5e is a good game, regardless of what the higher executives at WotC are doing with the OGL. That being said, the popularity of 5e has a lot to do with the OGL and all the free advertisement it provides for WotC.
It was so great to hear the joy in your voices that was missing (and rightfully so) in the OGL videos. You make it, I'll watch it. Any game you wanna talk about is cool with me. Just great to see you having fun again. And yes I know you recorded this prior to the OGL stuff.
The Ginny di sweater is really cute! I made the decision to play a straight up battlemaster fighter, no multiclass, no nothing. I did make intelligence my third highest stat even though mechanically everything told me not to. It's good for investigation and role play and makes sense if your character is a bit of a tactician. But otherwise I'm a big half-orc pole-arm wielding sentinel fighter. It's so much goddamn fun.
Having an OK Intelligence and dumping Wis/Cha seems like the kind of “technically suboptimal” play that’s probably worth making if it fits the character. I keep being tempted by the idea of a Path of the Beast Barbarian who was a city-dwelling charlatan and crackpot alchemist who drank a concoction that became the source of their powers, rather than some ancient tribal knowledge. I think that’d be a lot of fun, a very Jekyll and Hyde or Hank McCoy Beast sort of character.
Crazy timing. I'm playing a fighter for the first time ever, and our campaign is starting this week. My first character was a sorcerer and I have done full caster classes only in my 7 years of playing so I definitely need some tips on how to play without relying on spells so much.
There's a strong case for going Dex over Strength, making the Parry ability really viable. Not to mention the option to use a bow, or even main a bow with the Archery Style if you want
DONT FORGET ABOUT THE DODGE/RUN ACTIONS. Sometimes closing the distance or surviving is better than that consistent damage. Also “riposte” is quite good for battle master.
My most used maneuver playing battle master archerr was goading attack. It's great teamwork and I'm honestly surpirsed it wasn't in the first picks. You're far away and you give the target disadvantage to attack anyone but you until your next turn, plus it targets Wisdom, which is often low for the melee attackers that you'll be using this on
Genuinely genius. I had to check if Goading Attack required a melee attack or a weapon attack because that strategy sounded too good, and it is weapon attack. That’s awesome.
@@Mass0404 yeah a lot of battlemaster techniques are fucking ludicrous because WotC probably pictured someone using them in a melee fight in most cases but then figured out that making them melee only would not be fun in most cases.
@@steave435 Fair, except menacing imposes frightened condition, which is the condition that more creatures are immune to than any other besides poisoned and charmed. I just looked it up and 1/8 of monsters are just straight up immuned to frightened, which doesn't apply to goading. Also, frightened requires them to see you to keep effect, while when I play ranged, I move a lot especially around corners so prefer not to be seen
Absolutely thrilled for this - I’ve been searching your videos (and others) for the best tips about building a battle master. I lean heavily on spells for RP and combat prowess, so I wanted to explore a character who could be maximally powerful as a straight fighter with no spells. Keep up the great work!
Gotta say, I'm happy for the positive feedback you guys received on the video about diversifying the content in the channel. Good to know you guys crossed that important threshold and the channel no longer depends on covering a single game to survive.
I think that remains or be seen. D&D has the popularity and the mass market appeal. How many channels are there for it? How many channels are there devoted to .. whatever other random game they may jump to? And, as these channels jump ship … some small number of people will go with them. 5-30% of the sub count or something. That’s great. Maybe that’s millions of people leaving D&D when this is all said and done. That won’t be millions of people into the same next system. That will be millions of people spread out over a dozen systems each growing in popularity … but you COULD be watching videos on these other games already and you’re not. You’re here on a D&D channel. So, is GURPS gets a million people and shadow run gets a million people and some super hero game gets a couple hundred thousand …. There will be less overlap. Fewer people watching. Less interest from products that may want to give them money.
Lots of good ttrpgs, but dnd has built some nostalgic lore through novels, comics and campaign settings over the years which other games are years/decades away from matching
It looks like it’s been a full month since they’ve done anything other than D&D. Does anyone know of any channels who actually left D&D? I’m curious to see their video metrics.
"The Blind Knight". Variant Human Polearm fighter with the entertainer background. He was a Cavalier for laughs and when performing would wield a spear and shield. He had the blind fighting fighting style and would purposely blind himself as part of his act with a helmet with no vision slits. Stats looked almost identical to Monty's build and he was a blast to RP. So much fun.
amazing to see the solid 5e content return to this channal, with the excitement in your voice and everything. I know this was recorded before the OGL events, but i truly truly hope to see more stuff like this in the near future, thank you guys
same. The rage was a bit too loud for what was presented and this content is why I'm coming to the channel. I don't doubt they could express their concerns to WotC as higher profile creators and that they could put out non-OGL required content.
No one does these sort of videos better than the Dudes - clear explanation of the basic mechanics - advantages of the feats that you can take to make the character sing - and the sheer enthusiasm for cool characters that they always bring to the table. Human Battlemasters - assemble!
Check out Treantmonk, he's amazing and these things and will give you good math examples too. I like the Dungeon Dudes but they say things like "take GWM and you'll do amazing damage" but don't go into how often you'll miss from GWM because you have no way of getting advantage and if you try to use Precision Attack to help you'll run out of Superiority dice in 2-3 rounds easily. So I do like their videos but feel they're a bit too generic and don't get into actual scenarios and obstacles you'll see while playing which Treantmonk will go through in fine detail.
@Dave I follow Treantmonk as well. You're quite right, Chris is more technical, and his builds are more for number crunchers. But I have an 11th level half orc barbarian with GWM and a greataxe that I've played from 5th lvl, and thanks to acquiring a +2 magic weapon and above normal max 20 strength, I've never felt lacking with GWM attacks. The character has +13 to hit. I know that's exceptional, but I don't think attacking with -5 penalty at tier 2 of play is as great a problem as is often thought. Monster ACs average around 16-17 at the same tier, and your normal to hit at 9th lvl would be something like +10 assuming 20 ST and a +1 weapon
@@rantdmc Well Barbarian's do get Reckless Attack which was part of my point that Fighters lack guarantee advantage. Certainly there are opportunities to get advantage other ways, and there will be times you fight a mob of lower AC creatures, but in your example if they have a +10 to hit and they're going against a 16 AC, with GWM that would give them a 50% chance to hit. If it was 17 AC it would be a 45% chance to hit. I dunno, maybe some don't mind those odds, i'm just one of those guys who hates missing lol
Hi dudes just stopping by to say that while I love y’all and want to support y’all moving forward it just doesn’t hit the same to watch 5e content. So I won’t be watching this video but will be watching all non-d&d content to make it easy for y’all to choose non 5e topics. Appreciate you both so much!
This was the first class and subclass I played in 5E. I loved it! I picked up GWM, had a flametongue greatsword, and multi-classed two levels into barbarian and did TONS of damage and felt like a true valiant fighter out there kicking butt and saving people, it was awesome! 🔥⚔️
My first character was a Human Battlemaster Fighter with Dual Wielder Feat (not the strongest, but cool as hell). He was Dex based that made me just as good with bow as sword. Parry worked well with me and disarm attack. Later on manoeuvring strike saved the wizard so much. His crowning moment was critical hitting Tiamat with a dragon slaying arrow and then finishing her off with an action surge, one turn away from a TPK.
I have a soft spot for dual-wielder even if it's rarely optimal. I will say that if your GM is very generous with magic weapons it becomes better than default optimization math might imply, though IDK if it still trumps other styles. I also like that Dual-Wielder lets you nova harder as a melee user with on-hit effects. Paladins are probably the biggest case for this (triple smite, although you could also use your BA for a smite spell and double up on one hit, but both have pros and cons), but I presume this applies to BM too, having not played one.
Two feats you could also take at later levels, Fey Touched and Martial Adept. Martial adept gives you one more Superiority Die as well as two more maneuvers to use, more options isn’t a bad thing. Fey Touched gives you a one use Misty Step to get out of a bad situation and for the 1st level spell you can grab Hunter’s Mark or Hex, for more damage, or Bless to really help out with hitting those High AC enemies and making those crucial saving throws.
