Weapon Specific Feats

[Yakk]

Master of the Blade

You have mastered fighting with bladed weapons: the long sword, scimitar, rapier, short sword, dagger and great sword.

• When you deal weapon damage with such a blade, if your weapon damage dice rolls an even value, you can reroll the die and add it to the total. Do not reroll the rerolls.
• If you are missed by an attack, you may expend a reaction and move up to half of your speed and make a melee weapon attack with one handed weapons or a greatsword you are wielding on the attacker. If you are wielding two one handed weapons, you may attack with both.
• You can draw a blade as part of the action you use to attack with it.

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This is intended to compete with PAM in power, and MotB+GWM vs PAM+GWM as well.

It needs wording improvements at the least.

The first increases damage dice by about 1.5x - for GWF, because you can reroll 1s (and let 2s stand!) you get a slightly larger bonus.

The second point lets you return attack with both main and off-hand weapon.

The third part is one of those "benefit for any weapon style" that sometimes crops up in weapon feats. It also makes daggers better throwing weapons, and fits the theme of a blade master (the entire enter-combat while not holding a weapon).

[Yakk]

Errata:
1. Add scimitars to blades.
2. The missed by an attack feature applies to all 1 handed weapons or the greatsword.

Scimitars I just overlooked.

Expanding the missed by attack is part of the idea that weapon-specific feats grant some general benefits.

Two more weapon feats, again aimed to complete with Polearm Mastery.

Deadly Axe
You have mastered using axes in combat: the hand axe, battleaxe and greataxe.

• If your unmodified attack roll is even with such an axe, your weapon deals an extra set of weapon damage dice.
• If you hit a target by 10 or more or score a critical hit, your next attack on the target before the end of your next turn has advantage.
• Your attacks with axes deal double damage to objects and structures; if the object is animated, or a creature is a construct, instead they deal an extra set of weapon damage dice.

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An earlier version.
Deadly Axe
You have mastered using axes in combat: the hand axe, battleaxe and greataxe.

• If you hit a creature’s AC by 10 or more with an axe, your hit deals an extra set of weapon damage dice (this is doubled if a crit).
• When you score a critical hit, your attacks against the target gain advantage until the end of your next turn.
• Your attacks with axes deal double damage to objects.

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Hitting by 10 or more being a critical hit is a pathfinder 2e thing I am interested in trying here.

Critical hits flowing into a fountain of advantage, and hence more critical hits, sounds like a fun mechanic.

So hitting by 10, or getting a crit, gives your next attack advantage. This isn't axe specific on purpose (all of these feats grant non-weapon type specific things).

This makes it plausible you will pick up a bunch of weapon master feats and forge a unique style from them.

The first one gives about 50% additional weapon damage dice, and makes your natural 20s a bit beefier. This aligns with the MotB, and I find it is a pretty decent compensation for the lacking bonus action attack from PAM.

Hammer Rhythm
You have mastered using hammers in combat; the warhammer, maul and throwing hammer.

• When you attack with advantage when using such a hammer, if the lower attack roll also hits you deal an extra set of weapon damage dice (this is doubled on a critical hit, like all damage dice are).
• If you miss a creature with a hammer, as a bonus action you may make another attack with such a hammer on that creature with advantage.
• As a bonus action, you may pick a creature within your reach or thrown weapon attack range and distract it. The next attack by anyone else on that creature has advantage if it occurs before the start of your next turn. If you do this with your thrown weapon attack range, you must throw the weapon to gain this benefit.

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This is inspired by 4e's Hammer Rhythm, which was about dealing reliable damage even if you cannot reliably connect.

The first one is "you can really hit hard with advantage".

The second one is a bit like the PAM bonus action, but both better and worse. Better, because you get advantage (which feeds into the first one), worse because you have to miss.

The last feature is not hammer specific. It gives you a help action to give allies advantage; the idea is the study of hammer combat has taught you how to knock someone off balance. This also means if the previous bonus action attack isn't triggered (because you hit) this style still gives you something to do with your bonus action.

And sometimes, you will just use the last option, even if you miss, because someone else's blows are more important.

A "synthetic" style from learning all 3 feats includes:
1. Bonus action help.
2. Critical hits grant yourself advantage until the end of your next turn.
3. Riposte as a reaction when missed (1 handed weapons only).
plus the weapon-specific parts of whatever weapon you are using.

Of the 3, the bonus action help is actually the weakest I think?

[Amechra]

Deadly Axe might be a little too good? It's potentially a massive bonus to your crit range, given that AC tends to stay pretty low and because you can get some crazy temporary bonuses to attack rolls.

Like, let's say you have a +8 attack bonus (because you grabbed Deadly Axe instead of a +2 to Strength) and you're attacking someone with AC 16. You essentially have an 18-20 crit range, which is already scary on a Paladin. If someone tosses Bless on you, you can plan on critting with a 16+.

[Yakk]

Yes, and the "once you get a crit, you get advantage" could make that really nuts.

