D&D 5E Combat styles and multi-classing

Quartz · Jun 25, 2019

Or, have I been doing it wrong? I'm looking at 'You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.' (PHB p.91)

Fighting classes often give combat styles early on. Are they cumulative, or do they replace previous styles? If they are cumulative, what if they weren't? Combat styles are very powerful and getting a second combat style is one of the defining features of the higher-level Champion Fighter.

Sorcerers Apprentice · Jun 25, 2019

Quartz said:
Or, have I been doing it wrong? I'm looking at 'You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.' (PHB p.91)

Fighting classes often give combat styles early on. Are they cumulative, or do they replace previous styles? If they are cumulative, what if they weren't? Combat styles are very powerful and getting a second combat style is one of the defining features of the higher-level Champion Fighter.

You can't take a single style more than once, so no picking dueling twice for +4 damage to all one handed attacks.

Li Shenron · Jun 25, 2019

Quartz said:
Or, have I been doing it wrong? I'm looking at 'You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.' (PHB p.91)

Fighting classes often give combat styles early on. Are they cumulative, or do they replace previous styles? If they are cumulative, what if they weren't? Combat styles are very powerful and getting a second combat style is one of the defining features of the higher-level Champion Fighter.

They are cumulative, as long as you choose a different style each time you earn one.

Revaros · Jun 25, 2019

"Even if you get to choose it again" is written for multi-classing where you would otherwise seemingly get the option to choose the same style again.

Fanaelialae · Jun 25, 2019

You can have multiple fighting styles as long as you don't take the same one more than once.

It's potent, but you need to consider the opportunity cost of multi classing in order to do so. You're delaying access to high level abilities (such as Extra Attack) or potentially cutting off access entirely.

Additionally, fighting styles aren't complimentary. You can't benefit from Archery and Duelist at the same time, though it's certainly nice to have options. You can benefit for the +2 to damage and +1 to AC at the same time, but they're not contributing to the same efficacy (unless you're considering overall combat effectiveness).

I would say they're fine as is. You can't take the same fighting style more than once, but having multiple different styles is not a problem IME.

DND_Reborn · Jun 25, 2019

Quartz said:
Or, have I been doing it wrong? I'm looking at 'You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.' (PHB p.91)

Fighting classes often give combat styles early on. Are they cumulative, or do they replace previous styles? If they are cumulative, what if they weren't? Combat styles are very powerful and getting a second combat style is one of the defining features of the higher-level Champion Fighter.

As others have said, you can take different styles when multiclass or 11th-level champion. However, our group disagrees about them being "very powerful" so we house-ruled extra features:

Archery
You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons. If you have made an attack with a ranged weapon, you can use your bonus action to make another ranged weapon attack of the same type (missile or thrown) . You cannot use this feature with a weapon with the Loading property.

Defense
While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to your armor class. You can use your reaction to half the damage from one attack. You can use this feature after the attack is rolled, but before damage is determined.

Dueling
When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon and any attempts to disarm your weapon are with disadvantage. After you have made an attack with your melee weapon, you can use your bonus action to make a second attack with the same weapon.

Great Weapon Fighting
You gain a +1 to damage when wielding a weapon with both hands. When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the heavy or versatile property for you to gain this benefit. You can use your bonus action to grant yourself a +1 bonus to your AC until the start of your next turn.

Protection
While wielding a shield, you gain a +1 bonus to your AC. When a creature you can see attacks a target that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll.

Two-Weapon Fighting
When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you add your Strength ability modifier to the damage of both weapons. Fighting with two weapons does not cost your bonus action.

So all the new features require either a bonus action or reaction, except TWF which removes the need for a bonus action.

Dausuul · Jun 25, 2019

Quartz said:
Or, have I been doing it wrong? I'm looking at 'You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.' (PHB p.91)

The way I read it, what that means is you can't take the same combat style twice.

You can take multiple styles if you get them from multiple sources, but basically what that means is you get a choice of "+1 to AC" or "use a reaction to impose disadvantage when someone attacks your ally." The powerhouse combat styles (Great Weapon, Archery, Dueling, and Two-Weapon) can't be stacked because they require mutually exclusive weapon loadouts. +1 AC is a nice perk to martial multiclassing, but it's far from broken.

Quartz · Jun 25, 2019

Okay, thanks. So suppose that Fighting Styles were not cumulative - that is, unless you are a high-level Champion Fighter you can only ever have one Fighting Style - how would that affect multiclassing and the game?

FrogReaver · Jun 26, 2019

Quartz said:
Okay, thanks. So suppose that Fighting Styles were not cumulative - that is, unless you are a high-level Champion Fighter you can only ever have one Fighting Style - how would that affect multiclassing and the game?

None

or to be more exact so arguments don’t ensue. The effect would be so minimal that it’s effect on multiclassing would be so minimal that it might as well be non existent.

Maybe 1 out of 1 million players would multiclass differently if this were the case

Dausuul · Jun 26, 2019

Quartz said:
Okay, thanks. So suppose that Fighting Styles were not cumulative - that is, unless you are a high-level Champion Fighter you can only ever have one Fighting Style - how would that affect multiclassing and the game?

It's effectively a -1 penalty to AC for anyone multiclassing two martial classes. So, you're nerfing martial multiclass builds. Do you think that they need it?