D&D 5E Fighting With Style, Fighting Styles as Level 1 subclass choices

Horwath · Jul 11, 2019

doctorbadwolf said:
I agree, and I’d love to do a whole DMsGuild product someday adding small features to each class with level 3 subclasses.

Exactly! You guys get it! Lol

so, how do we add a touch of magic to a level 1 fighter within the balance of Fighting Styles?

Fighting style, combat magic:
You gain 2 cantrips from wizard, sorcerer or warlock list. Both cantrips must have magic attack roll or be used with weapon attack.

Tales and Chronicles · Jul 11, 2019

Horwath said:
Fighting style, combat magic:
You gain 2 cantrips from wizard, sorcerer or warlock list. Both cantrips must have magic attack roll or be used with weapon attack.

I'd create 2 fighting style to replicate part of the Warcaster and Spellsniper feats:

Combat Magic: Can use melee weapon as focus for somatic components. Lear 2 cantrip from the wizard spell list.
Arcane Archery: Learn 2 cantrip from the wizard spell list that require an attack roll. If use while wielding a bow, replace the range of the spell with the one from the bow.

doctorbadwolf · Jul 11, 2019

Horwath said:
Fighting style, combat magic:
You gain 2 cantrips from wizard, sorcerer or warlock list. Both cantrips must have magic attack roll or be used with weapon attack.

That seems like a good bit more oomph than what other fighting styles get

Jer · Jul 11, 2019

Paul Farquhar said:
I think the "farm boy drawn into an adventure" is an important archetype. So I think it's important for a "generic" class to exist that doesn't aquire special features until they have gained some experience.

But that isn't a fighter archetype - that's a protagonist archetype. That kind of character could become the Dread Pirate (rogue) Roberts or discover their inborn sorcerous abilities or be forced to make a pact with an archfey to save their life. Or meet an old retired mystic from a lost order of psionics users who gives them a laser sword and teaches them how to harness their inborn psionic abilities to fight blind and manipulate weak minds.

All of that is to say that for 5e D&D those are things that are background elements for the other classes before you start playing them. Why should the fighter class work differently?

doctorbadwolf · Jul 11, 2019

Jer said:
But that isn't a fighter archetype - that's a protagonist archetype. That kind of character could become the Dread Pirate (rogue) Roberts or discover their inborn sorcerous abilities or be forced to make a pact with an archfey to save their life. Or meet an old retired mystic from a lost order of psionics users who gives them a laser sword and teaches them how to harness their inborn psionic abilities to fight blind and manipulate weak minds.

All of that is to say that for 5e D&D those are things that are background elements for the other classes before you start playing them. Why should the fighter class work differently?

Exactly. The farm boys I can think of off hand from modern fiction are Luke Skywalker and Rand Al'thor, a Monk and Sorcerer, respectively. Wesley could easily be argued to be a Battle Master Fighter, but I'd certainly play him as a rogue. As a fighter he'd require the Skilled feat, whereas as a rogue he'd need no specific feats.

Going back to Wheel of Time, you've also got Nynaeve and Egwene who I'd say are more Wizards (in a world where you can be born with a spark that allows wizardry), and Matt (rogue 100%) and Perrin (Barbarian or Ranger, maybe both. Would need a custom subclass for going into the dream world and having wolf senses and talking to wolves telepathically over significant distance, and even summoning them for aid on the hunt or in battle).

Inigo is probably a Fighter, but he was the son of a famous master blacksmith, and is old enough when we meet him that he's an unusually young Old Master, not a simple farm boy by any stretch.

Xeviat · Jul 12, 2019

In another thread, we were talking about wanting to move the fighter subclass to first level. I think this would be a simple way of doing it. +1d4 elemental damage to your attacks isn't that much more than duelist's +2 damage, but maybe you could gate it behind knowing the Arcana skill.

Fenris-77 · Jul 12, 2019

If you cap the d4 a 1/turn you probably don't need to gate it.

FrogReaver · Jul 12, 2019

doctorbadwolf said:
Exactly! You guys get it! Lol

so, how do we add a touch of magic to a level 1 fighter within the balance of Fighting Styles?

What about:

You gain two evocation cantrips and 1 first level evocation spell that you can cast once per day. When you cast either cantrip or this spell you can add your fighter level to the damage dealt.

(I think this also has the potential to fix the eldritch knight war magic ability)

Garthanos · Jul 12, 2019

doctorbadwolf said:
Inigo is probably a Fighter, but he was the son of a famous master blacksmith, and is old enough when we meet him that he's an unusually young Old Master, not a simple farm boy by any stretch.

Wesley is an example of how heroic fiction often features super versatile characters

Fenris-77 · Jul 12, 2019

FrogReaver said:
What about:

You gain two evocation cantrips and 1 first level evocation spell that you can cast once per day. When you cast either cantrip or this spell you can add your fighter level to the damage dealt.

(I think this also has the potential to fix the eldritch knight war magic ability)

So it's +20 damage at 20th level? Every time? Sounds a might strong, even at per day (which I'm assuming applies to the cantrips as well). If the cantrips are at will and you want to add level to damage IDK know what to say.