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View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next Some new feats and fighting styles



Gnomes2169
2015-10-05, 08:54 PM
Well really, it's more of a dump of things... Feedback would be appreciated.

Fighting styles
Acrobatic: You may use Acrobatics instead of Athletics when you use a combat maneuver like the shove or disarm action, and have advantage on checks made to avoid or escape grapples, restraints and magical paralysis. (Fighter, Ranger)

Avenging: When a creature damages one of your allies, you have advantage on the first attack roll you make against that creature during your next turn. (Fighter, Paladin)

Charging: When you dash you may move an additional 10 feet. You may make an attack with a melee weapon against a creature in melee range at any point of your movement as part of the dash. ((Note, the Charger feat gains a point that if you have this fighting style, you add the +5 damage bonus in the feat to the attack from this fighting style as well)) (Fighter, Ranger)

Executioner: When you damage a creature that is blind, frightened, restrained, incapacitated, paralyzed, prone, stunned or unconscious, you double the damage provided by your ability modifier. On a critical hit against one of these targets, you triple your ability modifier instead. (Fighter)

Phalanx: When an ally within 5 feet of you makes an attack against a creature in your reach, you may use your reaction to give your ally advantage on their attack roll. (Fighter, Paladin, Ranger)

Smiting: When you use your divine smite class feature or cast a spell with the word "smite" in its name, you may increase the damage the feature or spell deals by your charisma modifier. (Paladin)

Skirmish: When you damage a creature from hiding, you may remain hidden until the end of your turn as long as you move. If you end your turn behind a new piece of cover, you may make a new stealth check to attempt to remain hidden as a reaction. (Ranger)

Throwing weapons: You double the range of your throwing weapons, may draw throwing weapons as part of the attack action like you would ammunition for a ranged weapon (1 per attack), and have a +2 bonus on attack rolls made in the short range of your throwing weapons.
((This fighting style is this powerful because throwing weapons have just... So many weaknesses that it isn't even funny. This is compensation for that fact.)) (Fighter, Ranger)

Unarmed: Your unarmed attacks count as light, finesse weapons that deal 1d4 bludgeoning damage for all purposes except disarming. Additionally, any effect or ability that increases your unarmed strike damage, such as the Aarakokra race, each level of monk unarmed attack progression or the tavern brawler feat, increases the size of the damage die of your unarmed strike by one (to a maximum of 1d12). (Fighter)

Unarmored: When you are not wearing armor, your armor class is equal to 13+your dexterity modifier. Additionally, you gain a climb and swim speed equal to your normal movement speed, and may increase the distance you jump by your constitution modifier. (Fighter, Ranger)

Feats
Bannerman
Requirements: Charisma 13
You are a natural leader on the battlefield, commanding, assisting and encouraging your allies.
You may use your bonus action to grant an ally who can hear you within 30 feet advantage on their next attack roll.
While you are bearing the banner of your deity or country, allies who can see it within 30 feet of you have advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened.
You may use your reaction when an ally within 30 feet of you takes damage to give them an encouraging shout. The ally gains temporary hit points equal to 1d10+your Charisma modifier. You must finish a long or short rest to regain use of this ability.

Blade dancer
Requirements: Must have the fighting style class feature
Your fighting style is one that resembles the famed dance of death, making you a nightmare for groups to battle, and almost impossible to stop once you get your momentum going.
If you move at least 15 feet in a straight line while taking the attack action with a melee weapon, you may make an additional attack with that weapon as a bonus action.
You gain an additional benefit based on which fighting style you possess. If you have multiple fighting styles, then you must choose which one you benefit from each round.
-Acrobatic: When a creature makes an opportunity attack against you, you may make an attack against the creature as a reaction before the results of their attack are resolved. If you damage the creature, their attack automatically misses.
-Charging: You may make an extra attack as part of the dash action. This is in addition to the attack provided from this feat and the charger fighting style.
-Defense and Unarmored: As long as you are benefiting from your fighting style, enemies have disadvantage on opportunity attacks made against you.
-Dueling: Creatures you damage on your turn have their movement speed reduced by half until the start of your next turn.
-Great weapon fighting: The first time you move within 5 feet of a creature each turn, you may choose to deal damage to it equal to your Strength modifier. You do not deal damage to a creature that you start your turn adjacent to.
-Phalanx: If you attack an enemy that is adjacent to an ally, you may use your reaction to allow your ally to make a weapon attack against the enemy.
-Protection: Each time you damage a creature on your turn, you push that creature 5 feet in a direction of your choice, your shield literally battering them aside. You must have a shield equipped to benefit from this ability.
-Two weapon fighting: When you use your bonus action as detailed in the first part of this feat, you may make a bonus attack against up to two other creatures adjacent to you before the end of your movement. Each bonus attack must be made against a different creature.
-Unarmed: You may attempt to grapple an enemy you strike with the bonus action attack provided by this feat, as long as the attack you make is unarmed.

