D&D 5E (2014) Few questions on how to build a Samurai for this edition

[Rocksome]

I like the idea splitting the feat benefit over different weapons. Just check how lenient your DM is on the drop and draw in a single turn thing.

 

[Belgarath81]

If your DM allows homebrewed content then consider using this http://www.enworld.org/forum/5earchetypes/showentry.php?e=28&catid=popentries&orderby=views.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

Not an appreciable amount, and quite a bit less considering the great axe is usable with the great weapon master feat and the long sword isn't. Yeah you would have a slight edge in minimum damage, IF there wasn't a great weapon style that let you re-roll 1's and 2's.

Great Weapon Style still leaves the greataxe behind a 2-handed longsword with +2 damage.

Longsword (Versatile, Dueling): 1d10+2 = 7.5 average damage
Greataxe (Great Weapon Style): 1d12 (rerolling 1-2s) = 7.33 average damage

 

[aramis erak]

Depending upon era - some or all of the following
Dual wield Longsword and shortsword (Katana and Wakizashi)
Dual wield longsword and buckler (Kanana and gunbai)
Single-wield longsword 1-handed or 2 handed (katana or nagamaki)
wield glaive (naginata)
wield spear (yari)
wield great sword (no-dachi or ō-dachi)
wield halbeard (kamayari)
paired daggers (jitte)

Style spec can easily be dual (usually later period - mostly after Musashi), dueling, or in certain areas, war-fan (gunbai) as buckler being sword-n-shield.

Tessen is essentially also a buckler mechanically, but one that's got 1d4 slashing or 1d4 bludgeoning, as desired, offense, where the gunbai is usually bludgeoning.

A interesting twist would be to add a style specialization for tsukubō and sodegarami - which would be, on a successful hit against a person in loose garments, spend a bonus action to grapple them with the weapon, and a later action to immobilize them with it. Which then would put them as specialized spears for weapon stats.

Jitte specialization would focus on react to attempt a disarm.

 

[Thyrwyn]

Of the Fighting Styles available to the Fighter, several would be viable for a Katana equipped Samurai:
1) Great Weapon Fighting Style - still get to re-roll 1's and 2's with versatile weapons held in two hands.
2) Defense - AC is nothing to sneeze at, since you are giving up your shield,
3) Archery - Arguably, the +2 to hit with ranged Weapons is more important, since you are a Strength based build and your Dexterity probably isn't that great. The Samurai should be effective with all of his weapons.

 

[ExploderWizard]

Great Weapon Style still leaves the greataxe behind a 2-handed longsword with +2 damage.

Longsword (Versatile, Dueling): 1d10+2 = 7.5 average damage
Greataxe (Great Weapon Style): 1d12 (rerolling 1-2s) = 7.33 average damage

7.33 vs 7.5!! OMG!!! That longsword guy is squeezing out an average of .17 more damage per attack!!

Are you familiar with the term "in the noise"? The effect this difference has on game play is a textbook example.

 

[Inchoroi]

How samurai do you want to go? Do you want traditional sort of samurai, or Animu Samurai?

Traditional Samurai: I'd go longsword wielded two-handed with Defense fighting style. Wear scalemail, fluffed to be like the lamellar (sp? Is that what it was called?) that samurai wore, a la The Last Samurai.
Animu Samurai: One handed longsword, or, possibly, rapier, to raise your AC by focusing on DEX rather than STR. Take the duelist fighting style and do a decent bit of damage with it, especially around level 5+.

In either case, go Battlemaster, definitely; the thing about Battlemaster is don't be afraid to use 1-2 superiority dice per battle; remember, you regain them on a short rest.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Well, if you want a "real" traditional samurai, your PC would focus on archery first, then mounted combat, then bladed weapons, in that order. Samurai were archers first, before anything else. In fact, they only used the blade to behead enemies, and close in fighting was a last resort. They really didn't start using it as a primary way of fighting until they fought the Mongols. And that wasn't just katana, but naginta and spears equally.

It's one of those American made myths we have, like the ninja. Ninja in history didn't wear all black jammies. They dressed in whatever clothing made them blend in. And shuriken were never designed to kill. In fact, there's no historical record of one every killing anyone. They were used to distract while you closed in and killed with your blade. There are tons of examples of how our Americanized takes on history are totally wrong, but oh well. They're cool.

 

[Pickles JG]

I allow the dueling style to apply to versatile weapons. Check with your DM. My reasoning is that they could be using a shield so giving up 2AC to have an extra hand on the weapon isn't a big deal.

Except it then out damages great axes and, by a hair, great swords.

I thought the great weapon class feature option was poor and I think it's because power attack in Great weapon mastery more than makes up for it.

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

Aww man, next you'll be telling me that Ninja II: The Domination WASNT a historical documentary and that ninjas cant jump kick a helicopter into exploding! (for those who havent seen it, the golf course assault is one of the finest pieces of action movie cheese ever)