How to Represent an Agile, Mobile Fighter?

[wayfare]

Hey All:

I am working on a 5e class that is supposed to be a mobile, agile fighter. I'm trying to show this quality in the first feature of the class without making it a hexblade style mandatory dip. Here's what I have so far:


Agile Fighting
Starting at 1st level, you have adopted a mobile fighting style that allows you significant tactical flexibility.

When you take damage or when you hit with an attack, you may use your reaction to move up to half your speed. Moving in this way does not provoke an opportunity attack.


When you attack an opponent who acts after you in combat, you inflict additional damage equal to your Skirmish Die (1d4). This damage increases as you gain Wildwarden levels, up to a maximum of 1d10 at 16th level. You do not gain this benefit if you are wearing heavy armor or are wielding a melee weapon with the heavy property.



Will this work within 5e? I want to create a class that has a striker feel, but is highly dependent on acting first. Do you have any suggestions on how I can achieve this goal?

[LibraryOgre]

Why not a Rogue, with a subclass that reflects a Swashbuckling style?

With Cunning Action allowing them to disengage and dash, they would do quite well. High dex and a dex weapon, some upper level abilities, possibly similar to Battlemaster manuevers?

[J-H]

Agreed. We already have the Swashbucker and Scout rogues for exactly this.

[Dienekes]

I'm gonna agree with J-H. Normally I'm pretty negative on the Swashbuckler rogue because it behaves exactly nothing like how a swashbuckler actually fought, or how movie Swashbucklers fight.

But it does seem to do exactly what you're asking it to do. It can move in, make a big honking sneak attack damaging strike. The target then can't make OA against it, and it can bonus action move away.

I'd also in general avoid using Initiative order for things like damage. Maybe give them some big benefit on the first round of combat, or against opponents who have not acted. But it's far less finicky than having abilities that only work or don't throughout the encounter based off the initial Initiative roll.

[wayfare]

Why not a Rogue, with a subclass that reflects a Swashbuckling style?

With Cunning Action allowing them to disengage and dash, they would do quite well. High dex and a dex weapon, some upper level abilities, possibly similar to Battlemaster manuevers?


Agreed. We already have the Swashbucker and Scout rogues for exactly this.

Rogues are based around one big hit, which is what I'm trying to avoid here. This class is intended to be similar to a Ranger or a Paladin, using extra attack to potentially trigger this effect multiple times.

Part of the goal is to make a class that wants to TWF, stacking on damage with each hit.

[wayfare]

Agreed. We already have the Swashbucker and Scout rogues for exactly this.

They each have half of what I'm looking to build. The swashbuckler has the damage (though, again, it's one big hit which if like to avoid) and the scout has the mobility.

I'm trying to see if there's a way to meld those two in a way that is synergistic extra attack and twf

[Xanatos]

How much do you want the theme featured throughout the build? The fighting style as you have it would be decent for having it as an option, but it might not mesh with archetypes.

Edit: Sorry, I just looked back and saw/remembered you're already building an entire class around it.

[Dienekes]

Agile Fighting
Starting at 1st level, you have adopted a mobile fighting style that allows you significant tactical flexibility.

When you take damage or when you hit with an attack, you may use your reaction to move up to half your speed. Moving in this way does not provoke an opportunity attack.


When you attack an opponent who acts after you in combat, you inflict additional damage equal to your Skirmish Die (1d4). This damage increases as you gain Wildwarden levels, up to a maximum of 1d10 at 16th level. You do not gain this benefit if you are wearing heavy armor or are wielding a melee weapon with the heavy property.



So, if you are making your own class just for yourself this probably won't break the game. It is, however, very strong for 1 level. Not in the way that it will be a 1 level dip for everyone to grab. More that you will be more complicated than all other level 1 martial classes. Which may not be a bad thing, but it is a thing.

I would suggest instead breaking this up into two pieces and giving one at first level and the other at second.

Personally, I would have it as:

Swift Striker
At 1st level, if during your turn you move at least 10 feet and attack a creature that was not within your Reach at the start of your turn, you deal +1d4 damage on all melee attacks.

This would make it very clear what the role of the class is supposed to be, but doesn't overload it. Now this pretty much lets you deal +2d4 damage on the first round of combat. With the potential to do much more. In terms of total damage at the lowest end you are still dealing about as much damage as a level 1 Barbarian, with the potential to deal much more since it's not limited in how many times you can do it a day. Your job is to run around killing things. And at level 1 most things will die after an additional +2d4 damage. And what doesn't? Well that's not really your job, you're the striker not the tank.



Then at level 2 I'd give them the Swashbuckler's Fancy Footwork ability. Dealing damage to a target means they cannot make Opportunity Attacks against you. A level earlier than the Swashbuckler isn't game breaking in itself. And it now means your character is going to be getting their Swift Striker bonus pretty much every round, which is about even with the Rogue's Cunning Action to set up their Sneak Attack pretty much every round.


Other abilities to allow movement would be fine. Reaction to move away from an opponent. Is not bad for a bonus ability to get once they've got their base strategy established.

[Solid_Snek]

From everything I've seen, the rogue, armored or not, seems to be a complete replacement for every sort of Fighter besides "I want to only do a lot of damage".

As disappointing as this is... It seems to work out well.

Though I've been away from 5e for a while now but it seems like things are the same.

I haven't really seen anything that has changed this since I've been looking into it recently.