Fighting style adept
Requirements: Extra attack class feature
You have practiced with and mastered multiple fighting styles.
Increase your Strength, Dexterity or Constitution score by 1.
Choose one fighting style. You gain the benefit of this fighting style.
You may replace a fighting style you knew before taking this feat, learning a new fighting style in its place.

Light weapons master
You are a master of lighter weapons, taking advantage of the smallest gaps in an enemy's defenses and evading enemy's blows alike.
When you make the attack action while wielding a light weapon, you may make an additional attack as a bonus action. If you are two weapon fighting and wielding a light weapon in your off hand, you may make two off hand weapon attacks as a bonus action.
When you are damaged by a melee attack, you may use your reaction to reduce the damage by 1d6+your proficiency bonus.

Opportunist
Your years of combat training have given you an edge when it comes to noticing and taking advantage of the gaps in an enemy's defenses.
When a creature moves more than one space through an area in your reach, or tries to stand up from being prone in a space in your reach, you may use your reaction to make an attack against that creature.
If you damage a creature with your reaction, you regain the use of your reaction. You may not make an opportunity attack against the same creature with this reaction..

Throwing weapons master
When enemies close in around you, you become a deadly fusillade of steel. Your hands are little more than a blur of silver as your enemies fall to the ground, the hilts of your weapons sprouting from their bodies.
You double the range of your throwing weapons. This stacks with the doubled range from the throwing weapons fighting style.
When you take the attack action an use light throwing weapons, such as a dagger, you may throw two additional light throwing weapons as a bonus action.
You do not suffer disadvantage for attacking creatures at long range with your thrown weapons.
You ignore 1/2 and 3/4 cover when you attack with a throwing weapon.

JackPhoenix
2015-10-06, 07:25 AM
All right, I can't speak for balance, but few things I've noticed:

Charging: When you dash, you may move an additional 10 feet and may make an attack with a melee weapon against a creature as a free action. ((Note, the Charger feat gains the point that if you have this fighting style, you add the +10 damage bonus to the attack from this fighting style as well)) (Fighter, ranger)

There's no free action in 5e


Smiting: When you use your divine strike class feature or cast a spell with the word "smite" in its name, you may increase the damage the feature or spell deals by your charisma modifier. (Paladin)

Paladins, unlike certain cleric domains, lacks divine strike class feature. They've got divine smite instead


Throwing weapons: You double the range of your throwing weapons, may draw throwing weapons as if they had the ammunition quality, and have a +2 bonus on attack rolls made in the short range of your throwing weapons.
((This fighting style is this powerful because theowing weapons have just... So many weaknesses that it isn't even funny. This is compensation for that fact.)) (Fighter, ranger)

Ammunition quality doesn't do anything for drawing the weapon itself, it would mean that your throwing weapon need some sort of ammo to use, and you lose half of it on attacking. And weapons with ammunition quality works as improvised weapons in melee, which is straight debuff for most of the weapons with thrown quality (except dart and net, which are ranged weapons anyway)


Feats
Bannerman
Requirements: Charisma 13
You are a natural leader on the battlefield, commanding, assisting and encouraging your allies.
You may use your bonus action to grant an ally who can hear you within 30 feet advantage on their next attack roll.
While you are bearing the banner of your deity or country, allies who can see it have advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened.
When an ally within 30 feet of you is dealt damage, you may use your reaction to grant that ally 1d10+your charisma modifier temporary hit points. You must complete a short or long rest before you can use this feature again.

