Fighter Subclass: The Bravura! (INT-based, tactical, non-magical)

[mellored]

At level X, when you roll initiative you get an extra reaction.

Actually.... that could work.

Tactical Awareness
You always have a plan in mind when you enter a battle. You gain an extra pool of extra reactions equal to your Int modifier (minimum 1). You can use these reactions at any time, but can only use reaction one per triggering event. When you take the attack action, you can forgo making any number of attacks in order to study the battlefield, regaining one reaction for each attack you did not take, up to your maximum.
If you are surprised, your reaction pool is reduced to 0, as all your plans have to change.


Effectively the same thing as using your reaction now and pay for it later, but it's more obvious what you're getting.
Also slightly more flexible, but offset by Int.
Edit: (As long as nobody makes a way to use Int to attack with.)

Poetry in Motion (separate because I like the name)
If you are not wearing heavy armor and take a reaction, you can move up to 5' without provoking an opportunity as part of the same reaction. This movement can be used to bring you into range in order to trigger a reaction.
At level 10, this increases to 10'.

(better wording?)

 

[mellored]

"Whenever a creature within 5' makes a saving throw, you can use your reaction to add or subtract your own ability modifier from that saving throw. Requires a 13 or higher in the relevant ability.* You can use this after the creature makes its roll, but before the DM resolves the save."

Bravada 3 / druid 17, who gives -5 to hold person.
Yea, too much.

I wouldn't go past +/- 1d4.

Barvada 3/druid 17 who gives out -1d4 to hold person.... good but your paying for it.

I can't think of non-magical fluff for Constitution saving throws, though.

I can't either.
That's why i stopped with Dex/Int and Wis/Cha.

 

[mellored]

The bravura can fuel its extra reaction reserve by forgo attack, but you can evaluate the possibility that non-attack action like dodge, disengage, dash bring extra reactions in bank. You can also consider the use knowledge or other check to get information on its opponent as a source of extra reaction.

That's an idea.

Quick Planning
At level 10, you become even quicker at creating plans in the heat of battle. If you take the dodge, dash, disengage, or help action, you regain 1 reaction for your reaction pool. In addition, you can expend your action surge at any time to instantly refill your reaction pool instead of taking an action.

Instant Planning
You can spend your bonus action to regain 1 reaction.
In addition, increase the reactions gained when you take a dodge, dash, disengage, or help action to 2.

 

[Guest 6801328]

mellored beat me to some of this, but here's my thinking about credit vs. debit:

Battlemaster expertise dice differ in two ways:
1) You don't 'buy' them by giving something up.
2) They last indefinitely so if you don't use them now you might use them later.

So, sure, the Bravura could use a similar mechanic, but remember that a design goal is to re-utilize an existing resource (in this case, attacks) in order to justify putting more goodies into the sub-class.

You both went where I was going to go next: give fewer points, and then allow them to be recharged by sacrificing attacks. As mellored points out, this just ends up being the same as a debit system (assuming it's self-sustaining). With one big difference: the round where you 'buy' the reaction might not be anywhere near where you 'spend' it. For example, you might give up an attack in round 2 and then not actually take an extra reaction until round 5. What I don't like about that is that the whole attack-reaction exchange is intended to not only be balanced mechanically, but also to make sense narratively: you are focused on taking reactions, not on making attacks, so on your turn you aren't in a good position to take your attacks. I can sort of see the logic of "you give up an attack to study the situation, which gives you extra reactions later" but the more time between those two events the less convincing I find it. Doing it in the same round feels the cleanest.

And given that the credit system (with the free initial credit/s) ends up being mechanically identical to the debit system but more complex, my inclination is to stick with the simpler and more narratively logical debit system.

That said, sometimes I (like everybody) resist ideas because they're different from what I've been thinking about, so I'm going to keep pondering this and maybe I'll come around.