I want to hear others' opinions on the extra superiority die for Martial Adept. It is supposed to be a d4, but I think a battlemaster can increase it if timed correctly. The battlemaster's entry states that at the appropriate levels in fighter, ALL of your superiority dice grow in size. Therefore, I think that as long as you have taken Martial Adept before the first increase, that extra die will grow with the rest. I also think (due to the wording) the extra superiority die from Martial Adept does not grow retroactively if you take the feat after these subclass features come online. Yes, it sounds cooler just to retroactively change them anyway, but this is RAW.
@@derekstein6193 in practice, a lot of the maneuvers are mediocre. A couple are outstanding. If you’re already a battlemaster then you have the maneuvers you need for your build. I do not believe that feat combines well with the class. I’ll try to come back to this with the book in front of me to speak about dice accumulation. I believe it’s just more of what you already have. But, I’ll try to confirm. Mechanically, I think a big movement they did in 5E was consolidation of similar things. It would strike me as an extremely poor mechanic if the battlemaster has their normal dice and then one other pool of dice for the feat (which I think you can take more than once).
Bless is definitely necessary because they always say take GWM despite having no way of getting advantage. Without advantage you'll be lucky to hit with GWM 40% of the time, thats pretty bad. Bless will help, probably get you up to 55% of the time. Now Bless with advantage somehow guaranteed (2 lvls of Barbarian best way) now you're closer to 70% or even 75% depending on AC lvl and thats a good use of GWM.
@@derekstein6193 "i read the rules. But because they are a studied ass rule im ignoring them" every dm ever. Seriously this level of pure raw just doesn't matter because you will never see it in action. Its like the see invisibility spell raw bullshit
Hahaha, I was incredibly excited to see the title and listen to this video on my way home from work; I'm currently playing a level 7 variant human battle Master fighter right now in my current campaign. He's using a silvered Halberd I only just acquired the other night, with polearm master, mage slayer and alert. (His feat combo matches his character type and story setting VERY well as he's an anti mage) He's got quick toss, riposte, trip attack, disarming attack and commanders strike. (There's 2 rogues in the group to synergize with these VERY well) I've been very happy with him so far.
Been playing a half orc field medic archer with some homebrew aspects to it for about 2 years now. What I mean to say ,though, is I know how to build a BM, but I enjoyed watching the video regardless because of you dudes. You helped me understand this game when I started and I´m grateful for it.
This was filmed before the whole ogl crisis, probably. They don’t address it at all which makes me think this was just a video that had been waiting for release. That said, D&D belongs to the tables. Wizards can’t stop you from using resources you already have to play 5e.
@@deschaingames1851 Of course, I really don’t care about the OGL stuff, it doesn’t affect me or anyone I play with, I like D&D and want the Dudes to do D&D content.
I had an Eloquence Bard, with 3 lvls of Fighter to get Battlemaster, took Crossbow Expert, learned Find Steed, and I just galloped around creating pin cushions, singing songs and spreading Inspiration. Lots of fun, I miss him.
I'm playing a grappler Battlemaster in a game that starts this week! Super excited to try out the build, I went for flavor and fun over min-maxing but it seems like it will be a lot of fun. Variant Human, picked up Tavern Brawler at 1st level Unarmed Fighting Style Maneuvers: Trip Attack - This + Tavern Brawler means you can deal damage, grapple, and knock your enemy prone in a single turn without Extra Attack and without burning your Action Surge. The ideal setup for a grappler. Menacing Attack - Fear gives the opponent disadvantage on their attempts to avoid/escape a grapple, and it gives them disadvantage on attacks for the round (knocking prone can do that too, but it creates a problem for ranged allies, so it's not good in all situations) Ambush - Mostly for flavor, it fits her backstory as a former bandit but also helps her fill the role of party sneak since we don't have any dex-based characters. Wearing medium armor as well, to prevent the disadvantage to Stealth. Though you make a solid case for Precision Attack...I might swap one out for that, but if not, definitely picking it up at level 7.
I played a Dragonborn battlemaster fighter who was a former pirate for 2 and a half years. He got all his scales pulled off after he killed the wife of an Orc chieftain, he managed to escape but wore a full set of plate armour that covered him head to toe, the only way you could tell he was a Dragonborn was his horns. He tried so hard to redeem himself but no one thought he had changed. However he was by far the best fighter of the group, taking out an entire ship deck's worth of smugglers all on his own. However, when his group assaulted a Sahuagin strongold, they eventually had to escape by crossing a rope bridge. My fighter cut the bridge as his party got to the other side and died fighting 20 Sahuagin, using all of his maneuvers and only died when 5 Sahuagin grappled him and charged him over the edge, taking them all with him. It was absolutely epic.
These character builds are wonderful! The range of application a 5E character has is tremendous! I can play the rest of my life in 5E with all the hundreds & thousands of 3rd party material that already exists! Life is always unexpected, and always when one door closes, another opens! My mind is expanding on a daily exploring the countless 3rd party material out there & I freakin love it! I'm going to Drakkenheim, then to Midgard then to the Thrones of Bones! The dam is falling around our imaginations, keep it up Dungeon Dudes, you are leaders of 5E!!!! And we love & need you more than ever! 5E forever!
I remember my first ever game was as a Wood Elf Battle Master fighter. A woodsman who got turned onto the wonders of civilization. He saught coin and joined a bounty business thus becoming an urban bounty hunter. Soiltary hunting was no fun so he found a team of adventurers to join. The background gave me lots of fun plot hooks and inside contacts throughout the campaign. Weapons of choice: short bow, long bow, and scimitar. I built him for sneaking, climbing, shooting, and surveying. I ended up rolling for stats and while I don't recall all the rolls. I can tell ya the Dex was 18(+2 with racials) at the start, and my lowest stat was charisma at 11. Many of my levels were in Battle Master Fighter. But when Xanathars came out in the middle of the campaign, I picked up three levels of Gloom Stalker Ranger. I actually used the disarm + pushing + manuvering combo so my teammate retreave a special ritual dagger from a cultist. Causing their big ritual to never go off. The DM had me nab a magic longbow from a temple so I could fight the villain of that arc, and it became a gift of gratitude which I used for the rest of the campaign. Good times.
I got a frontman Black Dragonborn Battle master, with str/con/cha as the main abilities. Good tank, damage dealer and social communication, really fun! Greetings from Argentina!
great video guys! always wanted to make a battle master, now I can't wait :D also, I would love to see a part 2, where Joe explains how he built Pluto, because that's a very different and unique Battle Master!
Agreed! I've been watching their Drakkenheim series and admiring Joe's shield user Battle Master using reposte reaction (most used maneuver probably), precision a great deal, and of course trip/knock-down. It's been very impressive how much AC, utility and damage he's been able to dish out with such a relatively simple set of tools; "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts"! :)
Playing a Swashbuckler Rogue now and I never regretted my early 3 level dip into fighter for Battle Master maneuvers. My dm was friendly with short rests so I had all four dice for most encounters, adding real value to the idea of my character mastering swordplay when he can pull out riposte(worked wonders with defensive duelist), precision hit and trip attack.
I got to agree with you, the Battle Master is amazing, as a lot of versatility, it can get you (in a combat scenario) the same a Rogue or a Ranger would bring to the table and it does Rock. One combat at the time! As long as you are willing or able to take a short rest after every fight, they are the best. And even then it can’t be a long combat. All this versatility comes from resources, expendable things. I play in a campaign(lv7) where one of my companions is a Battle Master, I saw her burn through all (superiority die & action surge) in one round. Completely devastating! And then she was nothing but a girl with a bow for the remaining 6 or 7 rounds of combat. One thing no one takes in to consideration about Rangers, especially the Hunter subclass is consistency and readiness no matter how long the fight takes or how many encounters are before you get the chance to make a Short Rest. Anyway, thank you so much for this and all other videos you make they have been one amazing tool for me both as player and a newb DM.
