1/2-Orc+great weapon fighting style, great axe or sword?

[drspper1]

My Fighter/warlock (I want heavy armour due to a human warrior-nobility-raised background i'm writing) is also a half-orc. My first level is going to be fighter, with the great weapon fighting style feeling like the right way to go. Both great sword and axe feel right background/race concept wise, so I figured pick the most mathematically effective. I'm no good at this sort of stuff really, so any advice please?

The way I see it, half-orc racial works best with great axe, but the fighting style works best with the great sword. Perhaps something in the future from warlock will favour a weapon, im not sure.

Thanks for taking an interest:)

[. Shadowblade .]

well, brutal Greataxe for brutal half-orc - it depends on your DM whether you will get Greatsword or Greataxe as your 1st magic 2-handed weapon anyway :smallwink:

[HoarsHalberd]

My Fighter/warlock (I want heavy armour due to a human warrior-nobility-raised background i'm writing) is also a half-orc. My first level is going to be fighter, with the great weapon fighting style feeling like the right way to go. Both great sword and axe feel right background/race concept wise, so I figured pick the most mathematically effective. I'm no good at this sort of stuff really, so any advice please?

The way I see it, half-orc racial works best with great axe, but the fighting style works best with the great sword. Perhaps something in the future from warlock will favour a weapon, im not sure.

Thanks for taking an interest:)

Assuming hitting on an 11.

0.45(2d6+1.33)+0.05(5d6+2.66+0.66)=4.7895
0.45(1d12+0.83)+0.05(3d12+2.5)=4.3985

If you ever get up to level 3 fighter and pick champion it will change to:

Sword: 5.414
Greataxe: 5.132

So sword will always be slightly better.

[Spacehamster]

Assuming hitting on an 11.

0.45(2d6+1.33)+0.05(5d6+2.66+0.66)=4.7895
0.45(1d12+0.83)+0.05(3d12+2.5)=4.3985

If you ever get up to level 3 fighter and pick champion it will change to:

Sword: 5.414
Greataxe: 5.132

So sword will always be slightly better.

Depends on party too, if somebody puts out stuff like hold person and stuff a lot so you get auto crits a great axe could be better. :)

[HoarsHalberd]

Depends on party too, if somebody puts out stuff like hold person and stuff a lot so you get auto crits a great axe could be better. :)

yup, but you'd need a LOT of auto crits. There's only a 1.18 damage difference between Greataxe and Greatsword criticals. So you'll need about a 3:1 ratio of normal hits to auto crits or better in order to come out ahead.

[Spacehamster]

yup, but you'd need a LOT of auto crits. There's only a 1.18 damage difference between Greataxe and Greatsword criticals. So you'll need about a 3:1 ratio of normal hits to auto crits or better in order to come out ahead.

True, but in truth the difference in weapon damage in this edition is so small so I always go
with what weapon I think fits the concept of my character. :)

[HoarsHalberd]

True, but in truth the difference in weapon damage in this edition is so small so I always go
with what weapon I think fits the concept of my character. :)

Aye, I'm the same. Just OP asked for the maths of which is better.

[drspper1]

Thank you for the great responses! :D