weaseldust
2015-09-28, 11:57 AM
Having abilities that explicitly let you cooperate with other players is fun, but I’m not a fan of implementing that through abilities granted to an individual PC, like some of the Battlemaster’s abilities. Whether my character chooses to follow your character’s orders or advice should be determined by my character’s qualities instead of your character’s class features.
My solution is to create feats that allow some characters to give orders and others to follow, so that players who want their character to follow orders can choose that feat, while those who don’t can choose something else.
Balancing these is tricky; they don’t alter the balance of power between different characters much, but they do alter the balance of power between the party and monsters. I would suggest that, if the DM finds these feats let the party overcome certain encounters too easily, they could adjust the XP multiplier for the number of monsters by one step.
Teamwork Feats
There are two feats: a Teamwork (leader) feat that allows the character to initiate and participate in certain kinds of Teamwork, and a Teamwork (participant) feat that only lets them participate in kinds of Teamwork initiated by someone else, but also increases a stat.
Teamwork (leader)
Choose 3 types of Teamwork. You can both participate in and act as the leader for those types of Teamwork. You automatically count as participating in any Teamwork you lead.
Teamwork (participant)
Your intelligence or dexterity score increases by 1, to a maximum of 20.
Choose 3 types of Teamwork. You can participate in those kinds of Teamwork, so long as you can hear the leader and are within range.
Kinds of Teamwork
For characters to engage in any kind of Teamwork, one character must act as the leader by using an action prescribed in the description of the specific teamwork being attempted and by expending their bonus action to attempt to organise their allies. They must be able to speak in order to lead the Teamwork.
Those allies who are within the prescribed range and are able to participate might gain some benefit automatically or, more commonly, may use their reaction to count as participating. They must be able to hear the leader to participate.
The Teamwork might last only for that turn, or it might last for a longer period, in which case those allies who first participated continue to count as participating until they cease to satisfy a requirement laid out in the description of the Teamwork. Many kinds of Teamwork allow allies to move a short distance to arrange themselves better, but moving is not obligatory. A mounted character may have their mount move for them in such cases.
Charge
Duration: 1 turn
Range: 20ft
Leader’s Action: Attack
The leader takes the Attack action and names any number of allies within 20ft, then moves at least 10ft in a straight line and makes at least one melee weapon attack. Those allies who can participate in this Teamwork may use their reaction to do so. They then move up to half their speed in a straight line in a similar direction to the leader; if they move so that a creature that was not within reach before now is, they may make a melee weapon attack against it. The attacks are resolved in initiative order.
Defensive Formation
Duration: Indefinite
Range: 20ft
Leader’s Action: Attack or Disengage
The leader takes the Attack or Disengage action and names any number of allies within 20ft. Those allies who can participate in this Teamwork may use their reaction to do so and move up to 10ft. Each participating creature then benefits from half-cover for as long as they are within the reach of at least one participating ally who is using a shield. A creature ceases to count as participating when it moves beyond the reach of all other participating creatures.
Extraction
Duration: 1 turn
Range: 60ft
Leader’s Action: Dash or Disengage
The leader takes the Dash or Disengage action and names any number of allies within 60ft. Those allies who can participate in this Teamwork may use their reaction to do so and move up to 10ft. One participating creature chosen by the leader may then use their reaction to take the Disengage action and move up to their full speed, even if under an effect that reduces their speed (but not one that reduces it to 0), as long as they never pass more than 10ft from at least 1 ally who is participating.
Fall Back
Duration: 1 turn
Range: 60ft
Leader’s Action: Dash or Disengage
The leader takes the Dash or Disengage action and names any number of allies within 60ft. Those allies who can participate in this Teamwork may use their reaction to do so. They then take the Disengage action and move up to half their speed.
Hustle
Duration: Indefinite
Range: 60ft
Leader’s Action: Attack or Disengage
The leader takes the Attack or Disengage action and names any number of allies within 60ft. Those allies who can participate in this Teamwork may use their reaction to do so and move up to 10ft. For as long as they are within 10ft of a participating ally, each participating creature then gains advantage on attacks of opportunity and requires enemies moving within 5ft of them to spend 2ft of movement for every 1ft travelled. A creature ceases to count as participating when it moves beyond 10ft from all other participating creatures.
Response
Duration: 1 turn
Range: 60ft
Leader’s Action: Special
When the leader is surprised and uses their turn to cease to be surprised, they may name any number of allies within 60ft. Those allies who can participate in this Teamwork also immediately cease to be surprised.
Stratagem
Duration: 1 round
Range: 20ft
Leader’s Action: Ready
The leader takes the Ready action and names any number of allies within 20ft. The leader then names an action for each to take in the event of the trigger chosen for their own readied action. Those allies who can participate in this Teamwork may use their reaction to perform the chosen action after the trigger occurs. The readied actions may be performed in any order of the leader’s choosing. Allies can only be tasked with actions that they could ready themselves (for instance, if the leader instructs them to attack, they may only make one attack).
Volley
Duration: 1 turn
Range: 20ft
Leader’s Action: Attack
The leader takes the Attack action, makes at least one ranged weapon attack, and names any number of allies within 20ft. Those allies who can participate in this Teamwork may use their reaction to do so and make a ranged weapon attack against a target within 10ft of the leader’s target. The attacks are resolved in initiative order.
Warning
Duration: 1 turn
Range: 100ft
Leader’s Action: Cast a Spell
The leader takes the Cast a Spell action and names any number of allies within 100ft. Those allies who can participate in this Teamwork and who would be affected by the spell may move up to 10ft before the effects of the spell are resolved and gain advantage on saves to avoid or mitigate the effects of the spell in the turn it is cast.