Yeah, it's to the point where the maneuvers should have been baked into the core class, IMO. Other systems have options like that to keep things from getting boring. E.g. Pathfinder 2e. In stark contrast is the Champion Fighter, which is the 'I attack' class with no bells and whistles other than being good at standard attacks.
@@XoRandomGuyoX pf2e is sadly not all that better. Since most physical maneuvers like tripping and shoving affect your attack penalty. Remember, even in 5e anyone can do those things for the exchange of an attack. Battlemaster can do them without losing an attack, and thats what makes them nice.
Its really a meh subclass. You'd be surprised how quickly you run out of superiority dice, and if you're not short resting after every battle you'll become a fighter with no subclass quite quickly. Also not sure why they always say take GWM when you have no good way to get advantage, should really take 2 levels of Barbarian if you want GWM to hit at least 50% of the time.
I like the idea of an Eladrin archer battle master. Fey step allows them to maneuver around the battlefield even easier and if you're in the spring form you can then aid in moving your party around even more.
On any Fighter, played a Two-Weapon Fighter (Echo Knight), BA teleport is so great for getting around the battlefield-combined with Echo Knights swap? I can get pretty much anywhere I want.
My three "must have" favorite maneuvers are Commander's Strike, Trip, and Riposte. Commander's Strike gets spectacular mileage in my current main campaign by feeding extra attacks to our Oath of Vengeance pally. You are only giving up one of your multi attacks, and someone being in a better position than you is pretty damn common. My favorite use is when I've downed an enemy but have an attack left I can hand out with this maneuver. Trip is a bread and butter win/win maneuver for me too, agree with the dungeon dudes here. If the enemy makes their save, you "just" added another die to your damage. If they fail the save and become prone, its now time for everyone to T up on em at advantage. My favorite use of this maneuver is to prep for an action surge. Riposte is hands down my favorite use of a superiority die. I horde my die during a session to use as many as possible on this maneuver. A reaction attack with an additional damage die when someone misses you is delicious.
While you guys already gave me some great ideas for Battlemaster concepts, I have to say you guys need to get a food sponsor every once in a while. Using food references draws me in while running around between jobs/errands/etc. (I love to cook, and it's one of my jobs), the drive thrus become that much harder to resist!
I recently started playing a battlemaster fighter similar to Monty’s build and I am loving it! He has -1 in wisdom and intelligence, but is real buff with 20 strength and 16 con. Originally I was planing on going full polearm master but with a quarter staff so I took crusher, and after a lucky find of some cool magic light hammers, I’ve pivoted to being more about bopping people around the battlefield, then tacking on a trip or a menacing glance to work the battlefield for our good. It combos well with the artificer’s Enlarge Reduce so he can also grapple and push around larger foes. Oh yeah, the best part is he is a orange cat boy hoser whose name is Skimbleshanks the Himbo cat. He is a shifter who turns into a cat for extra AC and Temp HP who baps foes off of tables and into to the Druid’s moon beam, the artificer’s web, or the cleric’s spirit guardians. He is a hoot to play. Anyways, thanks for the maneuver suggestions, I’ll definitely keep those in mind, I imagine there is a lot of fun to be had with bait and switch.
Im playing a sword and board battlemaster in my campaign now. I usually play wizards but I have to say, a fighter is so much fun when a battle breaks out!
Battle Master is my top Fighter option. With Tasha's custom Fighting Style and the Feat for it, you have a lot of flexibility for what Manuvers to use. Lots of useful ones for out of combat stuff, and the Short Rest recharge doesn't penalize you using them.
I built a Giff Battle Master for my group's Spelljammer game. He has rapier and shield, as well as a pistol. Focused mostly on range I gave him the Archery fighting style. My picks for Maneuvers was a little different. I went Precision for pairing with Sharpshooter, Menacing Attack in case I needed to hit something mean looking and keep it from advancing on my party, as well as Commander's Strike, because sometimes another party member can make an extra attack better than I can and if it's a Rogue even better since they get to apply sneak attack dice every TURN and not every ROUND. So now I have options for minor crowd control, pumping up the damage or battlefield utility and party support.
Just started playing a Stout Halfling Battlemaster fighter last week in an Odyssey of the Lost Dragonlords campaign (currently level 2). I made him into a Dex based sword & board fighter (inspired by Orym from Critical Role). Really excited to play this character as we have another fighter, barbarian, 2 warlocks and a wizard in our group. So using maneuvers to add to AC (other fighter is hoplite fighter so they provide additional bonuses to AC), pulling aggro (goading attack after AC boost) or maneuvering attack to move spellcasters out of harms way, etc. This subclass is so good at providing versatility that can really compliment your party. P.S for this character following max DEX ASI I'll grab slasher, Res WIS, Sentinel, then either Alert, Mobile, Lucky, Defensive Duellist, or Tough. Campaign goes to Level 15.
I love your build videos! I’m currently running the archer build from your champion fighter video! Love the diversified content as well! Keep up guys!! 🎉🎉🎉
The 1st character I used in an actual campaign is a Gastrosapian (homebrew) fighter with the Defensive style and Samurai subclass. Before he got shelved he had some amazing rolls that wowed everyone at the table. That campaign ended abruptly at level 3 but I was able to bring him back at another campaign at level 10. He’s currently 13 fighter/1 rogue with max Str/Cha, 16 Con/Int, 14 Wis and 13 Dex with Expertise in Intimidation and Persuasion so he has 20 in both. A chivalrous war veteran who uses jokes and a polite demeanor to mask his trauma. He also has the Dual Wielder and Inspiring Leader feats, and possibly Tough next level
playing a half orc battlemaster in dragonheist with protector and its so fun!! more focused on controlling the battlefield and keeping the others alive than doing damage. but its such a blast to play
Oooh, I got one for this, though it isn't really damage based or completely premeditated. Swashbuckler rogue; expertise on persuasion, history and stealth; alert feat and battle master maneuvers ambush, tactical assessment and commanding presence has made someone very fun to play. A complete master of a few skills (even with low ability modifiers). - and initiative is king.
New player reporting! My very first character is a Battlemaster fighter with 20 dex @ level 1 (rolled four sixes for one stat). Gonna reach level 4 soon and I can't wait to get Sharpshooter!
For Kelly's build, I would have chosen elf or half-elf in order to get eleven accuracy. I would have also taken the disarm attack at level 3 over trip attack, then trip attack later on.
BattleMaster was the first 5e character build I did and went lvl 1-20 over 2 years. Stats were rolled for the character so it was easier for me to use feats that offered a +1 stat boost and tied more into the character as opposed to min/max, but I still had a blast and Sentinel sealed the deal. Absolutely a lot of options with this build and a great way to have great options without using magic.
My favorite DnD character that i'm playing right now is a human battle master that is a pirate. Taking the Gunner feat at first level and sniping people with a musket is so much fun! I took the Goading attack instead of the tripping attack because i felt that having some variety in the saving throws gave me more versatility in a wider range of fights (not to mention giving disadvantage to protect your team is awesome!) I took the Sharpshooter feat at level 4 and i plan on taking the Piercer feat to really make the most of that D12 musket damage. The Precision attack really helps to compensate for the -5 penalty when using the sharpshooter feat so it feels so much more reliable when you go for the big damage
One of my favorite character builds is a Loxodon Battlemaster (5) / Swashbucker (X) using brace, riposte, and grappling strike. For my build, I put 15 into strength so that I could wear plate and to boost athletics but used dex as my primary attack stat (for finesse weapon sneak attacks). Upon gaining expertise from the rogue levels, I picked up expertise in athletics and perception to make my character a powerful grappler and also quite observant. Brace and Riposte consistently gave me reaction attacks that were sneak attacks thanks to rakish audacity. I could control fights with grappling and having a solid AC of 21 with plate mail, shield, and defensive fighting style gave me staying power in the front line. The Loxodon's trunk feature gives you an extra grasping appendage that can grapple while still holding the rapier and shield in my hands and the Loxodon also gets advantage against being charmed or frightened which is a solid perk.
