D&D 5E [Homebrew] Defensive Duelist

I've been trying to find a way to develop Defensive Duelist into a combat-pillar feat with better parity to others. I didn't want to stack a plain buff on it (e.g. to AC or damage). Previously, I merged it with Savage Attacker, but that has continued to fail to appeal much to my PCs. Here is another take.

Defensive Duelist
When you are wielding a one-handed or Versatile melee weapon with which you are proficient and a creature hits you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to add your proficiency bonus to your AC against that attack, potentially causing the attack to miss you.
The first time an attack misses you this way after each of your turns, you regain your reaction.
Once per turn, when you roll damage for a melee weapon attack, you can reroll the damage dice and use either total.

Why these changes?

1. Broadened to cover one-handed and versatile, rather than only finesse weapons. Too broad?
2. Regaining your reaction allows it to synergise with abilities such as Riposte. Anything else helped by this?
3. Merged with Savage Attacker, and broadened to reroll all damage dice.
4. Removed the pre-requisite to make it easier to take. Also why would this have a pre-req. when GWM and SS have none?

"One-handed" isn't really a defined category. I guess you mean it to work for any weapon that not two-handed, regardless of how it is wielded? I'd say that makes so little difference, it would be simpler to just let it work with any weapon wielded in one hand.

As for your mechanics, I find them a bit awkward. What would you think of this:

When you are wielding in one hand a melee weapon which you are proficient and a creature hits you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to add your proficiency bonus to your AC against that attack. If this causes the attack to miss you, you can immediately move to a space adjacent to the creature and attack it with your weapon. This movement does not provoke an opportunity attack.

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I think that starts to look like a top-tier feat?

early it sucks. Later it is really good. Change it to a flat +5 instead of proficiency bonus at all levels and you will see it taken more

I'd also consider having it give resistance to damage from a critical hit.

FrogReaver said:

early it sucks. Later it is really good. Change it to a flat +5 instead of proficiency bonus at all levels and you will see it taken more

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I would say though, that you tend to have more competition for your reaction at high levels.

jaelis said:

I would say though, that you tend to have more competition for your reaction at high levels.

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On averag defensive duelist will help on 1 out of every 10 attacks you face at level 1-4. You could go whole sessions and never have a chance for it to matter.

It doesn't get much better from levels 5-8. Level 9+ it's a lot better.

FrogReaver said:

On average defensive duelist will help on 1 out of every 10 attacks you face at level 1-4. You could go whole sessions and never have a chance for it to matter.

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Two scenarios for this could be a Rogue with studded leather or a Fighter with breastplate and shield. Choosing 5th level and 9th level as points of interest (proficiency improves, more ASIs). Using probability density functions.

Rogue 5th = AC 15, or AC 18
Attacked 10x by an Orog (e.g. 5 turns of Multiattack) is likely to be hit 2-6 times, improves to 1-4 times
In damage, that could entail taking likely up to 40 (Rogue stays standing) instead of up to 60 (Rogue falls)

Fighter 5th = AC 18, or AC 21
Same attacks, is likely to be hit 1-4 times, improves to 1-3 times
In damage, Fighter stays standing in either case unless also critical hit, in which case Fighter could stay standing instead of falling

FrogReaver said:

It doesn't get much better from levels 5-8. Level 9+ it's a lot better.

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Rogue 9th = AC 17, or AC 21
Attacked 10x by an Orog (e.g. 5 turns of Multiattack) is likely to be hit 1-6 times, improves to 1-3 times

Fighter 9th = AC 18, or AC 22
Same attacks, is likely to be hit 1-4 times, improves to 1-2 times

The benefit at higher levels will be stronger with higher CR foes, possibly saving the character a few more hits. I'm using Orogs in both cases for the sake of comparison. "Likely" means nearly certain of the lowest value, and better than 50/50 of the highest. Critical hits (odds against) would be on top of this.

@jaelis The step and attack is kind of neat, and could fit well with the style of the feat. I like that this could let Duelists step inside the reach of polearms. As an aside, I wanted to give Versatile weapons more value. How would you fit that in?

@FrogReaver Is your thought that claiming resistance against the critical uses a reaction? (If so, isn't that covered by Uncanny Dodge? So potentially not so interesting to Rogues, while also giving away part of one of their shiny things?) Could it be action free, but something more narrow like "resistance to critical hit damage from weapons that aren't heavy"?

jaelis said:

I would say though, that you tend to have more competition for your reaction at high levels.

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Definitely agree, and this is a motive for giving back the reaction. The worst case I can see is a Rogue with Uncanny Dodge. I could envision some Rogue archetypes loving this feat, but how could you take it when you're already doing something decent with your reaction? Or a Fighter/Rogue triggering Sneak Attack out of turn? Can't really take it. Polearm Master or Sentinel? Battlemaster Riposte? Eldritch Knight Shield?

Hence I really feel that to be taken, it needs to fit in better with the action economy of the classes/multi-classes for whom it might otherwise feel interesting.

clearstream said:

@jaelis The step and attack is kind of neat, and could fit well with the style of the feat. I like that this could let Duelists step inside the reach of polearms. As an aside, I wanted to give Versatile weapons more value. How would you fit that in?

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IMO what versatile weapons need is a separate feat that grants +1 Str and lets you do the 2H damage even while wielding them in one hand.

5e doesn't give very many "free abilities" that aren't tied to a bonus action or reaction. Rogues already use both of those so really any solution you will be happy with has to either be a free ability or enhance rogue abilities if you already have them.

of those 2 options I would just let it give the rogues resistance ability if you don't have it and enhance it if you do.

Maybe add the proficiency bonus to ac against the attack if you have it and some next turn damage enhancing ability against the enemy that triggers it.