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The small homebrew pdf named "the MARTIAL ARMS TRAINING MANUAL" by Clan Crafter Hralding might be exactly what you're looking for to make every weapon unique at 4:57
Hey , there are some incredible weapon features found in the Midgard hero’s handbook for 5th edition. Each weapon gets several signature weapon techniques!
Personally, I don't think the battlemaster should exist. Rather every fighter should get some manuevers. Sort of like how every spellcasters. This is actually a nice standardized version of stuff I already do at my table. If my fighters start describing ways that they attack, i will definitely give them ways to use it to their advantage. I've had a player who wanted to attack a dragons but specifically its wings, and rolled well. And I halved its flying speed for the rest of the fight.
We have the Battlemaster doing psychological things, the Champion doing all the "epic" stuff, and the Eldrich Knight doing the pseudo-magic-user gig. The Champion: They alone get the Second Wind, Indomitable, and Action Surge abilities. This gives the Champion heroic abilities that separate them from the ordinary man-at-arms. This makes the Champion much more desirable. The Battlemaster: They get Know Your Enemy, and then get to choose from Commander's Strike (now it gives ADVANTAGE to allies you designate), Evasive Footwork (still increases AC), Goad Enemy (gives them DISADVANTAGE and replaces Goading Attack), Maneuvering Attack (allows allies to expend a Reaction to attack), Menacing Attack (Frightened effect), Rally (same as RAW), Riposte (as RAW), and Precision Attack (as RAW). Most of these do not appear on our general maneuvers list, and the few that do are only on crits. This makes the Battlemaster literally "a student of war" with all of the "psyops" and "debuffs" they can bring to bear during a fight. The Battlemaster gains 2 Maneuvers initially and another new maneuver at the 5th, 7th, 10th, 13th,15th, and 18th Levels, until he knows them all. To make up for the loss of Indomitable at the 9th Level, The Battlemaster gets 4 of the traits of the Know Your Enemy list. Also at the 9th Level, the Battlemaster gets a Second Fighting Style. At the 13th Level, he gets to pick 6 traits for Know thy Enemy and add a Signature Move to his Second Fighting style. At the 18th Level, a Third Fighting Style is awarded. We do not use Maneuver Dice. Instead, the Battlemaster rolls a D20 against one of the target's Attributes (WIS, DEX, INT) with his Proficiency bonus (or Dice) and any Characteristic bonuses added. IF he exceeds the target's DC, the Maneuver works. The Eldrich Knight: We only changed the Weapon Bond ability as the EK is pretty impressive as RAW. Our changes to the Weapon Bond ability are extensive: Level 3: You can conduct a ritual costing 100gp to "enchant" a special weapon that can hit creatures only hit by +1 magical weapons. You gain ADVANTAGE on any disarm attempts against you. You may also spend 100gp to make this weapon a "spell focus," allowing you to attack while substituting the Bonded Weapon as a focus for your spells. Level 7: Your Bonded Weapon can be summoned to your hand from up to 60ft away and you CANNOT be disarmed of this weapon. Level 9: You can Bond a second weapon at the same specs as your first weapon was at 3rd Level. Level 10: Your First Bonded Weapon can be summoned from anywhere on the same plane of existence. You may increase your magical strike ability to +2 with your first Bonded Weapon. Level 13: Your Second Bonded Weapon gains the Level 7 benefits of your first Bonded Weapon. Level 15: Your First Bonded Weapon gains the ability to strike magical creatures only hit by +3 weapons. Level 17: Your Second Bonded weapon gains the ability to strike magical creatures affected by only +2 weapons and can be summoned from anywhere on the same plane. Level 18: You can Bond a THIRD weapon with all the traits of your Level 3 ritual Weapon Bond ability. We really wanted to push the Weapon Bond to the level where it would function as a Wizard's staff would. The balance the loss of the Fighter's First Level Second Wind ability, we give Fighters a Combat Maneuver that they can specialize in. We usually tie this SIGNATURE MOVE to Fighting Style (our Fighting Styles scale with Level like the Weapon Bond above) by giving up to 3 moves that the Fighter can master. This Signature Move is used by expending your optional REACTION in combination with your attack. You roll a D20 for the attack and a differently colored D20 for the Signature Move. If both succeed, the Signature Move is successful (pending any Saves). If the To Hit fails both the attack and Signature Move fail. If the Signature Move roll fails, it is just an ordinary hit. Examples of our signature/combat moves include: Trip, Disarm, Redirect Foe, Pin Foe, Entangle Foe, Stun Foe, Outmaneuver Foe (crit only, creates DISADVANTAGE), Knockdown, Impale (crit only, piercing weapons), Slash (crit only, slashing weapons), Crush (crit only, bludgeoning weapons, HTH), Sunder Armor (crit only, reduces AC by damaging armor), Sunder Weapon (crit only, breaks weapons). The second thing we do to balance the loss of Action Surge is allow any roll from the Fighter, Ranger, Barbarian, or Monk to earn a Combat Maneuver from our list IF they roll 5 or more over the To Hit number on an attack. EVERYONE (that's all the other classes too) gets to pick a Special Combat Maneuver on a critical (which is a roll of 20 when a 20 isn't needed To Hit). The reason we don't use Proficiency Dice is that we use them in regular play. You can pick either a fixed bonus from +1 to +5 (yes we play a gritty 5e) or you can choose to roll a die (1D3, 1D4, 1D6, 1D8, or 1D10... for RAW it would be 1D4 thru 1D12). This is the PLAYER'S CHOICE made for every roll (you can switch back and forth).
@@swaghauler8334 this is actually a really interesting idea. I'd love to know how well it works, coz personally action surge is pretty much the best feature of any class. And I love the manuevers on a 5+ or nat 20. It's fits like a glove. And the dm doesn't need think about nat 20 bonuses. Champions are basically the worst fighters Raw. So I just give them a single bonus in my game. Sticking to the maximum roll theme that champions already have, if they roll the maximum on any damage die they roll, they get to roll another of the same die. This just builds up so much hype at the table, and gives a hefty boost to a fairly uninteresting subclass.
@@ninnusridhar It works like gangbusters and makes combat MUCH MORE "cinematic" than RAW. But we have extensive experience with the Design Mechanism's MYTHRAS rpg as well as copies of CC and FANTASY AGE (and their Stunts accrued by rolling a Stunt Die in combat), so bringing Combat Maneuvers to 5e was a "no brainer" for us.
@@ninnusridhar We do a similar thing but for all Fighters. When you get extra attacks you can either attack multiple opponents (doing normal damage) or launch a single "Power Attack" where you roll only ONE D20 To Hit, but IF you hit, you can roll a number of Damage Dice plus any bonuses equal to the number of attacks. This allows weapon damage to "scale" just like spell damage does with Level while allowing only one To Hit roll in order to streamline combat and allow high-level fighters to dispatch low-CR monsters in a single hit. Besides, our Fighters love rolling 2D8 or 3D8 for sword damage (plus bonuses). It makes them feel powerful when they do it. We allow our Fighters to split their Multi-Attacks however they want. IF you have 5 Attacks, you could roll one hit for 3 damage dice against one target and then attack two more targets for one damage die each. For hard-to-hit foes, you can roll for ALL FIVE ATTACKS, hoping that some will hit. The choice is entirely up to the player how they split their "Attack Dice."
The 5e fighter actually worked like this in the DnD Next playtests before being stripped down. The base class functioned off of maneuvers and subclasses modified and added to those options. Responses in the playtest argued that this was too complex, and the Champion fighter was born.
Allow buckler to grapple at a cost to AC from projectiles and tower shield more AC but penalty to Perception. Make whips get a grapple-hook ability and hammers can knee-cap.
@@PerikleZ87 While I do not know as to what the book did with Greatclub, it is certainly a weapon in 5e that could be picked up and buffed. As it is a two-handed heavy weapon, that only deals like 1d8.
@@copycrow4486 Ribshatter. Make a single attack roll with your greatclub against a humanoid target. This attack does normal weapon damage and the target must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failure, it is stunned until the beginning of its next turn. If the damage you dealt was greater than the creature’s maximum hit dice, it is stunned until the end of its next turn.
You could use it as an alternative to inspiration. As opposed to a reroll, the player chooses to add some flair to their attack. To be more universal, i'd say it's about as strong as an extra bonus action or Attack. So you might spend the inspiration to grapple/shove an opponent. Or you might use it to cast Misty Step.
Eldritch Knight: "I will fight with style." RAW: "We don't do creativity here." Wizard: "I cast Fire Ball to kill evey enemy in the room." RAW: "Valid." DM: "Logic VS Meta, I suppose."
Im just planing to turn in to the action point (or wathever was the name of that in DnD 4e) cause my players usually totally forgot when they have the regular inspiration.
@@BobWorldBuilder I never used inspiration because I thought it was hokey and super situational. Recently I started letting my players give each other inspiration for things they thought were appropriate. It has worked much better than I thought and now they use the system and I never really have to get involved. It keeps them more engaged. Would highly recommend.
Combined with the "One may attempt to do anything" rule, mighty deeds should make players feel less pensive about playing martial classes. One house rule that we use is if an attempted action is reasonable, well role played, and does not hinder the overall story, no die roll is required (completely at DM discretion of course) This allows a fighter (who has no real investigation skill) to roleplay through acquiring information from a potential source, for example, or a wizard to use a clever illusion to make a convincing bluff. When characters become more than statistics and rules on a sheet of paper, your gaming sessions become more enjoyable and memorable.
I actually strongly dislike the idea of bypassing charisma checks in that way. Allowing a player to bypass charisma and social proficiency checks by roleplaying good is like letting someone bypass a strength check by doing pushups. Charisma is already the least useful stat in the game, and having a rule like this means that a player can safely skip out on having charisma or putting any skill points into bluff/intimidate/etc by just substituting their real life charisma instead.
@@novacorponline That is a fair critique - when I was a more active player, we often made our campaigns story - centered, and sacrificed some 'rules' in service of the art. If you do not have players and GM with discipline to at least TRY to conform to their characters stats, it won't work out well .. you know the players at your table, and how much rope to give them better than I, I'm sure!
This is similar to a rule in Exalted called "Stunts". You gained 1-3 additional dice if you described cool ways in which you were performing your actions. In that way, the game actively rewarded creative, non-automatic combat and skill checks.
Nice, yeah I image there are plenty of games where combat is more loose and descriptive than D&D. Definitely something we can learn from other systems!
Didn't getting high level stunts also restore willpower or even give a bit of XP? I haven't played exalted in a couple years but I remember it being maybe my favorite ttrpg when I did play it.
@@leowulf5280 Yeah. You get motes of Essence back. 2 for a level 1 stunt, 4 for a level 2 stunt or one willpower, and a level 3 stunt can give you a point of EXP, which is like +25% exp for the session. Of course, level 3 stunts are generally reserved to descriptions that become a highlight of a play session.
We've been using Proficiency Dice in my game for a while now. The results swing a little more than a static bonus, but the players find it fun and there's extra satisfaction when the Rogue get an unworldly high roll on a pivotal check.
