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View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next New Fighting Style: Striking [Microbrew][PEACH]



Thanatos 51-50
2015-03-18, 12:35 AM
So, I'm a little upset that 5th Edition doesn't have amongst its fighting styles one that incentives one sword and no board, so I just whipped up this little Style and am looking for more discerning Playground eyes on it, so I'm posting this tiny tiny homebrew here.

Fighting Style:
This new Fighting Style can be chosen by Fighters, Paladins and Rangers
Striking
One wielding a one-handed melee weapon in one hand, and having the other hand free, the character gains +2 to all attack rolls and +1 to all damage rolls with the weapon. This Fighting Style does not function while completely unarmed.

Basically, for sacrificing the +2 armour class from your shield, you gain a to-hit bonus equal to the Archery style, and you only sacrifice one point of damage from Dueling. Your other hand must remain free, but it would be relatively simple to switch to a second Fighting Style for Champion Fighters (Most obviously Dueling, but also Great Weapon if you're using a Versatile weapon such as a Longsword)

Submortimer
2015-03-18, 12:12 PM
This is pretty obviously too powerful. +2 to hit AND a bonus to damage? Nope.

+2 to hit by itself would be fine (and in line with archery) but that +1 to damage sends it over the top.

Thanatos 51-50
2015-03-18, 12:29 PM
You're sacrificing both the extra protection of a shield in melee and the extra protection of range that comes from using the archery. I figured a little extra something-something might be appropriate?
Perhaps a single point of to-hit?

Amnoriath
2015-03-18, 01:09 PM
You're sacrificing both the extra protection of a shield in melee and the extra protection of range that comes from using the archery. I figured a little extra something-something might be appropriate?
Perhaps a single point of to-hit?

I guess the real question ought to be what is wrong with Dueling as is that you want this instead?

Thanatos 51-50
2015-03-18, 01:22 PM
I guess the real question ought to be what is wrong with Dueling as is that you want this instead?

Because Dueling as-is accepts a shield in the off-hand, so that you are running sub-optimally if you're NOT using a shield, and I want a Fighting style that incentivizes and rewards having a free hand.

Though, I realize, just now, as I type this, that Striking and Dueling would trigger each other, just by virtue of what they are, so I'd have to add exclusionary language to negate that effect. Something like a you-pick-which at the beginning of your combat turn.

Amnoriath
2015-03-18, 01:39 PM
Because Dueling as-is accepts a shield in the off-hand, so that you are running sub-optimally if you're NOT using a shield, and I want a Fighting style that incentivizes and rewards having a free hand.

Though, I realize, just now, as I type this, that Striking and Dueling would trigger each other, just by virtue of what they are, so I'd have to add exclusionary language to negate that effect. Something like a you-pick-which at the beginning of your combat turn.

If you go by strict RAW but this edition explicitly favors RAI. So, unless they are going Captain America I wouldn't worry about people ruling that way. Besides, arguably a shield is an improvised weapon that would be used just to diversify damage types if nothing else.

Submortimer
2015-03-19, 12:25 PM
Because Dueling as-is accepts a shield in the off-hand, so that you are running sub-optimally if you're NOT using a shield, and I want a Fighting style that incentivizes and rewards having a free hand.

Though, I realize, just now, as I type this, that Striking and Dueling would trigger each other, just by virtue of what they are, so I'd have to add exclusionary language to negate that effect. Something like a you-pick-which at the beginning of your combat turn.

This isn't the WORST thing, since there's already precedent for using two fighting styles at the same time (Protection and anything else, Defending and Dueling, for example), but +2 to hit and +3 to damage when only using the one weapon is a big boost; The accuracy benefit alone is worth giving up the shield. Like I suggested before, remove the +1 to damage, and you're all good. The only people likely to take both are Champion fighters (which SHOULD be able to swing that weapon better than most) and multi-class fighters, and even THEN the paladin is gonna want his shield and the ranger will be dual wielding.

As another point, I would expand this to allow use with a versatile weapon in two hands. Think samurai, and you're getting the idea. While it certainly would cause GWF to proc as well, it's unlikely that would come up, as a versatile weapon is a sub-optimal choice for use with GWF.

Thanatos 51-50
2015-03-19, 01:54 PM
I actually think I remember reading something specifically disallowing fighting styles from multiple sources with the sole exception of Champion Fighters, but I can't recall where right now, so only Champions would get it.

Amnoriath
2015-03-19, 02:13 PM
I actually think I remember reading something specifically disallowing fighting styles from multiple sources with the sole exception of Champion Fighters, but I can't recall where right now, so only Champions would get it.

It doesn't it just bars them from choosing the same option again such as ones that offer only bonuses. This is another reason why Champions are bad because its 10th level feature is at best a secondary reason to why they would multiclass with another class.