Ahnehnois
First Post
The issue is different here.Plus, it's kind of funny that one of the main complaints of AEDU was "sameiness", so why you'd want a new mechanic available to everybody to use is beyond me.
With regards to sameness, a player might question why he, as an archer, can shoot a crossbow bolt that deals X damage once per encounter, while some mage elsewhere can shoot a bolt of flame that also deals X damage once per encounter. The issue is using the same mechanic to describe different things. Combat superiority is using the same mechanic to describe the same thing (how skilled you are at fighting).
One might also question why a player who wants to play a wizard (expecting to memorize a few spells a day), a warlock (expecting to spam invocations at will with no limits), and a rogue (expecting to sneak attack people when they're off-guard and stay out of the way otherwise) all fall under the same resource management system. This is different because it isn't the defining aspect of a character. A fighter might have two CS dice and a limited ability to stab people in the back, while a rogue might have one die and be great at backstabbing. They're using the same combat mechanics, but they don't get the same progression of class abilities.
Neither of these is an issue with this combat superiority business. The dice themselves are simply a reflection of martial skill, like an attack bonus or a fortitude save. Lots of people have martial skill. In this case, one player might choose to play a fighter and concentrate his career on swordplay, while another might choose to play a ranger and do swordplay but also gain some survival skills, an animal companion and a few spells. Clearly, the first character should be better at swordplay than the 2nd. But if both characters reach 10th level and the fighter has 4d6 dice of crazy maneuvers while the ranger has none, the latter player can and should complain that the rules have shortchanged him.
Adding these combat superiority dice is a good mechanic to represent combat skill. Like any such mechanic, the fighter should simply be a little better at it than anyone else. He should have, on aggregate, more hit points, better AC, better attack bonus and damage, better maneuvers, more feats, and now more combat superiority dice than other characters. Simple as that.