Weapon features like that do *kind of* exist in dnd 5e, or at least something based on 5e. In baldurs gate 3, each weapon had special attacks and abilities that would recharge on short rests. Greataxes, pikes and heavy crossbow users could burn some of their speed for a bonus to their attacks, most crossbows could apply a status that makes enemies take more damage from attacks, hand crossbow users could attack as a bonus action after a dash or disengage, while longsword and spear uses could do a charge attack to reach enemies they wouldn't be able to by just walking. It would be fairly easy to convert to 5e since you just convert the damage and features over 1 to 1. Other options that could be useful for this rule: The ability to convert inspiration points into Mighty Deed dice regardless of class, and the ability to lend Mighty Deed dice to other characters. This would make martials imperative to have in a bad spot, since they are not able to perform heroic feats but to inspire others to do the same. You might also want rework inspiration mechanics if you do this though, perhaps by stealing from other systems that work similarly like City of Mist/Legend in the Mist.
4:58 The Dungeon Coach has a cool video about a homebrew weapon system where the various weapons are given special features that deal extra damage in certain situations. So for example an axe gets extra damage when an enemy is has the bleed effect while hammers get extra damage vs enemies in metal armor and constructs. The weapons also get maneuvers that can be used by forgoing your Extra Attack, such as the axe being able to cause the bleed effect (which would then trigger the passive bonus on subsequent rounds).
The aside of "-- like Link, in Smash Bros --" was just too real This is a great rule! When my players have asked to perform deeds, I've usually just jacked up the target's AC or the Athletics check DC for that action to represent a more specific and difficult task, but this adds a really good foundation for all kinds of martial shenanigans
Cool... But then... Casters can just delete enemies without having to go through an arbitrary DC/AC. I prefer an even playing field unless the Action is well beyond the natural means of the Character. Usually meaning, "you don't need an off hand to Grab or Shove. You just need an origin point of how you're going to commit an action." Like Hooked Swords and an Ultra Greatsword. (Logic VS Meta)
@@hammdogporkington3058 Fighter: "I will try something fancy and RAW valid." DM: Increases DC or AC... For some reason. Wizard: "I cast Fire Ball to eliminate everyone in the room." DM: "After rolling... The enemies die." It's like shooting martial classes in the foot while caster classes have the most optimal and the most creative spells to use. I can understand asking for a roll on actions beyond RAW/RAI, but outside of this... Martial Classes are arbitrary nerfed even when the player's choices follow RAW/RAI. Unlike Caster Classes.
In my game I've made it a rule, basically any contextual action that would be cool and reasonable the player asks to try, I'll make it a roll (usually atlethics/acrobatics) if he suceeds this roll, he gets a bonus that makes sense in context, if he fails he gets a penalty. It's better with examples: Fighter wants to jump off the stairs 10ft high while attacking the bandit below. I ask for an atlethics roll (DC 10), on success he deals some extra damage (1d6 for example). If he fails he stumbles as he falls and misses the attack, not even rolling the d20. Monk wants to run up the wall a few feet so he can strike the big monster on the head, roll acrobatics. You have 30ft of movement but going around the table is 40ft, going over would be difficult terrain and also wouldn't reach the enemy. Player wants to roll over the table? Roll acrobatics, on success spend no movement when he would usually need 10 or 15ft, still has all his 30ft of normal movement. On fail he falls down on ther other side and wastes his whole movement this turn getting up. These are usually very easy to judge and making it a rule the players always know they can stick to the usual and be safe, or bet on a special movement has made even level 1 combat much more interesting while barely adding extra time since it doesn't happen every turn.
And you can always dynamically adjust the difficulty of the encounter to balance the extra damage you're letting your players do. At the same time, they're enjoying the hell out of it.
Penalties are an interesting addition here. DCC has no penalities for Deeds, I guess to encourage more creativity, but of course failures are an important part of TTRPGs!
I like your choice, it makes the creature able to pull heroic stunts without adding other crunch (deed dice, feats, maneuvers, etc), just using good skill checks.
This is very similar to how I've always handled these situations, because my brother is an exceedingly creative player--which I wanted to encourage in all of my players--and these moments lead to much cooler campaigns and memorable combat events.
@@BobWorldBuilder Due to the glory Paladin that was released as part of that book having a special channel divinity that doubles your lifting, pushing and carrying capacity, as well as well as grant you advantage on athletics and acrobatics checks, I’d definitely say that Glory Paladins should be able to make something more out of the Heroic deed variant rules
That opening just felt too real. A martial tries to do anything outside of "I run up and hit him with my sword" and the DM starts telling them to roll multiple high DC skill checks and face consequences that far outweigh the meager bonuses that they get from the creative tactic, if any at all. It simply is ludicrous that we allow creative application of spells like Prestidigitation, praising it for its versatility and practicality, all the while shunning martials for not being able to do so except they can but we just don't let them try because it isn't technically in the rules.
@@BobWorldBuilder I would definitely recommend an app to manage the spells, though. It adds a lot of complexity, especially if you've only got one copy of the book to pass around, lol
I've given this as a buff to all martial classes in my game. With a very wide pool of HB classes I gave all of them access to battle master manuvers and extras specific ones for their class, it has made martial classes alot more appealing to all. I might try running some games using mighty deeds aswell, that just sounds too cool!
@@benry007 its a shorter list than battle master. For example the " general pool" doesn't have goading attack, but barbarian and warden specifically can chose it. Each class get 3 maneuvers which they can change during a long rest in a city ( which is essentially between adventures) They have 1d6 as their dice and get 3. Like how spell casters have caster levels, with half casters getting 1/2 etc. I have martial levels which works the same way, granting martials more maneuvers to start and over time than paladins and rangers, but they still get them. The way I see it, is its just 3d6 per short rest, in my experience it hasn't made them insanely powerful, rather it has encouraged martials in a play group that loves to have 4 wizards 🤣
This makes me think of the shield master feat, which IMHO is rather underrated. Yes statistically an asi is generally better. But being allowed to shove on a bonus to break base contact allowing you to proc polearm master if you're wielding a spear or basically a bonus action disengage provided you succeed your strength check. Additionally, you basically get evasion if you're willing to use your reaction and a +2 to all dex saving throws from attacks. I'm currently considering a spear wielding polearm master, shield master, echo knight or battle master which I see as basically either a Spartan or Hopelite.
My Oath of Redemption Paladin made REALLY good use of Shield Master; he was in a melee-heavy group and being able to make 1-2 attacks plus then proning an enemy for my allies having advantage was absolutely more beneficial for the overall group than an ASI
5:04 I homebrewed a list of "Weapon arts". To simplify, every weapon. EVERY WEAPON, has a Weapon art. There are basic weapon arts (A standard for all the same types of weapons. Swords will always have the same WA for example) and there are expert weapon arts (Some magic weapon might have another type of weapon art that differs from the basic type). This arts have, of course, some restriction to them. First off, they require you to have at least a specific amount of Martial. Aside from the 6 stats we are used to, the players also have a stat called "Martial" (Like hit dice, every class rolls their Martial die every time they level up). Usually, the players can use a WA a number of times equal to their proficiency bonus (Unless the art specifies otherwise). Yeah, I kinda stole this from the Dark Souls series and adapted it to 5e.
This is similar to a houserule I had at home for 'cinematic combat' . I liked the Flanking rule for a brief while before it became this rote thing that everyone was trying to do in every single combat, so I replaced it with the option to gain Advantage or another benefit from performing a skill check as part of your attack action. Super simple and similar to what some other folks have done here: 1. "I want to swing off the chandelier and get the drop on the ogre with my daggers!" 2. "Cool, make an Acrobatics check." (The DC in my head calculated by how many extra 'moves' the player is adding to this and how big a hail mary I think they are, in this case 1 - swinging from the chandelier 2 - landing on the ogre and then 3 the attack itself) 3. If the player succeeds, they land on the ogre and attack with advantage and look awesome doing it. If the player fails, a situational mishap transpires. The hero slips and hits the wall or falls in front of the ogre, or the ogre sees them and catches them with its reaction (they are now grappled, and whilst they still get their attack, it's at disadvantage) Benefits of success might include advantage on an attack, inflicting a temporary status ailment on an enemy (blinding them until the end of the next turn, knocking them prone, shoving them, causing minor damage from an environmental hazard, knocking a held object out of their hand) or an extra damage die. Failure might land the hero prone, have the monster use its reaction to attack them, give them disadvantage on their next attack, shove them into a hazard, etc. Because there are potential negative consequences to failing, the players don't try to do this EVERY turn, so it doesn't slow down combat too much. But when they do try whether they succeed or not it really adds that bonkers cinematic flair to encounters. Characters kicking enemies into fireplaces, tripping them up with thrown furniture, leaping off balconies or colossus-climbing large monsters, characters getting pinned to walls by their clothing, all sorts of stuff. The important part is to make it NOT REPLACE THEIR ATTACK ACTION because if it costs them the chance to deal damage or cast spells, they won't do it. I'm a big fan of offering risk-reward stuff like this to my players. D&D should feel dangerous and your heroes are only brave if there's a risk of failure and they do it anyway!
For me although this is a great way to implement this idea, it still takes the same creative effort from the gm to determine it can happen as just saying yes you can with an athletics check and giving penalties for failure. A framework can be good for some, but I want to encourage creative thinking and reward them for taking risks without it just being a few times a day or set to a couple actions. And it wouldn't step on battlemaster's toes because they have a safe mechanic to do specific actions while others take risks. And they can still take them. GMs just don't be afraid to say "yes, but".
Even in RAW... A Martial Class can perform what the Skit describes. Just find a way to negate or reset Fall Damage Accumulation. "Moment Shift/Moment Cancel" as Devil May Cry 4 puts it. Which is why, in RAW, you don't suddenly take all of the 30ft stairs of accumulated damage because you're not falling.
@@hugofontes5708 Note: Fall Damage is different from Jumping. You can jump 10ft and fall 10ft. Do not count the Jump ft as part of Fall Damage. But new DMs and players may confuse these mechanics together. Thus, the Meta speaks before the Logic. You still take damage per 10ft drop in the air; unless, you have a friend or a Spell etc. who can change your fall moment since Fall Damage is accumulative. I thought Fall Damage was every 6ft but its actually every 10 ft when free falling... So... In the Skit... The character can jump (if he has the Str to do so) 10ft toward the enemy. Then pogo off of them by using the Attack Action. However, if the Character wanted to prone the enemy, then he must choose between Attack or Shove during this Attack Action. Except; if and only if, the Character is a Fighter for their Extra Attack since (at the moment) he can perform both the Attack Action and the Shove Action at once... In RAW... Granted, it's not optimal but it's valid in the rules. The Character has to make two dice rolls for his Cinematic Action. One for the Attack Action and another for the Prone Action. Then the Character can spend the remaining 20ft of Movement as he wishes. It's easier to explain on a Grid Map.
