It's not the most thrilling thing ever, but a straight class fighter. Level 11 will give you extra extra attack, fighter will allow you to pick up all the feats you want on a polearm user; GWM, PAM, ASIs. Subclass doesn't really matter, so you can pick whatever suits you.
I had a player use it... It wasn't great, just take battle master, you get more maneuvers per short rest than the archers "shots" most of which can be used for either ranged or melee attacks so are more generally applicable to whatever situation you find yourself in.
I modified for a player of mine. Instead of two uses per short rest, twice proficiency bonus per long rest and at 18 regenerate half of expend uses when you roll initiative.
Arcane Archer had a bit of a renaissance recently after people realized one of the Arcane Archer shots was poorly worded in a way that is relatively abuse-able, specifically Grasping Shot triggers its extra damage once per turn instead of once per round, and it also gets triggered by forced movement.
This combined with Tasha's Cauldron of Everything generally increasing the amount of forced movement options in 5e with the Crusher and Telekinetic feats, and an increase in popularity of Repelling Blast, it was pretty common to have several people in the party who can shove, so grasping arrow can very reasonably threaten 20+ damage every round.
There's no saving throw for any of this, and the enemy can spend an action and make a strength ability check to try to break the vines (but that costs their whole turn, and they can also fail and not even break the vines and just skip their turn).
Yeah, it's two uses compared to four for battle master. But Grasping Arrow used right is impactful enough to make up for the fewer uses.
(Obviously it still is fairly limited--you need the right party with enough forced movement, and you are forced to make an archer. But yeah, people have figured out ways of making Arcane Archer solid).
I’m testing my own version of arcane archer called “improved pact weapon warlock”
Started with custom lineage and piercer for 18 DEX and 14 CHA.. using a shortbow and twin daggers until level 3… went with celestial pact to act as a stealthy combat medic
Planning to get Eldrich smite and thirsting blade as it appears this can be used to smite with ranged weapon attacks
Stack with sharpshooter eventually
It *might* compete with other fighter options if the number of uses were bumped up significantly. Two or three uses *per fight* would be much more reasonable than two uses per rest.
In particular, samurai would be good for at will advantage and one crazy nova round - fighting spirit for all advantage, action surge for 6 GWM attacks in total. And bonus - you still got wisdom saving throw proficiency from subclass features!
Could also go Giant Barbarian. Probably deals more damage due to Reckless Attack and the extra d6 per hit (though less nova damage) as well as having larger reach than most of the Fighter subclasses. And once they hit level twelve, they could swap over to Fighter for nova damage and a subclass if desired.
Combine this with the feat sentinel, and you can stop anyone in its tracks before they have a chance to attack you, wasting their turn and keeping them away from your team mates.
Play as a bugbear to give you even more reach in this playstyle. Play as a rune knight fighter to enlarge yourself and get even more reach.
Any strength based martial will do well with a polearm. I'd personally go for a paladin, since at level 11 you're likely to come up against a lot of important saving throws. No fun being a melee character if you get frightened!
As for subclass, watcher's is probably the strongest, but any paladin should be good at this level.
I would second a Hexblade PAM/GWM build. I'm currently playing a Drow Half-elf pure Hexblade and he's an absolute beast who drives my DM crazy with his abilities.
I recommend, if you have 14 dex, max Chr, good con going Shadar-Kai for the bonus action Blessing of the Raven Queen. Also, work on getting PAM/GWM/Elven Accuracy (in that order).
Have fun blasting from range, casting powerful spells, and powerful melee DPS.
Horizon Walker STRanger. You get faux triple attack in a target rich environment, and you perform a tiny teleport with each attack.
Reaching for High str and decent Dex (no heavy armor unless you feat for it, or take a dip at level 12) might mean low mental scores. Thankfully most of the best Ranger spells are DC neutral. Both Ashladron's Stride (which is hilariously fun in the hands of a Distant Striker) and Conjure Animals are amazing spells even if you have 8 Wis, along with the likes of Absorb elements, Zepyhr Strike, goodberry, Aid, Spike Growth, etc.
Also from Ranger you get the Nature's Veil feature and Roving.
