Versatile weapons cannot work with this feat. You’ve learned to put the weight of a weapon to your advantage, letting its momentum empower your strikes.
Should I use great weapon master?
The general rule of thumb is always to use Great Weapon Master if you have advantage. A fighter without advantage will deal on average 22.78 damage a turn using Great Weapon Master in 5e. However, a Fighter with consistent advantage will see an 11 point increase in average damage-dealing 33.31 points of damage a turn.
Do you need two hands to use shield Master?
As far as I know, since there are no one-handed heavy weapons, in order to make use of this part of the feat a 2-handed weapon is required. Unfortunately, this potentially conflicts with Shield Master, which states (emphasis mine): You use shields not just for protection but also for offense.
What do you get with Great Weapon Master?
Great Weapon Master You’ve learned to put the weight of a weapon to your advantage, letting its momentum empower your strikes. You gain the following benefits: On your turn, when you score a critical hit with a melee weapon or reduce a creature to 0 hit points with one, you can make one melee weapon attack as a bonus action.
Why do you have to sacrifice Shield for Great Weapon Master feat?
You’re a big brave brute who has sacrificed a shield (and an ability modifier to take this feat), in order to do maximum possible damage with each swing of your blade. The first of the two benefits raises few eyebrows… critical hits are pretty rare after all, as is reducing a creature to zero hit points.
Can a shield be used as a weapon in GWM?
You use shields not just for protection but also for offense. You gain the following benefits while you are wielding a shield: Thus, on its face, these 2 feats seem incompatible, since GWM requires using a 2 handed weapon, and Shield Master requires wielding a shield.
