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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Sunseeker" data-source="post: 5886461">I've been thinking about my upcoming 4e game and one thing I find annoying is the idea of "at will" powers AND basic attacks.  If these are "at will" powers, then aren't they pretty much your basic attack?  I mean unless there's some specific reason that a power won't work, you're going to be using your "at will" power instead of your basic attack at all times.So this got me thinking, we know there aren't going to "at will" powers in 5e in the way there were in 4e, but there's still one thing about at will powers that is superior to basic attacks.  They DO SOMETHING.  This got me thinking about how Paizo designed their Paladin's Lay on Hands and Auras.  Aside from their normal features, these powers do more than one thing.  And they grow in things they can do as you level up.  What further got me thinking was that, with the return of a laundry list of "conditions" in 5e, this was one of the major lacking features for Fighters.  Just about any spell worth it's salt after 5th level put conditions on enemies, stunned, dazed, weakened, deafened, blinded, you name it, but fighters?  Even if they hit you with every one of their iterative attacks couldn't do any of these things. So I'm thinking: Why can't basic attacks follow this premise?  If fighters are supposed to be the best in combat maneuvers, why not let them use them as riders on their basic attacks?  You attack, and you attempt to disarm, no extra action cost, you are trained to be the best at these things.  It might cost other guys other actions to make a disarm attempt, but for you, you just do it with your normal strike.As you advance in level, not only do you get to more proficient at doing these maneuvers(resulting in greater penalties), but you can also do more of them.  At 10th level perhaps you can trip and disarm in one fell swoop.  Perhaps you can hit your foes so you hard you daze them, perhaps you scrape your sword on the ground and throw dirt in their eyes and blind them.This concept can be applied to any martial class who doesn't get any particular bonuses to "basic attacks".  The Barbarian is a massive muscular guy with a sword the size of his enemy, why can't he push you, knock you prone or heck, pick you up at any time?  Aside from Sneak attack, why not let the rogue get in on this action, let them blind, weaken, trip their opponents.  They're fighting dirty.  Perhaps the fighter could do any combat maneuver as a rider to his basic attack, while other martial classes would be limited to a few of them, say 3.  A big enough or smart enough attack is certainly enough to leave the opponent with some conditions of some kind, why should conditions be limited to magical effects only?  I'd say getting hit by a hammer the size of a small elf is certainly enough to leave someone "dazed" with no extra action cost.--Short story: a "basic attack" by a trained warrior, a massive brute, or a dirty fighter should be able to do more than just "deal damage" at no additional cost/roll, on a regular basis.</blockquote>

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