (Once again confirming what I have often said, RPGers tend to be incredible problem solvers and have higher IQ’s and I happily look forward to finding them for employment.
..REACTION (1/rnd)
You get one reaction per round. War caster lets you cast a spell INSTEAD of using an opportunity attack. So Sentinel would not activate.
So Crawford’s answer doesn’t really make sense here because it implies that opportunity attacks are threatened by weapons not the wielder of the weapon. If opportunity attacks are threatened by weapons as Crawford is implying here, then War Caster doesn’t allow you to cast spells in place of opportunity attacks at all since the logic is “The intent is that any OA triggered because you’re wielding a [weapon] is then made with that [weapon].”
However, War Caster explicitly states that “When a hostile creature’s movement provokes an opportunity attack FROM YOU [not from your weapon], you can use your reaction to cast a spell at the creature, RATHER THAN MAKING AN OPPORTUNITY ATTACK. The spell must have a casting time of 1 action and must target only that creature.” (Emphasis mine and I apologize for caps, but I couldn’t be sure if any sort of style formatting tags would work.)
So, according to War Caster (and the Opportunity Attack rules) YOU make an opportunity attack when an enemy leaves your reach (note: the Opportunity Attacks section still makes no mention of having to use the weapon and the errata to “Reach” isn’t worded in a way that prohibits this), but even if we accept that you need to make the opportunity attack with the weapon with reach, War Caster actually says to cast a spell RATHER THAN making the opportunity attack, so it’s moot. You never actually make an opportunity attack at all, you replace it with a spell and as long as only the provoker is targeted and all other conditions (like range) of the spell are met, it works.