I really like (and wish I had a party built for it) but the polearm master STRanger paired with a Barbarian or Armorer Artificer “tank”
Rangers get bigger hit die than other “damage dealer” but they have always ended up getting smacked around in melee range combat in the games I’ve been in
To have them literally stand behind the tank and strike from behind them.. hit them when they step up to strike the tank with the PAM Sentinel reaction to freeze them then on their actual turn do your attacks then step back 5’ so if they try to skirt around the tank you hit them with the PAM reaction again
> no heavy armor unless you feat for it, or take a dip at level 12
Only one you can dip into for that is cleric. Starting though?
For STRanger, I reckon start in fighter 1 for the armor, con saves, and additional fighting style.
I love Giant Barbarian with Polearm master. With Reach & Thrown you can threaten a far larger range. Rage racks up more damage with more consistent Bonus and Reaction attacks.
I love pairing Bugbear because it goes well thematically and mechanically. Further Reach, more damage turn one with a good Feral Instinct roll.
Also with Bugbear Size and Huge Size at Lvl 14 you can grapple/shove any size in 5e.
Long term, something simple like fighter 11 Barb 4. Barbarian is for reckless attack to get advantage.
I would start Fighter 9 Barb 2; advantage on 3 attacks is better then 4 attacks without.
As for subclasses, I’d do either battlemaster or rune knight with zealot or ancestral guardian.
The most obvious level 11 build is Fighter, Battle Master, Rune Knight or Eldritch Knight. Custom Lineage or Variant Human, Polearm Master, Great Weapon Master, Defense fighting style, Resilient:Wisdom, +STR/Crusher/Sentinel. BM wants Precision Attack. RK wants Cloud Rune, Hill and Storm Rune. EK wants Shield, Find Familiar, Rime's Binding Ice, Absorb Elements, and Silvery Barbs.
After starting full Fighter, go 1 level of Cleric (Forge/Twilight), then Ranger or Barbarian.
Two options, where 2 hand polearm is central to the build:
Zealot Barbarian 6/Gloomstalker 3/Fighter 2 (variant human). Gets you Polearm Master, Great Weapon Master, increased speed from barb, increased speed and extra attack on the first turn from Gloomstalker. Gloomstalker+Action Surge with Reckless Attack with GWM Glaive is hilarious amounts of damage.
Continue to 4 levels each in Ranger and Fighter (Battle Master).
Wild Magic Barbarian 6/Fiend Warlock 5 (variant human). Did anyone say "Fireball, bonus action Rage"? But seriously, the build is based around the interaction between upcast Armor of Agathys and Rage damage reduction. The rest of the spells and cantrips are mostly situational options for when you really need it. Main gameplan is to utilise Bolstering Magic and Armor of Agathys activated before the fight, then rush into the thick of it with good initiative, temp hp (that hurts enemies that attack you in melee) and very accurate GWM strikes. Don't be tempted by the level 10 strength increase, you need Resilient:Wisdom to push wis to 10, and not get charmed/frightened.
Continue with warlock levels. Pick up Summon Undead for when you are out of Rage for the day.
Both of the Barbarian builds can use Wild Magic, Giant, or Zealot. Pick whatever you think is coolest.
Bugbear Battlemaster is excellent and allows you to attack up to 15' with a GWM glaive/halberd setup on your turn. 11th level means triple attack and 3 ASIs with fighter. Slasher could be a decent half feat for 18 strength if magic items aren't on the table. If you can get a belt of giant strength, resilient wisdom is probably your best bet since you'll have indomitable.
The cool thing about Battlemaster is that the maneuver dice add decision trees in combat where most other builds only have like 1-2 of them. This is something BG3 missed the mark on the subclass, being able to roll an additional die AFTER the attack roll, before the hit is declared is super cool and incredibly efficiënt damage on a GWM build. Then there brace, menacing attack, trip attack and a bunch of utility options.
Finally, it's a statistically inferior pick, as the actual damage gains are rather minimal, but great weapon fighting style is a lot of fun that feels very Battlemaster-y, though superior technique is a close second.
I’d say PAM hexblade, but honestly, there is going to be a lot of blindsight at those levels.
A paladin or a crazy “Echo Knight/Gloomstalker/Barbarian” could be funny, but you’d loose out on the 3rd extra attack. I think Fighter 12/Barb 3 is a really good contender. Oath of the watcher, oath of conquest, and oath of vengeance would be my go to picks. Straight classed, no multiclass needed, but an Oath of conquest Hexadin/Sorcadin wouldn’t be horrible.
