EN5ider Turns 150 With Ari Marmell's TIDES OF BATTLE - Cinematic Stunts for 5E!

It's EN5ider's 150th article! To celebrate, Ari "Mouseferatu" Marmell, acclaimed fantasy novelist, Dungeons and Dragons author, and beloved member of the EN World community, has returned to EN5ider for its 150th issue! Though Ari is mostly writing fantasy novels nowadays, he decided to reprise his role as a top-notch RPG designer for this special event. Ari has returned to change the Tides of Battle by introducing cinematic stunts to Fifth Edition. With this combat module, your character gains the tools to perform amazing feats of acrobatics, use dirty tricks, and dazzle your enemies... without giving up any usefulness in combat in exchange for dramatic flair. Of course, GMs need not fear; it wouldn't be fair if the monsters didn't get these tricks, too...

Join us in celebrating EN5ider's 150th issue with this action-packed supplement by one of RPGs' sharpest wits! Thank you for supporting us through 150 fantastic issues. You inspire us to continue creating strange creatures and epic adventures. We couldn't do it without you.

Here's to the next 150!

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By becoming a patron of EN5ider, the 5th Edition Patreon, you get immediate access not just to this article, but to all 150 of EN5ider's articles and adventures! We're also publishing the 5E version of the acclaimed ZEITGEIST: The Gears of Revolution adventure path on the Patreon. Here's a look at just some of the recent articles you will be able to download immediately - it's an incredibly good deal! If you pledge just $5 per month (and, as a Patreon, you can pledge as much or as little as you want - that's just a suggestion), those 150 fully illustrated articles and adventures work out to just $0.03 each.

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[Zardnaar]

Downloaded it but its late here, I'll read it tomorrow.

 

[Ath-kethin]

"Tides of Battle" is seriously awesome, and will see immediate use at my table. It's nice having a codified article of stuff similar to things I was making up anyway.

I do find it interesting that "Rhythm of Battle" gives a +5 bonus instead of granting advantage, and I'm curious about that design choice since it seems a little out of place in 5e.

 

[Mouseferatu]

[MENTION=6798775]Ath-kethin[/MENTION],

While I haven't seen the final draft, so I don't know how it might have changed in development, when I wrote that stunt, it increased your place in an initiative order that had already been established. Since (by the core rules), you only roll init once, there was no roll to apply advantage to; you just moved up in the init order by +5.

(If you're using any of the optional systems where you roll init every round, I would suggest it simply give you advantage on init the round after you use it.)

 

[Ath-kethin]

[MENTION=6798775]Ath-kethin[/MENTION],

While I haven't seen the final draft, so I don't know how it might have changed in development, when I wrote that stunt, it increased your place in an initiative order that had already been established. Since (by the core rules), you only roll init once, there was no roll to apply advantage to; you just moved up in the init order by +5.

(If you're using any of the optional systems where you roll init every round, I would suggest it simply give you advantage on init the round after you use it.)

Oh. Right. Most people don't roll initiative every round. My game is the exception, not the norm. Oops.

Nothing to see here, folks. Carry on.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Heh. No worries. I still often forget that things I made--this house rule, or that monster background--aren't standard.

Or maybe I just blot that fact out because I want them to be.

 

[Pauln6]

Looks interesting to try. I was toying with the idea of giving battle masters extra manoeuvres from the 5 minute work day supplement at the Fighter only stat boost levels to make them more versatile. That will probably give them enough of a sweetener to try this out.

 

[JesterOC]

I like this implementation of stunts. I had tried my own a while back and with little success (too complicated). On the surface I would like to choose to do a stunt before I roll, but I think this method keeps it simple and helps speed up play. If everyone keeps contemplating stunts every turn the game will slow down.

 

[RangerWickett]

Ari, cool work. I've been tinkering with a 'fighting game'-inspired rejigger to the combat system, which is more complicated than what you have. (I've got 5 stances - Assault, Brandished, Cunning, Defensive, and Engaged, loosely matched to M:tG's Green, Red, Black, Blue, and White color pie - which grant small bonuses. Each stance beats 2 others, so whenever you attack someone and your style is superior, you get a point of Peril you can apply to mess with them.)

When I finish mine, I'll have to offer your version as an option to my players (which they'll probably prefer, knowing their playstyles).

I'm looking at the version from EN5ider's Trello, but the text for Mid-Swing Correction says you can get stunts on the reroll, but The Basics on the previous page says you can't. Which is it?

 

[SubDude]

Seriously nerfs the assassin, but I like it overall.