D&D (2024) 4/26 Playtest: The Fighter

[Undrave]

This is what we're trying to avoid:

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That's not a Fighter! that's a wandering weapons salesman!

 

[Shardstone]

I think people are focusing too much on the trees and missing the forest here. People are looking at the maneuvers in a box, and forgetting what can be done with other abilities or party combos.

I mentioned one above about using push with spirit guardians, or push with a variety of damaging terrain spells.

Now take topple, which you can follow up with a grapple attack to prevent the target from getting back up, and now just being subject to advantage on attacks from everyone. Sure you can do this with 2 grapples now, but this way you can get in your good damage as well.

Graze can be really useful fighting an invisible enemy. If I know what square they are in, even at disadvantage I'm still bringing pain.

Nick can be combined with the haste spell for even more attacks (as now that attack action can also bring in the TWF attack).

Guilty as charged! Your examples did a great idea of opening my eyes.

Now I just wish we had about 5 more masteries, or a magical mastery at 17th level for anime stuff.

 

[Asisreo]

The game doesn’t reward you for going golf bag. You pick a fighting style, and that fighting style basically deciding if you go Sword and Board, Two Hander, or Ranged. The Defense style that gives a bonus to AC is the more versatile.

But there is literally no reason to have more than two weapons: Your main one and a ranged option if you don’t have one. If you’re going heavy armor, you’ll pick up some hand axes or javelin because you didn’t invest in DEX and that makes you more accurate. If you’re ranged you might have a rapier in case you need to melee. Losing the benefit of your Fighting style, and potentially feats, is not worth going for a different load out. And damage type are basically meaningless in about 99% of encounters.

If you're a strength-based fighter, which is fairly common, you'll want at least three weapons: a main weapon like a greatsword with all your feats and such. Then you'll want a throwing weapon for maximum ranged damage. Then you'll want a longbow for maximum range in case the enemy is more than 60ft.

If you're dex-based, you only need two weapons: a heavy crossbow and a longbow, one for damage and one for distance. Unless you didn't grab Xbow expert, in which case you'll want a third melee finesse weapon.

 

[Chaosmancer]

I disagree. First, Graze does scale as your ability mod goes up.

By this argument, every single thing in the game scales. Shillelagh, Minor Illusion, all of it. Your ability mod increasing (which is a choice, not a guarantee) is not scaling. Especially since, to reiterate, ASI's are a choice, not a guarantee. Which means someone who doesn't pump their abilities isn't allowed to scale?

Further, there are the combos that can make your abilities cooler. Take for example push. Ok I hit a guy in melee and push him 10 feet, big whoop right? Now combine that with a cleric using spirit guardians. Now I can push a guy 10 feet, and move back with my cleric buddy, positioned in a way that if the monster comes back it will have to move more than 30 feet (due to the half speed of the spirit guardian effect)....and now has to double move to get to us. Suddenly you have taken out the entire offense of that melee monster, and can do this over and over and over again.

On one hand, I do like teamwork. On the other hand "this ability is really good if I have an ally capable of spellcasting" is less good. After all, every single example of why push is good requires either a second character who cast a spell, or the DM to have provided cliff or pit. There is nothing the fighter alone can do to make ay of these examples happen.

Topple is nice, topple versus flying monsters could be deadly, and those become more common at higher levels, etc.

Which is something only a fighter can do... unless you throw a trident.

 

[Chaosmancer]

60% chance to cleave at level 1
84% chance to cleave at level 5
93% chance to cleave at level 11
97% chance to cleave at level 17

Not to mention magic weapons, and the ability to swap after you trigger it.

Does this account for the probablity of two monsters standing next to each other after they see you use cleave the first time?

 

[mellored]

Does this account for the probablity of two monsters standing next to each other after they see you use cleave the first time?

Just the chance to hit once on a turn.

But you can take push, and force 2 enemies next to eachother on the first attack, then cleave for the next ones.

Point is, they do scale with more attacks. At least somewhat .

And barbarians get range bonus on cleave.

 

[Incenjucar]

I would like fighters to have a choice between breadth, depth, and flexibility. Golf bag should be an option, modify should be an option, and focus (push 20'!) should be an option.

 

[Stalker0]

I would like fighters to have a choice between breadth, depth, and flexibility. Golf bag should be an option, modify should be an option, and focus (push 20'!) should be an option.

Problem with that is dnd almost always rewards depth over breadth, unless the breadth is for a reallly niche ability that is only needed once in a blue moon, but is great when you need it (which is why Wizard spellbook can be so useful).

 

[Stalker0]

Which is something only a fighter can do... unless you throw a trident.

So your saying we finally found something the fighter is uniquely best out that no other class can do..... hey we've done it!!!!

 

[Incenjucar]

Problem with that is dnd almost always rewards depth over breadth, unless the breadth is for a reallly niche ability that is only needed once in a blue moon, but is great when you need it (which is why Wizard spellbook can be so useful).

Sure, but at least the breadth option is there if someone finds a juicy combo that only works if they use a different weapon for each attack.