5e Simple Called Shots

[ignayshus]

Need help with homebrew idea

Players can elect to make 1 called shot per turn, ranged weapon attacks increase the penalty by 2.

Difficulty 1: make a melee weapon attack with -5; (on hit, choose one) next attack against target has advantage, target has disadvantage on next attack, or target has move speed halved until the end of your next turn; (on crit) target has Restrained condition until end of your next turn.

Difficulty 2: make a melee weapon attack with -10; (on hit) target is restrained for 1d4 rounds; (on crit) target is Incapacitated for 1d4 rounds.

Difficulty 3. make a melee weapon attack with -20; (on hit) target is incapacitated for 1d4+1 rounds, (on crit) target is Unconscious for 1d4+1 rounds.

Balance wise how much would these buffs improve melee over casters?

[GalacticAxekick]

Difficulty 1: make a melee weapon attack with -5; on hit, your next attack against target has advantage

If you're having trouble hitting the target, this called shot will probably miss and do nothing.

If you're able to hit the target easily, this called shot will probably hit and do nothing.

Difficulty 1: make a melee weapon attack with -5; on hit, the target has disadvantage on their next attack, or the target's movement is speed halved until the end of your next turn;

This is more useful. It can nerf easy-to-hit targets very reliably.

Difficulty 1: on crit, the target is Restrained until the end of your next turn.

This neatly wraps up the three effects, which I think is fitting.

Difficulty 2: make a melee weapon attack with -10[...]

-10 to hit means failing almost every attack roll until the highest levels. All of your Difficulty 2 called shots are too risky to be useful.

On hit, the target is restrained for 1d4 rounds. On crit, the target is Incapacitated for 1d4 rounds.

5e does not count rounds. Players can easily lose count, especially when multiple effects are in play.

Instead, 5e allows saving throws once per round. The higher the DC, the more rounds an effect will likely last

Difficulty 3. make a melee weapon attack with -20[...]

These called shots are totally useless. With +11 to hit (the usual maximum) this means a player will roll a maximum of 11, or an average of 1.5

[Jaeda]

The penalties are way too high to be useful and really ignore the main way that 5e makes things harder: the disadvantage mechanic.

The Angry GM has a fairly good post here about called shots and dismemberment. Basically, if you want to do a stunt (like tripping or disarming) or a called shot you make an attack with disadvantage. If you hit your stunt succeeds or you deal damage to the given appendage. If enough damage is dealt to the appendage then it is disabled so it may take a few hits to disable an appendage (as you build up damage). The primary suggested use is to disable abilities powered by specific body parts, such as a manticore's wings for flight or tail for its ranged attack. Note that for most creatures a called shot wouldn't have any additional affect (although you may be able to try your trip or disarm stunts).