What is the Sentinel feat?
Sentinel is a feat that makes characters more responsive in combat. In D&D 5e, feats are optional abilities that become available at certain times when leveling a player character (PC). Sentinel, specifically, is a feat designed to help PCs control the battlefield and react to enemy movements while in combat, making their opportunity attacks stronger and more effective. Sentinel can be found in the Player’s Handbook, one of several available 5e sourcebooks. The feat is especially popular for PCs who prefer melee (close-quarters) combat over ranged (distance) combat.
Sentinel Rules & Perks
Creatures leaving your reach always provoke opportunity attacks. Normally, you can take attacks of opportunity when a creature leaves your reach in combat. However, if a creature disengages (moving safely out of reach), they won’t provoke the attack. Sentinel cancels out the perks of disengaging, ensuring that all creatures take opportunity attacks from you regardless. Additionally, if you have a weapon that reaches beyond 5 feet (like a polearm weapon), Sentinel will trigger when an enemy leaves that distance. There are only a couple of very specific exceptions to this; enemies that use the Swashbuckler rogue’s Fancy Footwork ability won’t trigger Sentinel, and neither will certain enemies using the Flyby trait.
Hitting enemies with opportunity attacks takes away their movement. With Sentinel, your PC’s opportunity attacks come with extra effects; when you successfully strike an enemy with an attack of opportunity, that enemy’s movement becomes 0 for the rest of the turn. This essentially means that, even if the enemy hasn’t taken their turn yet, they can’t move at all. This can be super helpful if you’re trying to stop an enemy from targeting a different party member or want to keep them close so you can continue attacking. Plus, when you reduce an enemy’s movement to 0 while they’re flying (using Sentinel or some other ability), that enemy will fall right out of the sky and possibly take extra damage.
You can retaliate against nearby creatures attacking your allies. When a creature within 5 feet makes an attack against a target other than your PC, you can opt to use your reaction and make a melee attack against that creature. However, remember that this feature won’t work if the attacking creature also has Sentinel. This ability triggers in response to all enemy attacks, including opportunity attacks. For example, say you’re playing a barbarian with Sentinel, and you’re fighting an enemy that takes an opportunity attack against your party’s sorcerer. You could choose to spend a reaction attacking that enemy in retaliation—and if you hit, their movement speed would become 0, making it impossible for them to chase after the sorcerer.
Is Sentinel a useful feat?
Sentinel is a fantastic feat for specific characters. It won’t be the first choice for every class (or subclass) out there—but when it’s taken by characters that’ll actually use it on the front lines of a battle, it can be an easy yet powerful way to manipulate a battlefield to your advantage. Sentinel enables you to take extra (free) attacks on enemies and stop them from getting too close to allies, making it very handy overall! Before taking the Sentinel feat, consider its perks and if your PC is the kind of character that might be able to use them. If the answer is yes, seriously consider taking Sentinel for your PC—especially if you pair it with other combat feats like Polearm Master, which gives you a bonus action attack when wielding polearm weapons.
Which classes should use Sentinel?
Sentinel is especially useful for classes that get in the thick of battles. Since Sentinel is all about attacking (and retaliating against) enemies in close quarters, it’s most useful for PCs who often go toe-to-toe with their enemies and specialize in melee combat. If your PC regularly attacks enemies with melee weapons, Sentinel might be a good choice. Classes that can use it best include: Barbarians. Barbarians are one of the best candidates for Sentinel because they’re so hardy. They’re fierce warriors designed to attract attackers and soak up damage in place of allies, which is exactly what Sentinel enables them to do. Clerics. Since clerics are primarily spellcasters, some might steer clear of melee combat. Clerics that do wade into the fray, however (especially War and Forge domain clerics) can definitely use Sentinel. Fighters. Controlling the battlefield is what fighters do best, so Sentinel is an obvious (and handy) choice for a fighter PC. Echo Knights can get even more from this feat because it allows them to make extra attacks through their echoes. Paladins. Sentinel grants extra attacks, which paladins can use extensively—especially by pumping their Divine Smite ability into those attacks. This is especially helpful for Oath of the Crown paladins. Rogues. Although rogues prefer stealth to open combat, Sentinel allows them to deliver powerful Sneak Attacks that stop enemies in their tracks—which is definitely useful. Rangers. While many rangers are archers who prefer ranged combat, a ranger PC with melee weapons can definitely use Sentinel—especially in conjunction with Hunter’s Mark. Monks. Monks are extremely mobile and can benefit from the ability to lock enemies down strategically. However, they tend to have fewer hit die than other, hardier classes and might struggle to take the brunt of enemy attacks.
Sentinel isn’t very useful for classes that avoid melee combat. On the other hand, because Sentinel’s perks are specifically focused on taking extra melee attacks, PCs that stay back and make attacks from afar probably won’t get much use out of Sentinel. If your PC is a spellcaster or archer, for example, they wouldn’t need Sentinel. Classes that are less likely to use Sentinel include: Artificers. Most artificers are spellcasters and don’t really need Sentinel. However, the Guardian Armor or Battle Smith subclasses may be able to benefit from Sentinel’s extra attacks. Bards. Bards are arcane spellcasters who tend to cast most spells from a distance, so they won’t need Sentinel. The only exception is a College of Swords bard since they have additional weapon attacks. Druids. Druids rarely engage in melee combat. However, those who use their Wild Shape ability to transform into hardy creatures (especially Circle of the Moon druids) might be able to use this feat. Sorcerers. Sorcerers are spellcasters with low hit points. Their typical battle strategy involves avoiding melee at all costs, so they don’t need Sentinel. Warlocks. Most warlock subclasses are focused on ranged spellcasting, not melee combat. The only exception is Hexblade warlocks, who can get some extra attack damage from the Sentinel feat. Wizards. Like sorcerers, wizards stay far away from the front lines, making Sentinel unnecessary for them.
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