G3rmanicus says:
Iman
enters a battle rage and lets out a ferocious battle cry as he charges 15 feet towards the 2 bandits at one side.
If you don't mind, I'll offer a little advice on your
Polearm Master feat (and a quick run-through of what happens during a round of combat).
Each player has four potential points of activity in a round of combat.
1) Action - This is when you attack/cast a spell/etc. (there are more, but this will probably get us through this combat)
2) Bonus Action - Certain things allow you to use a bonus action (Iman's Polearm Master feat, certain spells, Barendd's two-weapon fighting, etc.)
3) Move - You can move (as long as you are not within 5' of an enemy, or they will have an opportunity attack (OA), basically a free shot at you)
4) Reaction - This usually happens during someone else's turn (if an enemy next to you moves, you can use your reaction to take an opportunity attack, Pageflap's Shield spell activates if someone hits him with an attack, etc.)
So, the reason I went through all that is that when I started 5e, I had only played AD&D and I didn't know a Reaction from a Bonus from an Action, so I figured some of you might not either. But it was also to explain a combat strategy the Polearm Master feat allows.
What my point boils down to is that most melee weapons have a range of 5', which means you have to be right next to an enemy to hit them. Iman's halberd has a reach of 10'. So if Iman stops 10' away from an enemy, he can use his Action to strike with the blade and his Bonus Action to strike with the other end of the halberd. Here's the best part, though: the enemy is still 10' away. They are not next to him, so Iman can use his Move to step back 5' without provoking an OA, and the enemy will end up being 15' away from him. They will have to move closer to Iman to stab him. "While you are wielding a glaive, halberd, pike, or quarterstaff, other creatures provoke an opportunity attack from you when they enter the reach you have with that weapon." Which means, once they move within 10' of him, Iman can use his Reaction to attack again!
I've been thinking about this a lot lately because I've been wanting to play a polearm master, then take the Mobile feat at 4th level, which would allow the character to move away from an enemy without taking an OA! Every turn, your enemy has to close in and enter the reach of your constantly twirling halberd (think Oberyn Martell from Game of Thrones)!
Starrbeardo says:
Also as a party should the plan be to try to decimate all of the bandits. Just the leader who is insistent that they continue, all but one so we can get info about the Night Lord? The intimidation seemed to work on all but the leader, but I would say keeping at least one around would be a good idea.
You can usually communicate with your fellow characters during combat. DMs won't usually allow lengthy speeches, but shorter bursts (
Keep one alive! Attack that one! Run away!) are typically allowed.
G3rmanicus says:
Also, Iman will go into rage and will not declare any nonlethal blows, I think it fits him since he has it out against bandits from being chased off all his life.
Awesome! I love it when players stay true to their character, even when it goes against the interests or wishes of the group. Makes them more three-dimensional.