@@absolstoryoffiction6615 you explained a lot of things but I still don't understand how using your movement to jump *downwards* from 10ft+ means you somehow don't take that much damage without making some save or trick simply because it's "jump distance" and not "fall distance". I looked at the athletics skill, jumping movement and falling environment hazard and unless the rules somehow are implying "downwards movement spending character movement from a jump is not falling" then I still don't get it
@@hugofontes5708 You don't take Fall Damage in reverse when Jumping within your Move ft, so why take Fall Damage when jumping downward within your Move ft?... In 5e, Fall Damage and Jumping are two different mechanics. You can jump as far as your Jump Calculations (based on STR) but falling beyond or free falling will trigger the 10ft Fall Damage Acclamation until that fall moment is changed.
I'm loving the skits you've been starting to work in! And thank you so much for adding ideas to improve gameplay with just small adjustments, it's super cool!
Ok, I thought of an update for Battle Master that blends it with the concept of Mighty Deeds. 1) No Maneuver Dice 2) Mighty Deed Dice is 1 greater than normal (max. d20) - example: Lvl 1 BM has a d6 instead of a d4 3) Battle Maneuvers are specialized skills that have been practiced for endless hours instead of normal Mighty Deeds a) Battle Maneuvers Do Not use maneuver dice, but grant advantage on that maneuver 1/turn I've never actually played with the Battle Master, so I'm not sure what restrictions are actually needed, but I think that blends the intent of the Subclass and the intent of the Mighty Deeds mechanic.
Bob...you're a straight up gift to this community my dude. Lifelong DM here and your educational ability, knowledge of the game, creativity. GOLD. Thanks for sharing, and please keep up the good work. :) You've made legitimately tangible improvements on my game.
Pirated that book a while back, has a lot of interesting mechanics regarding stuff like level 0 characters and magic in particular, honestly the dynamic between the might of a wizard weilding dangerous, otherwordly and unpredictable magic (possibly leaving them drained) while the fighter is a mighty engine of death that can at 10th level decapitate orcs no problem is quite interesting
or you could just let the guy make a basic attack roll and hit however he wants. That's basically what rule of cool is. It looks cool, it can theoretically work, and if it's cool enough throw in some added effects. For instance in the above example, the guy wants to jump down attack with his sword and pin the guy to the ground. Basic attack, all of that is possible, so now the dude takes the damage from the sword attack, is knocked prone, and restrained. There's really no need to roll anything else or use any other mechanics.
I feel like DnD doesn't have enough options for players to pull off cool stunts like this but I also feel like this is an oversimplified solution without enough structure. This is why I like Pathfinder 2e.
0:11 Scenario Rundown: Depending on intent and distance to target an Athletics might be necessary to Leap the distance, but only call for a roll if they couldn't just walk there. Then depending on height an Acrobatics roll might be necessary to Land Safely, most typically aren't concerned about 1d6 fall damage for a 10ft fall, if they're jumping from higher up inform them of the potential risks. Then it depends on intent be it Grapple, Trip, or Damage, but it's still an Attack roll either way. TLDR: Move up to 30ft, making Acrobatics/Athletics as needed, then Attack to Grapple/Trip/Damage.
That's an easy and simple way to get those thematic moments into our games quickly. Also, using proficiency dice has been something I've been meaning to try. I may talk to my players about incorporating it into the return of our alt campaign this coming Tuesday.
Something I had been looking into lately has been how Baldur’s Gate 3 has special once per short rest abilities on weapons that allow them to pull off special maneuvers like cleaving, pommel attacks, hamstring shots and so on. You only need to be proficient in the weapon to pull off these feats. I’m thinking for the next game I run I’ll try applying them and see what happens
Not to be the person who brings up Pathfinder, but Pathfinder 2e has a table of special effects that certain weapons can have on crit such as knockdown or pushbacks
Great video Bob! As for the special effects for each weapon type, I feel like Tasha's damage type feats were Wizards attempt to introduce something like this
I solved the Battlemaster conundrum (or if someone posted it already, echoing the answer): Instead of getting Superiority Dice, you get uses of Superiority. These uses allow you to re-roll your Deed Dice before you know the result of an attack. (The Martial Adept feat, therefore, would give you one use of Superiority). Your uses of Superiority are regained at the end of a Short or Long Rest "Okay, but what about the Improved Combat Superiority feature?" It would change to this: If you roll the maximum value for your Deed Dice, the dice is not expended. Also you can expend a use of Superiority to regain a spent Deed Dice at this level. "Relentless?" You get one use of Superiority if you have none at the beginning of combat. Probably some kinks to be worked out still, but a basic framework is here nonetheless.
I usually do stuff like this in Pathfinder already. I've been doing it in basically every TTRPG I've played since I started DMing a decade ago. It's really cool to know there's a system that just has it as part of the rules though.
I wouldn't mind using it in one way or another for all classes. You can do some awesome class sh*t on anything you are proficient in. You then replace the usual proficiency bonus by a proficiency die, for that roll. In exchange for risking a lower roll, you get a awesome moment in the spotlight and you overrule the player manual by adding that die to your damage too And in order not to penalize the Battle Master, that lucky mastard gets to add it up to his superiority die if his deed happens to be one of his manœuvre (but only if he can describe an awesome cinematic scene for it)
Special attacks with weapons... this'll be fun. Nunchucks: add your damage dice to intimidate checks while grappling. Sai: bonus to sunder bladed weapons. Singhaim: make one ranged attack as if your monk/fighter/barbarian levels were ranger levels. Quarter Staff: make one attack with advantage when jumping at airborne does. add acrobatics to damage. Club: stunning fist attacks have a chance to lower speed by ten ft. Khopesh: advantage on disarm and trip attacks. Spear & Sheild: automatically succeed kicking messengers down wells if the player shouts THIS IS SPARTA!!!!!!!
Your video has inspired me to add this to my games combined with Battle Master Manoeuvres for Fighters Barbarians, and Monks as a level 1 class feature. I have taken the Martial Adept feat as the base for this feature so that it resembles something official and applied it to the classes stated as they seem the most in need of variation. You have martial training that allows you to perform special combat manoeuvres. You gain the following benefits: -You learn one, plus a number equal to your proficiency bonus, manoeuvres of your choice from among those available to the Battle Master archetype in the fighter class. If a manoeuvre you use requires your target to make a saving throw to resist the manoeuvre's effects, the saving throw DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice). -You gain one, plus a number equal to your proficiency bonus, superiority die, which are d8s. This die is used to fuel your manoeuvres. A superiority die is expended when you use it. You regain your expended superiority dice when you finish a short or long rest. -A combatant may try to perform a mighty deed, which is something out of the realm of what manoeuvres allow. The DM must agree that the deed is reasonable for a combatant of their level and then an attack can be made as normal. If the attack hits then the mighty deed succeeds, damage can be rolled but a superiority die is used, either as damage or to the attack roll. A combatant may only do this once per turn. -You may switch any number of your manoeuvres on a level up.
I built something similar for a damage/heavy 5e zombie module, where each weapon had a “Grievious Harm” die they triggered special damage or features on a crit! This was coupled with different crit scores for the custom classes too, to encourage party composition
We play with a house rule that is inspired by "swashbuckling action" not sure of the true source. We say that if you describe a heroic feat in battle, you can make a ability check to get a bonus to your attack. Usually just advantage on your attack; the DC varies on what you're doing and there is a small chance if you fail terribly there is a possible consequence. It's an incentive for players to be creative and descriptive. the origin might be from the podcast: Manifest Zone: Exploring the World of Eberron: Swashbuckling Action or from a wizards post: Swashbuckling 101: Combat By Keith Baker we use a very simplified version.
@@BobWorldBuilder As a player, I always forget to use it, but I like that it's available to any class/player and it has helped facilitate the occasional wacky combat idea. Keep up the good work btw.
As far as weapon-specific stuff goes, I use weapon-specific bonuses in my OSR games (since everything is simple and uses d6 damage) to spice things up. Defensive blades get a Parry bonus to AC, long weapons get a Reach bonus to initiative, cleaving weapons have a damage bonus based on the enemy's hit dice, piercing weapons get a bonus to hit vs high AC, and bashing weapons can stun enemies if they haven't acted that round. If a weapon can conceivably be more than one thing (e.g. a rapier that is long and a parrying blade), you just pick one way you want that weapon to work and pay to upgrade your skill with it to do more down the line. Two weapon fighting is effectively the same, but you get both weapons' bonuses. Two-handing grants automatic Reach, allowing for more specialized weapons for fighting larger monsters.
That's a great Idea, I think I'll keep it for the moment a player does something cool like Aragondolf and to surprise the party "I had planned something for cool stuff so go ahead"
I think the Deed Dice thing is something added in on the "Level Up:Advanced 5th Edition" and works across the board. Also, there are great weapon features in Kobold Press's Midgard player's handbook.
this isn't...really true? level up: advanced 5th edition adds maneuvers, which sort of work like martial spells in that they have levels and each martial class gets a certain number of them and has a certain maneuver level cap and they each do something fairly specific, although you get exertion points (which is normally twice your prof bonus) to spend on them and each maneuver costs a different amount. so not really as open ended as deed dice, but it's sort of the same idea.
Loved this video. This is my second watch, I checked out the battle master maneuvers after stewing on the first viewing for a few days, and decided that fighter, barbarian, and (monks(weapon attacks only, does not stack with class features like stunning strike) could have access to SOME but most, not all of the BM maneuvers, provided they may only choose the number of maneuvers detailed in Combat Superiority on PHB 73 and have as many uses per rest as a BM has superiority die BUT minus the actual addition of damage granted by the sup die. Classes like Paladin, Ranger and rogue may at DM discretion choose less maneuvers than the above classes.(with limited options). For instances that don’t fit into the maneuvers or existing game mechanics I will NOW be implementing the Mighty Deeds as well. To Keep the BM subclass relevant they gain access to ALL maneuvers respectively obtained at various levels, and can use all maneuvers that add superiority dice damage without said added damage just as all other martial classes do now once they have run out of superiority dice or if they wish to save them. I feel at an ordinary table this wouldn’t be broken, however at my table casters are more powerful than most games. If you cast a bonus action spell you are not limited only to cantrips and do not lose your reaction. (Sorcerers meta magic has a limitation.) and the classes have full access to their respective spell lists, spells specific to subclasses remain subclass specific and they enjoy additional flavorful homebrew spells. Thanks a lot for this video it was entertaining, informative, and usable, if you ever do a follow up video with those special features for each weapon I’d be psyched to watch it!
5:00 There is something like this. Look at the Grit & Glory homebrew. Buffs martials, makes armour more complex, maneuvers, fun stuff. Also siege weapons and rules for making combat harsher, like wounds and injuries. One of my player's wizards got a concussion after a flesh golem punched them in the head.
its crazy to see the original books in pristine condition at 1:40 after only having seen my dad's old books which have been sun bleached and worn down. I didn't realise they were so colourful!
the closest thing i can think of to this existing in a 5e-esque environment is in baldurs gate 3. in a recent update they added a lot of additional types of attacks that weapons can such as shoving someone, striking them with the blunt end of your sword to stun them, causing bleed damage with a big laceration, etc.
