D&D 5E Idea that will most players will hate, but I think addresses a mechanical issue in game

[Oofta]

Isn't this the opposite of that? Adding finesse does nothing for strength based characters; it just makes dex generally more useful.

Bows are dex only currently. Finesse means you can use dex or strength.

 

[Scars Unseen]

Bows are dex only currently. Finesse means you can use dex or strength.

Wat.

Okay, let me get this straight. The proposal here is to add finesse to a weapon that currently is dex only (it was late when I posted, so I didn't pay attention to the exact weapon being modified), and that somehow, by being a weapon that can now be "finessed," it would then be subject to strength modifiers as an option where it wasn't before.

Please tell me this hasn't been confirmed as RAI. Because that is possibly the dumbest interpretation of that weapon property I can think of. Did no one look up what the word "finesse" meant before they came up with that? Yeah, I get that 5E is sometimes not great with the way it words its rules, but common sense here, people. Please?

 

[Oofta]

Wat.

Okay, let me get this straight. The proposal here is to add finesse to a weapon that currently is dex only (it was late when I posted, so I didn't pay attention to the exact weapon being modified), and that somehow, by being a weapon that can now be "finessed," it would then be subject to strength modifiers as an option where it wasn't before.

Please tell me this hasn't been confirmed as RAI. Because that is possibly the dumbest interpretation of that weapon property I can think of. Did no one look up what the word "finesse" meant before they came up with that? Yeah, I get that 5E is sometimes not great with the way it words its rules, but common sense here, people. Please?

There are only so many words and "versatile" was used to describe weapons such as longswords that could be used either one handed or two handed. Finesse is currently only applied to melee weapons, think of it as "melee weapons usually rely on strength but here's some that can also use a lighter touch and can use dex".

Doesn't matter what we think though, you just have to look at the rules under Equipment > Weapons > Weapon Properties.

 

[Scars Unseen]

There are only so many words and "versatile" was used to describe weapons such as longswords that could be used either one handed or two handed. Finesse is currently only applied to melee weapons, think of it as "melee weapons usually rely on strength but here's some that can also use a lighter touch and can use dex".

Doesn't matter what we think though, you just have to look at the rules under Equipment > Weapons > Weapon Properties.

It kind of does matter what we think if we're talking about applying it to situations it wasn't designed to be applied to. It just seems kind of rules lawyery to try to claim that it technically works due to the way it's worded while conveniently avoiding the fact that it isn't a property that is applied to weapons that are dex by default. You might as well try to apply it to spells while ignoring that it's a property for weapons.

 

[Undrave]

It kind of does matter what we think if we're talking about applying it to situations it wasn't designed to be applied to. It just seems kind of rules lawyery to try to claim that it technically works due to the way it's worded while conveniently avoiding the fact that it isn't a property that is applied to weapons that are dex by default. You might as well try to apply it to spells while ignoring that it's a property for weapons.

Applying it to bows is already a house rule, it's not particularly wild to streamline the definition of 'Finesse' to simply 'you can pick STR or DEX when using this weapon"

It's just a keyword, it doesn't mean anything.

 

[NotAYakk]

I consider the XBE/SS/GWM/PAM feats to be reasonable level of feat power, but there are plenty of weapons and fighting styles that don't have support.

So I made similar quality feats for those.

Both my Sword and Bow feats let you add both Strength and Dexterity to damage rolls (among other things).

The Archer feat doesn't overlap with XBE, and the Sword feat doesn't overlap with PAM, so there is plenty of "power space" for them to do things like that.

Adding a secondary attribute to damage makes having a decent score in that secondary attribute valuable. A 14 strength/20 dex duelist character with a rapier does 1d8+9 instead of 1d8+7, a 17% damage boost, nothing to sniff at. The archer does 1d8+7 instead of 1d8+5, a 21% increase (less with SS).

(I also let monks add both their dex and strength to their monk attack damage, for similar reasons).

 

[Undrave]

(I also let monks add both their dex and strength to their monk attack damage, for similar reasons).

The Monk is MAD enough as it is Instead, let them add WIS to grappling checks.

 

[Scars Unseen]

It's just a keyword, it doesn't mean anything.

I think that when your house rule makes the game less comprehensible, it's a bad house rule. "It doesn't mean anything" doesn't really work when the word means the opposite of what you're trying to make it mean.

 

[Undrave]

I think that when your house rule makes the game less comprehensible, it's a bad house rule. "It doesn't mean anything" doesn't really work when the word means the opposite of what you're trying to make it mean.

I mean the keyword could be anything else, here it's just repurposing a keyword that has an understood meaning.

You could simply see the house rule as making ALL weapon STR-based and Finesse being for exceptions, which includes bows.

Crossbow would then be moved to the special cases like the net.

 

[NotAYakk]

The Monk is MAD enough as it is Instead, let them add WIS to grappling checks.

I don't mind the monk being MAD.

Ignoring the common "back 10" problem of almost all non-casters, monks are decent.

The "add str to damage" means that a "low" investment of 12 strength is worth a tiny amount of extra damage; a modest investment of 14 a bit more. It also means that a monk that chooses a dex/strength build (Tortle! Or Mage armor.) and neglect wisdom makes a different still viable character than a dex/wisdom monk.

The issue with MAD is when it is compared to a SAD PC without the assumption that the MAD PC will have significantly lower stats in the stats in question and weaker "secondary" stats like Con (or Dex in some builds), not MAD itself.