D&D (2024) Martial/Caster fix.

[aco175]

Are we already having a 'martials suck' thread, I have not even played the new edition rules yet.

Waiting for the poster that says to just cap casters at 10th level and let martials go to 20th.

 

[GrimCo]

Bring back Book of the 9 Swords. At the very least, give all Martials some battle master maneuvers as part of the base class. Fighters get the most, then barbarians & Rangers, with paladins getting a few.

This. Bo9S is solid template how to make interesting martials that keep up with casters. Compared to 3.5 Warblade, 5e battlemaster manouvers are underwhelming and laughable. Sure, at higher levels, it goes into wuxia territory, but who cares when at the same time casters can alter reality at whim, have direct line for divine intervention etc.

Don't nerf casters. Give high level martials cool abilities that are on par with them.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Fixing the martial / caster divide the easiest way i can think of. By removing some of the spell slots.

Also, bumping low levels slots slightly.


Level 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th
1st 3 - - - - - - - -
2nd 5 - - - - - - - -
3rd 3 2 - - - - - - -
4th 2 3 - - - - - - -
5th 1 3 2 - - - - - -
6th 1 2 3 - - - - - -
7th 1 1 3 1 - - - - -
8th 1 1 3 2 - - - - -
9th 1 1 2 3 1 - - - -
10th 1 1 1 3 2 - - - -
11th 1 1 1 2 2 1 - - -
12th 2 1 1 2 2 1 - - -
13th 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 - -
14th 2 2 1 1 2 1 1 - -
15th 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 -
16th 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 -
17th 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
18th 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1
19th 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1
20th 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1

You now end with 14 slots instead of 22, plus your other features (arcane recovery). Letting you still do all the cool things, but less often.

Thought? Too much of a cut? Not enough?
What would your chart look like?

Is your chart really having the number of spells of a particular level change up and down as the character levels up? That seems rather unintuitive. If the intention is for players to spend more high-level slots on lower-level spells... I agree with the poster above who said you might as well just switch over to spell points (and reduce the total number of points).

 

[Micah Sweet]

You could also borrow the Combat Traditions from Level Up. Each Combat Tradition is composed of 15 combat maneuvers scattered across 5 degrees (the martial equivalent of a spellcasting level) Every martial class (Adept, Berzerker, Fighter, Herald, Marshal, Ranger and Rogue) in Level Up is proficient in at least two Combat Traditions. Fighters gain a third Combat Tradition proficiency when they pick up a Fighter archetype at 3rd level.


I could see Hunter's Mark being a stance manuever if there was a Ranger-specific Combat Tradtion.

Combat maneuvers are also an easily expandable creative space (much like spells), both in variety of effects and availability of traditions and degrees (levels) of maneuver available to different classes and/or archetypes.

 

[TwoSix]

Are we already having a 'martials suck' thread, I have not even played the new edition rules yet.

Waiting for the poster that says to just cap casters at 10th level and let martials go to 20th.

Cap casters at 10th, let martials go to 20th.

 

[TwoSix]

Are we already having a 'martials suck' thread, I have not even played the new edition rules yet.

Waiting for the poster that says to just cap casters at 10th level and let martials go to 20th.

Or, just cap everyone at 10. I had a thread about that a month or two back.

 

[CreamCloud0]

What would your chart look like?

i wonder how something like this would work out?

 

[sevenbastard]

drop weapon mastery, it's a good idea with not so good implementation.

Agreed. There are better ways to solve the problem that don't slow the game down. Having attacks that require book keeping or saves ever round just add to the burden of combat.

Simple solutions like increasing damage dice, number of attacks, critical range, ect can solve the same problem.

 

[ezo]

i wonder how something like this would work out?
View attachment 396337

It would create an even larger divide IMO.

Giving casters more powerful spells at higher levels seems like it would just widen the gap for people who feel there is one.

 

[Horwath]

Agreed. There are better ways to solve the problem that don't slow the game down. Having attacks that require book keeping or saves ever round just add to the burden of combat.

Simple solutions like increasing damage dice, number of attacks, critical range, ect can solve the same problem.

now, dont get me wrong, I like the idea that they tried to give something for the martials, but locking down masteries to a single weapons is poor design and still limiting and boring.

masteries should have been "battlemasters maneuvers light".

I,E;
you know Nick mastery: you can apply it to every Light weapon you are proficient
you know Slow mastery: you can apply it to any weapon.
you know Vex mastery: you can apply it to any Light, Finesse or Ranged weapon
you know Graze mastery: you can apply it to any 2Handed or Versatile weapon
you know Push mastery: you can apply it to any non-Light weapon
etc....

then fighters get ability to apply 2 masteries to a single attack instead of 1 as normal.