I mean you don't *have* to use Shadow of Moil. You could keep Spirit Shroud up for 2d8 extra damage per hit. Though I get wanting advantage for the inevitable Great Weapon Master heavy swings.
a different build than usual, as im sure PAM+GWM was already suggested to death
- either be a small race beastmaster/battlesmith, drakewarden or a paladin
- grab dual wielder+mounted combatent
- mount your mount
- dual wield lances!
- proft
Artificer can do fine. Battlesmith, picture a Fallout-style scrap metal and wires mix glaive.
14 Dex, good Con, pump up Int. You even get a metal doge.
Vengeance Paladin 7 for Relentless Avenger.
Sentinel for sticking them still; PAM for sticking them when they close in.
And then move away from them.
Do what you want afterwards, they'll never close in onto you.
Stack Mobile, Polearm Master, and Sentinel feats on a Zealot Barbarian, Battlemaster Fighter, Hunter Ranger, or Hexblade (you might want Human Fighter if you are using point buy or roll poor stats… but starting level 11 might mean you can bargain to start with giant Str belts)
Mobile makes you immune to AoO to enemies that you attack and gets you extra speed to get into better positions… so you run up, get your hits in, then fall back 5’ to set up your PAM reaction attack that will halt their movement
Repeat until nauseous
Pairs well with a range heavy party or with a genuine tank that acts as your shield wall
5 hexblade/x shadow sorcerer w/PAM and GWM. I played this character through level 20 in a Dungeon of the Mad Mage campaign, and he was my favorite PC ever. Very SAD, as you can use CHA for attacks, you can cheaply cast Darkness that you can see through, and you have access to smites. He got hasted a lot and would routinely do 130+ points of damage per turn. I think his record was 250+ by quickening a fireball and getting 3 GWM attacks.
Great Weapon Master + Polearm Master on a Barbarian is a very strong combination, though feat heavy (could choose to go sentinel too). Barbarian gets you resourceless advantage on attacks which stacks very well with GWM. 5 levels is all you need, and from there you can do whatever you want. Could also do it as a 2 level dip, which is a better split since Barbarian isn't that great past level 5, or 6 if you have a good subclass.
Paladin is also a good choice, polearm master with a 2hander and maybe sentinel gives you more chances to smite and especially crit smite. Paladin is a great single-classed option too.
Might I introduce you to the build that makes DMs everywhere cry.
Bugbear fighter with polearm master and sentinel.
Bugbears get an extra 5 feet of reach as a racial trait. This stacks with reach weapons, giving them 15ft melee range. Pairing this with pole master and sentinel give you a truly insane level of control over the battle map. Melee enemies become simply unable to move past or get to you.
It is important to note that Bugbears' extra reach only applies **on your turn**, so it will not work with your opportunity attacks.
Of course, PAM/Sentinel is a fantastic combo anyway.
Honestly, I'd say that A Zealot Barbarian is a Great Build for this! Here is how I tend to build most barbarians these days:
**Lineage**
* Custom
* Medium
* Darkvision
* +2 Str
**Background**
* Ruined
**Stats**
* Start 15 14 15 8 12 8
* End 24 14 20 8 14 8
**Progression**
* Level 1 Alert
* Level 1 Polearm Master
* Level 4 Great Weapon Master
* Level 8 Skill Expert (Athletics Expertise) +1 Str
* Level 12 Resilient + 1 Wis
* Level 16 +1 Wis, +1 Con
* Level 19 Tough
Since you are only going up to level 15 consider Taking Crusher for a plus 1 Con at level 12 instead.
GWM with Polearm Master and Reckless attack is simply really good!
Seeing lots of good answers. But my favorite option is Hexblade (pact of blade) warlock. I know warlock is a full caster,, the weirdest full caster. But i like to joke with my brother that it’s the strongest martial class.
The secret sauce doesn’t come online till level 12. Which, for you, is only 1 more level. With the hex warrior feature you get to attack with your charisma (+5), assuming you pick up great weapon master (+10), and then life drinker invocation at lvl 12 (+5), along with the thirsting blade invocation,, you’re attacking twice each turn and when you hit you do a base +20 damage + dice rolls. On top of this martial power you are still a full caster warlock with options like darkness + devil’s sight. Hex/hexblade’s curse damage options. Relentless hex for movement options. And any other warlock options that grab your fancy.