My solution is to create feats that allow some characters to give orders and others to follow, so that players who want their character to follow orders can choose that feat, while those who don’t can choose something else.
Balancing these is tricky; they don’t alter the balance of power between different characters much, but they do alter the balance of power between the party and monsters. I would suggest that, if the DM finds these feats let the party overcome certain encounters too easily, they could adjust the XP multiplier for the number of monsters by one step.
Teamwork Feats
There are two feats: a Teamwork (leader) feat that allows the character to initiate and participate in certain kinds of Teamwork, and a Teamwork (participant) feat that only lets them participate in kinds of Teamwork initiated by someone else, but also increases a stat.
Teamwork (leader)
Choose 3 types of Teamwork. You can both participate in and act as the leader for those types of Teamwork. You automatically count as participating in any Teamwork you lead.
Teamwork (participant)
Your intelligence or dexterity score increases by 1, to a maximum of 20.
Choose 3 types of Teamwork. You can participate in those kinds of Teamwork, so long as you can hear the leader and are within range.
Kinds of Teamwork
For characters to engage in any kind of Teamwork, one character must act as the leader by using an action prescribed in the description of the specific teamwork being attempted and by expending their bonus action to attempt to organise their allies. They must be able to speak in order to lead the Teamwork.
Those allies who are within the prescribed range and are able to participate might gain some benefit automatically or, more commonly, may use their reaction to count as participating. They must be able to hear the leader to participate.
The Teamwork might last only for that turn, or it might last for a longer period, in which case those allies who first participated continue to count as participating until they cease to satisfy a requirement laid out in the description of the Teamwork. Many kinds of Teamwork allow allies to move a short distance to arrange themselves better, but moving is not obligatory. A mounted character may have their mount move for them in such cases.
Charge
Duration: 1 turn
Range: 20ft
Leader’s Action: Attack
The leader takes the Attack action and names any number of allies within 20ft, then moves at least 10ft in a straight line and makes at least one melee weapon attack. Those allies who can participate in this Teamwork may use their reaction to do so. They then move up to half their speed in a straight line in a similar direction to the leader; if they move so that a creature that was not within reach before now is, they may make a melee weapon attack against it. The attacks are resolved in initiative order.
Defensive Formation
Duration: Indefinite
Range: 20ft
Leader’s Action: Attack or Disengage
The leader takes the Attack or Disengage action and names any number of allies within 20ft. Those allies who can participate in this Teamwork may use their reaction to do so and move up to 10ft. Each participating creature then benefits from half-cover for as long as they are within the reach of at least one participating ally who is using a shield. A creature ceases to count as participating when it moves beyond the reach of all other participating creatures.
Extraction
Duration: 1 turn
Range: 60ft
Leader’s Action: Dash or Disengage
The leader takes the Dash or Disengage action and names any number of allies within 60ft. Those allies who can participate in this Teamwork may use their reaction to do so and move up to 10ft. One participating creature chosen by the leader may then use their reaction to take the Disengage action and move up to their full speed, even if under an effect that reduces their speed (but not one that reduces it to 0), as long as they never pass more than 10ft from at least 1 ally who is participating.
Fall Back
Duration: 1 turn
Range: 60ft
Leader’s Action: Dash or Disengage
The leader takes the Dash or Disengage action and names any number of allies within 60ft. Those allies who can participate in this Teamwork may use their reaction to do so. They then take the Disengage action and move up to half their speed.
Hustle
Duration: Indefinite
Range: 60ft
Leader’s Action: Attack or Disengage
The leader takes the Attack or Disengage action and names any number of allies within 60ft. Those allies who can participate in this Teamwork may use their reaction to do so and move up to 10ft. For as long as they are within 10ft of a participating ally, each participating creature then gains advantage on attacks of opportunity and requires enemies moving within 5ft of them to spend 2ft of movement for every 1ft travelled. A creature ceases to count as participating when it moves beyond 10ft from all other participating creatures.
Response
Duration: 1 turn
Range: 60ft
Leader’s Action: Special
When the leader is surprised and uses their turn to cease to be surprised, they may name any number of allies within 60ft. Those allies who can participate in this Teamwork also immediately cease to be surprised.
Stratagem
Duration: 1 round
Range: 20ft
Leader’s Action: Ready
The leader takes the Ready action and names any number of allies within 20ft. The leader then names an action for each to take in the event of the trigger chosen for their own readied action. Those allies who can participate in this Teamwork may use their reaction to perform the chosen action after the trigger occurs. The readied actions may be performed in any order of the leader’s choosing. Allies can only be tasked with actions that they could ready themselves (for instance, if the leader instructs them to attack, they may only make one attack).
Volley
Duration: 1 turn
Range: 20ft
Leader’s Action: Attack
The leader takes the Attack action, makes at least one ranged weapon attack, and names any number of allies within 20ft. Those allies who can participate in this Teamwork may use their reaction to do so and make a ranged weapon attack against a target within 10ft of the leader’s target. The attacks are resolved in initiative order.
Warning
Duration: 1 turn
Range: 100ft
Leader’s Action: Cast a Spell
The leader takes the Cast a Spell action and names any number of allies within 100ft. Those allies who can participate in this Teamwork and who would be affected by the spell may move up to 10ft before the effects of the spell are resolved and gain advantage on saves to avoid or mitigate the effects of the spell in the turn it is cast.