I could steal the hammer +1 weapon damage die thing "if you hit by 10 or more, you deal an extra weapon damage die". That is crit-lite.

But that sort of steals Hammer Rhythm's thunder. Hmm.

[Amechra]

What if you went with the extra damage with Deadly Axe, and Hammer Rhythm let you Shove people around if you hit on both dice?

[Yakk]

Remember, I'm trying to compete with PAM.

PAM is about a 25%-60% increase in damage output when using a polearm over a greatsword in the level 1-9 range.

A "oh, and the target is prone" doesn't do it very well.

MotB has +50% weapon damage dice and reaction attack when missed.

Deadly Axe, if we have the "+[W] on hitting 10 higher" and "chain advantage" things, it might be able to match that. Crit was too good.

The "bonus action swing on a miss" is solid for Hammer, but it is much weaker than the PAM's bonus action attack (attack sometimes << attack whenever). A "when you have advantage, your lower die can shove" isn't as good as the PAM "OA when enemies approach". Also I don't want to trigger a contested roll on every advantage attack... I could use "beat both the target's passive athletics and acrobatics".

[nickl_2000]

Master of the blade is absolutely killer on a rogue (especially an arcane trickster who has shield to make people miss), to the point of almost being a feat tax. You naturally will be running with two weapons to double your chances of hitting with the reaction, and now you will most likely be hitting with your sneak attack 2 times a round without expending any resources. Also, out of curiosity, you included both slashing (greatsword, longsword, scimitar) and piercing (dagger and shortsword), but not the rapier. Is there a reason you didn't include the rapier?

Also if you attack with a greatsword and roll two 6s, do you roll two extra d6s (or one, or four)? Also, what happens when you have a spell that enhances your damage like hunter's mark or enlarge? Those add onto the damage roll, do those count for the additional rolls or not (I would assume no, but you should spell it out).

[Yakk]

I edited it to include the rapier and say "weapon damage dice".

So you roll 2d6; if they are even, you get to reroll them (individually). So 2d6 with 2 6s, you reroll another 2d6. Each die rerolls separately.

Note that monsters have to attack the target to trigger the riposte. Also it uses reaction. A shield caster has used their reaction; you get to do one, but not both.

Baiting a monster to attack, hoping it misses, and if it hits by less than 5 casting shield, and if it hits by 5 or more using uncanny dodge, and if it misses using riposte, is a solid strategy. But it isn't an automatic off-turn sneak attack.

And remember, I'm competing with PAM, which is a very strong feat for most weapon using characters. The Rogue is an exception, as PAM doesn't work with rogue abilities, and another swing has less value for a rogue.

[Yakk]

Ok, I gave up. Both Axe and Hammer have an extra damage die clause.

Axe when you hit by 10 or more, and Hammer when your lower die on advantage hits.

Axe has "advantage after a crit". Hammer has "miss, use a bonus action to get an extra attack".

[Yakk]

So now math.

Vhuman. 16 stat at 2, 18 at 5, 20 at 11. Enemy has 18 AC. Get a +1 weapon at level 5, +2 at level 11, +3 at 20.

Model with advantage and without.

Maybe model with GWM? Could be key for PAM.

Fighter. Reaction attacks occur 1/2 rounds.
1H characters have Duelist.
2H characters have GWF.
2W characters have TWF.

So base stats:
Level 1: +5 ATK, +3 DAM
Level 5: +8 ATK, +5 DAM
Level 11: +11 ATK, +7 DAM
Level 20: +14 ATK, +8 DAM

To model:
PAM+2H
PAM+Spear

MotB+LS
MotB+GS
MotB+SSx2

DA+GA
DA+BA
DA+HAx2

HR+Maul
HR+WH
HR+THx2

Missing anything before I create an inital spreadsheet?

Maybe I should model AC 14-24 just in case.

[Yakk]

So I repeatedly tried to make "-X for an extra die" work on the axe; the problem is that it interacts poorly with GWM.

If PAM+GWM is on par with DA+GWM, then DA alone ends up being ridiculously strong. The -5 on GWM and the "hit by X" on DA fight each other.

This isn't quite as fun, but still somewhat:

Deadly Axe
You have mastered using axes in combat: the hand axe, battleaxe and greataxe.

• If your unmodified attack roll is even with such an axe, your weapon deals an extra set of weapon damage dice.
• If you hit a target by 10 or more or score a critical hit, your next attack on the target before the end of your next turn has advantage.
• Your attacks with axes deal double damage to objects and structures; if the object is animated, or a creature is a construct, instead they deal an extra set of weapon damage dice.

So (1) gives you about +50% on your weapon damage dice. This is similar to the Master of the Blade +50%. It does, however, magnify with natural 20s.

(2) is an attempted rewrite of the momentum, folding in critical hits and hitting by 10 or more. You get advantage for one attack, not every attack.

(3) is mostly a ribbon. In a campaign where all the enemies are constructs it will be overpowered.

I'll edit the original post with an update if possible.