Hawk Diesel
Adventurer
So I've been thinking about the Protection Fighting Style. Like the Defense and Two-Weapon Fighting Styles, it does not scale with the number of attacks or with Action Surge. I've found a way to fix Two-Weapon Fighting on this front. Now I'd like to find a way to have the Protection Style scale.
One interesting thought I had considered the Help action. Looking into Help, I discovered that (to my surprise), the Help action had no defensive utility. It could help a person land an attack, but you can't help a person avoid an attack. I found that a bit interesting.
Then I looked at the Dodge action. Enemies have disadvantage on all attacks against you, and you have advantage on all Dex Saves.
That got me thinking how these might be applied to a Protection Fighting Style. I want something that will scale and function with Action Surge. But I also want it to maintain a bit of oompf since purely defensive abilities can be a little boring. I want someone that uses the Protection Fighting Style to still have fun, but also make it feel like they are effective guardians. So this is what I'm considering:
Protection
When you take the Dodge action, you can instead choose to apply the benefits to one ally you can see within 5 feet. If an enemy you can see successfully hits your ally with an attack, you can use your reaction to do one of the following options:
Attack. You can make one weapon attack against the enemy. The enemy must be within reach or range of the weapon you are using.
Defend. You are treated as if you were the original target of the attack. The attack is considered a hit, even if the attack roll wouldn’t normally hit your armor class.
Reasoning: I like this for a few reasons. It scales into the higher tiers and interacts with Action Surge. But it also give the player using this something they can do. They aren't just protecting someone. They are engaged in the combat. They have some limited ability to do some offense, or they can go even harder into the defensive aspect and become the target of the attack. I also like the idea of any kind of fighter being able to defend. It isn't limited to someone carrying a shield, and can even work with an archer. I think this is important for those with multiple fighting styles, like the Champion.
But, this is just a draft. What do others think? Does this go too far in terms of what the other Fighting Styles offer? Does this make it too good to use? Might this somehow break the game in ways I haven't considered?
One interesting thought I had considered the Help action. Looking into Help, I discovered that (to my surprise), the Help action had no defensive utility. It could help a person land an attack, but you can't help a person avoid an attack. I found that a bit interesting.
Then I looked at the Dodge action. Enemies have disadvantage on all attacks against you, and you have advantage on all Dex Saves.
That got me thinking how these might be applied to a Protection Fighting Style. I want something that will scale and function with Action Surge. But I also want it to maintain a bit of oompf since purely defensive abilities can be a little boring. I want someone that uses the Protection Fighting Style to still have fun, but also make it feel like they are effective guardians. So this is what I'm considering:
Protection
When you take the Dodge action, you can instead choose to apply the benefits to one ally you can see within 5 feet. If an enemy you can see successfully hits your ally with an attack, you can use your reaction to do one of the following options:
Attack. You can make one weapon attack against the enemy. The enemy must be within reach or range of the weapon you are using.
Defend. You are treated as if you were the original target of the attack. The attack is considered a hit, even if the attack roll wouldn’t normally hit your armor class.
Reasoning: I like this for a few reasons. It scales into the higher tiers and interacts with Action Surge. But it also give the player using this something they can do. They aren't just protecting someone. They are engaged in the combat. They have some limited ability to do some offense, or they can go even harder into the defensive aspect and become the target of the attack. I also like the idea of any kind of fighter being able to defend. It isn't limited to someone carrying a shield, and can even work with an archer. I think this is important for those with multiple fighting styles, like the Champion.
But, this is just a draft. What do others think? Does this go too far in terms of what the other Fighting Styles offer? Does this make it too good to use? Might this somehow break the game in ways I haven't considered?