Too powerful. Combines masterermind rogue's level 3 class feature, slightly weaker version of devotion paladin aura (with longer range) and...I'm not sure what is comparable to the third ability.


Fighting style adept
Requirements: Extra attack class feature
You have practiced with and mastered multiple fighting styles.
Choose two fighting styles. You gain the benefits of these fighting styles.
You may replace a fighting style you knew before taking this feat, learning a new fighting style in its place.

Better version of Champion fighter level 10 class feature

Gnomes2169
2015-10-06, 04:03 PM
All right, I can't speak for balance, but few things I've noticed:


There's no free action in 5e

Hmmmm... alright then. Just saying you may make an attack as part of the dash would be better, I suppose.


Paladins, unlike certain cleric domains, lacks divine strike class feature. They've got divine smite instead

Which is why it says "smite," not strike.

Edit: Nevermind... apparently I done typo'd in there. Sorry about that, fixed.


Ammunition quality doesn't do anything for drawing the weapon itself, it would mean that your throwing weapon need some sort of ammo to use, and you lose half of it on attacking. And weapons with ammunition quality works as improvised weapons in melee, which is straight debuff for most of the weapons with thrown quality (except dart and net, which are ranged weapons anyway)

Well then, going to just have to write out the whole "can draw throwing weapons as part of your attack" thing instead... Good catch.


Too powerful. Combines masterermind rogue's level 3 class feature, slightly weaker version of devotion paladin aura (with longer range) and...I'm not sure what is comparable to the third ability.

The third ability should be cut, yes... though the Mastermind's level 3 ability does cover more than just attacks, and it also comes with 2 tool proficiencies and a language proficiency at the same level (equivalent to a feat on its own), so I'm not too worried about that part of the feat being too powerful. The banner's "aura" should be cut down to 30 feet.


Better version of Champion fighter level 10 class feature

The champion is bad and should feel bad, especially at levels 7 and 10. Level 7 they get an inferior version of a level 2 bard's skill of awesome. At level 10, they get a second "charge" of the same ability at level 1 that was deemed too weak to be by itself at level 1 (fighter gets the fighting style and second wind)! Honestly... I'm not all too worried about stepping on the champion's toes here, and the champion really should have been able to pick up two more fighting styles at level 10 anyway given how fighting styles seem to be valued as half a feature everywhere else (every class that gets them also gets another, typically weaker (except paladin, who gets divine smite), feature at the same level).

... /rant

Anyway, I'm not too worried about it. Champion would not be restricted from picking it up themselves, and champion is just... not good.

Amnoriath
2015-10-06, 05:48 PM
1. Blade Dancer is a major increase in damage just from its bonus action attack alone. Those additional options as well as your Fighting Style adept makes this feat alone almost superior to entire sub-classes.
2. While it is true that the Champion very much lacks by comparison giving them 2 and another they can switch out really allows them to have better passive stats then an ASI as well as great versatility. Since Fighting Styles cover so many things making a feat of this caliber not only makes it a grab bag for anyone it arguably flies against the intention as well as design of feats.
Some minor criticisms
1. Charger actually only adds +5 to the damage.
2. I actually thought Bannerman was fine as is because it might be ablating an okay attack once per short rest. It is actually worse than the Goliath's racial ability by the numbers.
3. While Unarmored may not be a choice for everyone but on top of Mage Armor it is probably getting 2 uncommon magic items with those movement speeds. While you have the right idea a non-setting based fighting style probably shouldn't give those kind of speeds.
4. The Throwing weapon style is well just uninspired and doesn't really change the issue of it really just being an option of versatility rather than specialization.

Argothair
2015-10-07, 01:15 PM
I really like your new fighting styles, and I'd be interested in trying them out. I only discuss the ones that I have some concerns about; I think the rest are ready to go.

"Smiting" doesn't really sound like a fighting style to me; it sounds like an enhancement of a paladin's divine magic. My sense of the fighting styles is that they're supposed to enhance the way you work with your weapons, armor, etc rather than to buff your magic. If you want to keep the idea of a Paladin who is good at hitting undead/fiends, maybe let this fighting style give +2 accuracy to melee attacks against undead/fiends, whether you use an instance of 'smite' on the attack or not.