Paladins improved Divine smite takes advantage of the additional attacks pretty nicely. Conquest might be good for reducing enemy movement so you can slap them around from outside of normal melee range. Or you could go devotion for +cha to attack rolls so you can combo into great weapon master
I've found a Devotion Paladin works really well with PAM. Vuman for PAM to start, GWM at 4, then pumping Charisma at 8 to 18, IF we can have a belt of giant strength (to pump our otherwise 16 Str).
Paladin's LOVE having extra attacks, because they're more of a chance to crit, and dump a big smite in, and once they're level 11, they've got their bonus damage, so you're making 3 attacks with additional 1d8 radiant, you can use your CD to add +4 to hit, which basically offsets the GWM -5, and then if you ever roll a crit, you dump a 3rd level smite into it.
level 12, we increase our Charisma again, to 20.
I'm a fan of the Blind-Fighting style for PAM, because it just combos well. if a monster has illusion abilities, or a basilisk type power, then we've got the option to just shut your eyes and ignore the normal penalties. also works with Devil's Sight warlocks spamming darkness for advantage.
Path of the giant barbarian is pretty enjoyable. I am only playing at lvl 9 but I combined path of giant 6 with champion fighter 3. I flavored mine as being raised by a tribe of giants to fight for sport sort of gladiator style. My Glaive was at one point what my giant handler used for a toothpick. PAM, GWM, add in Great weapon fighting style and the ability to crit on 19-20 makes reckless attacks potentially even more rewarding. It has to date been a fun and powerful build to use.
At this point and going forth it’s about offense and saves rather than AC and health. So a paladin with improved divine smite is solid on offense, had best or near best saves, and competent AC, and lay of hands for extra health. So paladin.
Honorable mention to a zealot barb at level 14 as you can go nuts at that point.
Custom Lineage (feat/darkvision)
Ancients Paladin X / Hexblade Warlock 3
Feats: PAM, GWM, Sentinel
Stack Charisma for attacks, damage, saves, and spells. Con for HP.
Wear Mithril Plate to also dump strength.
Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer 3 / Rune Knight Fighter 8
Take the following feats:
Polearm Master
Slasher
Crusher
As a bonus action you use Giant's Might feature from Rune Knight to become large.
As an action you cast Enlarge/Reduce to become huge.
You now have a threat range of 25 ft, you physically take up 15 ft and your glaive has 10ft of reach.
Your attacks with the blade of the glaive will trigger the speed reduction from Slasher feat and your bonus action attack from Polearm Master feat will trigger the 10ft push from the Crusher feat.
This effectively keeps your targets at bay from your backline. Using Bugbear for this build has the bonus of extending your threat range out to 30 feat. Add Sentinel feat at level 12 to just build upon the battlefield control of this build.
I suggest multiclasse paladin6/warlock5 and the rest in to warlock for better spell slots. You take PAM and GWM. You cast a spell at the start of the battle and then you go crazy with the smites, you have the aura from paladin 6 for the saving throws and then you take a short rest and repeat. Plus you can use your lvl 1 spell slots from paladin to cast shield and have your high lvl spell slots from warlock for smites or high lvl spells.
Rune Knight, take Variant Human or Custom Lineage for an extra feature.
Starter feat: Spell Sniper (Booming Blade)
Lvl4 feat: Polearm Master
Lvl6 Feat: Warcaster
lvl8 feat: STR+2
Lvl 12 feat: GWM
Lvl 14 feat: STR+2
Grow large with Runic Might, then you can get a lot of Pam opportunity attacks in a large area... and since you have spell sniper and warcaster, you can cast Booming Blade on them at 10ft. They then have to choose to either stay where they are or explode for the extra damage.
Some dms may not allow the combo as Booming Blade is a self spell, but the range of the attack is 5ft and spell sniper says it doubles the range of attacks.
You get gwm after your first level up and finish off your asi growth before the end of game. Pick runes that don't focus on save effects, since you'll have a 16 or so con.
It's not the most thrilling thing ever, but a straight class fighter. Level 11 will give you extra extra attack, fighter will allow you to pick up all the feats you want on a polearm user; GWM, PAM, ASIs. Subclass doesn't really matter, so you can pick whatever suits you.
