Skill Tricks for Martials

[strangebloke]

They don't have to strictly be as weak as half a skill prof (so about a language or tool), I would argue they be about as strong as Expertise (makes you considerably better within a restricted niche you have already committed to). Which would equate to roughly one bullet of your typical 3-part feat.

I don't think we'll agree on this. Getting proficiencies is simultaneously very easy and very infrequent naturally. But it seems like we're on the same page regardless with respect to balance so it probably doesn't matter that much. The final version could mention both options.

Agreed, we don't want the tricks to just add onto the typical routine and become just as boring as 'I attack', which is presumably what this is all to combat in the first place. Oh, movement is a possible avenue we can use as a resource substitute as well.

Situational is good, I think enhancing actions that typically aren't competitive with 'Attack' such as Search, Dash, Use Item and Help are a good start. There is also extra synergy if you can take those actions using something like Cunning Action, Haste or Action Surge.

Oh yes, I agree completely. I've done a little of this as you can see but I'd love to see it pushed further. The only 'problem' here is that it makes skill tricks easy to use every turn for rogues, but that's as it should be imo.

Love the idea of trading movement for an ability though.

So to propose some tweaks and additions:
Acrobatics:
+2: Standing from Prone doesn't cost you extra movement
+2: On your turn you can use 15' of your movement to increase your reach by 5' until the end of your turn
+3: Attempting to escape from grapples and effects that cause you to be Restrained use your Bonus Action instead of your Action
+4:

Athletics:
+2: Your shoves can push a creature up to 10', and if they cannot move the full distance because of running into another creature or surface they take damage equal to your Athletics roll (categorized like fall damage so isn't subject to bludgeoning resistance). 15' at Prof bonus +4, 20' at Prof +6
+2: Your movement speed is not halved for carrying a grappled creature. At prof +4 it isn't halved when dragging either.
+3: Jumping only expends half the amount of movement of the distance you travel
+5: You can attempt to bend and break Force effects such as the bars of a Forcecage by making an Athletics check against the Caster's Spell DC.

Arcana
+2: By spending a short rest with an item you can identify it as per the Identify spell
+3: You can substitute an attack (like a shove) to instead attempt to disrupt a spellcaster. They must make a concentration saving throw against your Arcana check as the DC.
+4: You can substitute an attack (like a shove) to instead attempt to hamper a creature's magic resistance. If you succeed on an Arcana check against the creature's spell DC any advantage on saving throws or damage resistance against spells are negated until the start of your next turn.

Medicine:
+2: When you expend a use of a Healers Kit on a creature that creature also regains HP equal to your Medicine bonus (stat + prof)
+2: You can attempt to use a Healers Kit on a creature to poison them, forcing them to make a Constitution saving throw against your Medicine check or be Poisoned for 1 minute. Cant retry on creatures that make the save.

Perception:
+3: When you take the Search action one creature you can see cannot become hidden from you until the end of your next turn.

Insight:
+3: You are always aware of when you are Charmed or having your thoughts read, or otherwise being mentally influenced.

Intimidation:
+2: You can substitute an attack (like a shove) to cow a creature that can see and hear you, forcing it to make a Wisdom saving throw against your Intimidate check or be Frightened of you until the start of your next turn
+3: Successfully Intimidating a creature renders you immune to the Frightened condition for 1 minute

And so on.

thoughts:

• Athletics ones are all great. I can already guess what sorts of builds would take these and how they would use them. I particularly like the idea of a high level grappler sort crushing a force cage.
• Arcana, I like what you're doing but these feel somewhat weak. I can see a fighter using them effectively I guess.
• Medicine is fun because it allows you to do the "doctor who killed the mob boss." While extremely situational I can definitely see some of my players taking it.
• The perception ability is less jank than the one I had.
• Intimidation probably works better than the ability I had, my main concern is that its hard to use as a barbarian, which is one of the classes that I really want to be able to intimidate people.

How many skill tricks to aim for? I think 6 for each skill, with 2 to start with at the +2 prof bonus stage but it could be hard to put that together.

I think its a worthwhile goal. Hopefully we can get more people involved. Regardless the quality control and balance here is going to be rough.