What I love with the BM Archer and the Menacing strike (With Sharpshooter potentially), is that you can frighten someone 600ft away. This is a super control tool.
"Everyone loves the battle master" I never even HEARD of it until recently. What a cool thing!!! I'm going to be playing a swashbuckler battle master gnome (who is a Harper agent) that obsessively collects magic rings. Fizzy Whiskeywood!
There is nothing as cool as a party with two characters who can use Interception style and a barbarian, who can do the same with his class ability. Damn, fighters and dips in this class are amazing! Battle masters
I am playing a human crossbow fighter right now actually. Planning on grabbing some bard levels after fighter 12, assuming the campaign continues on. My plan is to be throwing around inspiration and healing in the back ranks as needed. When I am not lighting up the bad guys with 4 attacks a round from range. Great episode guys.
I had a DM that homebrewed that all the fighter subclasses got to take the battlemaster maneuvers, it was a cool idea and that all fighters had maneuvers and techniques. Hope something like it is included in the new One D&D.
Great video! Excited to see some other RPG covereage in the future (if indeed you go that route). Maybe even some first look sorts of videos? Talk about what excites you about other systems?
Sort of related: I have an 8th level arcane trickster, with (among other things) mirror image. I'm planning on taking some fighter levels--and maybe doing the 'superior' fighting style to get at the 'riposte' maneuver. My understanding is, if I attack via riposte (likely given the mirror images) it's not part of my turn, so I can backstab again. Another reason those maneuvers are awesome. Also, I like that you presented two ways to build the battle master. That added a nice touch.
We just wrapped up a level 1-20 campaign where I played a Goliath Rune Knight and I took the feat that gave me battlemaster maneuvers. I used Disarming Attack on Orcus after chewing through his legendary resistances and separated him from his wand. Never have I wanted to be a full-fledged battlemaster more. That single move won us the fight!
Also, even though you removed the 'sching' sword sound from after you say "so let's get rolling," I still always hear it in my mind when you say it lol
I’m creating my first fighter character and I’m so torn between battle master and eldritch knight so this will really help me with imagining how the battle master can be amazing without magic
For the archer, Menacing before pushing so you have 2 different saving throws. So if strength won't work on the enemy, you can go with wisdom. And trip attack can benefit you too as a xbow expert by moving next to them.
I mean, polearm master is PHB, and customized lineage just means you can play whatever race you want, and don’t just have to choose the one with the best ability score improvements
I'm now playing a Glomstalker Battlemaster and I can't wait for everything to come online in a few levels and give me a ton of options in almost everything we come across.
Thanks for all those ideas and the "combo menagement" vision that you guys presented for me! Ill mix my manuvers with those combo oportunities in mind.
While not specifically a fighter, I’m currently playing a Moon Druid that took the Martial Adept feat that gives you two maneuvers, which you can use 1/SR. I took Bait and Switch, which takes an already amazing defensive maneuver and takes it up several notches: not only have I been able to get party members out of immediate danger and boost their AC for a turn, but my Wildshaped large/huge form allows me to push them back 2 or 3 squares and even further out of danger. I also play with a rogue and took Commander’s Strike, so I can sacrifice one of my Elemental form’s multiattacks and have the rogue take another attack which also includes more sneak attack damage (since it’s another turn)
I've mentioned to my group I would love to play a dex'd based fighter in a future game (when I can actually play). They usually aren't impressed. You both have given me plenty to think on. Maybe I'll just have to put my group up against one as a side quest / random encounter. /evil grin
Playing a dart throwing battle master right now. Sadly, I have to go artificer 2 to get a returning weapon (no magical darts otherwise), but it's definitely fun to have the flexibility of maneuvers on top of the damage.
The last battle master I made was a hill dwarf named Oskar. Oskar was a former battalion leader, and after a bad call got a majority of his squad killed, he was exiled. He swore to himself he would never, ever let what happened happen again. I went all in on heavy armor master, tough, getting that extra point of health from being a hill dwarf... The Man nearly had 100 HP at level 5, and finished the campaign at level 8 with almost 140. When all in on Constitution and dexterity for dodging the big attacks, got shield master for roleplaying him well, and took the fighting style that lets you put yourself between an attack and an ally if they're within 5 ft of you. Can't remember what it's called. We were a group of three going through tomb of annihilation. I'm fairly certain in my saying that Oskar is why our little group got through all that nonsense.
It's so nice to see the Dudes all happy again! I'm really hoping that the OGL bullshit can be fixed, for everyone affected to get back to some really happy gaming!
I'm currently playing a variant human battlemaster (we didn't want to switch systems in the middle of a campaign so we just canceled our DDB subscriptions but kept using 5e) and he's different than either of your characters. He's more of a duelist: took parry, riposte, and tripping attack right off the bat to weaponize those reactions. Took the sage background to get some varied proficiencies and has the ritual caster and magic initiate feats to get some magic stuff as well. Battle Master turns a fighter into almost as much of a dress-up dolls game as warlock!
One of my most fun and mechanically powerful character i've played was a battlemaster fighter with a zweihander, it was so fun stacking up dice to one-shot monstrous enemies.
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
This video was recorded before the OGL events.
I saw your previous video, so I'm not bothered :) 😀
5e is a good game, regardless of what the higher executives at WotC are doing with the OGL.
That being said, the popularity of 5e has a lot to do with the OGL and all the free advertisement it provides for WotC.
Please do not stop doing D&D content.
No need to apologize.
I hope they fix it it makes me so sad
important note with disarming attack: if you're a melee build, you can use your free object interaction to kick the item across the floor.
Oh, thats cool.
how far though?
@@starsited529 uh... roll me a strength check?
It was so great to hear the joy in your voices that was missing (and rightfully so) in the OGL videos. You make it, I'll watch it. Any game you wanna talk about is cool with me. Just great to see you having fun again. And yes I know you recorded this prior to the OGL stuff.
The Ginny di sweater is really cute! I made the decision to play a straight up battlemaster fighter, no multiclass, no nothing. I did make intelligence my third highest stat even though mechanically everything told me not to. It's good for investigation and role play and makes sense if your character is a bit of a tactician. But otherwise I'm a big half-orc pole-arm wielding sentinel fighter. It's so much goddamn fun.
Having an OK Intelligence and dumping Wis/Cha seems like the kind of “technically suboptimal” play that’s probably worth making if it fits the character. I keep being tempted by the idea of a Path of the Beast Barbarian who was a city-dwelling charlatan and crackpot alchemist who drank a concoction that became the source of their powers, rather than some ancient tribal knowledge. I think that’d be a lot of fun, a very Jekyll and Hyde or Hank McCoy Beast sort of character.
Crazy timing. I'm playing a fighter for the first time ever, and our campaign is starting this week. My first character was a sorcerer and I have done full caster classes only in my 7 years of playing so I definitely need some tips on how to play without relying on spells so much.
Ranged Build: Variant Human / Archery / Fighter / Battle Master (precision attack)/ Crossbow Expert / Sharpshooter (lvl. 4)/ DEX+CON / handcross... Become John Wick
There's a strong case for going Dex over Strength, making the Parry ability really viable. Not to mention the option to use a bow, or even main a bow with the Archery Style if you want
DONT FORGET ABOUT THE DODGE/RUN ACTIONS. Sometimes closing the distance or surviving is better than that consistent damage. Also “riposte” is quite good for battle master.
@@Joker-yw9hlIn a game with RNG characters, I played a Tabaxi paladin, and they were so maneuverable and could go anywhere on the field.
My most used maneuver playing battle master archerr was goading attack. It's great teamwork and I'm honestly surpirsed it wasn't in the first picks. You're far away and you give the target disadvantage to attack anyone but you until your next turn, plus it targets Wisdom, which is often low for the melee attackers that you'll be using this on
Genuinely genius. I had to check if Goading Attack required a melee attack or a weapon attack because that strategy sounded too good, and it is weapon attack. That’s awesome.
