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Would reappearing from blink allow for an attack of opportunity against the caster from someone with Polearm Master?

While wielding a glaive, halberd, pike, quarterstaff, or spear, other creatures provoke an opportunity attack from you when they enter your reach.

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If blink counts as teleporting then an opportunity attack is not provoked

The Polearm Master feat states:

[...] other creatures provoke an opportunity attack from you when they enter your reach.

Note that this is just a regular opportunity attack, there is nothing special about it besides when it is provoked so it follow all the usual rules on opportunity attacks including this:

[...] You also don't provoke an opportunity attack when you teleport [...]

If Polearm Master worked against teleporting targets it would have to make an explicit exception to the general rule, which it does not do. Thus Polearm Master does not work when somebody teleports into your reach. This stance is supported in the most-upvoted answer to the following question:

So then we've established that if blink counts as teleportation, you do not provoke an opportunity attack, and if it does not count as teleportation, you do provoke an opportunity attack.


Does blink count as teleporting? Maybe; ask your GM

The blink spell states:

[...] At the start of your next turn, and when the spell ends if you are on the Ethereal Plane, you return to an unoccupied space of your choice that you can see within 10 feet of the space you vanished from. [...]

The spell definitely involves planar travel, though this isn't the same thing as teleporting, however the spell also allows you to reappear at any space within 10 feet of where you left, which, at least to me, is effectively the same thing as teleporting. Though then there's also the case of reappearing in the exact same space you left from which is more complicated and not something I found hashed out in the rules. Whether returning from the Ethereal Plane through the blink spell counts as teleporting will ultimately be up to your GM.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat. \$\endgroup\$
    – V2Blast
    Aug 6, 2021 at 10:07
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There's another rule besides Teleport (covered by Medix2) to consider with Blink:

[...] At the start of your next turn, and when the spell ends if you are on the Ethereal Plane, you return to an unoccupied space of your choice that you can see within 10 feet of the space you vanished from. [...]

That "returning" isn't a trigger for Opportunity Attacks because you are not moving. You are being moved by the expiration of the spell.

You also don't provoke an opportunity attack when you teleport or when someone or something moves you without using your movement, action, or reaction.

You might choose where you return, but you are not moving or using an action or reaction.

It would appear that, by even a strict reading of RAW, Blink's return would not provoke an Opportunity Attack.

Hence, despite Polearm Master's expansion of the scope of triggers, you do not provoke an opportunity attack when Blinking back in range.

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Yes, an opportunity attack is triggered.

Although the blink spell does not explicitly use the word teleport, I believe that teleportation is essentially what it does.

Regarding teleportation, the rules for how it works with opportunity attacks without Polearm Master are as follows (PHB, p. 195; emphasis added):

You also don't provoke an opportunity attack when you teleport or when someone or something moves you without using your movement, action, or reaction.

So in normal circumstances it would be impossible to for a teleport to trigger an opportunity attack. However the Polearm Master feat states (emphasis added):

While wielding a glaive, halberd, pike, or quarterstaff, other creatures provoke an opportunity attack from you when they enter your reach.

Since teleporting into someone's reach involves entering their reach we can assume that the prerequisites for an opportunity attack via the Polearm Master feat are met.

This interpretation of the rules relies on the belief that specific beats general and that the rules for a feat are more specific than the general rules regarding teleportation/opportunity attacks.

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