D&D (2024) Weapon mastery

[Stalker0]

Graze seems to be the upgrade TH Fighters were looking for. Getting to do 5 damage even on a miss isn't nothing.

I wish Cleave just used the same attack roll, mainly for QoL. I don't need more attack rolls slowing down the game. And heck if you get that nat 20 on the first and therefore you crit on the cleave, that's just freakin cool....enjoy it I say.

 

[mellored]

No one capable of using Weapon Masteries wi ever take the dagger, light hammer, or sickle when they can take the scimitar instead.

No one used them before either. Only a few weapons where ever selected.

So while it may not be perfect, this is definitely an upgrade.

And Blowgun is still the worst.

 

[HammerMan]

What kind of things can you now do with weapon mastery?

At level 7, for instance. A fighter can add push to a longbow.
At level 13, you can push, push, prone with a longbow.

Dual wielding also seems like it could be great.

But not push and prone with the same ahot

So 3 attacks 2 push and 1 prome

 

[codo]

My only immediate spider-sense tingle of negativity towards the Weapon Mastery system was seeing Nick on the scimitar. Because that is the only Nick weapon that is a 1d6 damage, with the other three being 1d4. So like the Rapier was the default Finesse weapon in 2014E because it was the only Finesse weapon with the highest damage... scimitar with be the default Nick weapon because its the only one with the highest damage. No one capable of using Weapon Masteries wi ever take the dagger, light hammer, or sickle when they can take the scimitar instead.

Has anyone ever actually used a dagger, light hammer, or sickle yet in 5e? I suppose a character might use daggers for the thrown and finesse property, but that is still the case in 1dnd. The light hammer and sickle are still useless. That is kind of on purpose though. Light hammers and sickles aren't really weapons. They are tools that can be used as weapons, but they aren't as good as purpose built weapons. They are there as flavorful options for npcs, not as weapon options for pcs.

 

[HammerMan]

Has anyone ever actually used a dagger, light hammer, or sickle yet in 5e? I suppose a character might use daggers for the thrown and finesse property, but that is still the case in 1dnd. The light hammer and sickle are still useless. That is kind of on purpose though. Light hammers and sickles aren't really weapons. They are tools that can be used as weapons, but they aren't as good as purpose built weapons. They are there as flavorful options for npcs, not as weapon options for pcs.

I see some knife fighters but not a lot. I had 1 player use the light hammer but as a back up weapon and in a game I played in I took sickle for my pali cleric of a god of harvest.

Not a lot adding them all up I bet that and whip togather make like 1/3 of the long swords

 

[DEFCON 1]

No one used them before either. Only a few weapons where ever selected.

So while it may not be perfect, this is definitely an upgrade.

And Blowgun is still the worst.

Has anyone ever actually used a dagger, light hammer, or sickle yet in 5e? I suppose a character might use daggers for the thrown and finesse property, but that is still the case in 1dnd. The light hammer and sickle are still useless. That is kind of on purpose though. Light hammers and sickles aren't really weapons. They are tools that can be used as weapons, but they aren't as good as purpose built weapons. They are there as flavorful options for npcs, not as weapon options for pcs.

Well that's my point. If Scimitar didn't have Nick, then those three weapons WOULD get selected more often as the only options available to let you two-weapon attack with only a single Action (and not have to use your Bonus action for it.)

And that may be the point. If your a rogue wanting a some extra damage, you take the "simplier" weapon. But when your a weapon pro, you upgrade.

This makes a little bit of sense... the Rogues who will want to dual-wield using only their Action to do so would have to use dagger, light hammer or sickle as the three Simple weapons with Nick (if we are going under the assumption Rogues aren't going to have the Martial proficiency to use scimitars.) But that still doesn't take care of my (admitted not that important) concern that any character with martial proficiency that wishes to dual-wield using only a single Action will always have to use the same weapon each and every time. From a character-choice perspective... NOT having a choice in what weapon to use just feels like a missed opportunity. The same way almost every DEX-based character who took the Dual Wielder feat in 2014E used dual Rapiers because that was the only 1d8 Finesse weapon. The scimitar is the only 1d6 weapon with Nick. I mean I'm fine with there being 1d6 weapons with the Nick property, I just wish there were more than just one is all I'm saying. Let players have more choice.

Now that being said... I also fully admit that I have not gone through all the permutations of Class and proficiency and having Weapon Mastery as a talent to determine whether everyone who COULD dual-wield Martial weapons actually would get stuck having to just using scimitars-- since I presume Fighters and the like could just take the Nick property off the scimitar and use it on whatever other weapon they wanted through their class feature abilities. If that ends up being the case... that you could use Nick while wielding Battleaxes or whatever, then my initial concern is unwarranted. And I suspect that's the biggest thing... I just haven't delved that deeply into all the permutatiions of the rule system yet.

Just looked and reminded myself that in fact Fighters can't do that, because Nick has a Prerequisite of the Light property. Meaning that only Light weapons can have the option to dual-wield with a single Action. And thus your options for 1d6 weapons that can have Nick are scimitar and then add in shortsword and handaxe. Which is... okay? I guess? I dunno. I'd probably prefer a 1d6 Bludgeoning weapon with Light too as to give every damage type an option (the table has both Club and Light Hammer as a Light 1d4 weapon, so maybe move Light Hammer up to 1d6?) But yeah... I just prefer to have several weapon options available for all the different types of characters you can make.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

The same way almost every DEX-based character who took the Dual Wielder feat in 2014E used dual Rapiers because that was the only 1d8 Finesse weapon.

I am so confused. Yesterday people said, that upgrading a die by using the flex property was a non-improvement. Now everyone had to use a rapier to go from d6 damage to d8...

I am so confused.

 

[mellored]

I am so confused. Yesterday people said, that upgrading a die by using the flex property was a non-improvement. Now everyone had to use a rapier to go from d6 damage to d8...

I am so confused.

D8 finess is better than d6 finesse. One is strictly better than the other.

D10 with nothing (flex warpick) is not better than d8 with topple and thrown (trident). Or d8 with push. Or d8 with sap. Of d8 with vex and finess.

Though I do agree that there should be a simple damage increase option.

 

[DEFCON 1]

I am so confused. Yesterday people said, that upgrading a die by using the flex property was a non-improvement. Now everyone had to use a rapier to go from d6 damage to d8...

I am so confused.

The two situations aren't the same. As @mellored just said... having Flex means not having a different mastery. Taking Rapier was just the best option available. You weren't giving anything up to use Rapier.

 

[Knight_Marshal]

They are going to bog down combat especially the one where the DM has to roll to resist knockdown every hit and giving yourself nearly permanent advantage is a must have so there goes your level 4 pick.