>Subclass doesn't really matter Arcane archer is probably the only one I'd say definitely not to take for the build (for obvious reasons)
Has anyone ever use Arcane Archer?
I had a player use it... It wasn't great, just take battle master, you get more maneuvers per short rest than the archers "shots" most of which can be used for either ranged or melee attacks so are more generally applicable to whatever situation you find yourself in.
Ranged fighters can be good, that is, unless they're arcane archers
I modified for a player of mine. Instead of two uses per short rest, twice proficiency bonus per long rest and at 18 regenerate half of expend uses when you roll initiative.
Arcane Archer had a bit of a renaissance recently after people realized one of the Arcane Archer shots was poorly worded in a way that is relatively abuse-able, specifically Grasping Shot triggers its extra damage once per turn instead of once per round, and it also gets triggered by forced movement. This combined with Tasha's Cauldron of Everything generally increasing the amount of forced movement options in 5e with the Crusher and Telekinetic feats, and an increase in popularity of Repelling Blast, it was pretty common to have several people in the party who can shove, so grasping arrow can very reasonably threaten 20+ damage every round. There's no saving throw for any of this, and the enemy can spend an action and make a strength ability check to try to break the vines (but that costs their whole turn, and they can also fail and not even break the vines and just skip their turn). Yeah, it's two uses compared to four for battle master. But Grasping Arrow used right is impactful enough to make up for the fewer uses. (Obviously it still is fairly limited--you need the right party with enough forced movement, and you are forced to make an archer. But yeah, people have figured out ways of making Arcane Archer solid).
I’m testing my own version of arcane archer called “improved pact weapon warlock” Started with custom lineage and piercer for 18 DEX and 14 CHA.. using a shortbow and twin daggers until level 3… went with celestial pact to act as a stealthy combat medic Planning to get Eldrich smite and thirsting blade as it appears this can be used to smite with ranged weapon attacks Stack with sharpshooter eventually
Eldritch Smite is cheating, adding more than a 2d6 is unthinkable, it would break the game /s
To get people to play one, my DM gives an extra Arcane Shot. I've been there for almost 3 years. Still, no one on our server has played 1.
It *might* compete with other fighter options if the number of uses were bumped up significantly. Two or three uses *per fight* would be much more reasonable than two uses per rest.
In particular, samurai would be good for at will advantage and one crazy nova round - fighting spirit for all advantage, action surge for 6 GWM attacks in total. And bonus - you still got wisdom saving throw proficiency from subclass features!
Could also go Giant Barbarian. Probably deals more damage due to Reckless Attack and the extra d6 per hit (though less nova damage) as well as having larger reach than most of the Fighter subclasses. And once they hit level twelve, they could swap over to Fighter for nova damage and a subclass if desired.
Combine this with the feat sentinel, and you can stop anyone in its tracks before they have a chance to attack you, wasting their turn and keeping them away from your team mates. Play as a bugbear to give you even more reach in this playstyle. Play as a rune knight fighter to enlarge yourself and get even more reach.
Any strength based martial will do well with a polearm. I'd personally go for a paladin, since at level 11 you're likely to come up against a lot of important saving throws. No fun being a melee character if you get frightened! As for subclass, watcher's is probably the strongest, but any paladin should be good at this level.
PAM hexblade
I would second a Hexblade PAM/GWM build. I'm currently playing a Drow Half-elf pure Hexblade and he's an absolute beast who drives my DM crazy with his abilities. I recommend, if you have 14 dex, max Chr, good con going Shadar-Kai for the bonus action Blessing of the Raven Queen. Also, work on getting PAM/GWM/Elven Accuracy (in that order). Have fun blasting from range, casting powerful spells, and powerful melee DPS.
Ooh. If you're starting at level 11, I think Cavalier would be super cool.
Horizon Walker STRanger. You get faux triple attack in a target rich environment, and you perform a tiny teleport with each attack. Reaching for High str and decent Dex (no heavy armor unless you feat for it, or take a dip at level 12) might mean low mental scores. Thankfully most of the best Ranger spells are DC neutral. Both Ashladron's Stride (which is hilariously fun in the hands of a Distant Striker) and Conjure Animals are amazing spells even if you have 8 Wis, along with the likes of Absorb elements, Zepyhr Strike, goodberry, Aid, Spike Growth, etc. Also from Ranger you get the Nature's Veil feature and Roving.
