Fighter redesign

[Gamerawsome101]

Okay here me out I think fighter should be specialized for one weapon but be really good with that weapon. WiP class features.
1 weapon specialty
2 Action Surge
3 Martial Archtype
4 ASI
5 Extra Attack (1)
6 ASI
7 Martial Archtype Feature
8 ASI
9 Indomitable
10 Martial Archtype Feature
11 Extra Attack (2)
12 ASI
13 Indomitable (2)
14 ASI
15 Martial Archtype Feature
16 ASI
17 Action Surge (2) and Indomitable (3)
18 Martial Archtype Feature
19 ASI
20 Extra Attack
Weapon specialty, at level 1 choose one simple or martial weapon you gain proficiency with that weapon, at higher levels as indicated below that weapon deals more damage. An additional damage die of that weapons type at level 5 2 additional damage dice at level 11 3 additional damage dice at level 15 4 additional damage dice at level 19.
They get no weapon proficiencies besides their weapon specialty

[JNAProductions]

So, a Fighter at level 11 with a Maul does 3*(6d6+5) damage, for an average of 78 if all hit?

In a word? No. That's brutally OP, and doesn't even make the Fighter any more interesting-it just makes their numbers bigger.

[Dienekes]

Hmm, I get the idea. But I feel “Single Weapon Master” may work better as a subclass.

This would also give you the room to increase damage as that’s expected in a subclass. You can even make it slightly higher than the balance point of Battlemaster since working on only one weapon is inherently limiting.

Though I would suggest trying to make it a bit more interesting than straight damage. As that’s not really where Fighter is weak.

[DeTess]

So, a Fighter at level 11 with a Maul does 3*(6d6+5) damage, for an average of 78 if all hit?

In a word? No. That's brutally OP, and doesn't even make the Fighter any more interesting-it just makes their numbers bigger.

The way I read it, the maul would do 4d6 damage (the d6 is the damage die, not the 2d6), not 6d6. A greataxe would jump to 3d12 though, which ends up with similar damage. I agree with your overal comment though. The fighters doesn't really need additional damage, they need more things to do out of combat, and maybe an extra trick or two in combat as well.

[Silly Name]

I agree with Diekenes that "master of a single weapon" works much better as a subclass than as the core identity of Fighters. Making it an Archetype would also let you fiddle a bit more with what it can do aside from higher damage.

Maybe give this fighter combat maneuvers whose DC is higher when he's using his chosen weapon, and which maneuvers he can get depend on the weapon's damage type and other characteristics. Let them inflict some interesting status effects that make sense with the weapon, and you're on the good track.

[Composer99]

I don't know about redesigning fighters as a whole to be single-weapon specialists, but:

(1) Such a specialist could be a great subclass.

(2) If you had enough ideas for archetypes/subclasses and features, you could conceivably have a weapon master class if you wanted. Pretty sure I saw one on these boards a couple years back.

[Gamerawsome101]

So I gather that it should be a subclass not a redesign but I want it to be only one weapon but a master of that weapon so would we take away other weapon proficiencies?

[Dienekes]

So I gather that it should be a subclass not a redesign but I want it to be only one weapon but a master of that weapon so would we take away other weapon proficiencies?

I personally wouldn't. Partially because most martial weapons are just sharp levers, so learning one should give you a decent idea how to work another.

But, also because in a lot of stories I've read with a weapon-master character, one of the key events is them losing their weapon and having to make do with something else. Making that impossible to do as competently as a sorcerer would be kinda painful. And just in gameplay, any melee character will inevitably need to pick up a thrown weapon or something in most games at least a few times. It's that time where the melee fighter normally isn't at its best, making them instead absolutely useless would be problematic.

[Kyutaru]

So I gather that it should be a subclass not a redesign but I want it to be only one weapon but a master of that weapon so would we take away other weapon proficiencies?

I'd do that more as a Swordmaster style subclass. Kensai, Zorro, Fencer, sort of thing. They become dedicated to their single weapon and are quite good at using it for more than just swinging big damage numbers. Get rid of the big numbers and give them all the things you might expect a Musketeer to do in a movie. That sword is good for more things than just hitting enemies.