D&D 5E Homebrew: Advanced Fighting Styles

[Undrave]

Principally because you're stealing / obviating class features (e.g. the Paladin who doesn't get to add radiant damage to a normal attack until level 11)

I've since decided to switch the damage type to Lightning, but maybe Fire would work better since it's so often resisted? I don't think it's any better than getting access to one of the Weapon Attack Cantrips. It's the 'don't worry about having a magical weapon or not' style. Also: you need an empty hand. It's designed to make you use a versatile weapon, basically one of the least attractive type of weapon to a melee character.

fighting styles (Prowling Wolf)

Well these ARE Fighting style. Am I stealing a particular Fighting style I forgot about? Note it's limited to working with Simple Weapons.

like in particular your last two - are hugely powerful and must-takes unless limited (e.g. requiring reactions or bonus actions).

Oh... I forgot to make Tumbling Monkey a once per turn. I'll edit that in.

Temp HP are already limited since they don't stack and go away after a rest. And they can't raise you if you're at 0 HP. I could limit the style to working with Medium Armor or less? I could also turn it around and make it my missing Bludgeoning damage style where you can get Temp HP once per turn from inflicting Bludgeoning damage, so it's more active?

Why just slashing damage?

It's the Whirling Dervish style. You’re slashing movements with a sword or scimitar turn into a spinning dance that makes you hard to hit.

This needs to be better written. Do you mean take the Attack action? And roll once with Disadvantage? It's ridiculously wimpy anyway unless you are a Diviner and can substitute a good roll for the Disadvantaged roll.

I say once per turn so that you could use it if you gained a Bonus Action ranged attack somehow (like with a Hand Crossbow). I was trying to make a sort of called shot type of action. You're trying to hit a more difficult target for extra damage. Ideally, you'd combine this with the Archery style to get +2 to your attack roll. Should I throw in extra damage?

 

[Quartz]

I've since decided to switch the damage type to Lightning, but maybe Fire would work better since it's so often resisted?

It's still an add. It's still stealing class features. On top of any other bonuses. What if a Paladin takes this? Does she get both adds to damage?

Note it's limited to working with Simple Weapons.

And those include the Quarterstaff and Spear, both of which can benefit from Polearm Mastery, and the Spear can benefit from the Duelling style to boot.

Should I throw in extra damage?

If you want it as a called shot it should replace your Action.

 

[Undrave]

It's still an add. It's still stealing class features. On top of any other bonuses. What if a Paladin takes this? Does she get both adds to damage?

It's be a pretty terrible fighting style if it didn't add anything to the character... and it's just a basic damage substitution, it only adds INT damage (a dump stat for most characters) after level 11 because by then you'd probably have other ways to overcome resistance to non-magical damage and at that point other Fighting styles would be WAY better. Honestly, if you get access Green Flame Blade or whatever, it's probably stronger.

If a Paladin takes this? Yeah they get to swap out their normal damage AND add the INT damage AND their D8 Radiant. But they still need to use a Versatile weapon and give up their shield.

But if you have a suggestion on how to make a Fighting style inspired by the Arcana skill, I'm all ears, this was just the first idea I had.

And I still don't know if I'll make this locked behind a feat, a type of boon/treasure, or a Subclass feature, so maybe a Paladin WOULDN'T be able to take it without level dipping.

And those include the Quarterstaff and Spear, both of which can benefit from Polearm Mastery, and the Spear can benefit from the Duelling style to boot.

You can't get the improved damage of the Versatile Spear and Dueling Style at the same time.
I hadn’t considered PAM, I admit… but if someone wants to use PAM with a weapon with no reach just to get the +2 bonus from Prowling Wolf… then they’re making an effort to specifically be a quarterstaff specialist and I’m not sure why that’s an issue? The Fighting style is doing its job by making weaker (aka Simple) weapons more attractive.

If instead the style handed out Advantage it’d be not only too strong (IMO), but it would be redundant with a bunch of stuff and cut off interesting tactical option, and if it just gave you a damage bonus to simple weapon… then it’s just making a Martial Weapon with the skin of a simple weapon, and at that point might as well pick a different fighting style and use a halberd.

Only other thing I could think of would be something like ‘if you hold two simple weapons you get +1 AC’ or something.

If you want it as a called shot it should replace your Action.

Until level 5 that would work, but by the time you get an extra attack nobody would ever use it, because you’d get better damage out of attacking twice. And as far as complexity goes, I like having choice between complex and simple options. Most of these styles are design to offer interesting questions during a fight and make you question which weapon to use beyond which one has the biggest die. Complexity is a feature, not a bug.

But again, if you got an idea for a Perception inspired fighting style I’m willing to listen.

 

[Quartz]

I thought these were supposed to be advanced styles, not ones you took at low levels.

 

[Quartz]

You can't get the improved damage of the Versatile Spear and Dueling Style at the same time.

You don't need to. Spear + Shield + PAM + Duelling style works just fine. Yes, you do a base of (1d6 +2) + (1d4 +2) damage, but that's fine. Giving an additional +2 per attack would give +4.

 

[Undrave]

I thought these were supposed to be advanced styles, not ones you took at low levels.

Like I said, haven't quite decided yet. They're advanced in that they're more complex and gated behind a skill prof., that's for sure.

 

[Undrave]

I could do some fun stuff if the Bloodied condition was in 5e... There's just so little to hang fighting styles on and so few outcomes it gets ridiculously hard...

 

[Undrave]

Inspired by animals who feign death, here is my Deception style:

Lying Snake
Skill: Deception
If you are target of a melee attack while prone, you can spend your reaction to stand up from prone and make a melee attack against the attacker. The attacker no longer gains advantage on their attack and if your attack hits, the triggering attack automatically misses.

 

[RealAlHazred]

I think you'll have an easier time with some decisions here when you settle on the fiction for these. Are these secret styles available only to the few students of hard-to-find masters? Then they might be available to lower-level characters, albeit there should be a Background requirement, maybe a related Flaw or something. Are they truly ancient mysteries only still extant in hidden tomes? Then you should aim for higher level, and look for synergies with mid-tier features. And so on.

 

[CreamCloud0]

Feel free to suggest concepts that could work for the missing skills: Animal Handling, Deception, History, Investigation, Religion, Stealth.

Kiting/Cautious? Coyote
skill: investigation
Whenever you successfully deal weapon damage to a foe they make a WIS save against your investigation check, if they fail the save you gain +1 to hit on all attacks you make against them and +1 AC against all attacks they make against you, these bonuses can stack up to equal of your proficiency bonus.