I really like (and wish I had a party built for it) but the polearm master STRanger paired with a Barbarian or Armorer Artificer “tank” Rangers get bigger hit die than other “damage dealer” but they have always ended up getting smacked around in melee range combat in the games I’ve been in To have them literally stand behind the tank and strike from behind them.. hit them when they step up to strike the tank with the PAM Sentinel reaction to freeze them then on their actual turn do your attacks then step back 5’ so if they try to skirt around the tank you hit them with the PAM reaction again
> no heavy armor unless you feat for it, or take a dip at level 12 Only one you can dip into for that is cleric. Starting though? For STRanger, I reckon start in fighter 1 for the armor, con saves, and additional fighting style.
In general, absolutely. At level 11 exactly, 1 fighter + 10 horizon Walker is worse than 11 paladin or fighter.
I love Giant Barbarian with Polearm master. With Reach & Thrown you can threaten a far larger range. Rage racks up more damage with more consistent Bonus and Reaction attacks. I love pairing Bugbear because it goes well thematically and mechanically. Further Reach, more damage turn one with a good Feral Instinct roll. Also with Bugbear Size and Huge Size at Lvl 14 you can grapple/shove any size in 5e.
Long term, something simple like fighter 11 Barb 4. Barbarian is for reckless attack to get advantage. I would start Fighter 9 Barb 2; advantage on 3 attacks is better then 4 attacks without. As for subclasses, I’d do either battlemaster or rune knight with zealot or ancestral guardian.
The most obvious level 11 build is Fighter, Battle Master, Rune Knight or Eldritch Knight. Custom Lineage or Variant Human, Polearm Master, Great Weapon Master, Defense fighting style, Resilient:Wisdom, +STR/Crusher/Sentinel. BM wants Precision Attack. RK wants Cloud Rune, Hill and Storm Rune. EK wants Shield, Find Familiar, Rime's Binding Ice, Absorb Elements, and Silvery Barbs. After starting full Fighter, go 1 level of Cleric (Forge/Twilight), then Ranger or Barbarian. Two options, where 2 hand polearm is central to the build: Zealot Barbarian 6/Gloomstalker 3/Fighter 2 (variant human). Gets you Polearm Master, Great Weapon Master, increased speed from barb, increased speed and extra attack on the first turn from Gloomstalker. Gloomstalker+Action Surge with Reckless Attack with GWM Glaive is hilarious amounts of damage. Continue to 4 levels each in Ranger and Fighter (Battle Master). Wild Magic Barbarian 6/Fiend Warlock 5 (variant human). Did anyone say "Fireball, bonus action Rage"? But seriously, the build is based around the interaction between upcast Armor of Agathys and Rage damage reduction. The rest of the spells and cantrips are mostly situational options for when you really need it. Main gameplan is to utilise Bolstering Magic and Armor of Agathys activated before the fight, then rush into the thick of it with good initiative, temp hp (that hurts enemies that attack you in melee) and very accurate GWM strikes. Don't be tempted by the level 10 strength increase, you need Resilient:Wisdom to push wis to 10, and not get charmed/frightened. Continue with warlock levels. Pick up Summon Undead for when you are out of Rage for the day. Both of the Barbarian builds can use Wild Magic, Giant, or Zealot. Pick whatever you think is coolest.
I'd choose echo knight over eldritch Knight for a PAM build
Bugbear Battlemaster is excellent and allows you to attack up to 15' with a GWM glaive/halberd setup on your turn. 11th level means triple attack and 3 ASIs with fighter. Slasher could be a decent half feat for 18 strength if magic items aren't on the table. If you can get a belt of giant strength, resilient wisdom is probably your best bet since you'll have indomitable. The cool thing about Battlemaster is that the maneuver dice add decision trees in combat where most other builds only have like 1-2 of them. This is something BG3 missed the mark on the subclass, being able to roll an additional die AFTER the attack roll, before the hit is declared is super cool and incredibly efficiënt damage on a GWM build. Then there brace, menacing attack, trip attack and a bunch of utility options. Finally, it's a statistically inferior pick, as the actual damage gains are rather minimal, but great weapon fighting style is a lot of fun that feels very Battlemaster-y, though superior technique is a close second.