I'd maybe allow one skill trick at each level they get an ASI, instead of costing a proficiency. Of 2 at 4th and then let them get +1 and swap one out at each following ASI they get from a martial class. You can probably hand it to martials without issue, especially if some of these have noncombat benefits.

that would work pretty well yes. The only issue I have here is that fighters get tons of skill tricks this way while the barbarians are left out in the cold (again)

I would push this one back quite a bit. This seems to be one of the main risks with magical weapons, and can ruin some surprise (ex: as DM I can inform the party the javelin they found says "astrapí" on it, but they don't learn it is a javelin of lightning until later, hopefully when one gets suspicious and tries the word). I'd say that by 12th level they have enough magic items to justify this, but probably not sooner. Of course, this does depend on DM fiat for how easy it is to paid for identity and/or get the 100gp pearl. Combat Patrol might be a bit low level as well.

I can see the argument for combat patrol.

Identify as a skill trick could be pushed back, I just don't want it to be way worse than conventional identify. Though the point about the 100gp cost is well taken.

Off the top of my head:

• Feint [4th level, deception] Once per turn, when you take the attack action, you can make a Deception check contested by the Insight check of the creature you are attacking. This must be done before making the attack roll. On a success, you deal an additional 1d4 damage with the attack.
• Escape the Advantage [12th level, deception] Once per turn, when you make an attack roll with advantage, you can expend 5 feet of movement to move away from the target of your attack. This movement doesn't provoke opportunity attacks from the target of your attack.
• Master Sneak [16th level, stealth] When you are hidden and make a melee weapon attack, you gain advantage on the next attack roll you make against the same creature before the start of your next turn or until you are no longer obscured to the target of your attack.
• Natural Guard [8th level, survival] Whenever you are lightly obscured by foliage, heavy rain, falling snow, mist, and other natural phenomena you also gain half cover, even if the phenomena isn't solid.
• Taste of Nature [4th level, nature or survival] Whenever you would ingest poison, you can make a Perception check to smell or taste the poison and avoid ingesting it.
• Tactical Study [4th level, history] As a bonus action, you can make a History check against a creature you are fighting, to recall the historical tactics of such creatures. For 1 minute, you gain a +1 bonus to your AC or a saving throw of your choice against creatures of that type with a CR more than 10 point lower than the result of your check. For humanoids, use the subtype instead. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
• Trapkeen [8th level, investigation] When you would trigger a trap, you can make an investigation check as a reaction. If your check is higher than the save DC of the trap (or the attack bonus + 10) you do not trigger the trap.

• Feint is not something I'd want to go for because it basically adds something you are going to do every round, which is going to feel like pointless busy work at some point.
• Escape seems incredibly situational, I'm not sure where it would be useful or why it needs to be so high level
• Master Sneak is confusing. I get multiple attacks with advantage when coming out of hiding?
• Natural Guard is passive, but thematically I do like the idea of a survival making you stronger when you're fighting in the rain. Very flavorful, there's something here.
• Isn't taste of nature a basic rule?
• Tactical Study is sort of not what I like because its something you're going to be doing every turn. Martials don't really need flat bonuses to AC and damage.
• Trapkeen seems fun. It reminds me of the barbarian trapkiller ACF.

Shadow Instinct
Stealth, 16th level
Hiding is second nature to you. While in dim light or darkness you can hide as a free action.

Spoiler: Or?

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I kind of want this to be a high level Rogue ability anyway

Student of The Arcane
Arcana, Level 4
You learn 1 1st level spell with the Ritual tag from the Wizard spell list. You can select this option more than once. Choosing this at higher levels will allow you to select higher leveled spells. 2nd level at level 8, 3rd level at level 12, and 4th level at level 16.

Spoiler: Religion & Nature

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Student of The Gods
Religion, Level 4
You learn 1 1st level spell with the Ritual tag from the Cleric spell list. You can select this option more than once. Choosing this at higher levels will allow you to select higher leveled spells. 2nd level at level 8, 3rd level at level 12, and 4th level at level 16.

Student of Nature
Nature, Level 4
You learn 1 1st level spell with the Ritual tag from the Druid spell list. You can select this option more than once. Choosing this at higher levels will allow you to select higher leveled spells. 2nd level at level 8, 3rd level at level 12, and 4th level at level 16.

Shadow Instinct is interesting, although I'd prefer to have it work more like the shadow monk ability in this case.

The Student tricks are better than my random one that just works on identify and nothing else, and I can already think of a lot of powerful tricks you can pull off with this. Though I would be concerned about everyone just taking this for find familiar.