D&D (2024) Fighter (Playtest 7)

[Charlaquin]

As far as I know, they haven’t said anything about it. But people have noticed that in the playtest packet, every feature that in the 2014 rules caused damage to “count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage” has been replaced with a feature that instead allows you to change the damage type (often to force). Some people have speculated that this might indicate that the 2024 rules will replace resistance to nonmagical B/P/S to simply resistance to all B/P/S, and that magic weapons will deal force damage.

That would actually be dumber than the current situation. Amazing. It would also continue to screw over Brawlers.

Oh! Further evidence in support of this notion is the fact that the Barbarian’s Rage changed from giving resistance to nonmagical B/P/S to giving resistance to all B/P/S.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Oh! Further evidence in support of this notion is the fact that the Barbarian’s Rage changed from giving resistance to nonmagical B/P/S to giving resistance to all B/P/S.

Oh brother.

I hope maybe they've just shifted it to the weapons, like magic weapons are noted are overriding B/P/S resistance. But them all doing Force damage would be godawful.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

Brawler is such a weird bag... They're the quickest way to get to pick weapon mastery effects on a per-attack basis (i.e. how weapon mastery should work in the first place). You can cleave/topple at reach with a nearby table, or sap people by tossing rotten fruits at them...

But there won't be nearby tables that do force damage.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Brawler is such a weird bag... They're the quickest way to get to pick weapon mastery effects on a per-attack basis (i.e. how weapon mastery should work in the first place). You can cleave/topple at reach with a nearby table, or sap people by tossing rotten fruits at them...

But there won't be nearby tables that do force damage.

Yeah it's like, absolute best case, Brawlers will hard-require a specific magic item to function. Like the "gloves of resistance-ignoring" or something. And those gloves will need to have like +2 to hit and damage or they'll still be inferior to other melees.

 

[Charlaquin]

Oh brother.

I hope maybe they've just shifted it to the weapons, like magic weapons are noted are overriding B/P/S resistance. But them all doing Force damage would be godawful.

That would make more sense to me, yeah. A simple blanket rule that magical weapons ignore resistance and immunity to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing would be much more elegant than writing out the exception in every monster’s statblock. All magic weapons dealing force damage would be… just kinda weird.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

'this is a flame sword. it is on fire. it does force damage'

I don't think that's happening, but there is definitely something going on with the resistances.

 

[Charlaquin]

'this is a flame sword. it is on fire. it does force damage'

I don't think that's happening, but there is definitely something going on with the resistances.

No, I think that would obviously do fire damage when the flame is turned on, which you would want against enemies that are vulnerable to fire. Against enemies that resist fire, you’d turn it off, just like you already do.

 

[Minigiant]

As far as I know, they haven’t said anything about it. But people have noticed that in the playtest, every feature that in the 2014 rules caused damage to “count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage” has been replaced with a feature that instead allows you to change the damage type (often to force). Some people have speculated that this might indicate that the 2024 rules will replace resistance to nonmagical B/P/S to simply resistance to all B/P/S, and that magic weapons will deal force damage.

My guess is that most weapons with have an alternative damage type.

Flame tongue can deal all fire damage. Frost brands all ice damage. Etc.

The whole swapping of Mastery on long rest is because they want the default to be warriors getting random magic weapons and swapping to the masteries of the best 2-6 weapons they have.

That's the point of the brawler.

Your fighter has a flame tongue, a frost brand, a hammer of thunder. But none of them have the right properties or masteries. You can start fighting with a broom of flying.

Golfbag fighters are their default.

 

[Minigiant]

Well, let me quote the playtest document, p.14, the first box under the Brawler heading:

"The 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide will include magic items that enhance Unarmed Strikes and Improvised Weapons."

Now, read the last two words of that sentence again.

Huh. Looks like your question was answered before you asked it.

100% Monk's Belt and Amulet of Mighty Fists or Armbands of Might

 

[Asisreo]

From what I'm seeing, the main draw isn't damage or anything, its spontaneous weapon mastery.

A brawler fighter can use a two-handed table leg and Push the target next to his ally, then Cleave them for damage on both without switching weapons.

Or you can take a scimitar and a lamp and dual-wield them, using Nick on the scimitar and applying both vex and sap on the enemy.