Master Fencer (Replace Defensive Duelist and Dual Wielder)
Your experiences on the field of battle have made you a versatile and cautious warrior. When unarmed or using weapons without the heavy weapon property you are proficient with, you gain the following benefits: - You gain a +1 bonus to AC when you are wielding a melee weapon.
- When a creature hits you with a melee weapon attack, you can use your reaction to add your proficiency bonus to your AC for that attack, potentially causing the attack to miss you.
- You can draw or stow a reasonable number of one-handed, non-hidden objects as no action on your turn. These objects include drawing enough weapons like darts or daggers to make multiple ranged weapon attacks on your turn, or drawing two weapons or a weapon and shield.
- When you take the Attack action and attack with a only a single on-handed melee weapon, you can give the weapon the reach weapon property until the start of your next turn as a bonus action.
- Before you make an attack with an unarmed strike or one-handed weapon, you can choose to take a -5 penalty to the attack roll. If the attack hits, you add +10 to the attack's damage.
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The goal here is to have a feat that covers everything not covered by Greatweapon Master and Sharpshooter. It has been massaged a bit on other sites, and I'm bringing it here.
My issue is it has a lot in 1 feat, and the damage is too high 1-20. At low levels it's too much damage, and at high levels it's comprable to Polearm Master and Greatweapon Master in a single feat.
Ideas: Remove line 4, and adjust the damage on line 5. Possibly -5 to roll damage dice twice?
That's like 2 1/2 feats! :-O
I would drop the AC bonus and let Defensive Duelist remain its own feat.
I would also replace the word "reasonable" with the words "number equal to your proficiency bonus" or "number equal to your Dexterity modifier (minimum 2)" to make it more precise. And to nip arguments about what is reasonable in the bud.
There is definitely design space to increase the potency of light and/or finesse and/or thrown weapons.
Well the point is to simplify the damaging feats into 3: - Greatweapon Master - highest damage
- Sharpshooter - Less damage easier to hit at a safe distance
- Master Fencer - defensive or balanced melee catch-all
Is there one for one handed melee weapons with the other hand empty?
That's what this one covers: all unarmed combat and weapons without the heavy property.
You can wield a shield with this feat, which makes it always better to have a shield than not have one.
I've always like the concept of wielding a one handed weapon without a shield, but rarely do I see game mechanics which benefit that style.
bookrat wrote: You can wield a shield with this feat, which makes it always better to have a shield than not have one.
I've always like the concept of wielding a one handed weapon without a shield, but rarely do I see game mechanics which benefit that style.
Well, you can also wield two weapons and 5e doesn't support the actual single handed sword fighting very well (forward placed sword, fast lunging movement, quick entry and withdrawal) outside the Swashbuckler rogue. So, yes, just like the Duelist fighting style having a shield is always better by RAW.
Ah! I forgot something something!
I meant for this style to work with EK types who don't take War Caster - like bladelocks. You can hold that rapier and wand bow and draw them together. So it benefits on-handed styles that way.
hiiamtom wrote: bookrat wrote: You can wield a shield with this feat, which makes it always better to have a shield than not have one.
I've always like the concept of wielding a one handed weapon without a shield, but rarely do I see game mechanics which benefit that style.
Well, you can also wield two weapons and 5e doesn't support the actual single handed sword fighting very well (forward placed sword, fast lunging movement, quick entry and withdrawal) outside the Swashbuckler rogue. So, yes, just like the Duelist fighting style having a shield is always better by RAW. The Mobile feat does this.
It gives you:
+10 feet of speed
Ignore difficult terrain when you Dash
You do not provoke opportunity attacks when you leave the threatened area of an opponent you attack (whether you hit or not)
You can use a main gauche if you want, or a shield, or a two-handed weapon, so it's pretty general.
I think there's no damage feat for 1handed weapons because Fighting Style: Dueling already provides a blanket +2. If you want dueling characters to have the option to go to +7, there's definitely a lot of trimming to do.
Well dueling fighting style intent is to turn a longsword (1d8, avg 4.5) into the damage of a two handed weapon (1d8+2, avg 6.5; same as a d12 but more consistent). I think the feat is missing because it's just missing.
I did some rudimentary math last night, and this is what I came up with eve if it is boring:
Master Fencer (Replace Defensive Duelist and Dual Wielder)
Your experiences on the field of battle have made you a versatile and cautious warrior. When unarmed or using weapons without the heavy weapon property you are proficient with, you gain the following benefits: - You gain a +1 bonus to AC when you are wielding a melee weapon.