I like "skirmish", but i'm not sure what you mean by "attempt to remain hidden." Is there a skill check? How is it resolved? Also, "remain hidden until end of turn as long as you move?" Isn't the point of sniping from the shadows that you aren't moving from your hiding spot, and you're just poking your arms/head an inch past your cover, shooting, and ducking back under cover?

I think "unarmed" is slightly overpowered in that it becomes a "must dip" for virtually any style of Monk. One level Fighter dip gets you an average of +1 damage on every attack forever for a class that routinely makes 4+ attacks per round and probably wants to dip two levels into Fighter anyway for the nova round? You'd have to be nuts to pass that up. I do think it's important to let unarmed fighting style 'stack' in some way, but this is too powerful. Maybe you want to give +2 to hit to the player's first unarmed attack of each turn?

Similarly, "unarmored" is overpowered because it gives you +3 to your unarmored AC, making it a 'must-dip' for Barbarians and Monks. A Monk with unarmored fighting style, 20 DEX, and 20 WIS would have 23 AC -- outside the Bounded Accuracy range because it means an Orcish Grunt with +2 to attack from a 14 STR can literally never hit you. Same problem for Barbarian with 20 CON and 20 DEX, although that's admittedly a harder build. I would prefer to parallel "Defense" -- give +1 to AC while *not* wearing armor.

Gnomes2169
2015-10-07, 05:05 PM
1. Blade Dancer is a major increase in damage just from its bonus action attack alone. Those additional options as well as your Fighting Style adept makes this feat alone almost superior to entire sub-classes.
2. While it is true that the Champion very much lacks by comparison giving them 2 and another they can switch out really allows them to have better passive stats then an ASI as well as great versatility. Since Fighting Styles cover so many things making a feat of this caliber not only makes it a grab bag for anyone it arguably flies against the intention as well as design of feats.
Some minor criticisms
1. Charger actually only adds +5 to the damage.
2. I actually thought Bannerman was fine as is because it might be ablating an okay attack once per short rest. It is actually worse than the Goliath's racial ability by the numbers.
3. While Unarmored may not be a choice for everyone but on top of Mage Armor it is probably getting 2 uncommon magic items with those movement speeds. While you have the right idea a non-setting based fighting style probably shouldn't give those kind of speeds.
4. The Throwing weapon style is well just uninspired and doesn't really change the issue of it really just being an option of versatility rather than specialization.
Balance concerns:
1. Hmmmm... the feat is supposed to reward moving in battle and the whole risk-reward factors of potentially moving out of position or taking advantage of it. Perhaps making it a bit harder to actually proc (say, you have to move your full move speed, or at least 15 feet in one direction) before you can use the bonus action attack would make this more clear/ more risk with equal reward given how opportunity attacks are a thing, and monster opp attacks tend to hurt more from either sheer numbers or damage dice. The additional benefits based on fighting style are limited to just 1 on any particular turn, so all of them are mutually-exclusive turn to turn.

2. Alright, alright, I'll change it to a half feat that gives a boost to str, dex or con instead of a second fighting style. Though I do like the retraining aspect, because sometimes players make a poor style choice that does not scale well (protection, here's looking at you) and I want there to be a liiiiiiittle forgiveness for that.

Minor criticisms
1. ... I was wondering why that feat made me sad. Thank you for reminding me. :smallfrown:

2. So did I, but on review putting it on top of a free help action every round and resistance to fear/ charm is a bit powerful.

3. I was inspired by mariner here, which gives +1 AC (bringing light and medium armor up to an 18 AC cap) and allows you to swim and climb at your full speed... though at the time, I thought it was only swimming. I think I'm going to drop it down to 12+dex and allow you to increase the jumping distance of all your mad hops(tm) by your constitution modifier.