@@Mass0404 yeah a lot of battlemaster techniques are fucking ludicrous because WotC probably pictured someone using them in a melee fight in most cases but then figured out that making them melee only would not be fun in most cases.
That's menacing attack but worse. Same save, gives disadvantage on ALL attacks including against you, and it can't move closer.
@@steave435 Fair, except menacing imposes frightened condition, which is the condition that more creatures are immune to than any other besides poisoned and charmed. I just looked it up and 1/8 of monsters are just straight up immuned to frightened, which doesn't apply to goading.
Also, frightened requires them to see you to keep effect, while when I play ranged, I move a lot especially around corners so prefer not to be seen
Absolutely thrilled for this - I’ve been searching your videos (and others) for the best tips about building a battle master. I lean heavily on spells for RP and combat prowess, so I wanted to explore a character who could be maximally powerful as a straight fighter with no spells. Keep up the great work!
Im so happy about some good old fashioned dnd content
All the drama is saddening. It will pass, hopefully...
@gametangia I know, right? Love it! This content is why I support this channel at the Legendary Tier level... the Dudes are awesome!
Gotta say, I'm happy for the positive feedback you guys received on the video about diversifying the content in the channel. Good to know you guys crossed that important threshold and the channel no longer depends on covering a single game to survive.
I think that remains or be seen. D&D has the popularity and the mass market appeal. How many channels are there for it? How many channels are there devoted to .. whatever other random game they may jump to?
And, as these channels jump ship … some small number of people will go with them. 5-30% of the sub count or something. That’s great.
Maybe that’s millions of people leaving D&D when this is all said and done. That won’t be millions of people into the same next system. That will be millions of people spread out over a dozen systems each growing in popularity … but you COULD be watching videos on these other games already and you’re not. You’re here on a D&D channel.
So, is GURPS gets a million people and shadow run gets a million people and some super hero game gets a couple hundred thousand …. There will be less overlap. Fewer people watching. Less interest from products that may want to give them money.
Lots of good ttrpgs, but dnd has built some nostalgic lore through novels, comics and campaign settings over the years which other games are years/decades away from matching
I only play 5e so I’m all about that content. Have fun, but just know the current WotC doesn’t effect my interest in that game.
It looks like it’s been a full month since they’ve done anything other than D&D. Does anyone know of any channels who actually left D&D? I’m curious to see their video metrics.
"The Blind Knight". Variant Human Polearm fighter with the entertainer background. He was a Cavalier for laughs and when performing would wield a spear and shield. He had the blind fighting fighting style and would purposely blind himself as part of his act with a helmet with no vision slits. Stats looked almost identical to Monty's build and he was a blast to RP. So much fun.
amazing to see the solid 5e content return to this channal, with the excitement in your voice and everything. I know this was recorded before the OGL events, but i truly truly hope to see more stuff like this in the near future, thank you guys
same. The rage was a bit too loud for what was presented and this content is why I'm coming to the channel. I don't doubt they could express their concerns to WotC as higher profile creators and that they could put out non-OGL required content.
@@shawnmayo8210 lets be honest... the rage was way too loud for what was presented, and it has been way too loud throughout the community
No one does these sort of videos better than the Dudes - clear explanation of the basic mechanics - advantages of the feats that you can take to make the character sing - and the sheer enthusiasm for cool characters that they always bring to the table. Human Battlemasters - assemble!
Check out Treantmonk, he's amazing and these things and will give you good math examples too. I like the Dungeon Dudes but they say things like "take GWM and you'll do amazing damage" but don't go into how often you'll miss from GWM because you have no way of getting advantage and if you try to use Precision Attack to help you'll run out of Superiority dice in 2-3 rounds easily. So I do like their videos but feel they're a bit too generic and don't get into actual scenarios and obstacles you'll see while playing which Treantmonk will go through in fine detail.
@Dave I follow Treantmonk as well. You're quite right, Chris is more technical, and his builds are more for number crunchers. But I have an 11th level half orc barbarian with GWM and a greataxe that I've played from 5th lvl, and thanks to acquiring a +2 magic weapon and above normal max 20 strength, I've never felt lacking with GWM attacks. The character has +13 to hit. I know that's exceptional, but I don't think attacking with -5 penalty at tier 2 of play is as great a problem as is often thought. Monster ACs average around 16-17 at the same tier, and your normal to hit at 9th lvl would be something like +10 assuming 20 ST and a +1 weapon
@@rantdmc Well Barbarian's do get Reckless Attack which was part of my point that Fighters lack guarantee advantage. Certainly there are opportunities to get advantage other ways, and there will be times you fight a mob of lower AC creatures, but in your example if they have a +10 to hit and they're going against a 16 AC, with GWM that would give them a 50% chance to hit. If it was 17 AC it would be a 45% chance to hit. I dunno, maybe some don't mind those odds, i'm just one of those guys who hates missing lol
Glad to see some of the usual cheer back outta the dudes
I'm so glad to see all of you doing 5e content again despite everything. I was wondering if you could do how to play and armor artificer next?
I think they have done that one.
didn’t they do that already?
@@Hazel-xl8in Also playing an armor artificer is very straight up tbh...
Only one of the options at each tier is good anyway
Hi dudes just stopping by to say that while I love y’all and want to support y’all moving forward it just doesn’t hit the same to watch 5e content. So I won’t be watching this video but will be watching all non-d&d content to make it easy for y’all to choose non 5e topics. Appreciate you both so much!
This was the first class and subclass I played in 5E. I loved it! I picked up GWM, had a flametongue greatsword, and multi-classed two levels into barbarian and did TONS of damage and felt like a true valiant fighter out there kicking butt and saving people, it was awesome! 🔥⚔️
My first character was a Human Battlemaster Fighter with Dual Wielder Feat (not the strongest, but cool as hell). He was Dex based that made me just as good with bow as sword. Parry worked well with me and disarm attack. Later on manoeuvring strike saved the wizard so much. His crowning moment was critical hitting Tiamat with a dragon slaying arrow and then finishing her off with an action surge, one turn away from a TPK.
I have a soft spot for dual-wielder even if it's rarely optimal. I will say that if your GM is very generous with magic weapons it becomes better than default optimization math might imply, though IDK if it still trumps other styles.
I also like that Dual-Wielder lets you nova harder as a melee user with on-hit effects. Paladins are probably the biggest case for this (triple smite, although you could also use your BA for a smite spell and double up on one hit, but both have pros and cons), but I presume this applies to BM too, having not played one.
Finally back on track! Glad to see the builds rolling back in. Would love to see your take on the Echo Knight!
My very first character in 5e was a sword and board fighter, the versatility you can have between feats and maneuvers is amazing
Two feats you could also take at later levels, Fey Touched and Martial Adept. Martial adept gives you one more Superiority Die as well as two more maneuvers to use, more options isn’t a bad thing. Fey Touched gives you a one use Misty Step to get out of a bad situation and for the 1st level spell you can grab Hunter’s Mark or Hex, for more damage, or Bless to really help out with hitting those High AC enemies and making those crucial saving throws.
Just curious, which maneuvers would you want to take at that level given the other maneuvers you would know at that time?
I want to hear others' opinions on the extra superiority die for Martial Adept. It is supposed to be a d4, but I think a battlemaster can increase it if timed correctly.
The battlemaster's entry states that at the appropriate levels in fighter, ALL of your superiority dice grow in size. Therefore, I think that as long as you have taken Martial Adept before the first increase, that extra die will grow with the rest. I also think (due to the wording) the extra superiority die from Martial Adept does not grow retroactively if you take the feat after these subclass features come online. Yes, it sounds cooler just to retroactively change them anyway, but this is RAW.
@@derekstein6193 in practice, a lot of the maneuvers are mediocre. A couple are outstanding. If you’re already a battlemaster then you have the maneuvers you need for your build.
I do not believe that feat combines well with the class.