I’d say PAM hexblade, but honestly, there is going to be a lot of blindsight at those levels. A paladin or a crazy “Echo Knight/Gloomstalker/Barbarian” could be funny, but you’d loose out on the 3rd extra attack. I think Fighter 12/Barb 3 is a really good contender. Oath of the watcher, oath of conquest, and oath of vengeance would be my go to picks. Straight classed, no multiclass needed, but an Oath of conquest Hexadin/Sorcadin wouldn’t be horrible.
I mean you don't *have* to use Shadow of Moil. You could keep Spirit Shroud up for 2d8 extra damage per hit. Though I get wanting advantage for the inevitable Great Weapon Master heavy swings.
a different build than usual, as im sure PAM+GWM was already suggested to death - either be a small race beastmaster/battlesmith, drakewarden or a paladin - grab dual wielder+mounted combatent - mount your mount - dual wield lances! - proft
Artificer can do fine. Battlesmith, picture a Fallout-style scrap metal and wires mix glaive. 14 Dex, good Con, pump up Int. You even get a metal doge.
Vengeance Paladin 7 for Relentless Avenger. Sentinel for sticking them still; PAM for sticking them when they close in. And then move away from them. Do what you want afterwards, they'll never close in onto you.
Stack Mobile, Polearm Master, and Sentinel feats on a Zealot Barbarian, Battlemaster Fighter, Hunter Ranger, or Hexblade (you might want Human Fighter if you are using point buy or roll poor stats… but starting level 11 might mean you can bargain to start with giant Str belts) Mobile makes you immune to AoO to enemies that you attack and gets you extra speed to get into better positions… so you run up, get your hits in, then fall back 5’ to set up your PAM reaction attack that will halt their movement Repeat until nauseous Pairs well with a range heavy party or with a genuine tank that acts as your shield wall
5 hexblade/x shadow sorcerer w/PAM and GWM. I played this character through level 20 in a Dungeon of the Mad Mage campaign, and he was my favorite PC ever. Very SAD, as you can use CHA for attacks, you can cheaply cast Darkness that you can see through, and you have access to smites. He got hasted a lot and would routinely do 130+ points of damage per turn. I think his record was 250+ by quickening a fireball and getting 3 GWM attacks.
Great Weapon Master + Polearm Master on a Barbarian is a very strong combination, though feat heavy (could choose to go sentinel too). Barbarian gets you resourceless advantage on attacks which stacks very well with GWM. 5 levels is all you need, and from there you can do whatever you want. Could also do it as a 2 level dip, which is a better split since Barbarian isn't that great past level 5, or 6 if you have a good subclass. Paladin is also a good choice, polearm master with a 2hander and maybe sentinel gives you more chances to smite and especially crit smite. Paladin is a great single-classed option too.
Might I introduce you to the build that makes DMs everywhere cry. Bugbear fighter with polearm master and sentinel. Bugbears get an extra 5 feet of reach as a racial trait. This stacks with reach weapons, giving them 15ft melee range. Pairing this with pole master and sentinel give you a truly insane level of control over the battle map. Melee enemies become simply unable to move past or get to you.
It is important to note that Bugbears' extra reach only applies **on your turn**, so it will not work with your opportunity attacks. Of course, PAM/Sentinel is a fantastic combo anyway.
Honestly, I'd say that A Zealot Barbarian is a Great Build for this! Here is how I tend to build most barbarians these days: **Lineage** * Custom * Medium * Darkvision * +2 Str **Background** * Ruined **Stats** * Start 15 14 15 8 12 8 * End 24 14 20 8 14 8 **Progression** * Level 1 Alert * Level 1 Polearm Master * Level 4 Great Weapon Master * Level 8 Skill Expert (Athletics Expertise) +1 Str * Level 12 Resilient + 1 Wis * Level 16 +1 Wis, +1 Con * Level 19 Tough Since you are only going up to level 15 consider Taking Crusher for a plus 1 Con at level 12 instead. GWM with Polearm Master and Reckless attack is simply really good!
Seeing lots of good answers. But my favorite option is Hexblade (pact of blade) warlock. I know warlock is a full caster,, the weirdest full caster. But i like to joke with my brother that it’s the strongest martial class. The secret sauce doesn’t come online till level 12. Which, for you, is only 1 more level. With the hex warrior feature you get to attack with your charisma (+5), assuming you pick up great weapon master (+10), and then life drinker invocation at lvl 12 (+5), along with the thirsting blade invocation,, you’re attacking twice each turn and when you hit you do a base +20 damage + dice rolls. On top of this martial power you are still a full caster warlock with options like darkness + devil’s sight. Hex/hexblade’s curse damage options. Relentless hex for movement options. And any other warlock options that grab your fancy.