In 5e RAW, you could already Shove by using any Melee Weapon. But unfortunately, 5e does not have an in depth combat system to support weapon characteristics outside of Feats. RAI... Based on the existence of Feats applying specific rules like the Bonus Action for Polarm Master. It is possible to perform the IPS Physical Damage with a Sword etc... But in RAW, it is not. Logic VS Meta...
4:58 Pathfinder 2e has what it calls "critical specialization effects," little bonus effects that apply on a crit. They're a bit limited, requiring either a class feature or expending a cheap consumable, probably to make them feel more special when they do happen. Each weapon group has a distinct specialization. Axes cleave through the first target and deal a little extra damage to the next target over. Several weapon types can either wind the target or pin them to a surface, using up the equivalent of their bonus action next turn. Some types can push enemies around - some push back 10 feet while others push 5 feet in any direction. Some can sweep the legs, knocking an enemy prone or leaving them flat-footed. A couple types apply persistent bleed damage, and picks just straight-up add damage to the hit. (Picks already have the biggest crit damage, so I guess they ran with it.) None of these are game-breaking, but keep in mind that they're meant as a free bonus on top of doing absolutely massive damage. Personally, I think the best thing about them isn't that they turn the tide of battle, but that they make weapons with otherwise-identical stats feel different.
I'm using I similar rule, every player have as many heroic point as they have proficiency bonus per day, and they can use those point to do heroic stuff. Like jumping frome the roof onto the enemy, you spend your point. Role your attack, and add the fall damage to the attack. And to finish you make a dex save to avoid taking fall damage or part of it if you jumped really high. I use it mainly for encouraging the player to describe more their actions.
About the weapon-specific deeds, the Grim Hollow Player's Guide comes with an Advanced Weapons chart, which is filled with totally new weapons with new characteristics that allow more diverse actions and attacks. All of the features are explained and could reasonably be added to an already existing weapon to make it more special. Really nice video btw Very interesting
I wrote an advanced arms chart where max damage or a critical hit adds an effect from the weapon such as stun, daze or bleeding. It makes weapons more exciting and individual for a lower magic setting
@@brendanboyd4932 each weapon has a specific added effect such as flails ignoring part of a shields defense, daggers causing bleeding automatically on a crit and things like sai, tonfa and nunchuck weapons granting dual wielding with proficiency or a staff either offering two strikes up close or adding a yard of range. The ones I like most are the flaming torch which causes menacing when used in melee by any character and the spear which relieves menace or fear when held proficiently in melee. I’m actually putting it all in a game supplement book I’m finishing.
Yes! The thing with the weapons actually exists in Pathfinder 2e (Probably also 1e). For that you need the weapon specialization which most martials get at level 5 and each weapon is in a group of weapon. With a sword you make the enemy flatfooted for one round, with brawling weapons you slow them, with a axe you can hit multiple people, with a bow you can nail them to the ground and immobilize them etc. But those effects only happen on a crit, which are way more common thanks to the fantastic crit system in Pathfinder 2e
This is a really cool idea!! My DM is usually really chill about letting me try stuff like this without complicating rolls with multiple rules, he just asks for a slightly higher result for the whole thing to work. But I've managed to tackle orcs off their giant bat mounts in midair and chokeslam enemies from rooftops before dropping the People's Elbow on them, which is super fun when it works.
I don't remember unsubscribing from this channel but apparently I did. Dang I subbed when this dude only had like 300 subs, glad to see his channel has grown so much
I've considered something like this. Fighters, Rogue, Barbarians, and Monks after hitting with an attack can declare a maneuver, dealing half damage but applying some form of debuff or setting up another player with the appropriate roll. This can only be done once per-Attack Action and the Fighter does full damage.
For the first scenario that you talk about, you can actually just use falling rules to fall on top of the cloaked figure. When an object is falling onto someone, the “target” person needs to make a DC15 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone along with the falling object/person. The fall damage of 2d6 + 1d6 per 10ft fallen is then split between the two targets. Then, as the dm, you can flavour it to sound like the player falls with their sword out. I only know this because I’m playing a Grappling Barbarian who drops on people whenever they get the chance, and my DM uses this ruling a lot.
I love these ideas. I just started my campaign and this is a perfect way for my barbarian and fighter to get a chance to shine. I might even adapt this for my druid as well since I've been talking with my player about allowing her to use druid shapeshifting combo attacks (ie turning into a hawk and then a bear/elephant/lion etc to deal extra damage) but I'd been struggling for a good way to implement it
These are awesome! But every weapon already has a special ability that happens when you critical, they're called "Weapon Critical Specialization Effects." There's also special abilities that you can announce that you're using to your DM that emphasize your fighting style. Like, "Dragging Strike" to pull an enemy closer. *Seriously tho, I was very questionable about Pathfinder 2 as well. But after playing for about a year now. I've found that there may be a ton of rules but they're no more complicated then everything you just talked about. Most of the time the rules are short and to-the-point, & just like in DnD, you can make rules up on the spot instead of searching through them all. And as a DM, you don't need to remember all of those rules, your players will have them written on their sheet or memorized. I really recommend just trying it out yourself for a couple sessions. Then you can make a video on your oppinion!
Yeah I think I just poke fun at PF because it gets brought up in the comments so much lol, eventually I'll get it the attention it deserves and probably end up making videos about it :)
5:05 that's really isn't the same but it can be inspirational, the beyond damage dice book exist, it's a book which had one or two special ability to each weapon, for example you could pin a foe against a wall with your dagger by it's rule
"I really want to make features like that for every weapon in 5e. Does that already exist somewhere?" Yes, yes it does. In the Pathfinder 2e core rule book.
@@BobWorldBuilder In case you haven't gotten around to looking at PF2, here's a basic breakdown of how its weapon system is handled: Firstly, you have three categories, simple, martial and advanced. Secondly, you have a large list of weapon traits that impact all sorts of aspects from the multiple attack penalty, to how you calculate crits, to what manoeuvres you can use the weapon to perform. Simple weapons start at 1d6 damage for a one-handed or 18 for two handed, with one trait. Martial weapons have 1d8/1d12 respectively with one trait, and advanced weapons have 1d8/1d12 with two traits. Then, weapons essentially 'buy' additional traits by downgrading the damage die. For example, three two-handed martial weapons, the greatsword, greatclub and glaive. The greatsword deals 1d12 damage and has the Sweep trait. The greatclub deals 1d10 damage and has the Backswing and Shove traits. The glaive deals 1d8 damage and has the Deadly (d8), Forceful, and Reach traits.
@@benvoliothefirst "Simpler" is also not the same thing as "better." Also, pathfinder 2e is much less complex than pathfinder 1e or d&d 3e; just not to the levels of simplicity of 5e. I don't think everyone should play pathfinder. Its not for everyone and thats cool with me. I also think its fair when someone says "I wish 5e had/did/fixed x" to point when pathfinder 2e does indeed have/do/fix x.
Plot twist! Nice scene description for our little fighter! You actually inspired me to do something similar for my 3.5 session today. I'll do something with crit attacks, where the player can choose some deed if he crits the attack, to add some cool.and maybe some effects, like a Warhammer knocking down someone... Or maybe an arrow sticking enemy clothes to a nearby wall, or even removing a helmet
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The small homebrew pdf named "the MARTIAL ARMS TRAINING MANUAL" by Clan Crafter Hralding might be exactly what you're looking for to make every weapon unique at 4:57
Has anyone gotten the promo code to work? What did you do?
@@PhillipBirmingham Sorry about that! It's now fixed.
Hey , there are some incredible weapon features found in the Midgard hero’s handbook for 5th edition. Each weapon gets several signature weapon techniques!
I want to hear more about Aragorndalf and Gimolas! Really cool rule as well :)
Haha perhaps their saga will continue…
Who could have thought Gimolas had faked his own death! This was as rapturous as Brunos Telenovellas!
@@Piqipeg We don't talk about bruno.
@@BobWorldBuilder Newest Paladin......Periadoc! 8>D
If I play D&D again I think I want to play a halfing fighter called Scroto Baggins.
Thanks for the shout out. I'm actually taping a review of DCC now. Great game.
Personally, I don't think the battlemaster should exist. Rather every fighter should get some manuevers. Sort of like how every spellcasters.
This is actually a nice standardized version of stuff I already do at my table. If my fighters start describing ways that they attack, i will definitely give them ways to use it to their advantage.
I've had a player who wanted to attack a dragons but specifically its wings, and rolled well. And I halved its flying speed for the rest of the fight.
We have the Battlemaster doing psychological things, the Champion doing all the "epic" stuff, and the Eldrich Knight doing the pseudo-magic-user gig.
The Champion: They alone get the Second Wind, Indomitable, and Action Surge abilities. This gives the Champion heroic abilities that separate them from the ordinary man-at-arms. This makes the Champion much more desirable.
The Battlemaster: They get Know Your Enemy, and then get to choose from Commander's Strike (now it gives ADVANTAGE to allies you designate), Evasive Footwork (still increases AC), Goad Enemy (gives them DISADVANTAGE and replaces Goading Attack), Maneuvering Attack (allows allies to expend a Reaction to attack), Menacing Attack (Frightened effect), Rally (same as RAW), Riposte (as RAW), and Precision Attack (as RAW). Most of these do not appear on our general maneuvers list, and the few that do are only on crits. This makes the Battlemaster literally "a student of war" with all of the "psyops" and "debuffs" they can bring to bear during a fight. The Battlemaster gains 2 Maneuvers initially and another new maneuver at the 5th, 7th, 10th, 13th,15th, and 18th Levels, until he knows them all.
To make up for the loss of Indomitable at the 9th Level, The Battlemaster gets 4 of the traits of the Know Your Enemy list. Also at the 9th Level, the Battlemaster gets a Second Fighting Style. At the 13th Level, he gets to pick 6 traits for Know thy Enemy and add a Signature Move to his Second Fighting style. At the 18th Level, a Third Fighting Style is awarded. We do not use Maneuver Dice. Instead, the Battlemaster rolls a D20 against one of the target's Attributes (WIS, DEX, INT) with his Proficiency bonus (or Dice) and any Characteristic bonuses added. IF he exceeds the target's DC, the Maneuver works.
The Eldrich Knight: We only changed the Weapon Bond ability as the EK is pretty impressive as RAW. Our changes to the Weapon Bond ability are extensive:
Level 3: You can conduct a ritual costing 100gp to "enchant" a special weapon that can hit creatures only hit by +1 magical weapons. You gain ADVANTAGE on any disarm attempts against you. You may also spend 100gp to make this weapon a "spell focus," allowing you to attack while substituting the Bonded Weapon as a focus for your spells.
Level 7: Your Bonded Weapon can be summoned to your hand from up to 60ft away and you CANNOT be disarmed of this weapon.
Level 9: You can Bond a second weapon at the same specs as your first weapon was at 3rd Level.
Level 10: Your First Bonded Weapon can be summoned from anywhere on the same plane of existence. You may increase your magical strike ability to +2 with your first Bonded Weapon.
