Can a Battle Master use their combat superiority damage dice in conjunction with the alter self spell's damage dice after it has been cast on the individual?
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1This question seems too broad. Primal Savagery and Alter Self work differently. One is a spell with which you make a melee spell attack; the other is a spell that transforms you, letting your unarmed strikes work differently, but is not an attack itself. Not to mention the fact that there are a bunch of different maneuvers with different triggers, but that part can be handled in a single answer. – V2Blast Jun 07 '18 at 18:50
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Primal Savagery is limited, Alter Self is not
Primal Savagery
Primal Savagery (Xanathar's, p. 163) calls for a:
melee spell attack
This does not qualify as either an Attack action (it's the Cast a Spell action), nor is it a weapon attack (it's a melee spell attack). Evasive Footwork and Rally are your only two maneuver options when attacking with Primal Savagery.
Alter Self
Alter Self, once cast, allows for attacks with natural weapons. This spell allows you to use:
unarmed strikes
Fortunately (albeit a bit ambiguously), unarmed strikes are weapon attacks and do qualify for any maneuver that requires it. The good news is, that after having cast Alter Self and begun attacking, then you CAN use any of the Battle Master's maneuvers.
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I was really asking about the attack maneuvers (Commanders strike, Lunging attack, Pushing, and some of the others) specifically for Alter self attacks after the spell is cast on myself. But also wanting to know if I could use it with Primal Savagery, but that was answered. – B. Zerker Jun 07 '18 at 19:06
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1Should be noted that your link to the Primal Savagery page is only available to those who have purchased Xanathar's or the Legendary Bundle on D&DBeyond. – Viishnahn Jun 07 '18 at 20:13
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