Unleash the Fury: Great Weapon Master and the Mighty Maul
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Yes, absolutely, the Great Weapon Master (GWM) feat works magnificently with a maul. The maul, a quintessential heavy weapon, is the perfect conduit for GWM’s devastating power. The feat thrives on heavy weapons, and the maul, with its crushing potential, is an ideal match. This synergy unlocks incredible damage potential, making it a favorite among martial classes.
The Great Weapon Master Feat: A Deep Dive
The Great Weapon Master feat is a cornerstone of many damage-focused character builds in Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition. It offers two primary benefits:
- Power Attack: Before making an attack roll with a heavy weapon that you are proficient with, you can choose to take a -5 penalty to the attack roll. If the attack hits, you add +10 to the damage roll. This is a significant gamble, trading accuracy for raw power.
- Bonus Action Attack: When you critically hit a creature with a melee weapon or reduce it to 0 hit points with one, you can make one melee weapon attack as a bonus action. This provides an opportunity for additional damage output, especially effective against hordes of weaker enemies.
The maul fits perfectly into this equation. As a heavy weapon, it allows you to utilize the Power Attack aspect of GWM. Its 2d6 damage dice are also compatible with features that let you reroll damage dice such as the Great Weapon Fighting Style, amplifying its already significant threat.
Why the Maul and GWM are a Match Made in Heaven
Several factors contribute to the potent combination of the maul and Great Weapon Master:
- Heavy Property: The maul’s heavy property is a prerequisite for using the Power Attack feature of GWM. Without it, the feat is useless.
- High Base Damage: The maul’s 2d6 damage provides a solid foundation for the +10 damage boost from GWM to be truly impactful. The more damage you roll before adding the +10, the more proportionally effective the feat becomes.
- Synergy with Advantage: Advantage on attack rolls significantly mitigates the -5 penalty from GWM. Sources of advantage, such as the Reckless Attack feature of the barbarian, make the feat far more reliable.
- Tactical Flexibility: The bonus action attack granted by GWM allows for greater action economy in situations where you either score a critical hit or take down an enemy.
Overcoming the Accuracy Hurdle
The -5 penalty to attack rolls is the biggest hurdle to overcome when using GWM. Here are some strategies to improve your accuracy:
- Advantage: As mentioned above, advantage is key.
- Bless: This spell grants a d4 bonus to attack rolls, which can help offset the penalty.
- Accuracy Buffs: Some character classes and subclasses gain features that increase accuracy, such as the Champion fighter’s Improved Critical ability.
- High Strength/Attack Bonus: Maximize your Strength score and use magical items to increase your attack bonus.
- Knowing When to Hold Back: Sometimes, especially against heavily armored opponents, it’s better to forgo the GWM bonus and focus on hitting more consistently.
Maximizing GWM’s Potential
To truly maximize the potential of GWM, consider the following:
- Choose the Right Class: Barbarians, fighters, and paladins are naturally well-suited to GWM due to their access to features that increase accuracy and damage.
- Teamwork: Party members can provide buffs, debuffs, or other effects that improve your chances of hitting.
- Strategic Positioning: Positioning yourself to gain advantage or target weaker enemies can greatly improve the effectiveness of GWM.
- Understand your opponents: Analyze the AC of your enemies, and adjust your usage of the Power Attack feature accordingly.
The Great Weapon Master feat, when combined with the brute force of a maul, creates a formidable force on the battlefield. By understanding its mechanics and utilizing smart tactics, you can turn your character into a damage-dealing juggernaut. Understanding the nuances of gaming mechanics can be just as rewarding as playing the games themselves, as showcased by the research and insights shared by organizations like the Games Learning Society. See more at GamesLearningSociety.org.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Great Weapon Master and Mauls
1. Does Great Weapon Master’s bonus action attack work with the maul?
Yes! If you score a critical hit with your maul or reduce a creature to 0 hit points, you can use your bonus action to make another melee weapon attack.
2. Can I use Great Weapon Master with a maul even if I’m not proficient with it?
No. You must be proficient with the maul to use any of the Great Weapon Master’s features. Proficiency is required because that ensures a proper skill set to wield the weapon.
3. Does the Great Weapon Fighting fighting style affect the maul’s damage dice?
Yes, the Great Weapon Fighting fighting style, allows you to reroll damage dice of a melee weapon attack made with a heavy weapon, so you can reroll 1s or 2s on the maul’s 2d6 damage dice.
4. Is Great Weapon Master always the best choice for a character using a maul?
Not necessarily. If you consistently struggle to hit enemies due to a low attack bonus or high enemy armor class (AC), the -5 penalty can be too detrimental. Consider your overall stats and party support before committing to GWM.
5. Does the Great Weapon Master’s +10 damage bonus double on a critical hit?
No, the +10 damage bonus from Great Weapon Master does not double on a critical hit. Only the weapon’s damage dice are doubled, so in the case of a Maul only the 2d6 damage are doubled.
6. Can I use Great Weapon Master with a versatile weapon wielded in two hands?
Yes, it works with Versatile weapons when wielded with both hands.
7. How does Great Weapon Master interact with the Barbarian’s Reckless Attack feature?
The Barbarian’s Reckless Attack grants you advantage on attack rolls, which significantly offsets the -5 penalty from Great Weapon Master. This combination is extremely powerful.
8. Does Great Weapon Master work with Polearms?
Polearm Master lets you make an attack with the opposite end of a glaive, halberd or quarterstaff; the former two have the heavy property. Thus, they can use both feats with a glaive or halberd.
9. Does Great Weapon Master’s damage double on a crit?
Your critical hits are not affected at all! The GWM damage bonus is also not affected, because only the damage dice are doubled.
10. What type of damage is Great Weapon Master?
This feat, GWM for short, has two primary functions. The first function is what I’m going to refer to as Power Attack, a -5 to hit in exchange for a +10 to damage, but only if we make a melee weapon attack with a weapon with the Heavy property.
11. Does dueling work with great weapons?
For duel to work you need to use a single, one-handed melee weapon. Four things are off the table: ranged weapons, two-handed weapons, dual wielding weapons, versatile weapons with an empty off-hand.
12. What is the great weapon fighting bonus?
When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.
13. Does Great Weapon Master work with longswords?
Yes it works with Versatile weapons when wielded with both hands.
14. What happens if I miss an attack with Great Weapon Master’s Power Attack?
If you miss an attack after using the Power Attack feature, you still suffer the -5 penalty to your attack roll, but you do not deal the +10 damage. It is a risky gamble!
15. Can I turn Great Weapon Master on and off?
Yes, you can turn Great Weapon Master on and off by clicking on the passives on the right side of the toolbar and DRAGGING great weapons mastery on the toolbar, you can now toggle it on and off.