4. The bonus and specialization in throwing weapons comes from both this fighting style (which doubles the pitifully short range of your throwing weapons and increases their close-range accuracy (including melee, technically)) and from the feat... just like the GWFS and Archery both have their style (which does one small thing that improves the specific weapon they are using) and their feat (which just straight up adds power on top of the style). Throwing weapons might still be weak until you take the feat (or even after), but the fighting style does improve them beyond their base and makes them a better option, making a character more likely to use them even if they are in melee.


I really like your new fighting styles, and I'd be interested in trying them out. I only discuss the ones that I have some concerns about; I think the rest are ready to go.

"Smiting" doesn't really sound like a fighting style to me; it sounds like an enhancement of a paladin's divine magic. My sense of the fighting styles is that they're supposed to enhance the way you work with your weapons, armor, etc rather than to buff your magic. If you want to keep the idea of a Paladin who is good at hitting undead/fiends, maybe let this fighting style give +2 accuracy to melee attacks against undead/fiends, whether you use an instance of 'smite' on the attack or not.

I like "skirmish", but i'm not sure what you mean by "attempt to remain hidden." Is there a skill check? How is it resolved? Also, "remain hidden until end of turn as long as you move?" Isn't the point of sniping from the shadows that you aren't moving from your hiding spot, and you're just poking your arms/head an inch past your cover, shooting, and ducking back under cover?

I think "unarmed" is slightly overpowered in that it becomes a "must dip" for virtually any style of Monk. One level Fighter dip gets you an average of +1 damage on every attack forever for a class that routinely makes 4+ attacks per round and probably wants to dip two levels into Fighter anyway for the nova round? You'd have to be nuts to pass that up. I do think it's important to let unarmed fighting style 'stack' in some way, but this is too powerful. Maybe you want to give +2 to hit to the player's first unarmed attack of each turn?

Similarly, "unarmored" is overpowered because it gives you +3 to your unarmored AC, making it a 'must-dip' for Barbarians and Monks. A Monk with unarmored fighting style, 20 DEX, and 20 WIS would have 23 AC -- outside the Bounded Accuracy range because it means an Orcish Grunt with +2 to attack from a 14 STR can literally never hit you. Same problem for Barbarian with 20 CON and 20 DEX, although that's admittedly a harder build. I would prefer to parallel "Defense" -- give +1 to AC while *not* wearing armor.
Smiting: The thought process behind this fighting style is that paladins are honestly the most gish-like of all of the classes. Their smites are inherently tied to their martial prowess, allowing them to twine their magic in with their melee strikes. Fighting styles are supposed to be passive bonuses to what a class is known to do, from just being really good with a sword, to protecting themselves, to even shielding others. And paladins are known for their ability to smite their foes... hence the fighting style. As for the suggestion to make it only target specific enemies, I refer you to the 3.x favorite enemy feature, and the discussion on why limiting yourself so severely is a bad idea.

Skirmish: It is supposed to be that you make a new stealth check, yes. I'll go on through and make that more clear. However, traditionally (even in the real world) the "skirmishing" type of battles are gerula warfare/ hit-and-run tactics. Using it, you strike while unseen, then immediately move, ducking and weaving quickly between cover so that enemies have a hard time actually pin-pointing your location. As well, this fighting style is supposed to work with melee, evoking the image of the elf or assailant that just moves so swiftly through the mist/ trees that he is able to pick off enemies one-by-one with his blades, disappearing before anyone even sees him. So for all of those reasons there is the movement restriction.

Unarmed: Actually, even with a d12, the monk is still solidly in last place for martial DPR with the TWF. The monk gets just as much from picking up the Dueling style and using a quarter staff one-handed as she does from picking up the unarmed style (two attacks with +2 vs 4 attacks with +1... and if the monk gets hasted, then that becomes three attacks with +2 or five attacks with +1)

Unarmored: Stacking this and any unarmored defense works the exact same way that the dragon sorcerer's scales stack with unarmored defense. They don't. It isn't a +x bonus to AC while not wearing armor, it is instead a formula that sets your base AC to 13 (well soon to be 12) and allows you to add only dexterity to it, just like the monk or barbarian's formula sets the base to 10 (nothing more, nothing less. 9 is too few, and 11 too many. 12 is right out!)+dex+con/wis. Unarmored is being reduced to 12+dex, but not for this reason.