D&D (2024) Greatweapon fighting style? Is this another joke? Did everyone at WotC failed elementary school math classes?

[Voadam]

That's math

Replacement is simpler than addition

I think it is much easier to always add a flat number rather than take an extra step to look every time you roll and maybe change the numbers then add the numbers that are not on the dice in front of you. I expect more screw ups and more of a time speed bump with the substitution method.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

That's math

Replacement is simpler than addition

It's not, when you can just write it on your character sheet, already calculated together with your strength modifier.
2D6+6 is not harder than 2d6+3.

 

[mellored]

Sneak attack and cantrip scaling both add more dice, as they represent one attack that hits hard. Multiattack grants more attacks, as that's what it represents: attacking several times.

Great Weapon style represents increasing minimum damage

Dualist represents increasing flat damage.

Having one fighting style add damage via flat bonus and one via dice manipulation is not clever, it is inelegant. They're similar things, so they should use similar mechanics, and the different mechanic 0pdoesn't actually add anything interesting, beyond ending up sub par and being wildly worse on some weapons. It is bad design in many ways.

That's a very thin line your drawing when Advantage is dice manipulation.

Pretty sure you wouldn't be complaining if it was 1,2, and 3 turn to 4.

 

[Dausuul]

I think it is much easier to always add a flat number rather than take an extra step to look every time you roll and maybe change the numbers then add the numbers that are not on the dice in front of you. I expect more screw ups and more of a time speed bump with the substitution method.

On top of that, unless you have a Strength of 10, you're going to have to do addition anyway.

 

[mellored]

Just to play with some math..

If you roll a 1, maximize that die.

D4 = 3.25 (+0.75)
D6 = 4.333 (+0.8333)
D8 = 5.375 (+0.875)
D10 = 6.4 (+0.9)
D12 = 7.416 (+0.916)

 

[OB1]

The fighting style is about raising your floor. It may not seem powerful in a white room, but I suspect it's pretty good in actual play.

A 1st level great weapon master with a Great Sword is now doing a range of 9-15 damage per hit instead of 5-15. And remember that on a crit, the min is now 18 instead of 10. If you are going to be using a Great Sword anyhow (maybe because of a specific mastery) why wouldn't you want this fighting style?

 

[Horwath]

"Did everyone at WotC failed elementary school math classes?"

Did you fail elementary school English classes?

If you're going to insult people, maybe check you're not standing in a glass house first, eh?

hehe,

point taken,
but is it really an insult or just a cheeky commentary?

 

[Horwath]

The fighting style is about raising your floor. It may not seem powerful in a white room, but I suspect it's pretty good in actual play.

A 1st level great weapon master with a Great Sword is now doing a range of 9-15 damage per hit instead of 5-15. And remember that on a crit, the min is now 18 instead of 10. If you are going to be using a Great Sword anyhow (maybe because of a specific mastery) why wouldn't you want this fighting style?

I know what they aimed at, but the effects are just not worth it.
you would be better overall to take +1 AC and be done with it.

it's even more absurd with using both dueling and GWF with a Versatile weapons.

IE; Longsword,
1d8+5, 60% hit, 5% crit

dueling, 1d8+7;
6,9+0,225(crit)=7,125 per attack

GWF, 1d10+5(treat 1&2 as 3)
6,48+0,29(crit)=6,77 per attack

so anyone that is having both Dueling and GWF and using a longsword(for whatever reasons would you make that character) for it, is better at using it 1Handed than 2Handed.

yes, you are better with damage die riders, but base weapon damage should be better for 2Handed use than 1Handed if you have both styles and the weapon can utilize both styles.

 

[OB1]

I know what they aimed at, but the effects are just not worth it.
you would be better overall to take +1 AC and be done with it.

it's even more absurd with using both dueling and GWF with a Versatile weapons.

IE; Longsword,
1d8+5, 60% hit, 5% crit

dueling, 1d8+7;
6,9+0,225(crit)=7,125 per attack

GWF, 1d10+5(treat 1&2 as 3)
6,48+0,29(crit)=6,77 per attack

so anyone that is having both Dueling and GWF and using a longsword(for whatever reasons would you make that character) for it, is better at using it 1Handed than 2Handed.

yes, you are better with damage die riders, but base weapon damage should be better for 2Handed use than 1Handed if you have both styles and the weapon can utilize both styles.

I'm not arguing with the math, I'm arguing with the feeling. Never being able to roll less than a 6 on the die with a great sword is cool. Being able to roll a 15 damage with a single attack at 1st level is cool. The math isn't felt at the table. The floor increase is. I doubt any player who chooses this fighting style will feel bad about it. They'llurned remember all the times the turned a 2 into a 6.

 

[DrJawaPhD]

My homebrew modification on this is to up the minimum equal to 4 for d8's, 5 for d10's, 6 for d12's. Still ain't all that great but at least it's not drastically nerfed from the 2014 version.

And even if that isn't mathematically optimal, it can be pretty decent in practice to up your damage floor and remove those instances where RNG screws you over and makes you feel bad.