I’ll try to come back to this with the book in front of me to speak about dice accumulation. I believe it’s just more of what you already have. But, I’ll try to confirm. Mechanically, I think a big movement they did in 5E was consolidation of similar things. It would strike me as an extremely poor mechanic if the battlemaster has their normal dice and then one other pool of dice for the feat (which I think you can take more than once).
Bless is definitely necessary because they always say take GWM despite having no way of getting advantage. Without advantage you'll be lucky to hit with GWM 40% of the time, thats pretty bad. Bless will help, probably get you up to 55% of the time. Now Bless with advantage somehow guaranteed (2 lvls of Barbarian best way) now you're closer to 70% or even 75% depending on AC lvl and thats a good use of GWM.
@@derekstein6193 "i read the rules. But because they are a studied ass rule im ignoring them" every dm ever. Seriously this level of pure raw just doesn't matter because you will never see it in action. Its like the see invisibility spell raw bullshit
Hahaha, I was incredibly excited to see the title and listen to this video on my way home from work;
I'm currently playing a level 7 variant human battle Master fighter right now in my current campaign.
He's using a silvered Halberd I only just acquired the other night, with polearm master, mage slayer and alert. (His feat combo matches his character type and story setting VERY well as he's an anti mage)
He's got quick toss, riposte, trip attack, disarming attack and commanders strike. (There's 2 rogues in the group to synergize with these VERY well)
I've been very happy with him so far.
I love your dnd content, and I hope you two keep doing dnd videos!🖤
They still will, though it's no longer gonna be the only topic
Been playing a half orc field medic archer with some homebrew aspects to it for about 2 years now. What I mean to say ,though, is I know how to build a BM, but I enjoyed watching the video regardless because of you dudes. You helped me understand this game when I started and I´m grateful for it.
Yes! So happy you are still doing and posting D&D content! :)
This was filmed before the whole ogl crisis, probably. They don’t address it at all which makes me think this was just a video that had been waiting for release. That said, D&D belongs to the tables. Wizards can’t stop you from using resources you already have to play 5e.
@@deschaingames1851 Of course, I really don’t care about the OGL stuff, it doesn’t affect me or anyone I play with, I like D&D and want the Dudes to do D&D content.
thank you for sharing this video and reminding us of the fun of playing D&D . . . feels great to follow your inspiring creativity and fun commentary!
I had an Eloquence Bard, with 3 lvls of Fighter to get Battlemaster, took Crossbow Expert, learned Find Steed, and I just galloped around creating pin cushions, singing songs and spreading Inspiration. Lots of fun, I miss him.
I'm playing a grappler Battlemaster in a game that starts this week! Super excited to try out the build, I went for flavor and fun over min-maxing but it seems like it will be a lot of fun.
Variant Human, picked up Tavern Brawler at 1st level
Unarmed Fighting Style
Maneuvers:
Trip Attack - This + Tavern Brawler means you can deal damage, grapple, and knock your enemy prone in a single turn without Extra Attack and without burning your Action Surge. The ideal setup for a grappler.
Menacing Attack - Fear gives the opponent disadvantage on their attempts to avoid/escape a grapple, and it gives them disadvantage on attacks for the round (knocking prone can do that too, but it creates a problem for ranged allies, so it's not good in all situations)
Ambush - Mostly for flavor, it fits her backstory as a former bandit but also helps her fill the role of party sneak since we don't have any dex-based characters. Wearing medium armor as well, to prevent the disadvantage to Stealth.
Though you make a solid case for Precision Attack...I might swap one out for that, but if not, definitely picking it up at level 7.
I played a Dragonborn battlemaster fighter who was a former pirate for 2 and a half years. He got all his scales pulled off after he killed the wife of an Orc chieftain, he managed to escape but wore a full set of plate armour that covered him head to toe, the only way you could tell he was a Dragonborn was his horns. He tried so hard to redeem himself but no one thought he had changed. However he was by far the best fighter of the group, taking out an entire ship deck's worth of smugglers all on his own. However, when his group assaulted a Sahuagin strongold, they eventually had to escape by crossing a rope bridge. My fighter cut the bridge as his party got to the other side and died fighting 20 Sahuagin, using all of his maneuvers and only died when 5 Sahuagin grappled him and charged him over the edge, taking them all with him. It was absolutely epic.
Your breakdowns helped me pick this class for my nomadic battle master! Every fighter subclass seriously lives in it's shadow!
These character builds are wonderful! The range of application a 5E character has is tremendous! I can play the rest of my life in 5E with all the hundreds & thousands of 3rd party material that already exists! Life is always unexpected, and always when one door closes, another opens! My mind is expanding on a daily exploring the countless 3rd party material out there & I freakin love it! I'm going to Drakkenheim, then to Midgard then to the Thrones of Bones! The dam is falling around our imaginations, keep it up Dungeon Dudes, you are leaders of 5E!!!! And we love & need you more than ever! 5E forever!
I remember my first ever game was as a Wood Elf Battle Master fighter. A woodsman who got turned onto the wonders of civilization. He saught coin and joined a bounty business thus becoming an urban bounty hunter. Soiltary hunting was no fun so he found a team of adventurers to join. The background gave me lots of fun plot hooks and inside contacts throughout the campaign.
Weapons of choice: short bow, long bow, and scimitar. I built him for sneaking, climbing, shooting, and surveying. I ended up rolling for stats and while I don't recall all the rolls. I can tell ya the Dex was 18(+2 with racials) at the start, and my lowest stat was charisma at 11. Many of my levels were in Battle Master Fighter. But when Xanathars came out in the middle of the campaign, I picked up three levels of Gloom Stalker Ranger.
I actually used the disarm + pushing + manuvering combo so my teammate retreave a special ritual dagger from a cultist. Causing their big ritual to never go off.
The DM had me nab a magic longbow from a temple so I could fight the villain of that arc, and it became a gift of gratitude which I used for the rest of the campaign. Good times.
Good to see, both of you still making dnd content.
I got a frontman Black Dragonborn Battle master, with str/con/cha as the main abilities.
Good tank, damage dealer and social communication, really fun!
Greetings from Argentina!
I’m digging the Ginny Di hoodie. You guys make great content and helped me so much when I first got into D&D in 2020.
great video guys!
always wanted to make a battle master, now I can't wait :D
also, I would love to see a part 2, where Joe explains how he built Pluto, because that's a very different and unique Battle Master!
Agreed! I've been watching their Drakkenheim series and admiring Joe's shield user Battle Master using reposte reaction (most used maneuver probably), precision a great deal, and of course trip/knock-down. It's been very impressive how much AC, utility and damage he's been able to dish out with such a relatively simple set of tools; "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts"! :)
Playing a Swashbuckler Rogue now and I never regretted my early 3 level dip into fighter for Battle Master maneuvers. My dm was friendly with short rests so I had all four dice for most encounters, adding real value to the idea of my character mastering swordplay when he can pull out riposte(worked wonders with defensive duelist), precision hit and trip attack.
I love the channel. Hope you continue with D&D videos though since you are both a solid reason why I have such great characters!
If they follow the results of the recent poll they'll still be doing D&D content they'll just be doing content for other games along with it
I got to agree with you, the Battle Master is amazing, as a lot of versatility, it can get you (in a combat scenario) the same a Rogue or a Ranger would bring to the table and it does Rock. One combat at the time!
As long as you are willing or able to take a short rest after every fight, they are the best. And even then it can’t be a long combat. All this versatility comes from resources, expendable things. I play in a campaign(lv7) where one of my companions is a Battle Master, I saw her burn through all (superiority die & action surge) in one round. Completely devastating! And then she was nothing but a girl with a bow for the remaining 6 or 7 rounds of combat. One thing no one takes in to consideration about Rangers, especially the Hunter subclass is consistency and readiness no matter how long the fight takes or how many encounters are before you get the chance to make a Short Rest.
Anyway, thank you so much for this and all other videos you make they have been one amazing tool for me both as player and a newb DM.
Battlemaster sounds so cool. If all martial characters got these kinds of options, I doubt people would complain about martials vs casters.
