D&D 5E Battlemaster and Superiority Dice are causing martials to suffer.

[Garthanos]

Pushing attack allows you to move an enemy 15 feet this is the equivalent of three shoves (equivalent of 3 attacks)

LOL 3 attacks did the dm provide a cliff to kill the enemy with handy... so when it is convenient to your narrative damage is not part of the measure of an attack (but its vital to the measurement when it is convenient) , sigh you are silly.

I could seriously tell you played 1e ... the horror story genre you promote sadistic killing of downed PCs , if someone is breathing they are dangerous.. is reminiscent of fantasy vietnam.

 

[NotAYakk]

And I assume this also means the player cannot use their action to make another attack? You're just looking to free up the <Action> part of the turn for things other than swordplay, right?

No, melee weapon attacks are not actions.

Melee weapon attacks are what happens when you are in melee range of people with melee weapons.

 

[Garthanos]

Fated Beast/Battle Companion the feat

1. Intuitive understanding between the beast and master this is a bit like Lassy... very competent at scouting and knowing what master would want her to do in effect when the player is not there they still run their beast. Dogs are particularly well known for extreme loyalty and the War Dog is a classic in early D&D too ...
   • A human companion similarly knows you incredibly well and can predict your needs/wants like the more combat capable versions of Alfred or Robin for batman ...
   • the companion has a skill proficiency you do not for extra cake of versatility. (or match your own for advantage on the skill check? or treat this as skill expertise for the hero)
2. While fighting in your shadow they have an armor class boost? maybe easiest to treat it like them using a bonus action to dodge (like a rogue)
3. While fighting in your shadow they may perform a help action to one of your individual attacks per round,
4. Your companion is ultimately loyal and immune to any mind control and their overwhelming loyalty is to the degree that you can even bring them back from the "verge of death" since it makes less sense to be constantly replacing them. Though you could be like the Eternal Champion and have a new version of the fated companion who might literally show up the next day or the fight a week from now if you need them.
   • Your companion gets death saves instead of just dying on being hit. Much like PCs who get up or remain alive with a heal check.
   • This companion would also be subject to healing and temp hit points and similar. Generally at zero hit points means disabled til you can treat their injuries maybe only after the fight so we could do this without the actual death saves for simplicity.
5. To make it actually worth a full feat you can spend a bonus action to guide the battle companion making their own attack (for the human this might even be a ranged attack) while weaving through the fight and avoiding making themselves too big of target or protect them completely (maybe you get a free parry maneuver) if the enemy on the off hand decided to target them or perhaps a bonus action or reaction to allow them an extra saving throw.
   • insert companions attack here somewhat weaker than the heroes main one.
   • conversely the companion might even enhance some saving throws of yours for instance how robin emotionally grounds batman a lot of the time and gets physically protected by Batman but not actively most of the time most of the time by bats being the more obviously dangerous one in the room,
   • Berserk : Even if the companion FALLs see 4, then the hero may go a bit berserk and be able to launch another attack as a bonus action ... but they would not have the saves or have the companion using the help action. The attack would be with the heroes weapon but still approximately the same as the companions attack

This could probably leverage the Level Up rules in general for instance its companion rules (which has a bodyguard) and maneuver system you can get as the foundation allowing your battle squire to perform attack blocks without being killed.

An idea I have had is that "melee weapon attack is not an action".

If you have a melee weapon and are near a foe, that foe is in danger. You don't spend your action causing that danger. Your action is somethjng else.

Ranged attacks remain actions. Spells, cantrips, etc are all actions.

Martial PCs now have to spend their action on something else.

And the non-action threat of being in melee range of a level 11 fighter can be just as nasty as the vanilla "3 attack action". It just isn't something the fighter chooses to do, it isn't an option, it is free and automatic if the fighter isn't incapacitated.

Can it occur off turn?

We then add in some basic melee actions on top of dodge, push, disengage, and maybe tweak what those actions do.

Next, we add in additional actions that martial PCs gain access to with levels.

 

[Neonchameleon]

Nope excuses, Metagaming you have dangerous people around and ignore them to pound on the one that is no longer dangerous

This is contextual. If you've already seen someone get back on their feet in that fight thanks to Healing Word it's pretty reasonable to assume that despite being down they are still dangerous so you want to finish the job. However looking at the MM Healing Word is relatively rare with default acolytes and priests taking the more magically efficient Cure Wounds - and higher level clerics being able to cast Revivify.

 

[Garthanos]

This is contextual. If you've already seen someone get back on their feet in that fight thanks to Healing Word it's pretty reasonable to assume that despite being down they are still dangerous so you want to finish the job.

I often wonder about all these monsters learning things in 3 round fights. How often have they fought people able to do these extraordinary things?

 

[Neonchameleon]

I often wonder about all these monsters learning things in 3 round fights. How often have they fought people able to do these extraordinary things?

Depends on the monster - and whether they have much training. Wolves probably wouldn't - while commandos might confirm their kills against anyone adventurer-ish on principle.

 

[Baron Opal II]

Depends on their level / HD, I suppose.

Low, not too often, if at all.

Higher, they've seen a trick or two.

 

[James Gasik]

I often wonder about all these monsters learning things in 3 round fights. How often have they fought people able to do these extraordinary things?

Let alone the chances of surviving a fight with people who can do extraordinary things. Since NPC's don't really have character classes in the same way PC's do, it seems odd that you can look at a guy and go "ah, he is obviously capable of casting healing word every round!".

 

[Garthanos]

Depends on the monster - and whether they have much training. Wolves probably wouldn't - while commandos might confirm their kills

while potentially under attack.. instead of using dodge actions or closing to someone else they might knock out of the fight? sigh, its just dm sadism

against anyone adventurer-ish on principle.

LOL adventurer-ish,
Your monsters have fought loads of heroes and survived have they?

My game world leaves adventurers much more special apparently

 

[Garthanos]

Let alone the chances of surviving a fight with people who can do extraordinary things. Since NPC's don't really have character classes in the same way PC's do, it seems odd that you can look at a guy and go "ah, he is obviously capable of casting healing word every round!".

Yup you pretty much had to learn it in those few rounds prior none of this but you have fought a dozen adventurers and know they often get up/have second winds or get inspired by the Bard/Cleric stuff

It is really just a DM using metagame knowledge....