The Great Weapons Master feat, a formidable asset in Dungeons & Dragons, empowers martial warriors to wield colossal weapons with unmatched proficiency. By embracing this feat, you unlock the potential to inflict devastating blows and cleave through hordes of enemies with ease.

Delve into the intricacies of this feat, exploring its mechanics, advantages, and disadvantages. Discover how to harness its power to maximize your character’s combat effectiveness.

Introduction

The Great Weapons Master feat is a powerful option for martial characters in Dungeons & Dragons. It grants a significant bonus to damage output, but it also comes with some drawbacks. In this article, we will explore the mechanics, advantages, and disadvantages of the Great Weapons Master feat, and discuss whether or not it is worth taking for your character.

Mechanics

The Great Weapons Master feat grants the following benefits:

• You gain a +10 bonus to damage rolls with heavy weapons that you are proficient with.
• When you score a critical hit with a heavy weapon, you can roll one additional weapon damage die and add it to the extra damage of the critical hit.
• When you attack with a heavy weapon, you can choose to take a -5 penalty to the attack roll in order to gain a +10 bonus to the damage roll.

The Great Weapons Master feat can be a powerful way to increase your damage output, but it is important to be aware of the drawbacks. The -5 penalty to attack rolls can make it more difficult to hit your target, and the feat only works with heavy weapons.

Advantages

The Great Weapons Master feat has several advantages, including:

• Increased damage output: The +10 bonus to damage rolls is a significant boost to your damage output, especially when combined with the extra damage from critical hits.
• Cleave through multiple enemies: The ability to take a -5 penalty to the attack roll in order to gain a +10 bonus to the damage roll can be very effective against groups of enemies.

The Great Weapons Master feat is a good choice for characters who want to deal as much damage as possible, especially against large groups of enemies.

Disadvantages

The Great Weapons Master feat also has some disadvantages, including:

• Increased chance of missing: The -5 penalty to attack rolls can make it more difficult to hit your target, especially against enemies with high AC.
• Penalty to attack rolls against smaller creatures: The Great Weapons Master feat only works with heavy weapons, which are typically large and unwieldy. This can make it difficult to hit smaller creatures, such as goblins or kobolds.

The Great Weapons Master feat can be a powerful tool, but it is important to be aware of the drawbacks before taking it.

Variants, Great weapons master feat

There are several variants of the Great Weapons Master feat that exist in different versions of the game or in homebrew content. Some of these variants include:

• Great Weapon Fighting: This variant of the feat grants a +1 bonus to attack rolls with heavy weapons, and a +10 bonus to damage rolls with heavy weapons that you are proficient with.
• Savage Attacker: This variant of the feat grants a +2 bonus to damage rolls with melee weapons, and allows you to reroll a damage die once per turn.

These variants can be a good option for characters who want to use the Great Weapons Master feat, but who are concerned about the drawbacks.

FAQ Corner: Great Weapons Master Feat

What are the prerequisites for taking the Great Weapons Master feat?

You must be proficient with martial weapons and have a Strength score of 13 or higher.

How does the Great Weapons Master feat affect my attack rolls?

You gain a +10 bonus to damage rolls with heavy weapons that you are proficient with, but you suffer a -5 penalty to attack rolls with them.

Can I use the Great Weapons Master feat with ranged weapons?

No, the feat only applies to heavy weapons that you are proficient with.