Fighting Styles A Missed Opportunity

[renevq]

I really like the idea. I'd had similar thoughts myself; I think the trick is in getting the balance where it's a fun and flavorful ability while being broad enough to maintain 5e sensibilites. Here's one I though of:

Iaido - You gain +2 initiative. During the first round of combat, if your first attack is against an opponent that has not had its turn yet, and hits, it is an automatic critical.

 

[Eubani]

I suppose there are subjects involving fighting styles that seem to be avoided What are the limits of what they can cover and how powerful can they get? Can disadvantages be added to increase the power or breadth of the style. Ultimately how far can you push the mechanics before it becomes a full class/subclass ability or a feat?

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

I suppose there are subjects involving fighting styles that seem to be avoided What are the limits of what they can cover and how powerful can they get? Can disadvantages be added to increase the power or breadth of the style. Ultimately how far can you push the mechanics before it becomes a full class/subclass ability or a feat?

I generally go with Fighting styles being relatively minor bonuses that are relevant almost all the time. They inform the way you fight even if they don't apply to all of your combat rounds.

Feats can be a little more powerful , but also more niche. They can apply in occasional situations rather than almost all of the time, and perhaps represent a specific type of maneuver rather than simply the way you fight most of the time.

 

[Li Shenron]

I think the OP's ideas are quite good, but TBH I am not sure they work well as fighting styles, they might be better suitable as feats.

There isn't any strict reason why they couldn't be fighting styles... it's just that the PHB fighting styles are conceived as bonuses/abilities related to a specific weapon configuration rather than weapon type, and by configuration I mean "how do you configure your hands to use weapons":

Archery: both hands using a ranged weapon
Dueling: one hand using a melee weapon (other hand up to you, as long as it's not another weapon)
Great Weapon Fighting: both hands using a melee weapon together
Protection: one hand using a shield (other hand up to you)
Two-Weapon Fighting: both hands using a melee weapon each

The main exception to this is the Defense fighting style which requires to wear armor. This also means it is actually compatible with all the other styles, otherwise the only other compatible combination is Dueling + Protection. IIRC this is relevant only for Champions who gain 2 fighting styles, and of course a Champion could pick two "incompatible" styles, it just means she won't normally benefit from both at the same time.

Archery is also slightly off, since it can be used with darts which require one hand only.

Besides the general melee vs ranged then, the fighting styles don't get more specific than that. Everything more specific on the weapon type or the kind of action you choose to do, it ended up as a feat instead. The main difference being, everyone can learn feats, but only Fighters, Paladins and Rangers can learn fighting styles. Even tho styles are more generic than feats, go figure!

If there's any miss from fighting styles IMO, it is one for thrown weapons, which normally require one hand, but attack at range. Unfortunately the Archery style doesn't work with them (see Sage Advice), either by design or mistake. It's possible that by the RAW the Dueling style might instead work, even if it might not be the RAI. I think that it would have been better for thrown weapons to have their own fighting style, to complete the picture.

 

[Slit518]

I made a few styles myself.

One style was for polearms.

Double Edged weapons such as the Quarterstaff would use the same rules as two-weapon fighting.

I also made a style of throw weapons, so instead of archery they get their own style.

And I made an unarmed style that allows 1d4 + str in unarmed damage, and a bonus unarmed attack when attacking unarmed.

 

[Alexemplar]

I kind of went the opposite directions. I noticed that pretty much all the Fighting styles either gave a slight damage boost (averaging about +2 per swing), with the exception of the Archery and Defense/Protection styles. So I just distilled it all down to three option.

Defensive (replaces Defense and Protection)
You gain a +1 bonus to AC. When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield or wielding a weapon.


Offensive (Replaces Dueling, Great Weapon Fighting, Two Weapon Fighting)
When you are wielding a melee weapon, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

Ranged (Replaces Archery)
You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.