D&D 5E New(?) Fighting Style: Tactical

DND_Reborn · Jul 19, 2019

Inspired by some of the comments on other threads, I've devised a new fighting style for the Intelligent fighter:

Tactical
You can choose to add your Intelligence modifier to your attack roll with weapons and unarmed strikes instead of your Strength or Dexterity modifier.

(and for our house-ruling boost: You can use your bonus action to add your Intelligence modifier to damage on your attacks instead of your Strength modifier.)

I'm sure this is "late-to-the-game", but it will allow someone to play a Fighter who can focus on using their wits in combat more than anything else.

Thoughts?

EDIT: updated to reflect that on further thought, a feat might be better than a Fighting Style.

Tactician (feat)
Once during your turn, when you take the Attack action, you can add your Intelligence modifier to your attack roll and damage when you attack with a weapon or make an unarmed strike.

Better as a feat? Further thoughts?

Xeviat · Jul 19, 2019

Hmmmm ... I'm inclined to say no? But that might just be a guy reaction. It really probably won't affect much other than allowing more character types. The game is already mostly balanced around characters having their highest stat be their attack stat. Only gishes and multiclass spellcasters have to deal with multiple primary stats (and most gishes don't use attack spells, except for some ranger and paladin attacks). Because of that, I feel like no is the right answer ... But you also aren't adding another boost so high int with this is weaker in combat than high Str/Dex with another style, so it is probably "balanced".

You're just going to get a lot of bladesingers wanting to multiclass for 1-3 levels of fighter for this.

DND_Reborn · Jul 19, 2019

Xeviat said:
Hmmmm ... I'm inclined to say no? But that might just be a guy reaction. It really probably won't affect much other than allowing more character types. The game is already mostly balanced around characters having their highest stat be their attack stat. Only gishes and multiclass spellcasters have to deal with multiple primary stats (and most gishes don't use attack spells, except for some ranger and paladin attacks). Because of that, I feel like no is the right answer ... But you also aren't adding another boost so high int with this is weaker in combat than high Str/Dex with another style, so it is probably "balanced".

You're just going to get a lot of bladesingers wanting to multiclass for 1-3 levels of fighter for this.

Thanks for the feedback. And yeah, probably...

It does step on the toes of their 14th-level Song of Victory ability with the bonus action boost option.

Blue · Jul 19, 2019

dnd4vr said:
Inspired by some of the comments on other threads, I've devised a new fighting style for the Intelligent fighter:

Tactical
You can choose to add your Intelligence modifier to your attack roll with weapons and unarmed strikes instead of your Strength or Dexterity modifier.

(and for our house-ruling boost: You can use your bonus action to add your Intelligence modifier to damage on your attacks instead of your Strength modifier.)

I'm sure this is "late-to-the-game", but it will allow someone to play a Fighter who can focus on using their wits in combat more than anything else.

Thoughts?

Every "replace attack stat" has limitations. Finesse is only on a subset of weapons, none heavy/two-handed. Shillelagh only works on clubs and quarterstaves. Warlock Hexblade only works on non-two handed weapons that you can touch at the end of a long rest which excludes all spell-created blades like Shadow Blade.

This applies to all weapons, melee and ranged. It works with all spell based blades like Shadow Blade as well as with melee attack cantrips.

You can apply Elven Accuracy to anything.

With the exception for warlock hexblade + pact of the blade, it's the only way to get a non-STR attack stat for heavy weapons - things you can take GWM with. Which works great with aforementioned Elven Accuracy.

Fighter is already considered one of the best multiclass dips for cherry picking, and Action Surge is worth the two level dip a not uncommon dip for wizards (even listed in the CharOp guides).

I think that in general this has interesting flavor and the occasional martial class could take it for a flavor but not many because INT doesn't have a lot of synergies elsewhere for them. But I think it's easy to min/max and abuse. Got a specific table that's not going to abuse it and it would be flavorful, but I wouldn't recommend as-is for general usage.

Garthanos · Jul 19, 2019

I added something to the fighter in both 4e and 5e that allows any mental attribute to be used as your initiative stat (call it battle ready).

I would like tactical maneuvers for the Battlemaster as the next step similar to how the Battlemaster has Charisma mods

MechaTarrasque · Jul 19, 2019

I think I would rather do something like:

If you spend a round studying an opponent, you can add your int modifier (in addition to your str/dex modifier) to your damage rolls for your next 2 attacks against that target.

Tony Vargas · Jul 19, 2019

dnd4vr said:
Tactical
You can choose to add your Intelligence modifier to your attack roll with weapons and unarmed strikes instead of your Strength or Dexterity modifier.

On the one hand, that's not really much of a perk. Most Combat Styles actually make you better at something than the next guy. If your INT is 16, this makes as good with a Rapier as the guy with DEX 16. ::shrug::

Maybe have the INT bonus add in some other way.

(and for our house-ruling boost: You can use your bonus action to add your Intelligence modifier to damage on your attacks instead of your Strength modifier.)

Maybe just add it, rather than replace it? With some proviso about the type of weapon & enemy or something?

IDK.

OTOH...

Xeviat said:
You're just going to get a lot of bladesingers wanting to multiclass for 1-3 levels of fighter for this.

A lot of the time, when you try to help out or add interest to the fighter, all you do is create a 'dip' effect that benefits (no surprise) some caster class.

Seems like it'd be of obvious utility to EKs, too.

And, it'd let 8/8 STR/DEX characters wield weapons - no particular restriction, so rapiers (which maybe isn't too crazy) to greataxes…?

Quartz · Jul 19, 2019

dnd4vr said:
Tactical
You can choose to add your Intelligence modifier to your attack roll with weapons and unarmed strikes instead of your Strength or Dexterity modifier.

...

Thoughts?

I think that's way beyond what a Fighting Style ordinarily does. I think this would be more appropriate as a subclass of Barbarian - the rage ability being reskinned as focus. Or maybe some Int-based manoeuvres for the Battlemaster.

You might even reskin the Valour Bard.

The Crimson Binome · Jul 20, 2019

I don't like it, for a number of reasons. I mean, I'm never going to be on board with letting one stat substitute for another, but if that's what you're going to do, then you should commit.

I think this fighting style would be far more interesting and balanced if it let you use (Intelligence modifier plus one) in place of your Dexterity modifier for the purposes of attack and damage with finesse weapons, and for AC and Initiative calculations while wearing light armor.

Simply letting you use Intelligence in place of Dexterity is not a real benefit, since Dexterity is still a better stat; letting someone take that style, if that was all it did, would be like giving someone permission to shoot themself in the foot. The +1 bonus is the actual benefit of the fighting style, which brings it up to the level of the other fighting styles.

Garthanos · Jul 20, 2019

MechaTarrasque said:
I think I would rather do something like:

If you spend a round studying an opponent, you can add your int modifier (in addition to your str/dex modifier) to your damage rolls for your next 2 attacks against that target.

Too expensive IMHO actually and Fighters have another resource their attacks... spend one of your attacks scanning your enemies for an opening you may use Int/Cha or Wisdom (or appropriate skill such as investigation, insight, deception) and your next attack vs that enemy can be as though you had a superiority die additionally add int/wiz/charisma.