Level 13: Your Second Bonded Weapon gains the Level 7 benefits of your first Bonded Weapon.
Level 15: Your First Bonded Weapon gains the ability to strike magical creatures only hit by +3 weapons.
Level 17: Your Second Bonded weapon gains the ability to strike magical creatures affected by only +2 weapons and can be summoned from anywhere on the same plane.
Level 18: You can Bond a THIRD weapon with all the traits of your Level 3 ritual Weapon Bond ability.
We really wanted to push the Weapon Bond to the level where it would function as a Wizard's staff would.
The balance the loss of the Fighter's First Level Second Wind ability, we give Fighters a Combat Maneuver that they can specialize in. We usually tie this SIGNATURE MOVE to Fighting Style (our Fighting Styles scale with Level like the Weapon Bond above) by giving up to 3 moves that the Fighter can master. This Signature Move is used by expending your optional REACTION in combination with your attack. You roll a D20 for the attack and a differently colored D20 for the Signature Move. If both succeed, the Signature Move is successful (pending any Saves). If the To Hit fails both the attack and Signature Move fail. If the Signature Move roll fails, it is just an ordinary hit. Examples of our signature/combat moves include: Trip, Disarm, Redirect Foe, Pin Foe, Entangle Foe, Stun Foe, Outmaneuver Foe (crit only, creates DISADVANTAGE), Knockdown, Impale (crit only, piercing weapons), Slash (crit only, slashing weapons), Crush (crit only, bludgeoning weapons, HTH), Sunder Armor (crit only, reduces AC by damaging armor), Sunder Weapon (crit only, breaks weapons).
The second thing we do to balance the loss of Action Surge is allow any roll from the Fighter, Ranger, Barbarian, or Monk to earn a Combat Maneuver from our list IF they roll 5 or more over the To Hit number on an attack. EVERYONE (that's all the other classes too) gets to pick a Special Combat Maneuver on a critical (which is a roll of 20 when a 20 isn't needed To Hit).
The reason we don't use Proficiency Dice is that we use them in regular play. You can pick either a fixed bonus from +1 to +5 (yes we play a gritty 5e) or you can choose to roll a die (1D3, 1D4, 1D6, 1D8, or 1D10... for RAW it would be 1D4 thru 1D12). This is the PLAYER'S CHOICE made for every roll (you can switch back and forth).
@@swaghauler8334 this is actually a really interesting idea. I'd love to know how well it works, coz personally action surge is pretty much the best feature of any class.
And I love the manuevers on a 5+ or nat 20. It's fits like a glove. And the dm doesn't need think about nat 20 bonuses.
Champions are basically the worst fighters Raw. So I just give them a single bonus in my game. Sticking to the maximum roll theme that champions already have, if they roll the maximum on any damage die they roll, they get to roll another of the same die.
This just builds up so much hype at the table, and gives a hefty boost to a fairly uninteresting subclass.
@@ninnusridhar It works like gangbusters and makes combat MUCH MORE "cinematic" than RAW. But we have extensive experience with the Design Mechanism's MYTHRAS rpg as well as copies of CC and FANTASY AGE (and their Stunts accrued by rolling a Stunt Die in combat), so bringing Combat Maneuvers to 5e was a "no brainer" for us.
@@ninnusridhar We do a similar thing but for all Fighters. When you get extra attacks you can either attack multiple opponents (doing normal damage) or launch a single "Power Attack" where you roll only ONE D20 To Hit, but IF you hit, you can roll a number of Damage Dice plus any bonuses equal to the number of attacks. This allows weapon damage to "scale" just like spell damage does with Level while allowing only one To Hit roll in order to streamline combat and allow high-level fighters to dispatch low-CR monsters in a single hit. Besides, our Fighters love rolling 2D8 or 3D8 for sword damage (plus bonuses). It makes them feel powerful when they do it. We allow our Fighters to split their Multi-Attacks however they want. IF you have 5 Attacks, you could roll one hit for 3 damage dice against one target and then attack two more targets for one damage die each. For hard-to-hit foes, you can roll for ALL FIVE ATTACKS, hoping that some will hit. The choice is entirely up to the player how they split their "Attack Dice."
The 5e fighter actually worked like this in the DnD Next playtests before being stripped down. The base class functioned off of maneuvers and subclasses modified and added to those options. Responses in the playtest argued that this was too complex, and the Champion fighter was born.
100% agree this should be in all martial classes. And all weapons should have really distinctive perks to chose from.
Yes weapon perks will be one of my next projects!
@@BobWorldBuilder Nice ! My DM is already thinking about adding deeds in our campaign 😄
Types of Shields in 5e: "We are the same picture."
DCC
Best DnD book ever
Period
Allow buckler to grapple at a cost to AC from projectiles and tower shield more AC but penalty to Perception. Make whips get a grapple-hook ability and hammers can knee-cap.
Beyond Damage Dice by Kobold Press is the product you are looking for. Weapon specific maneuvers for 5e.
Nice thank you for the recommendation!
I second that. While some aren't balanced (looking at you greatclub), they give a ton more options for martial classes.
Thirded
@@PerikleZ87 While I do not know as to what the book did with Greatclub, it is certainly a weapon in 5e that could be picked up and buffed. As it is a two-handed heavy weapon, that only deals like 1d8.
@@copycrow4486 Ribshatter. Make a single attack roll with your greatclub against a humanoid target. This attack does normal weapon damage and the target must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failure, it is stunned until the beginning of its next turn. If the damage you dealt was greater than the creature’s maximum hit dice, it is stunned until the end of its next turn.
You could use it as an alternative to inspiration. As opposed to a reroll, the player chooses to add some flair to their attack. To be more universal, i'd say it's about as strong as an extra bonus action or Attack. So you might spend the inspiration to grapple/shove an opponent. Or you might use it to cast Misty Step.
I like that! Inspiration is usually overlooked in my games bc it’s just not that enticing as written
Eldritch Knight: "I will fight with style."
RAW: "We don't do creativity here."
Wizard: "I cast Fire Ball to kill evey enemy in the room."
RAW: "Valid."
DM: "Logic VS Meta, I suppose."
Im just planing to turn in to the action point (or wathever was the name of that in DnD 4e) cause my players usually totally forgot when they have the regular inspiration.
@@BobWorldBuilder I never used inspiration because I thought it was hokey and super situational. Recently I started letting my players give each other inspiration for things they thought were appropriate. It has worked much better than I thought and now they use the system and I never really have to get involved. It keeps them more engaged. Would highly recommend.
This is interesting. I've used a separate pool of points for such a purpose before.
I especially like the idea of applying it to structure "Rule of Cool"
Combined with the "One may attempt to do anything" rule, mighty deeds should make players feel less pensive about playing martial classes. One house rule that we use is if an attempted action is reasonable, well role played, and does not hinder the overall story, no die roll is required (completely at DM discretion of course) This allows a fighter (who has no real investigation skill) to roleplay through acquiring information from a potential source, for example, or a wizard to use a clever illusion to make a convincing bluff. When characters become more than statistics and rules on a sheet of paper, your gaming sessions become more enjoyable and memorable.
I actually strongly dislike the idea of bypassing charisma checks in that way. Allowing a player to bypass charisma and social proficiency checks by roleplaying good is like letting someone bypass a strength check by doing pushups. Charisma is already the least useful stat in the game, and having a rule like this means that a player can safely skip out on having charisma or putting any skill points into bluff/intimidate/etc by just substituting their real life charisma instead.
@@novacorponline That is a fair critique - when I was a more active player, we often made our campaigns story - centered, and sacrificed some 'rules' in service of the art. If you do not have players and GM with discipline to at least TRY to conform to their characters stats, it won't work out well .. you know the players at your table, and how much rope to give them better than I, I'm sure!
This is similar to a rule in Exalted called "Stunts". You gained 1-3 additional dice if you described cool ways in which you were performing your actions. In that way, the game actively rewarded creative, non-automatic combat and skill checks.
Nice, yeah I image there are plenty of games where combat is more loose and descriptive than D&D. Definitely something we can learn from other systems!
Didn't getting high level stunts also restore willpower or even give a bit of XP? I haven't played exalted in a couple years but I remember it being maybe my favorite ttrpg when I did play it.
@@leowulf5280
Yeah. You get motes of Essence back. 2 for a level 1 stunt, 4 for a level 2 stunt or one willpower, and a level 3 stunt can give you a point of EXP, which is like +25% exp for the session.
Of course, level 3 stunts are generally reserved to descriptions that become a highlight of a play session.
A friend of mine has been running DCC and I've been playing a warrior, and I gotta say deed dice are really fantastic
Awesome! Once my current 5e campaign ends, I’m trying to run some sessions of DCC for sure
We've been using Proficiency Dice in my game for a while now. The results swing a little more than a static bonus, but the players find it fun and there's extra satisfaction when the Rogue get an unworldly high roll on a pivotal check.
Weapon features like that do *kind of* exist in dnd 5e, or at least something based on 5e. In baldurs gate 3, each weapon had special attacks and abilities that would recharge on short rests. Greataxes, pikes and heavy crossbow users could burn some of their speed for a bonus to their attacks, most crossbows could apply a status that makes enemies take more damage from attacks, hand crossbow users could attack as a bonus action after a dash or disengage, while longsword and spear uses could do a charge attack to reach enemies they wouldn't be able to by just walking. It would be fairly easy to convert to 5e since you just convert the damage and features over 1 to 1.
Other options that could be useful for this rule: The ability to convert inspiration points into Mighty Deed dice regardless of class, and the ability to lend Mighty Deed dice to other characters. This would make martials imperative to have in a bad spot, since they are not able to perform heroic feats but to inspire others to do the same. You might also want rework inspiration mechanics if you do this though, perhaps by stealing from other systems that work similarly like City of Mist/Legend in the Mist.
It's nice that these videos are cleanly formatted, relatable, spoken in a very chill tone of voice, and don't give me severe secondhand embarassment
4:58 The Dungeon Coach has a cool video about a homebrew weapon system where the various weapons are given special features that deal extra damage in certain situations. So for example an axe gets extra damage when an enemy is has the bleed effect while hammers get extra damage vs enemies in metal armor and constructs. The weapons also get maneuvers that can be used by forgoing your Extra Attack, such as the axe being able to cause the bleed effect (which would then trigger the passive bonus on subsequent rounds).
Yeah I definitely have to check out his work on this!
So pumped you're showing DCC to your big 5e audience. Best fantasy rpg hands down!!
I appreciate your enthusiasm! I have to lot to learn about DCC, but I'm loving everything I read so far
The aside of "-- like Link, in Smash Bros --" was just too real
This is a great rule! When my players have asked to perform deeds, I've usually just jacked up the target's AC or the Athletics check DC for that action to represent a more specific and difficult task, but this adds a really good foundation for all kinds of martial shenanigans
Haha glad you liked that line! Yeah I think this is a fun way to run those called shots and other maneuvers
Cool... But then... Casters can just delete enemies without having to go through an arbitrary DC/AC.