 

[Guest 6801328]

Bravada 3 / druid 17, who gives -5 to hold person.
Yea, too much.

I wouldn't go past +/- 1d4.

Could be modified (in fact probably should be modified) so that you can't modify saving throws on your own spells.

And +5/-5 is really just equivalent to Advantage/Disadvantage

I can't either.
That's why i stopped with Dex/Int and Wis/Cha.

Yeah. Fair point.

Hmmm.

 

[Guest 6801328]

Just FYI I'm starting to come around on the pool of reactions, recharged by foregoing attacks. Primarily because it seems like the credit model just seems wrong to some people, and I'd rather have everybody like it.

I'll go change the language and see how it looks.

And yes, I'll put "Poetry in Motion" back in. I was trying to avoid having three 'named' abilities at 3rd level.

 

[mellored]

That's an idea.

Quick Planning
At level 10, you become even quicker at creating plans in the heat of battle. If you take the dodge, dash, disengage, or help action, you regain 1 reaction for your reaction pool. In addition, you can expend your action surge at any time to instantly refill your reaction pool instead of taking an action.

Instant Planning
You can spend your bonus action to regain 1 reaction.
In addition, increase the reactions gained when you take a dodge, dash, disengage, or help action to 2.

On second though, i'm not sure I like these.

I mean, they work (maybe keep the action surge), but i'd kind of rather have something different than even more reactions.

Maybe more out of combat stuff?
+Intitive to the party?

Also, probably just leave the bonus action alone. If someone spends a feat for shield master, let them use shield master.

 

[FrogReaver]

I can't say I'm a fan of the pool of reactions. The flavor and feeling and inspiration the previous version of the ability gave me just isn't there for me on this iteration. Nor do I think they work very well mechanically because normally a character can spend 1 reaction a turn. If your character has an int of 10 then he can only spend 1 reaction the whole battle without having to trade attacks for reactions.

 

[Guest 6801328]

I can't say I'm a fan of the pool of reactions. The flavor and feeling and inspiration the previous version of the ability gave me just isn't there for me on this iteration. Nor do I think they work very well mechanically because normally a character can spend 1 reaction a turn. If your character has an int of 10 then he can only spend 1 reaction the whole battle without having to trade attacks for reactions.

Oh, right. I broke normal reaction the way I wrote it.

You would have to automatically get back 1 point per round, plus however many you buy with reactions.

I'll go put that change in so we can see what it looks like, but it's starting to feel messy.

(I also still like the credit model, but willing to poke at this one for a bit.)

 

[Bawylie]

Just some assorted thoughts.

1.) don’t talk yourself out of an interesting idea. I’ve seen some stuff that looks compelling, and then someone chimes in “what about booming blade or bravura3/druid17?” And yeah, ok, but let’s see how that idea stands on its own first without getting into the meta. And if it’s good, then let’s see about how it might fit nicely with the meta. Sometimes it’s as simple as linking something to something else. Like a weapon attack or to movement. Something that’s not a spell in any way. You know?

2.) as an old school warlord fan, I do miss the inspirational healing. And of course that’s a hot point among a lot of people. I was thinking an interesting feature might be a single bonus feat: your choice between Healer and Inspiring Leader. I’m not insisting on anything, but darn it all if that doesn’t fill something I feel the Bravura is missing.

3.) the MAD issue. If you lean into it, can go away. Either embrace heavy armor and dump stat dex, or let INT come in as a bonus under certain circumstances.

4.) the action economy and shared spotlight. I think I would want to avoid stealing spotlight on a fellow player’s turn. But I’d very open to monkeying with the DM’s turns (NPC enemies, etc). I’m thinking of interceptions, defensive/offensive blocking, and sacking. I wonder whether some of these reactions could be conditioned on enemy actions (much like the discussion on saving throws versus aoes).

Finally, I really do love the direction/shape this is taking. My thoughts here aren’t criticisms so much and pondering possibilities.


-Brad