- When a creature hits you with a melee weapon attack, you can use your reaction to add your proficiency bonus to your AC for that attack, potentially causing the attack to miss you.
- You can draw or stow up to five one-handed, non-hidden objects when you normally could draw one. These objects include but are not limited to weapons, arcane foci, or shields.
- Before you make an attack with an unarmed strike or one-handed weapon, you can choose to take a -5 penalty to the attack roll. If the attack hits, you add +8 to the attack's damage.
This means that this feat will be out damage by Sharpshooter and Greatweapon Master, but gives a significant AC boost. It also means TWF can outdamage Sharpshooter, but not Greatweapon Master + Polearm Master. It also means that in higher levels the damage output of the classes without reasonable access to Sharpshooter or Greatweapon Master is comprible to other classes that are intended to have a similar role in dealing damage: specifically it helps bladelocks and monks out a lot. This feat gives a balance of offense and defense to these situations: - unarmed attacks (monks of Tavern Brawler)
- single weapon (versatile, one-handed no offhand, or with shield)
- two weapons
- thrown weapons
- Using an arcane focus and weapon without War Caster (and without using a staff as a weapon)
I still don't think bundling 2.5 feats together is a good idea. Defensive Duelist is already a good feat on its own, and requires a finesse weapon in hand, and similarly Dual Wielder's +1 to AC requires you to not have a shield.
In the long-term, Monks exert a lot more control within their 4 attacks on flurry (or 3 otherwise) than other classes thanks to Stunning Fist. Likewise in the long-term, Bladelocks add two stats to damage.
I haven't observed a Bladelock at that level, but I have played a lvl11 Monk and it wouldn't have been fair if my damage was higher (especially with how easy it is to setup Advantage with Stunning Fist).
Yeah, I DMed for a monk in our World Serpent Inn campaign, and the ability to flurry pretty much at will and/or using Stunning Fist on practically every round of combat and mid level (6 or 7) is pretty good. Especially with scaling damage from unarmed strike. Granted, that character started at 5th level, so 2 or 3 d6+4 or +5 at that level. The same player had so much fun with that monk he is going to play a level 1 monk in my new campaign, so we'll get to see how it works at the lower levels.
But I think his 6th or 7th level halfling monk was doing damage comparable to his 12th or 13th level half-orc barbarian in our RotRL campaign. :-O
Monk damage aside for a moment, there is no denying there are gaps in damage feats. A bow or heavy melee weapon deals far more damage than two weapons or one weapon.
For my part, I don't think that gap needs to be filled. I'm fine with weapons that take both hands to operate doing higher damage than those that don't, and there are feats catering to those styles that allow them to do things archers/2handers can't (Defensive Duelist, Dual Wielder, Crossbow Expert, Shield Master).
The simplest way to fill it would probably be just removing the 2handed weapon requirement from Great Weapon Master, since the feat is essentially Power Attack + Cleave.
It's a very big gap is the problem, but I probably am over thinking this. Maybe the better thing is to make more generic +damage feats and add more "you are the best at X style" feats.
Defensive Fighter
You have become a master at knowing the most opportune to strike with a variety of weapons. When you attack with an unarmed strike or with a weapon you are proficient with, you gain the following benefits:
When you are missed by an attack roll made against you, you can use your reaction to move half your speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
You gain +1 AC as long as you are not wielding a weapon with the heavy property.
Before you make an attack with the Attack action, you can choose to take a -5 penalty to the attack roll. If the attack hits, you add +8 to the attack's damage.
I think I like this version way better. I would even change the penalty from -5 to -4. That feels about right.
I could get swayed into that; I want to keep Sharpshooter the best attack roll you can get (with archery fighting style it's effectively -3 +10 damage because you ignore cover).
Defensive Fighter - needs a better name
Your experience on the field of battle has developed a keen sense of danger and opportunity with a variety of weapons. You gain the following benefits: - You gain a +1 bonus to AC while you are not wielding a heavy weapon.
- When another creature misses you with an attack, you can use your reaction to move up to half your movement speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
- Before you make a melee attack with an unarmed strike or with a weapon that does not have the heavy property, you can choose to take a -4 penalty to the attack roll. If the attack hits, you add +8 to the attack's damage. You must be proficient with the weapon used to make the attack to receive this benefit.
I like this wording a lot better.
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