I prefer an even playing field unless the Action is well beyond the natural means of the Character. Usually meaning, "you don't need an off hand to Grab or Shove. You just need an origin point of how you're going to commit an action." Like Hooked Swords and an Ultra Greatsword.
(Logic VS Meta)
@@absolstoryoffiction6615 I have no idea what you're trying to say here
@@hammdogporkington3058
Fighter: "I will try something fancy and RAW valid."
DM: Increases DC or AC... For some reason.
Wizard: "I cast Fire Ball to eliminate everyone in the room."
DM: "After rolling... The enemies die."
It's like shooting martial classes in the foot while caster classes have the most optimal and the most creative spells to use. I can understand asking for a roll on actions beyond RAW/RAI, but outside of this... Martial Classes are arbitrary nerfed even when the player's choices follow RAW/RAI. Unlike Caster Classes.
@@absolstoryoffiction6615 These actions are beyond RAW/RAI, that's the point
Please include Aragorndalf and Gimolas in more videos if not every. You would be doing the world a great service.
That was great
If only to get a little more use out of the names, I probably will lol
@@BobWorldBuilder What would be cool is every quarter or sth you make a compilation of all the shorts!
maybe include fropin and mam
Gandragorn, Frodwise, Boromerry,
In my game I've made it a rule, basically any contextual action that would be cool and reasonable the player asks to try, I'll make it a roll (usually atlethics/acrobatics) if he suceeds this roll, he gets a bonus that makes sense in context, if he fails he gets a penalty.
It's better with examples:
Fighter wants to jump off the stairs 10ft high while attacking the bandit below. I ask for an atlethics roll (DC 10), on success he deals some extra damage (1d6 for example). If he fails he stumbles as he falls and misses the attack, not even rolling the d20.
Monk wants to run up the wall a few feet so he can strike the big monster on the head, roll acrobatics.
You have 30ft of movement but going around the table is 40ft, going over would be difficult terrain and also wouldn't reach the enemy. Player wants to roll over the table? Roll acrobatics, on success spend no movement when he would usually need 10 or 15ft, still has all his 30ft of normal movement. On fail he falls down on ther other side and wastes his whole movement this turn getting up.
These are usually very easy to judge and making it a rule the players always know they can stick to the usual and be safe, or bet on a special movement has made even level 1 combat much more interesting while barely adding extra time since it doesn't happen every turn.
And you can always dynamically adjust the difficulty of the encounter to balance the extra damage you're letting your players do. At the same time, they're enjoying the hell out of it.
Penalties are an interesting addition here. DCC has no penalities for Deeds, I guess to encourage more creativity, but of course failures are an important part of TTRPGs!
Higher level monks don’t even have to roll to run up walls, I love monks.
I like your choice, it makes the creature able to pull heroic stunts without adding other crunch (deed dice, feats, maneuvers, etc), just using good skill checks.
This is very similar to how I've always handled these situations, because my brother is an exceedingly creative player--which I wanted to encourage in all of my players--and these moments lead to much cooler campaigns and memorable combat events.
One of the most eye-opening learning was that proficiency bonuses are represented by averages of different dice.
This makes for a great homebrew rule set for the Theros setting, where people are inspired to make epic stories based on amazing feats
Most definitely! I'll have to ask Grace World Destroyer if Theros already has anything like this....
@@BobWorldBuilder Due to the glory Paladin that was released as part of that book having a special channel divinity that doubles your lifting, pushing and carrying capacity, as well as well as grant you advantage on athletics and acrobatics checks, I’d definitely say that Glory Paladins should be able to make something more out of the Heroic deed variant rules
This is amazing! Definitely going to try incorporating this is some capacity to my game, thanks Bob!!!
I’m glad you like this idea! Let me know what your group thinks!
That opening just felt too real. A martial tries to do anything outside of "I run up and hit him with my sword" and the DM starts telling them to roll multiple high DC skill checks and face consequences that far outweigh the meager bonuses that they get from the creative tactic, if any at all. It simply is ludicrous that we allow creative application of spells like Prestidigitation, praising it for its versatility and practicality, all the while shunning martials for not being able to do so except they can but we just don't let them try because it isn't technically in the rules.
I also love DCC's spell rules. Roll to cast and each spell has different degrees of success. Lots of fun stuff in DCC, must read for all DM's.
Certainly! Probably going to make a video about the spellcasting too
@@BobWorldBuilder I would definitely recommend an app to manage the spells, though. It adds a lot of complexity, especially if you've only got one copy of the book to pass around, lol
I've given this as a buff to all martial classes in my game. With a very wide pool of HB classes I gave all of them access to battle master manuvers and extras specific ones for their class, it has made martial classes alot more appealing to all. I might try running some games using mighty deeds aswell, that just sounds too cool!
Do you give them to rogues, paladins and rangers too? How many do you give them? Is it the same as a battlemaster gets?
Awesome! So much freedom!
@@benry007 its a shorter list than battle master. For example the " general pool" doesn't have goading attack, but barbarian and warden specifically can chose it. Each class get 3 maneuvers which they can change during a long rest in a city ( which is essentially between adventures) They have 1d6 as their dice and get 3.
Like how spell casters have caster levels, with half casters getting 1/2 etc. I have martial levels which works the same way, granting martials more maneuvers to start and over time than paladins and rangers, but they still get them.
The way I see it, is its just 3d6 per short rest, in my experience it hasn't made them insanely powerful, rather it has encouraged martials in a play group that loves to have 4 wizards 🤣
This makes me think of the shield master feat, which IMHO is rather underrated. Yes statistically an asi is generally better. But being allowed to shove on a bonus to break base contact allowing you to proc polearm master if you're wielding a spear or basically a bonus action disengage provided you succeed your strength check. Additionally, you basically get evasion if you're willing to use your reaction and a +2 to all dex saving throws from attacks. I'm currently considering a spear wielding polearm master, shield master, echo knight or battle master which I see as basically either a Spartan or Hopelite.
My Oath of Redemption Paladin made REALLY good use of Shield Master; he was in a melee-heavy group and being able to make 1-2 attacks plus then proning an enemy for my allies having advantage was absolutely more beneficial for the overall group than an ASI
5:04 I homebrewed a list of "Weapon arts". To simplify, every weapon. EVERY WEAPON, has a Weapon art. There are basic weapon arts (A standard for all the same types of weapons. Swords will always have the same WA for example) and there are expert weapon arts (Some magic weapon might have another type of weapon art that differs from the basic type). This arts have, of course, some restriction to them. First off, they require you to have at least a specific amount of Martial. Aside from the 6 stats we are used to, the players also have a stat called "Martial" (Like hit dice, every class rolls their Martial die every time they level up). Usually, the players can use a WA a number of times equal to their proficiency bonus (Unless the art specifies otherwise).
Yeah, I kinda stole this from the Dark Souls series and adapted it to 5e.
This is similar to a houserule I had at home for 'cinematic combat' . I liked the Flanking rule for a brief while before it became this rote thing that everyone was trying to do in every single combat, so I replaced it with the option to gain Advantage or another benefit from performing a skill check as part of your attack action.
Super simple and similar to what some other folks have done here:
1. "I want to swing off the chandelier and get the drop on the ogre with my daggers!"
2. "Cool, make an Acrobatics check." (The DC in my head calculated by how many extra 'moves' the player is adding to this and how big a hail mary I think they are, in this case 1 - swinging from the chandelier 2 - landing on the ogre and then 3 the attack itself)
3. If the player succeeds, they land on the ogre and attack with advantage and look awesome doing it. If the player fails, a situational mishap transpires. The hero slips and hits the wall or falls in front of the ogre, or the ogre sees them and catches them with its reaction (they are now grappled, and whilst they still get their attack, it's at disadvantage)
Benefits of success might include advantage on an attack, inflicting a temporary status ailment on an enemy (blinding them until the end of the next turn, knocking them prone, shoving them, causing minor damage from an environmental hazard, knocking a held object out of their hand) or an extra damage die.
Failure might land the hero prone, have the monster use its reaction to attack them, give them disadvantage on their next attack, shove them into a hazard, etc.
Because there are potential negative consequences to failing, the players don't try to do this EVERY turn, so it doesn't slow down combat too much. But when they do try whether they succeed or not it really adds that bonkers cinematic flair to encounters. Characters kicking enemies into fireplaces, tripping them up with thrown furniture, leaping off balconies or colossus-climbing large monsters, characters getting pinned to walls by their clothing, all sorts of stuff. The important part is to make it NOT REPLACE THEIR ATTACK ACTION because if it costs them the chance to deal damage or cast spells, they won't do it.
I'm a big fan of offering risk-reward stuff like this to my players. D&D should feel dangerous and your heroes are only brave if there's a risk of failure and they do it anyway!
Yeah having a chance or meaningful consequence to failure is one thing this mechanic is missing
@@BobWorldBuilder I like calling it 'deeds' and the concept of the deed dice though!
For me although this is a great way to implement this idea, it still takes the same creative effort from the gm to determine it can happen as just saying yes you can with an athletics check and giving penalties for failure. A framework can be good for some, but I want to encourage creative thinking and reward them for taking risks without it just being a few times a day or set to a couple actions. And it wouldn't step on battlemaster's toes because they have a safe mechanic to do specific actions while others take risks. And they can still take them. GMs just don't be afraid to say "yes, but".
Even in RAW... A Martial Class can perform what the Skit describes. Just find a way to negate or reset Fall Damage Accumulation.
"Moment Shift/Moment Cancel" as Devil May Cry 4 puts it.
Which is why, in RAW, you don't suddenly take all of the 30ft stairs of accumulated damage because you're not falling.
@@absolstoryoffiction6615 I don't get it, you fall from 30 ft and somehow not take damage on a failed save?
@@hugofontes5708
Note: Fall Damage is different from Jumping. You can jump 10ft and fall 10ft. Do not count the Jump ft as part of Fall Damage. But new DMs and players may confuse these mechanics together. Thus, the Meta speaks before the Logic.
You still take damage per 10ft drop in the air; unless, you have a friend or a Spell etc. who can change your fall moment since Fall Damage is accumulative.
I thought Fall Damage was every 6ft but its actually every 10 ft when free falling...
So... In the Skit... The character can jump (if he has the Str to do so) 10ft toward the enemy. Then pogo off of them by using the Attack Action. However, if the Character wanted to prone the enemy, then he must choose between Attack or Shove during this Attack Action. Except; if and only if, the Character is a Fighter for their Extra Attack since (at the moment) he can perform both the Attack Action and the Shove Action at once... In RAW... Granted, it's not optimal but it's valid in the rules. The Character has to make two dice rolls for his Cinematic Action. One for the Attack Action and another for the Prone Action. Then the Character can spend the remaining 20ft of Movement as he wishes.
It's easier to explain on a Grid Map.
@@absolstoryoffiction6615 you explained a lot of things but I still don't understand how using your movement to jump *downwards* from 10ft+ means you somehow don't take that much damage without making some save or trick simply because it's "jump distance" and not "fall distance".