I have honestly considered giving every martial (monks, rouges, fighters, barbarians) access to battle master maneuvers for this reason
Yeah, it's to the point where the maneuvers should have been baked into the core class, IMO. Other systems have options like that to keep things from getting boring. E.g. Pathfinder 2e. In stark contrast is the Champion Fighter, which is the 'I attack' class with no bells and whistles other than being good at standard attacks.
@@XoRandomGuyoX pf2e is sadly not all that better. Since most physical maneuvers like tripping and shoving affect your attack penalty. Remember, even in 5e anyone can do those things for the exchange of an attack. Battlemaster can do them without losing an attack, and thats what makes them nice.
@@Now_Its_Orange check out laserllama. They have awesome manuevers for all martial classes.
Its really a meh subclass. You'd be surprised how quickly you run out of superiority dice, and if you're not short resting after every battle you'll become a fighter with no subclass quite quickly. Also not sure why they always say take GWM when you have no good way to get advantage, should really take 2 levels of Barbarian if you want GWM to hit at least 50% of the time.
I like the idea of an Eladrin archer battle master. Fey step allows them to maneuver around the battlefield even easier and if you're in the spring form you can then aid in moving your party around even more.
Archer Battlemaster is so fun, I went air genesi for the levitation spell.
On any Fighter, played a Two-Weapon Fighter (Echo Knight), BA teleport is so great for getting around the battlefield-combined with Echo Knights swap? I can get pretty much anywhere I want.
@@darkestlight660 Echo Knight is an amazing subclass...great flavor and a nice toolkit of useful and fun abilities.
Just realized you could kite really well in melee with a pushing or menancing attack, bonus action fey step.
I plan to play a harengon battle master in the near future so this is a huge help, keep up the amazing work!
My three "must have" favorite maneuvers are Commander's Strike, Trip, and Riposte.
Commander's Strike gets spectacular mileage in my current main campaign by feeding extra attacks to our Oath of Vengeance pally. You are only giving up one of your multi attacks, and someone being in a better position than you is pretty damn common. My favorite use is when I've downed an enemy but have an attack left I can hand out with this maneuver.
Trip is a bread and butter win/win maneuver for me too, agree with the dungeon dudes here. If the enemy makes their save, you "just" added another die to your damage. If they fail the save and become prone, its now time for everyone to T up on em at advantage. My favorite use of this maneuver is to prep for an action surge.
Riposte is hands down my favorite use of a superiority die. I horde my die during a session to use as many as possible on this maneuver. A reaction attack with an additional damage die when someone misses you is delicious.
While you guys already gave me some great ideas for Battlemaster concepts, I have to say you guys need to get a food sponsor every once in a while. Using food references draws me in while running around between jobs/errands/etc. (I love to cook, and it's one of my jobs), the drive thrus become that much harder to resist!
I recently started playing a battlemaster fighter similar to Monty’s build and I am loving it! He has -1 in wisdom and intelligence, but is real buff with 20 strength and 16 con. Originally I was planing on going full polearm master but with a quarter staff so I took crusher, and after a lucky find of some cool magic light hammers, I’ve pivoted to being more about bopping people around the battlefield, then tacking on a trip or a menacing glance to work the battlefield for our good. It combos well with the artificer’s Enlarge Reduce so he can also grapple and push around larger foes.
Oh yeah, the best part is he is a orange cat boy hoser whose name is Skimbleshanks the Himbo cat. He is a shifter who turns into a cat for extra AC and Temp HP who baps foes off of tables and into to the Druid’s moon beam, the artificer’s web, or the cleric’s spirit guardians. He is a hoot to play.
Anyways, thanks for the maneuver suggestions, I’ll definitely keep those in mind, I imagine there is a lot of fun to be had with bait and switch.
Im playing a sword and board battlemaster in my campaign now. I usually play wizards but I have to say, a fighter is so much fun when a battle breaks out!
I like Goading Attack on the Archer Battle Master. Sometimes, you might not even be in reach of your target's next attack.
Battle Master is my top Fighter option. With Tasha's custom Fighting Style and the Feat for it, you have a lot of flexibility for what Manuvers to use. Lots of useful ones for out of combat stuff, and the Short Rest recharge doesn't penalize you using them.
I built a Giff Battle Master for my group's Spelljammer game. He has rapier and shield, as well as a pistol. Focused mostly on range I gave him the Archery fighting style. My picks for Maneuvers was a little different. I went Precision for pairing with Sharpshooter, Menacing Attack in case I needed to hit something mean looking and keep it from advancing on my party, as well as Commander's Strike, because sometimes another party member can make an extra attack better than I can and if it's a Rogue even better since they get to apply sneak attack dice every TURN and not every ROUND. So now I have options for minor crowd control, pumping up the damage or battlefield utility and party support.
Been playing a battle master rogue for awhile now and love all the ways I can get sneak attack on my reaction. And crazy high AC to boot
Happy to see you guys still supporting D&D and not giving in to the stupidity about the OGL 1.1
Wow. I realize how much I enjoy your video's. Thanks for releasing this one...
Another very informative video. Thanks, Dudes.
Just started playing a Stout Halfling Battlemaster fighter last week in an Odyssey of the Lost Dragonlords campaign (currently level 2). I made him into a Dex based sword & board fighter (inspired by Orym from Critical Role). Really excited to play this character as we have another fighter, barbarian, 2 warlocks and a wizard in our group. So using maneuvers to add to AC (other fighter is hoplite fighter so they provide additional bonuses to AC), pulling aggro (goading attack after AC boost) or maneuvering attack to move spellcasters out of harms way, etc. This subclass is so good at providing versatility that can really compliment your party.
P.S for this character following max DEX ASI I'll grab slasher, Res WIS, Sentinel, then either Alert, Mobile, Lucky, Defensive Duellist, or Tough. Campaign goes to Level 15.
Thanks Dudes for another great character build guide.
I love your build videos! I’m currently running the archer build from your champion fighter video!
Love the diversified content as well!
Keep up guys!! 🎉🎉🎉
nice finally some more classic dnd content and not always this ogl topic
The rally battle maneuver has literally saved my party mates so many times. Tempt hp is a super cool mechanic
The 1st character I used in an actual campaign is a Gastrosapian (homebrew) fighter with the Defensive style and Samurai subclass. Before he got shelved he had some amazing rolls that wowed everyone at the table. That campaign ended abruptly at level 3 but I was able to bring him back at another campaign at level 10. He’s currently 13 fighter/1 rogue with max Str/Cha, 16 Con/Int, 14 Wis and 13 Dex with Expertise in Intimidation and Persuasion so he has 20 in both. A chivalrous war veteran who uses jokes and a polite demeanor to mask his trauma. He also has the Dual Wielder and Inspiring Leader feats, and possibly Tough next level
playing a half orc battlemaster in dragonheist with protector and its so fun!! more focused on controlling the battlefield and keeping the others alive than doing damage. but its such a blast to play
Oooh, I got one for this, though it isn't really damage based or completely premeditated. Swashbuckler rogue; expertise on persuasion, history and stealth; alert feat and battle master maneuvers ambush, tactical assessment and commanding presence has made someone very fun to play. A complete master of a few skills (even with low ability modifiers). - and initiative is king.
I’ve always been intimidated but interested by the battle master, excited to watch!!
Curious about your thoughts after watching!
What were you intimidated by? How do you feel about those aspects after the video?
New player reporting! My very first character is a Battlemaster fighter with 20 dex @ level 1 (rolled four sixes for one stat). Gonna reach level 4 soon and I can't wait to get Sharpshooter!
For Kelly's build, I would have chosen elf or half-elf in order to get eleven accuracy. I would have also taken the disarm attack at level 3 over trip attack, then trip attack later on.
BattleMaster was the first 5e character build I did and went lvl 1-20 over 2 years. Stats were rolled for the character so it was easier for me to use feats that offered a +1 stat boost and tied more into the character as opposed to min/max, but I still had a blast and Sentinel sealed the deal. Absolutely a lot of options with this build and a great way to have great options without using magic.