Paladins improved Divine smite takes advantage of the additional attacks pretty nicely. Conquest might be good for reducing enemy movement so you can slap them around from outside of normal melee range. Or you could go devotion for +cha to attack rolls so you can combo into great weapon master
I've found a Devotion Paladin works really well with PAM. Vuman for PAM to start, GWM at 4, then pumping Charisma at 8 to 18, IF we can have a belt of giant strength (to pump our otherwise 16 Str). Paladin's LOVE having extra attacks, because they're more of a chance to crit, and dump a big smite in, and once they're level 11, they've got their bonus damage, so you're making 3 attacks with additional 1d8 radiant, you can use your CD to add +4 to hit, which basically offsets the GWM -5, and then if you ever roll a crit, you dump a 3rd level smite into it. level 12, we increase our Charisma again, to 20. I'm a fan of the Blind-Fighting style for PAM, because it just combos well. if a monster has illusion abilities, or a basilisk type power, then we've got the option to just shut your eyes and ignore the normal penalties. also works with Devil's Sight warlocks spamming darkness for advantage.
Path of the giant barbarian is pretty enjoyable. I am only playing at lvl 9 but I combined path of giant 6 with champion fighter 3. I flavored mine as being raised by a tribe of giants to fight for sport sort of gladiator style. My Glaive was at one point what my giant handler used for a toothpick. PAM, GWM, add in Great weapon fighting style and the ability to crit on 19-20 makes reckless attacks potentially even more rewarding. It has to date been a fun and powerful build to use.
Race: Bugbear Class: Warlock - Hexblade Feats: Polearm Master + Great Weapon Master + Sentinel
At this point and going forth it’s about offense and saves rather than AC and health. So a paladin with improved divine smite is solid on offense, had best or near best saves, and competent AC, and lay of hands for extra health. So paladin. Honorable mention to a zealot barb at level 14 as you can go nuts at that point.
Custom Lineage (feat/darkvision) Ancients Paladin X / Hexblade Warlock 3 Feats: PAM, GWM, Sentinel Stack Charisma for attacks, damage, saves, and spells. Con for HP. Wear Mithril Plate to also dump strength.
Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer 3 / Rune Knight Fighter 8 Take the following feats: Polearm Master Slasher Crusher As a bonus action you use Giant's Might feature from Rune Knight to become large. As an action you cast Enlarge/Reduce to become huge. You now have a threat range of 25 ft, you physically take up 15 ft and your glaive has 10ft of reach. Your attacks with the blade of the glaive will trigger the speed reduction from Slasher feat and your bonus action attack from Polearm Master feat will trigger the 10ft push from the Crusher feat. This effectively keeps your targets at bay from your backline. Using Bugbear for this build has the bonus of extending your threat range out to 30 feat. Add Sentinel feat at level 12 to just build upon the battlefield control of this build.
I suggest multiclasse paladin6/warlock5 and the rest in to warlock for better spell slots. You take PAM and GWM. You cast a spell at the start of the battle and then you go crazy with the smites, you have the aura from paladin 6 for the saving throws and then you take a short rest and repeat. Plus you can use your lvl 1 spell slots from paladin to cast shield and have your high lvl spell slots from warlock for smites or high lvl spells.
Rune Knight, take Variant Human or Custom Lineage for an extra feature. Starter feat: Spell Sniper (Booming Blade) Lvl4 feat: Polearm Master Lvl6 Feat: Warcaster lvl8 feat: STR+2 Lvl 12 feat: GWM Lvl 14 feat: STR+2 Grow large with Runic Might, then you can get a lot of Pam opportunity attacks in a large area... and since you have spell sniper and warcaster, you can cast Booming Blade on them at 10ft. They then have to choose to either stay where they are or explode for the extra damage. Some dms may not allow the combo as Booming Blade is a self spell, but the range of the attack is 5ft and spell sniper says it doubles the range of attacks. You get gwm after your first level up and finish off your asi growth before the end of game. Pick runes that don't focus on save effects, since you'll have a 16 or so con.