I looked at the athletics skill, jumping movement and falling environment hazard and unless the rules somehow are implying "downwards movement spending character movement from a jump is not falling" then I still don't get it
@@hugofontes5708
You don't take Fall Damage in reverse when Jumping within your Move ft, so why take Fall Damage when jumping downward within your Move ft?... In 5e, Fall Damage and Jumping are two different mechanics. You can jump as far as your Jump Calculations (based on STR) but falling beyond or free falling will trigger the 10ft Fall Damage Acclamation until that fall moment is changed.
I'm loving the skits you've been starting to work in! And thank you so much for adding ideas to improve gameplay with just small adjustments, it's super cool!
Thank you and thank you! The skits are fun, and I'm always looking for simple ways to make the game a little more fun!
Right on! Dungeon Crawl Classics rules!!!
Ok, I thought of an update for Battle Master that blends it with the concept of Mighty Deeds.
1) No Maneuver Dice
2) Mighty Deed Dice is 1 greater than normal (max. d20) - example: Lvl 1 BM has a d6 instead of a d4
3) Battle Maneuvers are specialized skills that have been practiced for endless hours instead of normal Mighty Deeds
a) Battle Maneuvers Do Not use maneuver dice, but grant advantage on that maneuver 1/turn
I've never actually played with the Battle Master, so I'm not sure what restrictions are actually needed, but I think that blends the intent of the Subclass and the intent of the Mighty Deeds mechanic.
Oh dang, this sounds awesome! And that absolute unit of a book seems delightful in general.
Bob...you're a straight up gift to this community my dude. Lifelong DM here and your educational ability, knowledge of the game, creativity. GOLD. Thanks for sharing, and please keep up the good work. :) You've made legitimately tangible improvements on my game.
Pirated that book a while back, has a lot of interesting mechanics regarding stuff like level 0 characters and magic in particular, honestly the dynamic between the might of a wizard weilding dangerous, otherwordly and unpredictable magic (possibly leaving them drained) while the fighter is a mighty engine of death that can at 10th level decapitate orcs no problem is quite interesting
this dude got a library boat
Kobold Press has something called Beyond Weapon Dice that does gives each weapon its own unique feature if you want to check it out!
Yes a couple others have made this recommendation to, so I'll have to look into it!
or you could just let the guy make a basic attack roll and hit however he wants. That's basically what rule of cool is. It looks cool, it can theoretically work, and if it's cool enough throw in some added effects. For instance in the above example, the guy wants to jump down attack with his sword and pin the guy to the ground. Basic attack, all of that is possible, so now the dude takes the damage from the sword attack, is knocked prone, and restrained. There's really no need to roll anything else or use any other mechanics.
Awesome video Bob, you keep stepping it up! And really liked this idea!
Thanks a ton!
My boi!!!! Sharing DCC with the masses! Anybody in here reading this, give Sailors on the Starless Sea a try. Best dang DCC intro adventure ever.
My pleasure! I gotta look into that module
FROZEN IN TIME is fun to start a campaign off with
I saw the title and thought "DCC did it!" and then you cover DCC! Good video, thank you for bringing this fun feature to more peoples' attention.
I feel like DnD doesn't have enough options for players to pull off cool stunts like this but I also feel like this is an oversimplified solution without enough structure. This is why I like Pathfinder 2e.
0:11 Scenario Rundown: Depending on intent and distance to target an Athletics might be necessary to Leap the distance, but only call for a roll if they couldn't just walk there. Then depending on height an Acrobatics roll might be necessary to Land Safely, most typically aren't concerned about 1d6 fall damage for a 10ft fall, if they're jumping from higher up inform them of the potential risks. Then it depends on intent be it Grapple, Trip, or Damage, but it's still an Attack roll either way.
TLDR: Move up to 30ft, making Acrobatics/Athletics as needed, then Attack to Grapple/Trip/Damage.
That's an easy and simple way to get those thematic moments into our games quickly. Also, using proficiency dice has been something I've been meaning to try. I may talk to my players about incorporating it into the return of our alt campaign this coming Tuesday.
Glad you like the idea!
"Yeah, he breaks your fall, but you break his f***ing legs."
Something I had been looking into lately has been how Baldur’s Gate 3 has special once per short rest abilities on weapons that allow them to pull off special maneuvers like cleaving, pommel attacks, hamstring shots and so on. You only need to be proficient in the weapon to pull off these feats. I’m thinking for the next game I run I’ll try applying them and see what happens
Not to be the person who brings up Pathfinder, but Pathfinder 2e has a table of special effects that certain weapons can have on crit such as knockdown or pushbacks
As soon as I have a martial class in my party I'm trying this.
Great video Bob! As for the special effects for each weapon type, I feel like Tasha's damage type feats were Wizards attempt to introduce something like this
Ahh thanks for the reminder about those feats!
At about 00:30 I was literally thinking "this is why i want to play DCC 🤣
Haha perfect!
I solved the Battlemaster conundrum (or if someone posted it already, echoing the answer):
Instead of getting Superiority Dice, you get uses of Superiority. These uses allow you to re-roll your Deed Dice before you know the result of an attack. (The Martial Adept feat, therefore, would give you one use of Superiority). Your uses of Superiority are regained at the end of a Short or Long Rest
"Okay, but what about the Improved Combat Superiority feature?"
It would change to this: If you roll the maximum value for your Deed Dice, the dice is not expended. Also you can expend a use of Superiority to regain a spent Deed Dice at this level.
"Relentless?"
You get one use of Superiority if you have none at the beginning of combat.
Probably some kinks to be worked out still, but a basic framework is here nonetheless.
I am SO NOT COOL with that twist at the end!
The rest of the video is awesome as always, I look forward to the next video! :)
I usually do stuff like this in Pathfinder already. I've been doing it in basically every TTRPG I've played since I started DMing a decade ago. It's really cool to know there's a system that just has it as part of the rules though.
the plot twist and the player's reaction at the end was *chefs kiss*
I wouldn't mind using it in one way or another for all classes. You can do some awesome class sh*t on anything you are proficient in. You then replace the usual proficiency bonus by a proficiency die, for that roll. In exchange for risking a lower roll, you get a awesome moment in the spotlight and you overrule the player manual by adding that die to your damage too
And in order not to penalize the Battle Master, that lucky mastard gets to add it up to his superiority die if his deed happens to be one of his manœuvre (but only if he can describe an awesome cinematic scene for it)
Special attacks with weapons... this'll be fun.
Nunchucks: add your damage dice to intimidate checks while grappling.
Sai: bonus to sunder bladed weapons.
Singhaim: make one ranged attack as if your monk/fighter/barbarian levels were ranger levels.
Quarter Staff: make one attack with advantage when jumping at airborne does. add acrobatics to damage.
Club: stunning fist attacks have a chance to lower speed by ten ft.
Khopesh: advantage on disarm and trip attacks.
Spear & Sheild: automatically succeed kicking messengers down wells if the player shouts THIS IS SPARTA!!!!!!!
Between the helpfulness, that tone, and just general chill aesthetic you are now the Bob Ross of D&D. So it is written, so let it be so!
Your video has inspired me to add this to my games combined with Battle Master Manoeuvres for Fighters Barbarians, and Monks as a level 1 class feature. I have taken the Martial Adept feat as the base for this feature so that it resembles something official and applied it to the classes stated as they seem the most in need of variation.
You have martial training that allows you to perform special combat manoeuvres. You gain the following benefits:
-You learn one, plus a number equal to your proficiency bonus, manoeuvres of your choice from among those available to the Battle Master archetype in the fighter class. If a manoeuvre you use requires your target to make a saving throw to resist the manoeuvre's effects, the saving throw DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice).
-You gain one, plus a number equal to your proficiency bonus, superiority die, which are d8s. This die is used to fuel your manoeuvres. A superiority die is expended when you use it. You regain your expended superiority dice when you finish a short or long rest.
-A combatant may try to perform a mighty deed, which is something out of the realm of what manoeuvres allow. The DM must agree that the deed is reasonable for a combatant of their level and then an attack can be made as normal. If the attack hits then the mighty deed succeeds, damage can be rolled but a superiority die is used, either as damage or to the attack roll. A combatant may only do this once per turn.
-You may switch any number of your manoeuvres on a level up.
Ive seen a few videos about the problems with martial classes in dnd 5e, and in my opinion this is the best advice on fixing it
I built something similar for a damage/heavy 5e zombie module, where each weapon had a “Grievious Harm” die they triggered special damage or features on a crit! This was coupled with different crit scores for the custom classes too, to encourage party composition
Bob doing a video about a system other than 5e? Yes, please. DCC is fantastic.
Haha, not many people feel this way, so I'm glad you're on board!!!
We play with a house rule that is inspired by "swashbuckling action" not sure of the true source. We say that if you describe a heroic feat in battle, you can make a ability check to get a bonus to your attack. Usually just advantage on your attack; the DC varies on what you're doing and there is a small chance if you fail terribly there is a possible consequence. It's an incentive for players to be creative and descriptive.
the origin might be from the podcast: Manifest Zone: Exploring the World of Eberron: Swashbuckling Action
or from a wizards post: Swashbuckling 101: Combat By Keith Baker
we use a very simplified version.
Yeah that sounds like a fun and easy way to incorporate something like this!
@@BobWorldBuilder As a player, I always forget to use it, but I like that it's available to any class/player and it has helped facilitate the occasional wacky combat idea. Keep up the good work btw.
As far as weapon-specific stuff goes, I use weapon-specific bonuses in my OSR games (since everything is simple and uses d6 damage) to spice things up. Defensive blades get a Parry bonus to AC, long weapons get a Reach bonus to initiative, cleaving weapons have a damage bonus based on the enemy's hit dice, piercing weapons get a bonus to hit vs high AC, and bashing weapons can stun enemies if they haven't acted that round. If a weapon can conceivably be more than one thing (e.g. a rapier that is long and a parrying blade), you just pick one way you want that weapon to work and pay to upgrade your skill with it to do more down the line.
Two weapon fighting is effectively the same, but you get both weapons' bonuses. Two-handing grants automatic Reach, allowing for more specialized weapons for fighting larger monsters.
definitely saving this for the rule of cool moments. thank you!
Woo!
That's a great Idea, I think I'll keep it for the moment a player does something cool like Aragondolf and to surprise the party "I had planned something for cool stuff so go ahead"
This was great. Thank you so much for sharing. Love the skit and how you used it
Thanks so much! It was fun to make!
I already knew about this, but so glad to see it gaining traction out there in the world.
This is exactly how I've integrated this into D&D. Great Bob's that no alike :-)
Haha amazing!
@@BobWorldBuilder man I need to proof my comments, but I think you got the picture...."think alike"
Thanks for the promo code! I was planning on getting DCC, now its guaranteed and you saved me some more dice dough!
I think the Deed Dice thing is something added in on the "Level Up:Advanced 5th Edition" and works across the board.
Also, there are great weapon features in Kobold Press's Midgard player's handbook.