My favorite DnD character that i'm playing right now is a human battle master that is a pirate.
Taking the Gunner feat at first level and sniping people with a musket is so much fun!
I took the Goading attack instead of the tripping attack because i felt that having some variety in the saving throws gave me more versatility in a wider range of fights (not to mention giving disadvantage to protect your team is awesome!)
I took the Sharpshooter feat at level 4 and i plan on taking the Piercer feat to really make the most of that D12 musket damage.
The Precision attack really helps to compensate for the -5 penalty when using the sharpshooter feat so it feels so much more reliable when you go for the big damage
One of my favorite character builds is a Loxodon Battlemaster (5) / Swashbucker (X) using brace, riposte, and grappling strike. For my build, I put 15 into strength so that I could wear plate and to boost athletics but used dex as my primary attack stat (for finesse weapon sneak attacks). Upon gaining expertise from the rogue levels, I picked up expertise in athletics and perception to make my character a powerful grappler and also quite observant.
Brace and Riposte consistently gave me reaction attacks that were sneak attacks thanks to rakish audacity. I could control fights with grappling and having a solid AC of 21 with plate mail, shield, and defensive fighting style gave me staying power in the front line. The Loxodon's trunk feature gives you an extra grasping appendage that can grapple while still holding the rapier and shield in my hands and the Loxodon also gets advantage against being charmed or frightened which is a solid perk.
Monty, I love the Ginny Di hoodie. Way to support your colleague! You guys are gentlemen and scholars of the game. Keep it up, dudes.
What I love with the BM Archer and the Menacing strike (With Sharpshooter potentially), is that you can frighten someone 600ft away. This is a super control tool.
My first 5e character was a BM Fighter/Warlock, so I was stoked at the extra CHA options presented by Tasha's
"Everyone loves the battle master"
I never even HEARD of it until recently.
What a cool thing!!!
I'm going to be playing a swashbuckler battle master gnome (who is a Harper agent) that obsessively collects magic rings. Fizzy Whiskeywood!
Bait and Switch / Ripote combo is one of the most fun I’ve ever had playing dnd.
There is nothing as cool as a party with two characters who can use Interception style and a barbarian, who can do the same with his class ability. Damn, fighters and dips in this class are amazing! Battle masters
I am playing a human crossbow fighter right now actually. Planning on grabbing some bard levels after fighter 12, assuming the campaign continues on. My plan is to be throwing around inspiration and healing in the back ranks as needed. When I am not lighting up the bad guys with 4 attacks a round from range. Great episode guys.
I had a DM that homebrewed that all the fighter subclasses got to take the battlemaster maneuvers, it was a cool idea and that all fighters had maneuvers and techniques. Hope something like it is included in the new One D&D.
This video reminded me how much Baldur’s Gate 3 buffed fear and disarming
I'm currently playing a Battle Master fighter. It's the most fun I've had with another character class in a long time.
Had the pause the video halfway through cause Monty’s food comparisons were making me hungry😂 great work as always Dudes
Great video! Excited to see some other RPG covereage in the future (if indeed you go that route). Maybe even some first look sorts of videos? Talk about what excites you about other systems?
I love seeing the GinnyDi hoodie. We must show solidarity as DnD players and build each other up. Nice touch, Dudes
Cool video, thanks! I'd actually take Quick Toss on Kelly's archer as it pairs perfectly with a net for a disabling bonus action attack.
Sort of related: I have an 8th level arcane trickster, with (among other things) mirror image. I'm planning on taking some fighter levels--and maybe doing the 'superior' fighting style to get at the 'riposte' maneuver. My understanding is, if I attack via riposte (likely given the mirror images) it's not part of my turn, so I can backstab again.
Another reason those maneuvers are awesome.
Also, I like that you presented two ways to build the battle master. That added a nice touch.
We just wrapped up a level 1-20 campaign where I played a Goliath Rune Knight and I took the feat that gave me battlemaster maneuvers. I used Disarming Attack on Orcus after chewing through his legendary resistances and separated him from his wand. Never have I wanted to be a full-fledged battlemaster more. That single move won us the fight!
Also, even though you removed the 'sching' sword sound from after you say "so let's get rolling," I still always hear it in my mind when you say it lol
Regardless of the timing, congrats on over 401k YT subs!
I’m creating my first fighter character and I’m so torn between battle master and eldritch knight so this will really help me with imagining how the battle master can be amazing without magic
Both are a lot of fun. The echo knight is pretty amazing as well
For the archer, Menacing before pushing so you have 2 different saving throws. So if strength won't work on the enemy, you can go with wisdom. And trip attack can benefit you too as a xbow expert by moving next to them.
Dungeon Dudes Sacred Commandments
1. Thou shalt take polearm master.
2. Thou shalt take the Tasha’s class options.
3. Customise thine lineage.
Good ol power creep. 🤣
I mean, polearm master is PHB, and customized lineage just means you can play whatever race you want, and don’t just have to choose the one with the best ability score improvements
I'm now playing a Glomstalker Battlemaster and I can't wait for everything to come online in a few levels and give me a ton of options in almost everything we come across.
Thanks for all those ideas and the "combo menagement" vision that you guys presented for me! Ill mix my manuvers with those combo oportunities in mind.
While not specifically a fighter, I’m currently playing a Moon Druid that took the Martial Adept feat that gives you two maneuvers, which you can use 1/SR. I took Bait and Switch, which takes an already amazing defensive maneuver and takes it up several notches: not only have I been able to get party members out of immediate danger and boost their AC for a turn, but my Wildshaped large/huge form allows me to push them back 2 or 3 squares and even further out of danger. I also play with a rogue and took Commander’s Strike, so I can sacrifice one of my Elemental form’s multiattacks and have the rogue take another attack which also includes more sneak attack damage (since it’s another turn)
I've mentioned to my group I would love to play a dex'd based fighter in a future game (when I can actually play). They usually aren't impressed. You both have given me plenty to think on. Maybe I'll just have to put my group up against one as a side quest / random encounter. /evil grin
Playing a dart throwing battle master right now. Sadly, I have to go artificer 2 to get a returning weapon (no magical darts otherwise), but it's definitely fun to have the flexibility of maneuvers on top of the damage.
This was my first class / subclass in DnD 5e!
The last battle master I made was a hill dwarf named Oskar. Oskar was a former battalion leader, and after a bad call got a majority of his squad killed, he was exiled. He swore to himself he would never, ever let what happened happen again. I went all in on heavy armor master, tough, getting that extra point of health from being a hill dwarf... The Man nearly had 100 HP at level 5, and finished the campaign at level 8 with almost 140. When all in on Constitution and dexterity for dodging the big attacks, got shield master for roleplaying him well, and took the fighting style that lets you put yourself between an attack and an ally if they're within 5 ft of you. Can't remember what it's called. We were a group of three going through tomb of annihilation. I'm fairly certain in my saying that Oskar is why our little group got through all that nonsense.
Love this video so much. I play a Leion Battlemaster fighter in the curse of strahd campaign that I'm doing with friends
It's so nice to see the Dudes all happy again! I'm really hoping that the OGL bullshit can be fixed, for everyone affected to get back to some really happy gaming!
I'm currently playing a variant human battlemaster (we didn't want to switch systems in the middle of a campaign so we just canceled our DDB subscriptions but kept using 5e) and he's different than either of your characters. He's more of a duelist: took parry, riposte, and tripping attack right off the bat to weaponize those reactions. Took the sage background to get some varied proficiencies and has the ritual caster and magic initiate feats to get some magic stuff as well. Battle Master turns a fighter into almost as much of a dress-up dolls game as warlock!
One of my most fun and mechanically powerful character i've played was a battlemaster fighter with a zweihander, it was so fun stacking up dice to one-shot monstrous enemies.
My very first Character was a Dwarf Battle Master, played him from lvl 12 to 20. Still my favorite many years later.
I am really excited for the cantrip Tierlist continuation!