D&D 5E Brain Storm Lunging Attack Maneuver

[Garthanos]

This seems the least of BM maneuvers but I could be missing something honestly trying to understand its value.

1. Run around your enemies while remaining 5 feet further away and make a series of attacks without triggering an opportunity attack for fun. (instead of focus firing like a sane person til the bad guys die) = cant do this its one attack only so....
2. Change it to Lunging stance so all your attacks till next turn are at the +5 foot extended reach and the first that hits gets the superiority die Or even make it so the stance only drops after you hit (does that fix it) Somebody will surely say it's too powerful.
3. Change it so your adroit maneuvering allows you to attack through an square freely even if the target would normally get half cover (Hey dude if you miss your cs die is very very wasted and you have to pick first before rolling )
4. Change it so it also adds extra damage (based on attribute or proficiency if you are trained in medicine) damn it that is really what lunging is for. Adding your weight to the attack.
5. Figure out why it might make a polearm build more awesome and leave it alone at least contextually.
6. Hope the DM makes more enemies with reach that gives them extra or attacks that stop you short if you try to attack with the shorter weapon.

 

[Garthanos]

I almost wonder if the idea was made early in the design and it was meant to combine with something else which didnt pan out.

 

[Xeviat]

Yeah, it doesn't seem like something that's going to get a whole lot of value. Maaaaaaybe an agile character before getting extra attack might want it for some hit and run without provoking an opportunity attack ... but at that point just use a bow.

 

[Garthanos]

Yeah, it doesn't seem like something that's going to get a whole lot of value. Maaaaaaybe an agile character before getting extra attack might want it for some hit and run without provoking an opportunity attack ... but at that point just use a bow.

Without something downright strange happening its a mechanical bust with ok flavor which ahem is the worst kind.

 

[Garthanos]

Yeah, it doesn't seem like something that's going to get a whole lot of value. Maaaaaaybe an agile character before getting extra attack might want it for some hit and run without provoking an opportunity attack ... but at that point just use a bow.

I am thinking adding my 3 and 4 to it could do the trick ... its still a maybe you wasted your die entirely trick

 

[tetrasodium]

This seems the least of BM maneuvers but I could be missing something honestly trying to understand its value.

1. Run around your enemies while remaining 5 feet further away and make a series of attacks without triggering an opportunity attack for fun. (instead of focus firing like a sane person til the bad guys die) = cant do this its one attack only so....
2. Change it to Lunging stance so all your attacks till next turn are at the +5 foot extended reach and the first that hits gets the superiority die Or even make it so the stance only drops after you hit (does that fix it) Somebody will surely say it's too powerful.
3. Change it so your adroit maneuvering allows you to attack through an square freely even if the target would normally get half cover (Hey dude if you miss your cs die is very very wasted and you have to pick first before rolling )
4. Change it so it also adds extra damage (based on attribute or proficiency if you are trained in medicine) damn it that is really what lunging is for. Adding your weight to the attack.
5. Figure out why it might make a polearm build more awesome and leave it alone at least contextually.
6. Hope the DM makes more enemies with reach that gives them extra or attacks that stop you short if you try to attack with the shorter weapon.

This is probably the missing piece you are stumped on. Back in 3.5 a pole arm would threaten opportunity attacks against squares 10 feet away but not the adjacent ones. Lunging strike would allow the 10' reach benefits without the drawbacks. Of course in 5e pole arms threaten both and the real benefits of threatening a zone like that are dramatically reduced by how AoOs were so badly cut down. You can see another victim of this by compithe bag of holding & Howard handy haversack in 5e to each other then spot the missing bit that explains the capacity and rarity differences by looking at the 3.5 haversack.im sure there are other bits of nonsense like those

 

[Xeviat]

I am thinking adding my 3 and 4 to it could do the trick ... its still a maybe you wasted your die entirely trick

Heck, make it a move and attack with your action. Like ... half speed and attack and add your superiority die to damage. You don't lunge and then end up where you were. You don't provoke opportunity attacks moving within reach, so that part of 3E isn't needed, but there are times a melee character can't get to someone with a single move so having what would basically be a charge feat but with bonus damage for superiority dice cost could be useful. More useful than +5 reach that doesn't last for the whole round.

 

[DEFCON 1]

I rewrote Lunge and combined the basic rule "extend reach by 5 feet" to the mechanics of the Barbarian's "Reckless Attack". It now reads for me:

-Lunge- When you make a melee weapon attack on your turn, you can expend one superiority die to lunge forward, widening your opening for the attack but leaving you open for easier attacks in return. You increase your reach for your attack by 5 feet and gain advantage on the attack roll, and if you hit, you add the superiority die to the attack’s damage roll. However, all attacks made against you until the start of your next turn also have advantage.

It has made it a much more favorable choice for Battlemasters than it was previously... especially since Reach in my games barely sees any bonus over non-reach situations.

 

[Lanefan]

Every time I scroll past the title of this thread I misread it as "Brain Storm Laughing Attack Maneuver" - which, if it doesn't exist, should.

 

[Garthanos]

but there are times a melee character can't get to someone with a single move so having what would basically be a charge feat but with bonus damage for superiority dice cost could be useful.

Perhaps not coincidentally we already have... Maneuvering Attack
note the balance difference with maneuvering attack you are guaranteed the benefit of the CS die where as if the bonus CS die is at the end of subsequent movement you are not. Such a charge maneuver is technically weaker than Maneuvering Attack. (I think it needs about a 1/2 more CS daka like a bonus based on a secondary or tertiary attribute)

Additionally since such a Lunging Attack since it affects only self logically is less valuable in terms of situational frequency to Maneuvering attack. In other words we can make it like Maneuvering attack a lot like you suggest but we need a small damage bonus and to realize its value will still come up less frequently; unless perhaps you are the only combatant in the party that gets out of reach... hmmm bet not though.

Someone might end up using a Lunging Attack on an occasion when they would have otherwise gotten an attack but find that the small amount more now taking the enemy down faster (just one CS die and maybe half again more) .

The blocking opportunity attacks on the move actually makes this flavor well as the Destreza Lunge from classic fencing.