D&D 5E "Slayer" fighter archetype

[Bolares]

Brutal Surge
When you could use an Action Surge to gain an additional attack, you can double the damage of one attack instead. You must make this choice before you make your attack roll.

Most powers of this kind let you activate it after you've hit a creature. This makes it worse than Divine Smite IMHO.

 

[dave2008]

OK, I updated Brutal Surge to hopefully be closer to what intended.

 

[dave2008]

His point was, if I am using my double damage power, and happen to crit on it, I may do more than 50 damage anyway and so the ability is "wasted". This could also happen with multiclassing with classes that get "big crits" like paladins or rogues

That is not the end of the world, but it does weaken the ability some.

And rare circumstances yes. Of course, the deadly crit is applied after damage, then...

 

[Stalker0]

Let me throw this out there. So the subclass has a OA schtick. That seems fine, I can't think of any other subclasses that really have that.

But then we have this crit element at the end, and I wonder if that's the wrong direction. "Big Crits" are already the purview of rogues, barbs, and paladins.... and champions already get more crits. Maybe crits is simply the wrong way to go.

We already have vital strike, but maybe we upgrade it to "greater vital strike", where you get double your prof bonus to damage or something. Yes that's very plain jane.....but I feel like that is the point of this class.....raw pain, nothing fancy, not complex, just.... MOAR....PAIN!

Here are a few other brainstorm ideas:

1) Damage can not be reduced by any means (bardic inspiration, weapon resistance, DR, damage threshold, poisoned condition....nothing)
2) Max weapon damage
3) Double prof to damage
4) Auto hit X/day
5) Crit creates gaping wound.....increase the threat range of all further hits on creature by 1 (also helps the party!)

 

[dave2008]

Most powers of this kind let you activate it after you've hit a creature. This makes it worse than Divine Smite IMHO.

Divine Smite is an additive feature that is used to balance the paladin damage wise with other classes. This is not. Vital Strikes is the feature of this class that fills the DPR role of Divine Smite. Brutal Surge is simply an optional way to use your Action Surge and is intended to be a 1 - 1 replacement, not a power up.

 

[dave2008]

Let me throw this out there. So the subclass has a OA schtick. That seems fine, I can't think of any other subclasses that really have that.

But then we have this crit element at the end, and I wonder if that's the wrong direction. "Big Crits" are already the purview of rogues, barbs, and paladins.... and champions already get more crits. Maybe crits is simply the wrong way to go.

We already have vital strike, but maybe we upgrade it to "greater vital strike", where you get double your prof bonus to damage or something. Yes that's very plain jane.....but I feel like that is the point of this class.....raw pain, nothing fancy, not complex, just.... MOAR....PAIN!

I think you are on to something there. That seems to powerful to be every attack. Perhaps a number of times per day = to prof.?

 

[Bolares]

I think things get messy with brutal surge doubling damage and the slayer getting more crits. critical hits only double dice, and brutal surge doubles all damage. The interaction of the two may be a little to complex...

 

[Stalker0]

So I am actually liking the irresistible damage concept. Let me try a write up:

Inexorable Strike: No effect, ability, or condition can reduce the damage of your weapon attacks, or turn your critical hits into normal hits. Your critical hits stop all forms of regeneration for 1 round. A creature brought to 0 hp by your attack is automatically killed.

 

[Bolares]

Your critical hits automatically stop all forms of regeneration for 1 round.

What about this?

After you hit a creature with a critical hit, they can't regain hitpoints for 1 round.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I think you are on to something there. That seems to powerful to be every attack. Perhaps a number of times per day = to prof.?

No. It is not too powerful.
Crits are randomly and only 1 in 20 or about 1 in 10 attacks with advantage.
And then the trigger is quite random. And then at that level you have an ability to do 4d6 reroll 1's and 2's + 11 (and possibly also +10 due to great weapon mastery) and with the brutal surge we are looking at about doing about 38 * 2 damage anyway... and that is withou a magic weapon that might deal extra damage. At that level the weapon is probably +2, so 80 damage. What good is this ability?

So actually limiting it to prof bonus per day makes it better, because then at least you feel good that you usually don't have to actually use it and save it for the rare circumstance that you don't deal 50 damage or more on the crit.

Of course, you could be a sword and board slayer, but that seems counter intuitive, because if you want to really dish out damage, two handed weapons are the way to go.