Interestingly, had the designers kept their original idea of having 5e be modular, it would have been PERFECT for the fighter. One of the few ways to satisfy all the widely different views various players have of what the class is.
A critique and review of the Fighter class
Interestingly, had the designers kept their original idea of having 5e be modular, it would have been PERFECT for the fighter. One of the few ways to satisfy all the widely different views various players have of what the class is.
GMforPowergamers
Legend
yeah I spent teh first 3 or 4 years waiting for the 4e style fighter mod.
On a tangent, I believe the strain of the wizard covering too many types of magic user is why, IMO, the subclasses are the lamest. I could probably win a bet that the wizard has the discussion of subclasses, builds, and variants because it's in the same boat as fighters except magic is treated differently.
I think if wizards still had a D4 HD, we'd have this same discussion about wizards in a lesser intensity because wizards would have to devote so much of their slots to defence that they wouldn't be able to afford to social and exploration.
"My critique of the wizard is that the D4 HD means having less than 14 Con is a death sentence and I need half my slots for shield"
Jefe Bergenstein
Legend
If they spent even a quarter of the space outlining skill tricks for characters with advanced skill proficiency (replacing expertise, and granted in varying amounts to every non-caster) as they do for spells, the game would be much better IMO.
Bill Zebub
“It’s probably Matt Mercer’s fault.”
My bad. I thought 10th was the 2nd one. But that’s Rogue.
Neonchameleon
Legend
No it isn't. The problem is the lack of compounding because the feats are so isolated and 5e turned its back on feat chains - indeed there's conflict between some of the most notable feats.
To illustrate what I mean by compounding we can take one of 5e's very few advantages where there is one. Sharpshooter and Crossbow Expert. Crossbow Expert for a hand crossbow is probably not worth taking for the price of a feat on its own because it gives you three low damage shots at the cost of two medium damage shots and a bonus action. Sharpshooter makes each shot do a lot more damage (if it hits). So Sharpshooter + Crossbow Expert means that you have a chance to do sharpshooter damage three times in a turn rather than twice, never mind the shots being officially low damage. It's a brutally powerful combination mixing a heavy flat damage buff with a RoF increase for a minor damage nerf. The two feats on their own are worth far more than the sum of their parts which is why this is probably the most powerful weapon user in the game.
And when I say conflict I'm thinking of Great Weapon Master + Polearm Master. Most polearms are two handed so you can apply both top tier feats. But. Possibly the biggest bonus from PAM is the ability to get a low damage attack with your bonus action at the cost of slightly lower damage with your main attack. A significant bonus from GWM is that if you kill someone with your main attack you get to make an extra full damage attack with your bonus action. But you've only got one bonus action to spend between the two feats - so your extra attack from PAM is relegated to a backup plan if your main attacks fail. And your main attacks do less damage if you're wielding a two handed polearm than if you are a greataxe. So the benefit from each feat makes the other one less useful.
Bill Zebub
“It’s probably Matt Mercer’s fault.”
That’s such a depressing way to think about it.
And belied by my personal experience, which is that after everybody tried GWM/PAM in the first year, they got much more creative with feat choice. I don’t think you can rank them 1st, 2nd, 3rd “best”.
GMforPowergamers
Legend
but you CAN rate them "one I want the most"
even when I wanted immortality on my warlock (a trap choice, but I took it as my 2nd epic boon) I could rate what I wanted...
if you make 2 characters and give them the same stats the same background and the same choice for there first 2 ASI/Feat choices then they get 1... 1 extra asi/feat but not the one they wanted the most, they got that 1st, and not the one they wanted 2nd most... they both got that already...
I did it in another thread with Bard, and yet a different with hexblade... (although the hexblade had the same numbers but rearranged) the diffrence of action surge, second wind, the 3rd most wanted asi/feat and 1 use of indomitable did NOT equal 5th level, 4th level 3rd level 2nd level and 1st level spells along with insperation counter charm and song of rest... now you did also get some subclass fighter features but even just the 3rd level spells could counter balance any choice you make...
doctorbadwolf
Heretic of The Seventh Circle
I really wish they’d given more umph to the Int skills, and given bonus tool and language profs or something, at least.
Yep.
Not sure why I didn’t reply directly to this in my other post lol
I agree with the exceeding limits. The fighter should be able to go “maximum effort” and do a thing no one else can do.
doctorbadwolf
Heretic of The Seventh Circle
Well, the idea of only doing it for the fighter does. I just boost fighters based on the specific PC, and then I let specifics of the character determine automatic success for all PCs. The wizard knows how wizard apprenticeship works, and who invented Magic Missile, too.
