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  1. - Top - End - #1
    Pixie in the Playground
     
    HalflingRogueGuy

    Join Date
    Jun 2017

    Default Unique combat styles?

    I was wondering if people had different or unique ways to fight (using your surroundings and stuff like that)

  2. - Top - End - #2
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Imp

    Join Date
    Feb 2017

    Default Re: Unique combat styles?

    Quote Originally Posted by D&DecentPeople View Post
    I was wondering if people had different or unique ways to fight (using your surroundings and stuff like that)
    Do you mean something that as a mechanical effect (ex: +1d4 to damage if you do X) or just fluffing the fighting a certain way?

  3. - Top - End - #3
    Dwarf in the Playground
    Join Date
    May 2015

    Default Re: Unique combat styles?

    You have Tavern Brawler for improvising and surroundings... and it helps grappling

  4. - Top - End - #4
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    Imp

    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    England
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    Male

    Default Re: Unique combat styles?

    Thief Rogue has a fairly unique style, utilising Fast Hands to manipulate terrain and mould the battlefield to their own design.
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  5. - Top - End - #5
    Orc in the Playground
     
    Kobold

    Join Date
    Oct 2017

    Default Re: Unique combat styles?

    I'm playing a very low damage grappler that is a blast. Grapple/prone, throw people out of Windows or over cliffs, and just generally set up our GWM Barb and rogue with easy advantage. I'm usually unarmed so damage is flat 1+str, but locking down big threats and setting up allies is quite fun. High athletics has other combat uses, my favorite so far was winning initiative and flipping a stone sarcophagus on top of a mummy before it could move out of it.

  6. - Top - End - #6
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Kane0's Avatar

    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Waterdeep
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    Male

    Default Re: Unique combat styles?

    Well there is the fighting style class feature that fighters, rangers, paladins and some bards get, and there are a handful of weapon-specific feats (including some extras found in UA). One of those is tavern brawler which allows better use of improvised weapons such as table legs.

    In theory you could also specialize in wierder weapons by choosing something out of the ordinary for Eldritch Knight fighter, Blade pact warlock or Kensai monk.

    Edit: Oh and there's a bundle of ways to specialize in grappling and/or shoving as part of combat, and a couple ways to mix in using items or spells as part of fighting.
    Last edited by Kane0; 2018-03-18 at 05:28 PM.
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  7. - Top - End - #7
    Pixie in the Playground
     
    OrcBarbarianGuy

    Join Date
    Mar 2018
    Location
    raxus prime
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    Male

    Default Re: Unique combat styles?

    My gnome ranger does a lot of flipping and jumping off walls. Doesn't affect combat, but it's fun to roleplay.
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  8. - Top - End - #8
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    BlueKnightGuy

    Join Date
    Sep 2017

    Default Re: Unique combat styles?

    Not sure I understand OP's question, but other than the "hit your enemy to cause maximum damage", the most popular fighting styles I can think of are:

    - Grapple/shove and hit, or let your friends hit.
    - PAM/Sentinel to control the battlefield.
    - Rogue's "hit and run" or "hit and "hide".
    - Booming blade + move away.

    Nothing unique, I guess.

    Quote Originally Posted by Kane0 View Post
    In theory you could also specialize in wierder weapons by choosing something out of the ordinary for Eldritch Knight fighter, Blade pact warlock or Kensai monk.
    Kensai monk is a great example; since the monk's text indicates you can refluff your weapons and the kensai can choose any weapon existing, one could argue they can use any "exotic" weapon they want.
    Last edited by Eric Diaz; 2018-03-18 at 05:59 PM.
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  9. - Top - End - #9
    Ogre in the Playground
    Join Date
    May 2013

    Default Re: Unique combat styles?

    Well, as this is about tactical choices that are unusual, one of the rather strong ones with multiple players involved is a Fighter with Mounted Combatant and Polearm Master riding a Moon Druid with Sentinel. What ends up happening is that you have almost constant Advantage on the Fighter from Mounted Combatant (most impressive with the four-attacks Fighter) and the size-changing Druid, while the Druid gets to Opportunity Attack any adjacent enemy that tries to attack either player because the Fighter redirects attacks at the Druid to them with Mounted Combatant. Also, the Druid takes no damage from Dex-half saves they pass, because of Mounted Combatant... Swapping the Fighter for a Spirit Barbarian means that you have rapid response from the Druid's movement capacity carrying a large damage reduction and significantly more per-hit damage, though with fewer attacks per round getting the Advantage.

    ---

    Another "build" of somewhat similar nature is any Rogue with Magic Initiate (Wizard), War Caster and Blade Mastery as feats. Magic Initiate gets you Booming Blade (or Green Fire Blade) and Shocking Grasp, as well as 1/Long Rest Find Familiar. War Caster lets you use spells instead of attacks when you get an opportunity attack from movement, which is used to do both attacking and casting a spell (BB/GFB). The Familiar gives you assured Advantage with the Help action (usable by Archers, too) and lets you apply Shocking Grasp at range, while Blade Mastery makes all your Opportunity Attacks with usually-a-rapier automatically have Advantage. Arcane Trickster gives you more Touch spells to apply at range via Familiar, but you could instead go Assassin to maximize the value of the Sneak Attacks you do get.

  10. - Top - End - #10
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    NinjaGuy

    Join Date
    Jul 2013

    Default Re: Unique combat styles?

    A Melee Bladelocks Darkness/Darkvision "dueling" is a fairly unique fighting style. It has the obvious downside not allowing the rest of your party to see the thing the warlock is fighting either.

    Similarly, the "Meat Grinder" - Cloud of Daggers cheese with various levels of push/pull spells or abilities can be pulled off by bards, sorcerers, warlocks and wizards
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  11. - Top - End - #11
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    OrcBarbarianGuy

    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Vinland
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Unique combat styles?

    A unique combat style with a single character or a party?

    One thing I've seen a party do well was a "Come to me" strategy with laying down spike growths and peppering enemies with ranged attacks as they tried to get though damaging difficult terrain, falling back if necessary.

    You can also use choke points to hold enemies in one place they don't want to be, a single dodging Character can be a hard thing to get passed, especially if there is a Polearm user behind him.

  12. - Top - End - #12
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    RedWizardGuy

    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    krynn
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    Male

    Default Re: Unique combat styles?

    find a chair. pick it up. beat your enemies to death with it. i was once fighting these frog man things in the woods and i picked up a chair and beat them to death with it then used there bones to make more chairs. chairs are the best weapons a man can have. the FSM blessed the chairs.
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