Nice! A bunch of people have recommended the KP book, but I didn't realize there were similar additions in Advanced 5e!
this isn't...really true?
level up: advanced 5th edition adds maneuvers, which sort of work like martial spells in that they have levels and each martial class gets a certain number of them and has a certain maneuver level cap and they each do something fairly specific, although you get exertion points (which is normally twice your prof bonus) to spend on them and each maneuver costs a different amount. so not really as open ended as deed dice, but it's sort of the same idea.
This is a very cool integration of sponsor product and combined Dungeons and Dragons 5E mechanics. Well done.
I thumbed up even before finishing, but actually chuckled at the ending. Great video
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it :)
Loved this video. This is my second watch, I checked out the battle master maneuvers after stewing on the first viewing for a few days, and decided that fighter, barbarian, and (monks(weapon attacks only, does not stack with class features like stunning strike) could have access to SOME but most, not all of the BM maneuvers, provided they may only choose the number of maneuvers detailed in Combat Superiority on PHB 73 and have as many uses per rest as a BM has superiority die BUT minus the actual addition of damage granted by the sup die. Classes like Paladin, Ranger and rogue may at DM discretion choose less maneuvers than the above classes.(with limited options).
For instances that don’t fit into the maneuvers or existing game mechanics I will NOW be implementing the Mighty Deeds as well.
To Keep the BM subclass relevant they gain access to ALL maneuvers respectively obtained at various levels, and can use all maneuvers that add superiority dice damage without said added damage just as all other martial classes do now once they have run out of superiority dice or if they wish to save them.
I feel at an ordinary table this wouldn’t be broken, however at my table casters are more powerful than most games. If you cast a bonus action spell you are not limited only to cantrips and do not lose your reaction. (Sorcerers meta magic has a limitation.) and the classes have full access to their respective spell lists, spells specific to subclasses remain subclass specific and they enjoy additional flavorful homebrew spells.
Thanks a lot for this video it was entertaining, informative, and usable, if you ever do a follow up video with those special features for each weapon I’d be psyched to watch it!
5:00 There is something like this. Look at the Grit & Glory homebrew. Buffs martials, makes armour more complex, maneuvers, fun stuff. Also siege weapons and rules for making combat harsher, like wounds and injuries. One of my player's wizards got a concussion after a flesh golem punched them in the head.
its crazy to see the original books in pristine condition at 1:40 after only having seen my dad's old books which have been sun bleached and worn down. I didn't realise they were so colourful!
Name a bigger plot twist than Aragorndalf vs Gimolas. I'll wait.
That twist at the end... :chef_kiss:
lol thank you!
the closest thing i can think of to this existing in a 5e-esque environment is in baldurs gate 3. in a recent update they added a lot of additional types of attacks that weapons can such as shoving someone, striking them with the blunt end of your sword to stun them, causing bleed damage with a big laceration, etc.
In 5e RAW, you could already Shove by using any Melee Weapon. But unfortunately, 5e does not have an in depth combat system to support weapon characteristics outside of Feats.
RAI... Based on the existence of Feats applying specific rules like the Bonus Action for Polarm Master. It is possible to perform the IPS Physical Damage with a Sword etc... But in RAW, it is not.
Logic VS Meta...
4:58 Pathfinder 2e has what it calls "critical specialization effects," little bonus effects that apply on a crit. They're a bit limited, requiring either a class feature or expending a cheap consumable, probably to make them feel more special when they do happen.
Each weapon group has a distinct specialization. Axes cleave through the first target and deal a little extra damage to the next target over. Several weapon types can either wind the target or pin them to a surface, using up the equivalent of their bonus action next turn. Some types can push enemies around - some push back 10 feet while others push 5 feet in any direction. Some can sweep the legs, knocking an enemy prone or leaving them flat-footed. A couple types apply persistent bleed damage, and picks just straight-up add damage to the hit. (Picks already have the biggest crit damage, so I guess they ran with it.)
None of these are game-breaking, but keep in mind that they're meant as a free bonus on top of doing absolutely massive damage. Personally, I think the best thing about them isn't that they turn the tide of battle, but that they make weapons with otherwise-identical stats feel different.
I'm using I similar rule, every player have as many heroic point as they have proficiency bonus per day, and they can use those point to do heroic stuff. Like jumping frome the roof onto the enemy, you spend your point. Role your attack, and add the fall damage to the attack. And to finish you make a dex save to avoid taking fall damage or part of it if you jumped really high.
I use it mainly for encouraging the player to describe more their actions.
Literally the first name in this video was enough for me to subscribe. Well done sir
You, sir, have excellent taste
About the weapon-specific deeds, the Grim Hollow Player's Guide comes with an Advanced Weapons chart, which is filled with totally new weapons with new characteristics that allow more diverse actions and attacks. All of the features are explained and could reasonably be added to an already existing weapon to make it more special.
Really nice video btw
Very interesting
Thanks! I'll see what I can find about their system!
Glad I could help! It's basically just a setting for 5e, so it should be perfect for D&D
They way Aragorndolf says "sweet vengeance" is hilarious to me.
I wrote an advanced arms chart where max damage or a critical hit adds an effect from the weapon such as stun, daze or bleeding. It makes weapons more exciting and individual for a lower magic setting
That's a great idea! Is it weapon specific or class specific?
@@brendanboyd4932 each weapon has a specific added effect such as flails ignoring part of a shields defense, daggers causing bleeding automatically on a crit and things like sai, tonfa and nunchuck weapons granting dual wielding with proficiency or a staff either offering two strikes up close or adding a yard of range.
The ones I like most are the flaming torch which causes menacing when used in melee by any character and the spear which relieves menace or fear when held proficiently in melee.
I’m actually putting it all in a game supplement book I’m finishing.
Yes! The thing with the weapons actually exists in Pathfinder 2e (Probably also 1e). For that you need the weapon specialization which most martials get at level 5 and each weapon is in a group of weapon. With a sword you make the enemy flatfooted for one round, with brawling weapons you slow them, with a axe you can hit multiple people, with a bow you can nail them to the ground and immobilize them etc.
But those effects only happen on a crit, which are way more common thanks to the fantastic crit system in Pathfinder 2e
This is a really cool idea!! My DM is usually really chill about letting me try stuff like this without complicating rolls with multiple rules, he just asks for a slightly higher result for the whole thing to work. But I've managed to tackle orcs off their giant bat mounts in midair and chokeslam enemies from rooftops before dropping the People's Elbow on them, which is super fun when it works.
You wouldn't believe how often I get requests to throw a dwarf as part of an action.
I think all DMs would believe it haha
That's an excellent rule, definitely going to include this in future games!
Dungeon coach’s martial rework has weapon specific actions and passives. :)
I gotta give the Coach a call!
I don't remember unsubscribing from this channel but apparently I did. Dang I subbed when this dude only had like 300 subs, glad to see his channel has grown so much
Hell yes. Mighty Deeds of Arms is one of my favorite things from DCC and from OSR inspired stuff in general.
I've considered something like this.
Fighters, Rogue, Barbarians, and Monks after hitting with an attack can declare a maneuver, dealing half damage but applying some form of debuff or setting up another player with the appropriate roll.
This can only be done once per-Attack Action and the Fighter does full damage.
For the first scenario that you talk about, you can actually just use falling rules to fall on top of the cloaked figure. When an object is falling onto someone, the “target” person needs to make a DC15 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone along with the falling object/person. The fall damage of 2d6 + 1d6 per 10ft fallen is then split between the two targets. Then, as the dm, you can flavour it to sound like the player falls with their sword out. I only know this because I’m playing a Grappling Barbarian who drops on people whenever they get the chance, and my DM uses this ruling a lot.
I love these ideas. I just started my campaign and this is a perfect way for my barbarian and fighter to get a chance to shine. I might even adapt this for my druid as well since I've been talking with my player about allowing her to use druid shapeshifting combo attacks (ie turning into a hawk and then a bear/elephant/lion etc to deal extra damage) but I'd been struggling for a good way to implement it
"If only there were some rule that, oh here it is, 'rule of cool' anyway yeah you destroy this guy"
Cool rule and love the rp reveal hahaha! Thanks for another great video, Bob
Glad you enjoyed it!
These are awesome!
But every weapon already has a special ability that happens when you critical, they're called "Weapon Critical Specialization Effects."
There's also special abilities that you can announce that you're using to your DM that emphasize your fighting style. Like, "Dragging Strike" to pull an enemy closer.
*Seriously tho, I was very questionable about Pathfinder 2 as well. But after playing for about a year now. I've found that there may be a ton of rules but they're no more complicated then everything you just talked about.
Most of the time the rules are short and to-the-point, & just like in DnD, you can make rules up on the spot instead of searching through them all.
And as a DM, you don't need to remember all of those rules, your players will have them written on their sheet or memorized.
I really recommend just trying it out yourself for a couple sessions. Then you can make a video on your oppinion!
Yeah I think I just poke fun at PF because it gets brought up in the comments so much lol, eventually I'll get it the attention it deserves and probably end up making videos about it :)
5:05 that's really isn't the same but it can be inspirational, the beyond damage dice book exist, it's a book which had one or two special ability to each weapon, for example you could pin a foe against a wall with your dagger by it's rule
And I'm not the first to mention it
"I really want to make features like that for every weapon in 5e. Does that already exist somewhere?"
Yes, yes it does. In the Pathfinder 2e core rule book.
lol yeah, some others have pointed out my folly hear. I really just gotta read PF at some point
@@BobWorldBuilder In case you haven't gotten around to looking at PF2, here's a basic breakdown of how its weapon system is handled: Firstly, you have three categories, simple, martial and advanced. Secondly, you have a large list of weapon traits that impact all sorts of aspects from the multiple attack penalty, to how you calculate crits, to what manoeuvres you can use the weapon to perform. Simple weapons start at 1d6 damage for a one-handed or 18 for two handed, with one trait. Martial weapons have 1d8/1d12 respectively with one trait, and advanced weapons have 1d8/1d12 with two traits. Then, weapons essentially 'buy' additional traits by downgrading the damage die. For example, three two-handed martial weapons, the greatsword, greatclub and glaive. The greatsword deals 1d12 damage and has the Sweep trait. The greatclub deals 1d10 damage and has the Backswing and Shove traits. The glaive deals 1d8 damage and has the Deadly (d8), Forceful, and Reach traits.
"Why doesn't everybody just play Pathfinder?" Because "intricate" is not the same thing as "better."
@@benvoliothefirst "Simpler" is also not the same thing as "better."
Also, pathfinder 2e is much less complex than pathfinder 1e or d&d 3e; just not to the levels of simplicity of 5e.
I don't think everyone should play pathfinder. Its not for everyone and thats cool with me. I also think its fair when someone says "I wish 5e had/did/fixed x" to point when pathfinder 2e does indeed have/do/fix x.
The player reacting to the plot twist made me laugh hard
Glad you liked it! :)
Plot twist! Nice scene description for our little fighter! You actually inspired me to do something similar for my 3.5 session today. I'll do something with crit attacks, where the player can choose some deed if he crits the attack, to add some cool.and maybe some effects, like a Warhammer knocking down someone... Or maybe an arrow sticking enemy clothes to a nearby wall, or even removing a helmet